just trying to think of what little details there are that separate a craftsman from someone just tossing parts together into a bike. lining up valves and labels is one that springs immediately to mind. some might say lining up oury grips so that they can be read a certain way, though that’s something i’m just pulling out my ass right now. a shop i helped out with a shift here and there wouldn’t let a bike they put together out the door without the washer and cap on a presta valve. and so on. what other little details do y’all see on a bike that would fit on a list like this?
gotta rotate that dick jar just right
Wrapping handlebars unlike an idiot would. No shitty finishing tape jobs
All Q/R levers on non-drive-side. Batrape wrapped and taped symmetrically. All housing cut to correct lengths and tidy. Logos on headset oriented in some way logical, same for cap on threadless steerers. If bottle bosses are unused they should have bolts or something in them. Cable ends tidy and not too long, capped or soldered. I like to put a little bend in them, it serves no purpose but looks better than sticking straight out. Fender stays trimmed. Fenderline in general. Matching stem spacers (I hate silver/black stripey look). Any zip-ties trimmed. Any computer or dynamo wiring tidy.
I bought a used wheelset once. On the rim tape was written the spoke lengths, I though that was pretty nice and it’s something I do now.
plastic bar end plugs electrical taped
bars centered in stem, stem aligned with front wheel
saddle aligned with top tube
brake levers even with each other and oriented at a usable angle
housing cut to correct length and symmetrical where appropriate
cables cut to correct length with crimps securely installed
headset and top cap logos not jackangled
grease on the stuff that gets grease
assembly paste on the stuff that gets assembly paste
loctite on the stuff that gets loctite
hub logo lined up with valve hole
a fender line that doesn’t suck ass
fender stays trimmed to non-stabby lengths
qr springs properly installed and qr levers on the correct side and tucked away
brake pads oriented correctly (a potentially dangerous fuckup with cartridge pads)
braking surfaces taped when tubs mounted, tires centered and as lump-free as possible, sidewalls clean of glue schmutz
…and the big one for me…
caliper brakes set up so that the quick release actually does its fucking job
brake levers even and oriented in an aesthetically pleasing manner
non-aero levers: cables BEHIND the bars
good: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27209537@N00/2481841938/in/photostream
bad: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pimpmasterjazz/7780795026/lightbox/
You’re telling me people don’t do these things?*
I think I’ve been puckered over this stuff for so long I forget.
I’m also a big fan of barrel adjuster turned ‘almost’ all the way in. Not quite all the way in case a road bumble requires a touch less tension.
*I mean bike shop people, not fixin my stuff in the kitchen people.
Can read logo on front hub from cockpit. Hub logos lined up with valve stem hole. (sight though the hole and see the logo centered) Edit: Hi Seth!
Writing on cable housing right side up and centered. (that was Tyler when he built my FF)
twine
[quote=catdrew f]we wrap most bars backwards as it looks a lot nicer without finish tape and you can get it tighter
[/quote]Yes. I thought I was the only one. How do you avoid a lump near the stem where you need a double wrap to hold the tape on? I just live with it but is there a better way?
Writing on tube oriented to be read from drive-side of the wheel. Helps with locating what caused your flat and might still be in the tire.
You’re telling me people don’t do these things?*
I think I’ve been puckered over this stuff for so long I forget.
I’m also a big fan of barrel adjuster turned ‘almost’ all the way in. Not quite all the way in case a road bumble requires a touch less tension.
*I mean bike shop people, not fixin my stuff in the kitchen people.[/quote]
Most do. Some don’t.
Next level shit for me is lining up logos/embossing on batrape. Since I suck at it and hate the logos anyway I orient the tape so the logos are mostly obscured by the next wrap.
Also, mudflaps inside the fender unless you’re using a bottle.
[quote=Fergie][quote=catdrew f]we wrap most bars backwards as it looks a lot nicer without finish tape and you can get it tighter
[I[img]http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Articles/A10/Untitled-8.jpg[/img]MG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/Mr_Penut/photo-119.jpg[/IMG][/quote]
![http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Articles/A10/Untitled-8.jpg[/img]MG](http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Articles/A10/Untitled-8.jpg%5B/img%5DMG){kind=link}
![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/Mr_Penut/photo-119.jpg[/IMG][/quote]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/Mr_Penut/photo-119.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/quote%5D){kind=link}
Yes. I thought I was the only one. How do you avoid a lump near the stem where you need a double wrap to hold the tape on? I just live with it but is there a better way?[/quote]
Cut brake cables even with bottom of brake calipers arm.
All crimps done the same way unique to other people in the shop so you can easily identify each other’s builds.
Zip ties cut absolutely flush
Can’t think of anything else right now that hasn’t already been mentiones
[quote=jamey][quote=Fergie][quote=catdrew f]we wrap most bars backwards as it looks a lot nicer without finish tape and you can get it tighter
[I[img]http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Articles/A10/Untitled-8.jpg[/img]MG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v636/Mr_Penut/photo-119.jpg[/IMG][/quote]
Yes. I thought I was the only one. How do you avoid a lump near the stem where you need a double wrap to hold the tape on? I just live with it but is there a better way?[/quote][/quote]
That’s a nice picture, but I’m talking about wrapping the bars starting near the stem and then out to the bar ends.
- Ride a bike
- Have fun
- ???
- Profit.
i wrap from bar end to stem, finish it off with a little electrical tape. then i snip an extra piece of bar tape, and use a doublesided tape under that to cover the electrical tape.