As part of ‘My Ultimate Bike Tool Kit’ project I’m conscious that digital resources are as important as any other tool in a workshop. I constantly find myself following manufacturers videos and How To Guides when working on bikes. As part of My Ultimate MTB Tool Kit project I’m looking to have a mount for my phone or a tablet so I can easily access/view these resources while working on bikes even if my hands are mucky. In this post I’m looking to collate some useful links along with some resources I find really useful (and why)
ok, lets get into it
Park Tool Repair Help https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help
Park Tools website is an epic resource for cycle mechanics. Back in the day their Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair was DIY mechanics bible. The Repair Help section of their website takes that resource and digitises it with excellent diagrams and video fronted up by the legend that is Calvin.
Best to enter the resources from the website rather than going straight to the YouTube channel as it’s better organised and has additional info.
GMBN Tech https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6juisijUAHcJLt23nk-qOQ
GMBN Tech is a great mountain bike specific YouTube channel for DIY mechanics. Fronted by another legend Doddy, it’s full of all sorts of tips and tricks.
Cloud Based Notes
Having a cloud based note or document system is fantastically useful in the workshop. The ability to create documents with settings, specifications or packing lists across different devices is invaluable.
I have specifications saved for all the bikes I maintain, I have suspension settings saved and I have a variety of packing lists. It’s super useful to be able to create content easily on my laptop but access them out and about on my phone (often at a trail head)
I’m the workshop I often access them on a device with a touch screen like a tablet where the bigger screen is a big advantage.
Microsoft OneNote vs Google Workspace
I’m a OneNote user in the workshop. I like the way it’s organised and I have a variety of note books to organise information like:
- very very (nerd level) detailed specifications lists for my bikes so I can find info easily when purchasing parts
- settings notes where I save info like suspension settings for each bike. This is really useful at trail heads
- packing lists. Very handy on the phone when travelling somewhere or loading the car for a road trip.
I don’t find Google Workspace as easy for personal information organisation but the suite has some incredibly useful tools for a professional setting. The functionality is only limited by your imagination. For instance one of the Syndicate mechanics has a Google Form set up so his rider can make notes out on the trail that uploads to a document the mechanic can access live in the pits. That is workshop gold right there!!
Many manufacturers have excellent online resources that include technical manuals, service instructions (many with awesome video guides) and parts information. Below I’ve listed the ones I use the most.
Fox Factory Bike Help Centre https://www.ridefox.com/fox17/help.php?m=bike&ref=subnav
SRAM Service Centre https://www.sram.com/en/service
SRAMTech on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/SRAMtech
Shimano Manuals & Technical Documents https://si.shimano.com/#/
Shimano Service and Upgrades Parts https://bike.shimano.com/en-AU/service-upgradeparts/mtb.html
Ian Ganderton 
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