1. Preface
(service strategy, tool organization, Spare Parts, Tools and Knowledge)

This document outlines my "service strategy" for our fleet of bikes. My philosophy is to concentrate my expenditures on tools and parts rather than an expensive bikes. So I have more value in my tools and parts than in the bikes. The bike could be stolen, but the tools and knowledge are a permanent investment.

My goal is to have spare parts for all common failures, and have the tools and knowledge to install them. My tools started out in a standard mechanics metal tool chest. But as I got more parts, I found it convenient to construct a set of drawer like boxes, each with all the spare parts and tools relating to a given part of the bike. For example a box labelled "Cassettes", another box labelled "Disk Brakes", another labelled "Bottom Bracket". When I need to do some operation on a wheel, I can just carry the wooden "cassette" box to the workbench and everything is right there.

Another part of any service strategy is to keep written records. Start with a service log for each bike. Then keep a record of each part. This document has a whole chapter on my bike database.

And finally, it is useful to keep track of sources of information. These days there are excellent Youtube videos for common operations, and I keep track of which ones I can use for quick reference.

2. Spare Parts
Spare parts are used for (1) Reference and (2) Substitution and (3) Repair

Maintaining a set of bicycles is like maintaining a set of fighter jets. You want to be independant. You don't want to wait for some bike store to order your part, and schedule a service appointment. You want to be able to fix any problem right away yourself. And maintain your bike over many years. So a big part of my investment is in spare parts and tools. You never know the future. So I've got a lot of duplicate parts, and tools.

1. Reference Parts
    What I mean by "reference" is having a clean version of some common part with which you can quickly refresh yourself on how it is supposed to work. For example, to know the nut is supposed to loosen counter clockwise, before you apply huge forces not knowing which way to go.

    For example, I have a "reference wheel" I've used often to remember how the cassette and freehub come apart. The actual wheels on our bikes are often greasy or dirty, and parts are partially seized, etc. So when trying to dis-assemble it, sometimes huge forces are required, and I want to know in advance that is exactly how it should come apart. For example, removing a freewheel, you often need to use huge force on the chain whip and the lock ring, and you want to verify exactly what direction it is supposed to go before really cranking on it with an extension wrench.

2. Substitution
    Often I have had problems where I can't quite figure out which part is causing the problem. The answer is to swap out parts until the problem goes away. But then keep records that all those suspect parts are actually still good.

3. Disk Brake Training
    Another example of use of spare parts is my disk brake study. We originally had Avid BB7 brake calipers. It is very difficult to replace the brake pads correctly. So I bought a completely new caliper for $90.00 just to train myself while sitting in the living room. But it was still difficult, so I went to Our Community Bikes, handed him the brand new caliper and got him to try and change the pads. Even he had trouble! Then he mentioned that the TRP Spyre brakes were much easier to change the pads. Since he had a spare, I quickly determined he was rignt and thus I bought two new calipers, plus a spare of THAT model. The switch cost less than $200.00. The point of all this is to illustrate that I don't mind blowing money on knowledge and maintainability, to me that's my asset.

3. Tool/Part Boxes
I have a series of boxes which contain both spare parts and tools related to a particular part of the bike. When I need to work on that part, I can just pull out the appropriate box and everything is right there at my fingertips.

1. Cassette Box
    This has everything relating to wheel hubs. We have both 7, 8 and 9 speed cassettes on different bikes.

    - splined cassette lock ring remover
    - chain whip, 24mm wrench

    - cones: (15mm thin wrench, 16 mm locknut wrench
    - outside calipers (to measure dropout width)
    - 10mm Hex key
    - spare Hub (for reference, also spare freehub)
    - 5 spare cassettes ($35.00 each)
    

2. Tires and Tubes
    Of course, several sizes of tube: Both 622 by 25mm, 35mm)
    Spare rear tire

3. Bottom Bracket Box
    I have several spare bottom bracket sealed bearing units plus
    - crank pullers
    - bottom bracket removal wrench

4. Crank sets Box
    I have two spare cranksets. I last used this when I had a strange problem that was somewhere in the drive train, but I couldn't figure out where. So I was able to swap in a series of new parts, just to diagnose when the problem went away. The problem only occurred after several hours steep hill riding, and was in synch with the rotations of the cranks. At first I suspected the bottom bracket, chain, pedals or crankset. But it turned out to be in the rear wheel bearings, the problem being caused by the huge forces in the chain in very low gears. Since all the other suspect parts turned out to be perfectly good, they are now in inventory. I keep a record of the history of each part, so I know their status.

5. Pedals box
    I have about 10 sets of pedals, each one engraved with my part number

6. Cables Box
    - Cable cutter, because otherwise the cables get frayed (Park Tools CN2)
    - Cable housing cutter (Park Tools CN10)

7. Disk Brakes
    Spare Calipers (TRP Spyre for reference purposes)
    Spare callipers (Avid BB7) Removed due to difficulty
    Spare 160mm rotor. So I can compare for wear.
    Spare brake pads (Both official TRP Spyre and also generic, so I can compare them
    

8. Rim Brakes Box
    Some of our bikes have V brakes, others have calipers, others have cantilever. They all take different brake shoes. We have several brand new brake units, since we've had them fail.

9. Chains Drawer
    Most of our bikes have 8 speed drive train, since it is the cheapest to maintain. So we have 6 or 7 new chains in stock. When they go on sale for $25 each, I buy several.

10. Deraileurs
     I have several extra deraileurs but that is mostly because I had to change derailleurs when I changed cranks. But deraileurs fail, so its handy.

11. Headset
     My three main bikes all have the old quill type handlebar stems that fit down into the steerer tube. Several times I've had to adjust the clearance in the headset bearings. This requires a couple of flat wrenches. Since headsets are susceptible to seizing up, it's not a bad idea to take it apart every few years and regrease.

12. Seat Posts
     I have upgraded seat posts on several bikes, since I am 190 cm tall, but my wife is shorter. Seatposts are very likely to seize into steel frames, and once they do, many mechanics cannot loosen them. I've had two cases of this. therefore You should loosen your seatpost every 6 months and slide it up and down.

13. Shifters
     All my bikes have friction shifting, two have down tube shifters and the Rocky Mountain has friction shifts on the handlebar. The Opus Legato has bar end shifters. But one of our bikes has indexed shifters. The indexed shifters have been replaced several times, and currently have another problem. So we have spare shifters in stock. They are only about $30.

4. General Tools
These are tools used for more than one part.

 - Torque Wrench: I bought a $200.00 torque wrench which comes with about 10 spare sockets. For both nuts and Torx. I haven't used this a lot, since I have a pretty good feel for how tight I should make various nuts and bolts, but I thought having the wrench would be a good way to cross check my "feel".

 - measuring devices
 I have a nice vernier calliper which I frequently use to measure thickness. Also a small accurate steel ruler. And a kitchen scale to get weights.

 - Headlight: I have a couple of USB headlights which are essential to see down inside various parts
 
 - wrench sets. I have box wrenches for every common size of nut.

 - screwdrivers

 - hex keys: I have multiple of each size. I find it very useful to color code the different sizes with colored electrical tape

 - socket set

 - special tools:
 Most of these are in the boxes previously described. Bottom brackets, headsets, Cassettes

 - tire irons
 Some tires are very difficult to remove, and for this I have a standard set of 3 levers from Schawalbe

 - Grease Gun. "Astro Pneumatic 101 Grease Gun with needle nozzle"
 Cost 20.00 on Amazon. Use this to inject grease into ball bearings, such as wheel cones I also ordered a box of spare ball bearings of assorted sizes, and the Park Tools "Spoke Bearing and Cottergauge" (22.00). this is to quickly tell what size of bearings.

 - spare spokes: I have a box I made with about 6 or 8 sizes of spokes. These days it is rare to break a spoke. You can harvest spokes from scrap wheels

5. Sources of Information
An important part of managing your bikes is acquiring knowledge. In this chapter I list a number of techniques for acquiring knowledge.

1. Park Tools Repair Help
    Park tools has made a large, well organized set of repair videos and written instructions.

2. YouTube Videos
    Although for my own use, I write step by step instructions, in any new subject, I'd start witha a video. Two excellent sources of info are Park Tools or RJ The Bike Guy" Youtube is a fantastic resource. Although the StandardBikes.ca website might give you some ideas when buying a bike, when you actually get into a repair job, Youtube is the place to go. All you need to know is the names of the parts, and you'll find excellent videos.

3. Artificial Intelligence
    The AI websites are an excellent way to get familiar with part names, or summarize what has been posted about a subject. See ChatGPT.com or Grok.com. Just click the above link and start a discussion. Keep asking followup questions. You can paste huge paragraphs into them and ask for comments. Of course, they are only as good as information that has been posted somewhere online. Sometimes I disagree. For example I asked what the difference was between a genuine TRP Spyre brake pads or the generic ones that cost less than a quarter the amount. I've found that the AI sites tend to have recommend expensive stuff, so I'll do my own tests. I often argue with ChatGPT. This is worthwhile, because you will emerge with the ability to carry on a conversation, and know the terminology. For example, if you ask them about gear ratios necessary for Vancouver or San Francisco, they don't have the right answer about steep hills or loaded bikes. But they are a great way to find out the proper names for parts. I have found they are sometimes wrong, but you always emerge from a discussion with them with more accurate terminology you can then use on Youtube.

4. Bike Stores
    And a third source of knowledge is bike stores such as Our Community Bikes. They are into helping people maintain their own bikes. You can walk in there with your bike and get a free "consultation" as to what to do about a problem. They have the mechanics, and they have dozens of bins of used parts. I have taken a couple of our bikes in there to solve difficult problems such as seized headset bearings. And through them, I was able to set up our disk brake bike so I am able to change the brake pads. And through them, I pick up ideas, such as looking online for parts explosion diagrams of various hub models.

5. Diagrams
    Shimano publishes parts explosion diagrams of everything they think mechanics need. For example hub diagrams. Just search google for "Diagram of Shimano FH M475" and you'll find:

   FH M475

   Note that on the diagram they don't explode the actual Freehub. They treat it as one big piece not designed to be regularly taken apart. However I wanted to see how those pawls work in the ratchet, and soon found a Youtube video where RJ The Bike Guy takes one apart.

6. Parts and Maintenance Database
I have a set of database records to keep track of what has been done. Below are some of the main entites in my database:
  - A record for each bike
  - A dated repair journal for each bike
  - A record for each part type and for each part
  - instructions and tools

Every part is either on a bike, or a spare. So I can run a report for each bike showing all the parts on that bike. And can click on any part and see it's history. The bike page also shows a journal of everything that has been done to that bike. Some examples are in the sections below:

1. Bike Journal Below is an example of my journal for my Miyata 1000: Each entry has a title and detailed descriptions. So I can look back and answer questions like: How often do I replace cassettes?

   Date        Title
   ----------  ---------------------------------------------------------------
   2007.07.20  Install front tire
   2016.03.20  Attempt to replace freewheel
   2016.03.22  Inspect Cable Types on Silver Miyata
   2016.06.29  Miyata Bottom Bracket replacement with cartridge
   2016.07.05  Install new chain - Z Chain
   2016.07.12  Install new 5 speed sprocket 30 tooth
   2018.06.27  Replace Front Brake Pads with 4 section type
   2020.04.22  Tighten the bottom bracket
   2020.05.04  Adjust Front Deraileur
   2020.10.04  Adjust headset clearance on Miyata
   2022.06.05  Replace Pulling Spoke #5 on Rear wheel
   2022.10.12  Installed Bontrager Gel Cork Handlebar tape
   2023.06.01  Prepare New Roadbike Wheel - Upgrade Dimensions
   2023.06.08  Patch Front Tube
   2023.06.08  Replace rear brake cable and housing
   2023.09.04  Switch Front tire to 32mm Marathon
   2024.05.12  Patch Tube with Park Tool
   2024.05.26  New Front Tire 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus
   2024.05.26  Replace 11-32 with 11-34 Cassette and change 114 link chain
   2024.06.11  Replace crankset, bottom bracket, front derailleur
   2024.06.23  Rough drivetrain mystery
   2024.06.26  Headset Disassembly
   2024.07.14  Headset Tests
   2025.06.24  Rough Drivetrain - Switch bottom bracket, crankset, cassette
   2025.07.16  Solve Roughness with new C201 wheel
   2025.07.17  Cold Set Attempts
   2026.01.24  Remove chain 74, replace with 52
   2026.01.24  Inspect Freehub - Shimano FH-C201
   

2. Components Database
    For every part on every bike I have a part record. Every part has an ID number, a title and a description. Below are the parts currently attached to my Miyata 1000. In many cases, I engrave the ID number onto the part, or put a sticker onto it's box. For each part, I also keep notes, so I can tell it's previous history if I move it to another bike, or swap it out when trying to debug some drive train problem.

   Part                ID    Title
   ------------------  ----  -----------------------------------------------
   Bottom Bracket      202   68 117 UN300 #
   Brake               16    Diacompe Brakes
   Cassette            156   8 sp 11-34 Shimano HG41
   Chain               74    KMC Z8.1
   Crank Set           203   42/32/22 #3 170 Shimano FC-361
   Derailleur, Front   184   Shimano Altus FD-M313-6
   Derailleur, Rear    11    Shimano Long Cage Derailleur
   Headset             196   Standard 1 1/8
   Lock                139   Tigr Titanium #2
   Pedal               96    P21 - Right Wellgo Black VM248
   Pedal               179   P22 - Left Wellgo Black VM248
   Rack                122   Black Aluminium 2 prong
   Seat                131   Miyata
   Seat Post           128   27.0,190, 30mm SR Laprade
   Stem                107   Quill 120mm, 22.2D, 140L
   Tire                176   622 32 Schwalbe Marathon Plus
   Tire                177   622 35 Schwalbe Marathon Plus 2024
   Wheel, Front        50    622 36 Araya 25mm
   Wheel, Rear         210   622 135 Shimano C201 Hub, Bontranger Fairlane rim
   

3. Parts of each Type
    I can also get a report from the above part records for each type of part: Eg: Below are my records for my cassettes:

   Bike / Source ID Specification Notes ------------------ --- ------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------- Blue Norco 29 7 sp 13-34 Shimano HG50 Norco 2013 Elise's Mikado 133 8 sp 11-32 D'Iberville 2018 Miyata 1000 156 8 sp 11-34 Shimano HG41 Suspected roughness on Miyata Opus Legato 117 9 sp 11-34 XT Shimano M770 Opus 2021 Rocky Mtn 28 7 sp 12-32 Shimano Shift problem on RM 2016 Wolfs Apollo 2 7 sp 13-34 Shimano Wolf wheel Yellow Brodie 75 8 sp 11-32 Shimano CS-HG51 #2 MEC North Van, from Yellow Brodie zSpare 35 7 sp 12-32 SRAM PG730 SRAM 2018 Bike Doctor zSpare 159 7 sp 12-32 SRAM PG730 Spare for my Norco from West Point zSpare 57 8 sp 11-32 Shimano CS-HG51 #1 MEC 2018 zSpare 160 8 sp 11-34 Shimano HG41 2023 Bought at West Point, installed on new wheel zSpare 33 8 sp 13-25 Shimano Wolf crappy wheel zSpare 155 9 sp 11-36 Shimano HG400-9 Spare for Betsy's Opus Legato zzScrap 56 7 sp 12-32 Shimano HG200 Sigurd trash zzScrap 3 7 sp 14-26 Shimano Original Norco, scrapped zzScrap 167 7 sp Placeholder null zzScrap 157 8 sp 11-32 2019 North Van zzScrap 169 8 sp Placeholder null zzScrap 168 8 sp 11-34 Shimano CS-HG41 null

    

4. Parts Sorted by Type
    Below are my part records for just one type of part, Cassettes, sorted by location: (so you can tell what bike a given part is on)

   ID   Location            Title                                Status
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   29   Blue Norco          7 sp 13-34 Shimano HG50               Norco 2013
   133  Elise's Mikado      8 sp 11-32                            D'Iberville 2018
   156  Miyata 1000         8 sp 11-34 Shimano HG41               Suspected roughness on Miyata
   117  Opus Legato         9 sp 11-34 XT Shimano M770            Opus 2021
   28   Rocky Mtn           7 sp 12-32 Shimano                    Shift problem on RM 2016
   2    Wolfs Apollo        7 sp 13-34 Shimano                    Wolf wheel
   75   Yellow Brodie       8 sp 11-32 Shimano CS-HG51 #2          MEC North Van, from Yellow Brodie
   35   zSpare              7 sp 12-32 SRAM PG730                 SRAM 2018 Bike Doctor
   159  zSpare              7 sp 12-32 SRAM PG730                 Spare for my Norco from West Point
   57   zSpare              8 sp 11-32 Shimano CS-HG51 #1          MEC 2018
   160  zSpare              8 sp 11-34 Shimano HG41 2023          Bought at West Point
   33   zSpare              8 sp 13-25 Shimano                    Wolf crappy wheel
   155  zSpare              9 sp 11-36 Shimano HG400-9            Spare for Betsy's Opus Legato
   56   zzScrap             7 sp 12-32 Shimano HG200              Sigurd trash
   3    zzScrap             7 sp 14-26 Shimano                    Original Norco, scrapped
   167  zzScrap             7 sp Placeholder                     null
   157  zzScrap             8 sp 11-32                            2019 North Van
   169  zzScrap             8 sp Placeholder                     null
   168  zzScrap             8 sp 11-34 Shimano CS-HG41            null
   /pre]