Halfords bike builder...

[Dischord]

got a 'test' there tomorrow but not sure what it's gonna involve.

I can put on handle bars, wheels, tyres, brakes etc but does anyone know if I'm gonna have to build up the crank and headstock as I'm a bit of a newb with that.
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2012 KTM EXC 250

Check out my vids - https://www.youtube.com/user/KTMSparky/videos

[D O G]

I would doubt it TBH - I think your knowledge is quite sufficient - their bikes will almost certainly come in with the bottom bracket installed.

Building headstock is a piece of piss - just make sure;

1 - you get the bearings and carriers in the correct order
2 - you nip it all nicely together with the top bolt (i.e. the vertical one), but not too tight, as it is the headstem which goes on nice and tight and really prevents the forks dropping out. (clearly you will need the stem and any spacers on the fork tube first).

Other than that I think you'll be ok - though I don't know much about MTB stuff, I'm ok with proper bikes

Good luck

[Ariel Badger]

If it is the Halfords in Digbeth, Brum hands off the nice Asian chick on checkout.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[D O G]

You must be drowning in Stilton and car fresheners in your house Ariel!

[Ghost]

The bikes in Halfords come with the cranks, chainrings and bottom bracket already assembled, but pedals are either missing or you get two left hand ones and no right ones. Back wheel is normally already in but the gears will need setting up. Forks will already be in, but you'll need to put the handlebars and steerer in and tighten it up. Front wheel on, adjust front and back brakes and all the other things like saddle, seatpost, reflectors, bells, etc. Takes about half an hour to do one, maybe longer.

[Dischord]

[cagiva gezzer]

There's a difference between a bike builder and someone who PDIs them before they go out the door.

TBH, no one expects a bike from halfrauds to be built well anyway.

There's nothing you can't pick up on the job, but there's always neat tricks / tips that make the finished bike look / ride soo much better and lasts longer.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[EuropeanNC30R...]

Ask the forums over on ukmb.net - there's a few there that work/have worked as a Halfords bike mech.

[UnknownStuntm...]

I was that soldier a few years ago. TBH as long as you can hold the right end of a hammer and know about how not to cross thread pedals when putting them on, you'll be fine.

It's worth bearing in mind that right NOW is the very busiest time of year for the bike boys in Halfords, they'll be getting hundreds of bikes delivered probably twice or three times a week to the shops, and a lot of time will be taken taking the stock in and arranging it so you can get to the bikes when you need them.

Lots of box shifting and probably some late nights.......

Then in January you can look forward to Mr and Mrs Bastard coming in with their son Antichrist who took a tumble while 'only going slowly' on his budget scaffold tube bike, over Ben fucking Nevis and broke every bone in his fatass too-tight-skinned body and how they want a refund and compensation. And the store manager will direct them to you and make a sharp exit.

Yeah good luck with that.

[Visitor Q]

Good job you're coming to mine to get ridiculously pissed after then eh poppet

[Ghost]

Nah, by setting up the gears I mean just adjusting the rear and front mechs so they shift up and down smoothly. At least, that's the idea, it becomes harder than it sounds once you take into account the gear cables made from elastic, plastic levers that bend like beckham, barrel adjusters that snap, limit adjuster screws made of cheese and mech cages of tin that twist under any force at all. The chain will already be on and most of the time most brake and gear cables will already be attached, they'll just need routing and sorting properly.
Most Halfords bikes aren't sold with proper 'Aheadset' fittings i.e a steerer tube that's part of the forks, then a stem that bolts onto the top of the steerer and the handlebars. They're mostly the cheaper variant of steerer, stem and handlebars all being one piece of badly welded together junk. To assemble these you basically slacken off the allen key bolt on top of the steerer, slide the steerer down into the headtube of the frame, adjust it so it's pointing vaguely in the same direction as the front wheel and re-tighten the top allen key bolt. Make sure all your cables are routed the right way and voila, job done.
Hope this helps

[D O G]

Ghost, you have reminded me why I never recommend Halfords to anyone for bikes, nor have any work done there.

It is astonishing how crappy they are.

[Cillit-BANG]

As mentioned there is quite a large difference between building a bike, and getting one out of a box ready to be put through to a till asap.

Every nut, bearing, spoke, cable and bolt needs checking. Copperslip should be applied to the relevent areas. As a general rule of thumb you would work from front to back.

A proficient mechanic should be aiming for 30mins to 1 1/2hr depending on the complexity of the model. A novice may take twice that.

After your first 20-30 you'll be fine, and will be able to do it with your eyes shut. If your on piece work try to sort them so any similar models are done one after the other.

Looking back, I must have done thousands. Happy days.

[Teaman]

[Dischord]

LOL cheers for all the replies! Got the job on wednesday and been working there since, to be fair it's quite an enjoyable job (not career material ) Just searching for the bikes, building them, listening to radio one, chatting and drinking coffee!

As stated it was pretty simple after all (thanks) but the assistant manager is so meticulous about how he likes the brakes and gears set up it becomes tedious working to his standards.
____________________
2012 KTM EXC 250

Check out my vids - https://www.youtube.com/user/KTMSparky/videos

[UnknownStuntm...]

Well just for your own peace of mind, listen to the man and pay very good attention to the brakes. Some of those shonky old RSJ tubed "bikes" have the brakes assembled but left loose (indonesian sweatshop muppetery I reckon) before they go in the box.

I remember having to tell everyone about a million times to check the brake pads were tight on the calipers... And like I said, Mr and Mrs Bastard will go to head office where someone from 'customer service' will tell them what a turd you were for not checking them....

But well done fella, good work. Oh, and just to make me smile, why not sneak a pic of the cycle warehouse in it's current state on here so that I may be smug?

[Dischord]

hehe I was thinking of taking a pic earlier but thought it would look dodgey, I'll get one for you on monday though!
____________________
2012 KTM EXC 250

Check out my vids - https://www.youtube.com/user/KTMSparky/videos

[Teaman]

As stated it was pretty simple after all (thanks) but the assistant manager is so meticulous about how he likes the brakes and gears set up it becomes tedious working to his standards.

such is life, the leading edge of the brake to be touching and the back endge slightly less than a mil away from the rim will be perfect to stop brake squeel, the brakes flex on most bikes, this will give best braking performance , My standards are high aswell,
setting gears so there as smooth as silk was a pain in the arse at first but once you suss it you wouldn't have anything less mate.
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There is no point in ranting about someone stupid because there is nothing u can do about it. There is no cure for stupid.
Someone stupid does not realise they r stupid.stupidity is indistinguishable from malice U just have to accept that some people are thick as p1gsh1t and work around them.

[UnknownStuntm...]

Oh yeah one more thing (wait, this is two...) - stretch all the cables out before you adjust the brakes and gears. Give them a fucking MASSIVE pull to make sure. And with the spin on rear sprocket cheap chinese shit bikes, put the fucker in first gear and ride it with the brakes on to tighten the block. You'll be amazed what a difference it makes.

[Cillit-BANG]

Or, whilst you have the wheel out anyway to check the bearings, you can simply drop it onto the suitable tool which is permantly fixed in the engineers vice behind you, along with the cassete lock-ring tool

[UnknownStuntm...]

[G]

[ZRX61]