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@dancing james
So its been a few weeks since doing the ctuk mechanic courses. Am currently in France with the Rapha Condor womens team as their mechanic for Le Tour de Lardeche. It has been a baptism of fire.
Each day the bikes have needed to be cleaned, and then a full M check. From there I have had to replace brake and gear cables when frayed or torn, worn brake blocks etc.
Brakes have needed readjustment, gears tweaking as cables have stretched etc. Rider feedback has been essential to learn if they want their brakes on a long or shortpull.
Wheels have been trued, tyres glued, cassettes and cranks changed for different stages etc. One sti shifter stopped working and we had to strip the bike we had brought for spares.
Realising how the cable pull change and geometry modification between the last two iterations from shimano makes front deraillieur shifting interesting.
I now understand why team bikes are all the same, it makes mechanics work so much easier. Our girls have had a mixture of dura ace, ultegra and 105 - some even on the same bike and not all the same years version either.
I had watched mechanics on tv oiling rear mechs on moving bikes by leaning out of the window. I had always thought it looked like one of the more stupid and dangerous things to do.
Yesterday a rider of ours crashed so we were called up to the front of the peleton by the commissar *She was back on the bike and still climbing the hill and overtaking other riders but shouted that her rear brake was now rubbing. She refused to stop. I then had to lean out of the window to assess the problem. Was then shouted at as the road was narrowing so opened the quick release on the caliper and we dropped back.
As the road widened we came back alongside and the caliper was realigned, the rider was about to overtake again so we pulled back again before coming back once more to close the quick release about .5 km before the peak and another fast descent. It was only afterwards I thought how lucky I was to have not been pulled out of the car or lost a finger or two. I don't remember this being taught on the course but all the other skills I had sharpened have been invaluable.