Jared Eberwein: The Art of the Rig Build.
“I’d say I’ve grown in time with my experience of building my bikes. I’m sure a lot of young and or beginning riders can relate. Working on a bicycle was so foreign to me when I first started riding, but wether you want to except it or not, you will eventually but also HAVE to learn how to maintain your bike. I feel like tire changing was a good starter for me, I honestly can’t remember if I knew how to do it when I started riding or even it was the first thing I learn how to do when it came to working on my bike. For some reason it stands out a good hump to get over because its practical for sure, you NEED to know and you WILL pick it up easy. Little things slowly come along slowly as I kept riding and getting new parts, and building new bike. Changing chains, pressing in and popping out BB’s, changing grips with WD-40, etc. Everyone I believe picks up and gains knowledge along their way, wether they like friends or other peoples ways of maintaining. I would start doing certain things to my bike when working on it if a friend taught me a good/bettter way of doing things. If a new/better way came up that was even more better then what I’ve been doing, you better believe it’ll stick with me. Up until about 3-5 years ago I’d say, not too positive. I was ALMOST dependent on my one good friend, who’s worked at many bike shops and was so damn good a brakes, but everything else as well. I would rely on him for my brakes and building my wheels, so much that I’d have to postpone things, or strategically plan my bike builds or maintains carefully around his schedule. Otherwise I’d be screwed if I couldn’t meet up with him and get the two things done. I don’t know when or what moment finally caught up with me and made me suck it up and learn my weaknesses, brakes and wheels. I feel like I want to say that it had to have been a time where I was doing shows away from home and possibly my brakes broke on the road or something, I can’t remember but it seems the most probable scenario for me. Then slowly just gained knowledge with them and become better and better with understanding them and dialing them in. My wheel building experience began when I received a wheel Turing Parktool stand from my current frame sponsor at the time Redline. I was fortunate enough to get a birthday present from them, and I begged for a wheel Turing stand. A couple youtube videos later and I was certified enough to have trust in my own personal wheels. Happy to be my one stop shop for my own bike builds.”
– Jared Eberwein
