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Cali Baskir

@calibaskir

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NC bike mechanic 🛠️
Your window into the craft - let’s wrench! 🔧🤘🏽
Bikes should be accessible to all 🚲

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It’s no secret in this industry that our skilled mechanics are underpaid. (Spoiler alert: that’s why shops have a hard time hanging onto those of us who turn wrenches for a living - we’re better off taking our skills where we are appreciated, or at least fairly compensated for the knowledge and experience we’ve gained over the years.)

So, those of us who stick around… why do we do it? I can only speak for myself, but I think some of this will resonate with other mechanics out there. Fellow bike mechanics, why do you do what you do? Those of you who used to wrench, what made you leave, and what do you miss about it?

Let’s get a conversation going. Post in the comments your own experience, or what you’ve observed in the industry.. whether you’ve been front of house or back of house, turning wrenches or running numbers.

#bikemechanic #bikeshop #bikelife #cycling #skilledtrades by @calibaskir

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12 days ago

Proof that bike maintenance is an ART FORM!!!

Had the opportunity to practice HARLEQUIN style bar tape on a customer bike this weekend and had a blast!! It’s fairly difficult to get the hang of, but once I made it make sense in my head - you’re basically wrapping two sets of tape simultaneously, at 90 degrees to each other and going opposite directions - I could visualize it and was able to do a bit better than my previous attempts. Practice, persistence, and patience - those are key to this and most other things in life.

Would you get this style of bar tape on your ride?? And if so, what colors would you mix?! Let me know in the comments below!!!

#bikelife #bikemechanic #bartape #bikeart #mechaniclife by @calibaskir

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3 months ago

Taught myself how to build a wheel about a year ago and since then have done ~5 custom wheel builds. At first I had zero confidence in my ability to learn and figure it out, but to learn anything new you have to walk straight into that feeling of “I’m incompetent and can’t do this”, be willing to make mistakes and fail, and just start. Yes I’ve fucked up but I’ve learned from it, and at this point I’ve got enough reps under my belt that I find the process rewarding and look forward to creating more things that roll!
Thinking of making a post going a little more in depth on the process of wheel building - would folks find that useful or interesting? (Poll below)

#bikemechanic #wheelbuilding #growthmindset #failforward #diybike taken in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by @calibaskir

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3 months ago

One of my favorite bike people, aka The DiesAl, got a custom Project One Domane recently and I had the privilege of bringing it to life!! I love it when a custom build is truly custom - you can tell he had fun with this one, and I surely had fun with my part (the frame-up)!

What’s your favorite accent on this Project One?

The DiesAl noted that despite initial hesitation on the wheel decals, they ended up being one of his favorite visual features of the whole bike!

#custombike #custombikebuild #bikeshop #bikebling #bikestagram by @calibaskir

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9 hours ago

Probably the most important skill to have in your back pocket if you ride a bike of any type. Here’s the process from start to finish!

It takes some reps to get it down pat, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t go smoothly on your first try.

Let me know what parts of the process you’ve struggled with, and I can share my tips and tricks in a future post!!

#bikemechanic #bikerepair #bikemaintenance #bikeshop #bikes taken in Durham, North Carolina by @calibaskir

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a day ago

JRA, look over and see the person next to you pulling the bars out of the bike while cruising (was all I could picture while assembling this front end).

Let me be clear - this is NOT me hating on this setup. However, it’s something I’ve never worked with and got me … befuddled. I could use some input!!

What are the benefits of this design? Both the adjustable bars as well as the stem / steerer tube / headset system shown here? (This is called the CP0018 T-bar and Aerocockpit setup)

Thanks to Park Tool for the internal routing system that has saved my ass too many times to count!!

#bikemechanic #bikeshop #cycling #bikes #bikelife by @calibaskir

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2 days ago

Knock knock, who’s there? Your loose headset!! Knocking or play in the front end of the bike is super common but so easy to fix. Follow these quick and easy steps to adjust your headset.

The goal with this process is to achieve a headset with the amount of preload that eliminates all play but allows for smooth rotation without binding.

Let me know if you have any questions on this process!

#bikemechanic #bikelife #bikes #bikeshop #cycling by @calibaskir

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4 days ago

Strange collections from the bike shop, part 2

If you’re a bike mechanic, you’ll understand. What else do you save / collect / hoard for future use (or for no use whatsoever)? Let me know in the comments…

#collection #bikeparts #bikemechanic #bikeshop #bikes by @calibaskir

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5 days ago

The shop favorite: “it’s creaking.” Usually the bottom bracket gets blamed immediately, but it could be any number of things.

The short version is, bikes have a lot of moving parts and anywhere there’s excessive movement or excessive friction with that movement, you can get unwanted noise.

Here are just a handful of things that may be to blame. Keep in mind, there are many more potential causes, and I’ll try to address more in a future post!

If you have tips for troubleshooting or finding a creak, post it in the comments!

#bikemechanic #bikes #bikeshop #bikemaintenance #cycling by @calibaskir

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7 days ago

More recent shop shenanigans for spooky season. Which of these is your favorite? What kind of craziness have you seen recently? Lemme know in the comments!!!

#bikemechanic #bikeshop #bikeshoplife #cycling #bikehumor by @calibaskir

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8 days ago

This isn’t all. No, this isn’t nearly all. Also should mention that the collection of sram boxes is its own collection which serves the purpose of containing and organizing other collections, which makes it the real mvp. See linked reel.

What strange collections do you have? Let me know in the comments! What things do you have stashed that come in handy most often? 👀

#bikemechanic #collection #bikeshop #bikelife #cycling by @calibaskir

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9 days ago

Your high limit is just a tiny screw. But it serves an important role: it sets the starting point for shifting up into larger cogs (for the rear derailleur), and keeps your chain from falling off to the outside of the bike. This can prevent damage to your bike’s chainstay, but more importantly, prevent crashes and maintain good shifting performance.

Here’s the basic process for setting your rear derailleur high limit on a mechanical drivetrain. The process is generally the same across brands and models of derailleur, with minor differences (such as using a screwdriver or a 3mm Allen key for the limit screw, for example).

Let me know if you have any questions or requests for future videos!!

#bikemechanic #bikemaintenance #bikeshop #derailleur #bikelife by @calibaskir

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10 days ago