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Assembling First Tri Bike
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I just purchased a 2016 Speed Concept that is being shipped to me in the next few days. I am hoping when I get the bike to take it to my local Trek shop to have them assemble it, but it seems that each day business' are being closed so I am worried that they may be closed either before I get it to them or worse they close when they have my bike. This is my first triathlon bike so would it be better to just wait it out and have a pro put it together or would I be able to put it together myself? What kind of tools do I need to put it the bike together? Are there instructions for later models to look at or YouTube videos to watch? Any other info would be greatly appreciated.
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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Everything's on YouTube. But, if you have little to no experience wrenching, you could run into difficulty doing it yourself even with YouTube guidance.
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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What needs to be assembled?
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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Assuming it's a cable operated bike (brakes and gears) then the mechanics are actually really really simple, and building it will actually really help you in the future for maintenance and roadside repairs. Great thing with traditional groupsets is that as they rely on wire tension everything can only do one of two things - be pulled by tension from the bar mounted controls or return via a spring in the component (brake/mech).

The down side is that to do a full bike build then you will need tools, and every bloody time you seem to need something different to last time. After 20 years of doing bike building I'm almost there, but there's always something. From the little cable guide that went under the bottom bracket, the metal ferrule that goes at the end of the brake cable outer as it meets the lever housing, there always seems to be one 20c component I need to steal off another bike / go to the LBS or order online. Same for tools,where I can't remember the exact issue, but I think it was a BB tool that I had which in theory was right but I needed a new version as the axle spindles now are wider and the centre of my old one fouled on the axle. New one looked identical but the 'ring was 2mm thinner.

But all you'll be doing is rebuilding a bike set for posting, so at worse then need to know how to correctly assemble and tension a headset/stem, cable up gears/brakes, and put a pedal on. Highly unlikely but perhaps fit cranks.

Honestly, bikes pre Di2/hydro were a doddle to do. From all the bits - brand new frame, all components all in their courier boxes / bags to a first test ride was 45 minutes. From there it took a bit of fettling, doing things like taping the bars, tuning the gears, etc. But that was a road bike. Took me about 4 hours and lots of swearing with my Argon E-114 as that had internal cables, a freaky integrated stem / bar set up and they hadn't put the build instructions in with the frame. Once I found them online on the Argon website, life was a lot easier.

You will need (for a rebuild):-
Good set of allen keys
Roll of insulating tape - always handy
Cable cutters/end cap crimpers (really don't use the wire cut bits on pliers, buy some wire cutters). Aso some new cables / end caps - don't re-use the ones on the bike, just put new ones on as you do the rebuild to save hassle.
And I personally would advise on a small torque wrench and head set.

And if you can, just get the Park Tools versions of the above. They just work. Not cheapest, not flashest, but work. Oh, and their website has videos / guides of how to do all of the work.
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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I just built my first bike, 2017 Cervelo P2. I got a brand new leftover frame (including fork and seatpost). I had a fit done so I had my fit coordinates and a general parts list that the fit was based off that I knew work for me (base bar, extensions, seat) so I started with that. I knew I wanted to go Di2 so I started doing research on that right away as it was my first experience installing Di2. If you have all the other pieces already then just putting it all together isn't that bad. Youtube is great. Parktool's website is good. If you're buying parts, like the bottom bracket or something, a lot of the customer service guys will respond to emails and I thought they were a good source of info. (Big shout out to Bicycle Parts Direct for their help on Cervelo's BB). Also reach out to Trek, I did with Cervelo, and got some really good feedback when I ran into a question.

You'll definitely need a good set of allen wrenches, metric. You can go Parktool or a standard brand (Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc). I like using a ratchet set with a long extension to avoid hitting the frame at all. I have a torque wrench as well for the final tightening, so a good set of ratchet allen keys that can be used on the ratchet and torque wrench.

You'll probably need a bottom bracket tool depending on which model BB you go with.

If you're doing a chain with a quick link IMO just get the quick link tool. It's so easy to get on and off and maybe it will make you clean your chain more (it did for me).

Cassette tool comes in handy.

Maybe a pedal wrench, although you can get around that one.

A sharp set of diagonal cutters for brake/shifting cables and casing, or you can get the actual cutter and crimp tool.

A GOOD STAND. That's huge. Also make sure it has a big clamp since you'll be clamping the seat post, not the top tube, and a lot of posts are pretty wide.

Some good grease. Get something in a tube that can you leave on your work stand, you'll use it more and use it more liberally, compared to something cheap in a can that you have to like dig into.

Then if you're doing the fit on your own make sure you get a decent sized level and a tape measure (that has metric, not sure where you're located).
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [jond81] [ In reply to ]
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Any and everything is askable here on ST. Some of us wrenchers are really kinda bored now, and would love to keep our minds and wrenches turning. Just ask if you have any questions.

Team Zoot-Texas, and Pickle Juice
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [Taugen] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you all for the advice, suggestions, insight. I had a road bike that I did all of the tuneups and adjustments so I have a base knowledge. I also like many others have plenty of time on my hands so I may give it a go on my own and ask questions as they come on up. If people still have insight I am all ears. I am getting the bike on Wednesday so keep it coming.

Thanks ST community!
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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What needs to be assembled?
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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pkeys00 wrote:
If people still have insight I am all ears. I am getting the bike on Wednesday so keep it coming.

Thanks ST community!

Oh, my favourite 'hack' for getting the front mech cable tension:-

Move to outer ring.
Pack behind the mech so that when you move the shifter the mech doesn't move in.
Tighten the cable pinch bolt.
Move shifter back to outer ring and gently remove packer.
When you let go then the mech will move back to the inner ring but with the right tension to be able to shift back to the outer.
Saves struggling trying to use three hands to pull the cable taught enough with pliers whilst also trying to tighten the bolt and pull the mech.

Back is normally easier as there are tension barrels - just adjust it all the way in before you start.
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [Duncan74] [ In reply to ]
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R7000, R8000, and R9100 front derailleurs have a built-in cable tensioning screw and guide.
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Re: Assembling First Tri Bike [pkeys00] [ In reply to ]
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Assuming the bike was roadworthy when it was put in the box it's pretty easy to assemble it. You will put the wheels on perhaps the seller disconnected the rear derailleur hopefully the chain is still hooked up you will need to slide the stem onto the steer tube and figure out how many spacers you need I would say that last step is the only one that is slightly complicated. Sometimes if the box is small the seller will remove the drive side crank arm which can be a little bit tricky because you need to tighten it the correct amount otherwise it will loosen up over time. But that's about it I suspected something you can just do yourself. You can ask here if you get stuck. The only place people get in trouble sometimes with fancy bikes is you have to be careful about the torque you put on do bolts otherwise you will break things or they loosen up
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