Flipping the bike over to work on it

On Oct 23, 11:51*am, bfd wrote:
On Oct 23, 7:55*am, Art Harris wrote: Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. *

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. *This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.

If you get a flat on the road, it's much easier to remove and re-
install a wheel (especially a rear wheel on a derailleur bike) when
the bike is upright. Try it.

I don't follow your "third arm" argument.

Agree. When I see people who work on their bikes "upside down," I just
presume they're newbies....

I've read all the rationale and arguments for changing flats, etc. on
a bike right side up vs. upside down. While I do most of my work with
the bike upright, I too change out of house flats on the road with the
bike upside down. I've tried it right side up, many times, front and
rear wheel, and it just seems an additional burden to hold the bike.
I can change a flat in a minute or so, and have done literally
thousands, as pinch-flats were a couple a day occurrence in my youth
when street riding the BMX bikes. Try to hop up onto a ledge, come up
a touch short, flat rear. Just about every time.

Then again, I've only been doing this 15 years or so, so in respect to
many of you I am a newb G

Ozark Bicycle Service wrote:
On Oct 23, 9:41 am, Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Of course I move the
headlight etc so it doesn't get damaged or I mount the handlebars on a
small box or blocks. It's easy to put a towel under the seat.

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

In the 1970s, I had a girlfriend who was a mechanic at a suburban
shop. She loved to "do it upside down". ;-)

Your "friend" Carl Fogel likes to turn his bicycle upside down to annoy
your other "friend" Jobst Brandt.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

On Oct 24, 12:13*am, Simon Lewis wrote:
bfd writes:
On Oct 23, 7:55*am, Art Harris wrote:
Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. *

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. *This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.

If you get a flat on the road, it's much easier to remove and re-
install a wheel (especially a rear wheel on a derailleur bike) when
the bike is upright. Try it.

I don't follow your "third arm" argument.

Agree. When I see people who work on their bikes "upside down," I just
presume they're newbies....

Why would you presume that? I always flip the bike. Primarily so as not
to have the chain dragging on the ground.

There is nothing wrong with flipping the bike at all.

I agree. I find it easier to flip the bike because I can stand up
while working on the wheel, the bike doesn't tip (much) and I spin the
wheels.

I would guess that people who think it's bad to flip the bike are
worried it could kink someone's brake cables and cause an accident. So
maybe it's like a public safety awareness campaign of sorts.

PW

" writes:

On Oct 24, 12:13Â*am, Simon Lewis wrote:
bfd writes:
On Oct 23, 7:55Â*am, Art Harris wrote:
Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Â*

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. Â*This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.

If you get a flat on the road, it's much easier to remove and re-
install a wheel (especially a rear wheel on a derailleur bike) when
the bike is upright. Try it.

I don't follow your "third arm" argument.

Agree. When I see people who work on their bikes "upside down," I just
presume they're newbies....

Why would you presume that? I always flip the bike. Primarily so as not
to have the chain dragging on the ground.

There is nothing wrong with flipping the bike at all.

I agree. I find it easier to flip the bike because I can stand up
while working on the wheel, the bike doesn't tip (much) and I spin the
wheels.

I would guess that people who think it's bad to flip the bike are
worried it could kink someone's brake cables and cause an accident. So
maybe it's like a public safety awareness campaign of sorts.

PW

It's not. It's another elitist attempt to belittle others.

On Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:41:29 -0700 (PDT), Dyrty
wrote:

When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Of course I move the
headlight etc so it doesn't get damaged or I mount the handlebars on a
small box or blocks. It's easy to put a towel under the seat.

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

Dear D,

Heck, even airplane mechanics flip planes upside-down for routine
repairs--here, Lindbergh replaces a flat front ti

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...Crash.jpg.html

Some riders make a fetish out of blackguarding anyone who dares to
flip a bike upside-down, probably because of a fear that it's an
unmanly act, practiced only by women and children:
http://www.cotswoldcycling.co.uk/pho...g_puncture.jpg
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/HT...Hulton-Archive
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/HL...Hulton-Archive

The unmanly argument is unconvincing, given the artillery fire and
Petit-Breton in these photos:
http://i21.tinypic.com/2dh5mh4.jpg
http://tinyurl.com/yggxxrs
http://www.cycling4fans.de/index.php?id=3347

But mechanics still look abashed when caught flipping bikes
upside-down for convenience:

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...ViewsInde x=1

***

Upside down makes it easier to fuss with chains:

http://books.google.com/books?id=T00...e&q=&f=fals e

But die-hard anti-upside-downers will go to amazing lengths, using two
men and a car to oil a chain:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...nella.JPG.html

***

With assistants, there's no need to flip a bike upside-down:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...yon35.JPG.html

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...chy35.jpg.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...rraMS.JPG.html

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...eve39.jpg.html

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...rTJPG.jpg.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...frame.jpg.html

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...uties.jpg.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...Lauri.JPG.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...right.JPG.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...Lauri.JPG.html

With no assistants, things are less elegant:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/..._1948.jpg.html

With two people to hold the bike upright, gear changing is easy:

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...geViewsIndex=1
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...Lever.jpg.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...49TdF.jpg.html

Sometimes fights break out when riders and mechanics disagree about
flipping a bike upside-down:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/..._1949.jpg.html

Tour de France photographers prepare to flip a motorcycle upside-down:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...ppi49.jpg.html

Impressive efforts to work on the bike laid flat instead of flipping
it upside-down:
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...ister.jpg.html
http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...thing.jpg.html

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...39pt1.jpg.html

Of course, upside-down is the original and standard method of working
on bicycles in shop stands:

http://www.eriding.net/media/photos/...ans_vb_590.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Dyrty wrote:

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. *This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. *I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

I sometimes rotate the bike upside down in the stand to mount a rear
wheel when aligning it proves tricky. Usually this is not necessary
or particularly helpful.

I would never set a customer's bike upside-down on the ground because
there are too many ways to mess it up that way-- kinking cable
housings, scratching brake lever clamps, staining bar tape, etc.
Plus, it's easy to inadvertently knock the bike over from that
position.

Chalo

In rec.bicycles.tech Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Of course I move the
headlight etc so it doesn't get damaged or I mount the handlebars on a
small box or blocks. It's easy to put a towel under the seat.

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

Note that hydraulic brakes preclude this practice.

"Colin B." wrote in message
...
In rec.bicycles.tech Dyrty wrote:
When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Of course I move the
headlight etc so it doesn't get damaged or I mount the handlebars on a
small box or blocks. It's easy to put a towel under the seat.

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

Note that hydraulic brakes preclude this practice.

Not all - my maguras are happy in any orientation.

Originally I found the problem with inverting bikes was the cables coming
out of drop bar hoods. When they went aero, that problem went away - only to
be replaced with speedos sitting on top of the handlebars :-)

schreef:
On Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:41:29 -0700 (PDT), Dyrty
wrote:

When I fix a flat tire or do other wheel work I like to work on it
while the bicycle is upside down on the ground. Of course I move the
headlight etc so it doesn't get damaged or I mount the handlebars on a
small box or blocks. It's easy to put a towel under the seat.

I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.

Are there any bike shop mechanics who do it upside down?

Dear D,

Heck, even airplane mechanics flip planes upside-down for routine
repairs--here, Lindbergh replaces a flat front ti

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...Crash.jpg.html

Some riders make a fetish out of blackguarding anyone who dares to
flip a bike upside-down, probably because of a fear that it's an
unmanly act, practiced only by women and children:


No it is not about unmanlyhood, it is about not caring about the
possiblity to scratch the shifters/brakelevers/saddle damaging the
handlebar tape or kink the cables.

Lou

Chalo schreef:
Dyrty wrote:
I notice that bicycle shop employees do flat tires on a bicycle
stand. This doesn't make sense to me because on a bike stand you need
a "third arm" to re-mount the wheel on the bicycle against gravity.
But when the bike is upside down on the ground, the axle usually slips
right in to the dropouts. I can then easily see if something is out
of alignment, out of true, etc.


I would never set a customer's bike upside-down on the ground because
there are too many ways to mess it up that way-- kinking cable
housings, scratching brake lever clamps, staining bar tape, etc.
Plus, it's easy to inadvertently knock the bike over from that
position.


My point exactly. No respect for the bike.

Lou