10 Rapid Fire Bike Repair Tips for MTB & Beyond - Featuring Park Tool

All the tips were great. Thank you, Seth and a special thank you to Calvin and Truman. I really liked the "Drop into water" test. I tried the test at home. First I threw a bent spoke into the water, It didn't float to the surface. Then I tried the same with a worn-out sprocket. It also stayed at the bottom of the water so I throw it out. Then I dropped my wife into the swimming pool. She came right back up to the surface, showing me that she is still good and I can keep her. The "Drop into the water" test really does work. Thanks, Seth for that tip. I am on the way to the lake to try that with my car.

Thanks again Seth! Always a pleasure when our paths cross.

For everyone who's confused over the float test: it will never float, get a new one and live happily ever after :)

Calvin is an absolute legend! A pioneer that pretty much wrote the book on mountain bike how-to’s. Thanks to all 3 of you guys for continuing to do so much for the sport!

I tried the float test on a new derailleur hanger and it actually did float. So glad I watched this video. The key is to use duck fat fresh from the fridge.

after seeing the float test I went ahead and threw my whole bike into a pool to see if it floated and it didn’t so i just bought a new bike. super helpful tip👍

Fun fact: the float test also worked for witches 😆

The reason why I am poor and happy today are these 3 guys! Thanks for getting me into biking <3

The Park Tools video with Calvin showing how to adjust your derailleurs is the best video on the subject. It describes and shows the process so clearly, thanks to it I learned how to properly setup my bike.

That explanation about torq (ft-lbs) might have been the best/most useful part of this video. Never heard anyone describe it so well 👌🏼

This is the first time I've ever had anyone explain the concept behind torque specs to me. Granted, I've never looked, but still. Much simpler than I imagined.

The best tip I ever picked up is one I never see mentioned: If you have a bent hanger and a spare quick-release rear wheel around the shop or are riding with a buddy, remove the skewer and thread the axle through the derailleur mounting bolt. You can eyeball a coarse adjustment and pull/push on the wheel to adjust the hanger, or use a ruler to measure at 12/3/6/9 o'clock between the inside edges of the rims. If a rim is out of true just rotate them as you measure and use the valve stems as a reference.

This was a great episode: solid basics with just enough "hack" in it. I forget Seth is a half-pint. They could use a couple of STL-1.2 to even out the height... or a milk crate. Park Tool videos are my go-to because they're detailed and easy to understand.

It looks really funny when Seth stands between them😂

I walked up to the service desk at my lbs and asked if they had friction paste. They looked at me blankly. I explained I was installing a new dropper post into a carbon frame. They tried to explain to me that any sort of "paste or lube" would be a bad idea when installing a seat post or other components into/into a carbon frame. I left the shop and ordered all the items on my list, including friction paste online, in two minutes, while sitting on my bike. Thank you for all your videos, Seth and Parktools. You all fill in the gaps left behind by underqualified lbs.

Rebuilding the hub part brought back a wave of nostalgia for me I remember the first actually good bike I got was a 2009 Cannondale Chase, most backwards bike ever (dj bike with 1.5 through headtube and vertical dropouts???) i remember it came with this shimano cassette hub that could have been made of lead, this thing was like 15 pounds. I used to ride HARD and i remember coming home from a ride (~13 at the time) and hearing clicking from my back wheel. This shimano hub was cast iron monster and i had managed to crack the inner bearing race, so me being a youngster with little to no money, i bought the same hub on amazon, it was like 20 bucks or so, and I used the axel and races to rebuild the hub inside the wheel! That bike lasted 2 years with me on the saddle until i gapped a 20 stair at UK campus and cracked the chainstay. Thanks for the memories Seth you got me into this shit (with the help of the staff at my local bike shop) and now i'm sitting pretty at 18 on my 2021 dartmoor 26 player completely custom built by yours truly!

For extracting pedal pins, get a Dremel and run a slot in the top of the pin and use a flathead screwdriver to remove it

The pedal pin issue is exactly why Hope F20 pedals are the best. The pins screw in from the top, but the screw head is on the bottom so it won’t get destroyed by pedal strikes

For the headset one, always feel the headset because some cheaper brakes have pads that move in the caliper, and it makes it seem like its the headset. Holding the headset bearings give you a better idea of the condition of your headset

RE repacking a loose ball hub: sometimes left and right bearings wear out at variable pace. It's good practice to keep them in two separate piles throughout, so you put balls from right back on the right side instead of mixing left and right. Tweezers are really convenient for manipulating those balls in and out.