6
I finally hit 100 complete rebuilds this week and it hit me different than I expected
I've been keeping a tally in my shop notebook for about 4 years now, just out of habit. Every time I fully strip down a bike frame and build it back up from the bearings to the shift cables, I put a little check mark. When I counted after finishing a 1992 Trek 5200 this Tuesday, I realized I was at exactly 100. It was weird because I didn't set out to hit any number, it just kind of crept up on me over time. What surprised me was how many of those early builds I would do totally different now, like how I used to not grease bottom bracket threads or would overtighten headset caps. The last 20 or so have been way faster and cleaner, with almost zero returns or complaints. Makes you wonder how many bad habits you can carry for years before you actually know better. Anyone else keep weird shop stats that surprised you when you finally added them up?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_spencer18d ago
Whoa, that builder quote actually makes me rethink my own numbers.
5
anthony_campbell8818d ago
I was reading an interview with a old-school frame builder last month, and he said the first 50 bikes you build are basically just practice, which made me laugh because I remember pulling apart my first few builds and cringing at the mistakes. Your point about bad habits is spot on, I used to not even think about cable routing or brake pad toe-in until I had a customer come back with a noisy drivetrain and I realized I had been doing it wrong for like two years. It's wild how much you can overlook when you're just focused on getting the job done instead of really paying attention to the details. Hitting 100 is a big deal, especially with that 5200 frame, those early carbon bikes have their own quirks that take time to figure out.
2