James, is this your audition tape for being our new GCN tech presenter? Give us a call!

Remember when he did a 54 minute documentary about Bicycle Maintenance. It's still the best documentary ever.

This was more exciting than 99% of all content from today's "influencers"

In all my years of watching James May, he's the last person I expected to see sitting on a chair with his length of wood sticking out.

5 minutes of boring bike maintenance - "Meh" with James May - *click*

Normal person: “a card” James May: “my British airways executive gold membership card”

There should be a whole series of James teaching us the best way to do boring odd jobs around the house.

As a bike mechanic, I couldn't appreciate this enough, it consists my life's two obsessions, top gear and bikes

I like how James rides a nice but still affordable bike

He should really have his own show: The Maintenance of Things.

I can imagine James checking his frame for scratches and cracks after every ride lol

Is no one gonna mention the fact that he's wearing a "Hey Bim!" T-Shirt? :D

5 Minutes? I demand at least 1 hour! Also he should bring back something like the reassembler...

And in this week's show : James plays with his wood.

I like how he said his bike brakes were perfect, as he set them up himself. A man after my own heart.

In future. James May: How to change a lightbulb at home. Me: Interesting

He could talk about anything and we'd all still watch it tbh

As a cycle technician I approve of toe in.

I know nothing about bikes and didn’t know what he was talking about, but still watched the whole video.

A complete occasional bike maintenance series would be a gift that keeps giving. The more intricate and involved the better. The disassembling cycle mechanic, yes please .

You say “boring” I say still better than new Top Gear.

id watch u paint a wall my friend. cant wait for the new grand tour. 🙏🙏 😁😁

James knows more than the people who assembled my bike as they couldn't even align the brake blocks to the rims! The shop that rhymes with...Balfords

never, never thought I'd be enjoying a previous TG presenters information on my favourite hobby cycling. James May well done 👏

That's an interesting way to hold your wood, James

Can we get James and Park Tool collaboration some day? James May and Calvin Jones in same video!

I'm a cyclist and of course i did watch this. But still i have to say that James May can make.. i think almost everything interesting, there is no limits. Even watching grass growing or paint drying on the wall can be a great "show" with captain slow. One of the best blokes i have ever seen. Cheers!

Mr May, you are my hero! Been trying to diagnose a shudder under braking and this has solved it. We are not worthy!

James makes anything interesting

Jeremy Clarkson has left the chat

The bike maintenance bit makes it exciting.

This was exactly what I needed. I watched about 10 different "tutorials" on how to fix the screaming and scratching my brakes were doing and then I watched this video. I don't want to jump to conclusions but after watching this and doing the same method, my bike is braking perfectly again. I hope it stays like this. Some man. Thanks James

As a professional bike mechanic and former shop owner, great to see this type of info get to the masses!

Wow, an actual youtube video which is helpful. Thank you, Sir James May.

Brilliant tip James! I agree brake block toe in is essential and improves the feel and efficiency of the brakes. In practise however, setting them up like that has always been a trial and error job with lots of faffing about. I've simply found when setting the brake in the desired position, tightening it up moves everything about, so I have to set it first slightly wrong, with this movement in mind, so when tightening, it goes into the right position. Sometimes it works first time other times it takes ages to get right! But your credit card trick looks like it simplifies this process tremendously! I'll use that technique next time.👍😎

That’s really great Top Gear expert advice James. It’s always wise to toe in soft brake blocks so that the leading edge of the blocks wear down to a smooth ramp shape. Then when the rest of the pad compresses onto the rim, it’s shorter and has less material to wear out. Also, the front ramp sweeps away rainwater and mud, keeping the rest of the block bone dry and clean. The correct toe-in spacing is not, in fact, a gold credit card thickness, but it is measured with the end of the small finger. The brake block clamping nut is never tightened so that the block can float into contact with the rim. It is always vital to ensure that the open end of the brake block shoe always faces in the direction of travel of the bicycle to ensure adequate brake block cooling. Next week, an advice video of how to correctly toe-in disc brake pads and keep them dry will complete the tutorial. I hope this advice provides you with many happy hours of cycling.

Loving the variety from James lately and it’s nice that he’s still uploading, a somehow soothing watch. Thanks James!

I love the in-joke with his T-shirt. I also learnt something about bicycle brakes!

I just want this. James may doing his rambling teaching! Love it!

As always, watching James May giving you a "How To" guide on anything is nothing short of enjoyable and informative. It would be great to see more things like this in the future!! It reminds me a bit of 'Man Lab 'and 'The Reassembler' - I love it!

Seeing thumbnail: "nah don't need this never use my bike" Reading title: "okay fine, I need it"

Love these vids. Perfect for touch of Bim. Please keep making them ❤️

Best bits of drive tribe - May on maintenance.

As a bicycle mechanic for some 20 years, this made me happy. Thank you. I would teach maintenance classes for the public and this topic always came up.

If James took that for a road test then Jeremy would have run him down 😂😂😂

Hmmm, interesting, does that mean that next grand tour episode will be about bikes?

Love this! Combining my love for cycling with my favorite carshow host. More of this please!

There are so many kids today who've no idea how to do this simple yet effective bit of maintenance. Keep up the instructional videos they're GOLD . Thankfully there is Mr May!

This was the best thing i've seen all day, I'm not even joking

I'd like for him to do more model train maintenance videos. That was a fun watch.

I have three mountain bikes with disk brakes, Nishiki and Diamondback including a DB 29er but I still watch this because James May is awesome, I would literally watch you trim nose and ear hairs to see if there’s a better method than mine. Thanks Capt Slow.

I was baffled! More please🙂

"JAMES STOP FILING!"-Jeremy Clarkson

RIP White Dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm 😢😢😢 @Ben Patchett & @Benoit - Thank you for identifying the right watch. I did spot the polished center link and the clasp but the Milgauss never occurred. Blinded by disappointment of 2020 & Rolex announcement. Really loved the 39mm white OP

I think the charm with James May being the most interesting boring man in the world is the fact that even if he is using information gathered elsewhere, he speaks with such confidence in the technique, and with such journalistic professionalism that it convinces anyone watching him to continue watching. I doubt this video was scripted because aside from the cuts to pan different angles, the video is pretty raw. Yet, he never stuttered or lost his train of thought once. No "uh" or "uhm" heard. I dunno if anyone's noticed this for a long time already but I noticed this just now.

Only James May can explain mundane mechanics, physics, and possible death in such a smooth, enjoyable way😁

I am asking this out of genuine concern. Anyone else notice the head-shaking he had going on? I hope everything is alright. Seeing these videos reminds me of how much I miss these guys. I am going right now to rewatch all episodes of "The Reassembler"

Jheeeze man like James slowly turning into a roadman. You’ll see him this winter wearing a puffer jacket with his bredrins chilling outside some estate in south London.

I am so grateful to be able to see this, James is a great humble guy.

This is cool, as a cyclist having my favorite presenter ever talking about bikes is just wholesome.

He looks like 60 year old Mattia Binotto with his glasses on.

5:08 this is a whole new definition of James may!

Thank you James for this Video. I have finally at the ripe age of 40, discovered how to prevent squaky brakes and I love it. Why did I not think to toe them in? So much was I inspired by this, that I researched even how to adjust the derailers so we now have bikes that actually work 100%. Thanks again.

Cheers James, I learnt something today. Thought the dome shaped washer was there just to make my day difficult, now I know its purpose and the tow credit card, trick. Have a can of beans on me.

He's got a ferrari in the background but only shimano 105?

I will watch *anything* with James May in it.

Did my toe in brake blocks on my new brakes a few weeks ago, works a treat!

I would welcome as much content on bicycle maintenance from James as he is willing to produce.

Nobody: Still nobody: Me: *James May The Reasembler flashbacks*

Imagine James may in Lycra 😂

Yes, we need more of these bike maintenance with May videos💪🏼

Thanks James, an excellent and informative video. Yes please for lots more cycle maintenance videos. I use a hand-cycle myself as I’m a wheelchair user; but a lot of the set up information is transferable. Set up is so important and often overlooked :)

Hey Bim, guess what?

May's bike hacks 😂 Welcome back to drive tribe, I'm captain slow. Today we're doing something different, but... kind of the same.

Yes please, Mr. May, please do more bike maintenance videos!

I just love that documentary voice of his. So pleasant to hear, more so than anyone in my ken.

Watching this makes me miss shows like Man Lab and The Reassembler.

I've never seen someone flex his BMW, Ferrari and Gold Card and Rolex so unbothered. Have a like.

I figured this out in middle school when I put a trailer behind it and the extra weight made this more apparent, love the cpt slowly!

I enjoyed watching this. Please post more of this.

Me:"Is there a way to learn how to adjust my brakes with toe in??" James May:"Not from anyone else on KZfaq..."

0:28 honestly this whole thing could be taken out of context

I was a bike mechanic for years and never knew this trick! What a brilliant video

You have just reminded me of my childhood Awesome James. Love it

So all those years while Clarkson was making jokes about wanting to run over cyclists he was presenting next to a keen cyclist?

Build a whole bike!!! :-)

This is excellent. I would love to see more of these. Very useful for someone like me who only takes the bike out once or twice a month and also knows nothing about this sort of thing.

Love the bike maintenance! Keep it coming for sure!

Has James developed Parkinsons? Genuinely not a joke, he kept shaking his head often.

*Grand Tour new season* on *4th* of September !!! Woohoo can't wait 😝

Love this! Proper maintenance with explanations of the physical forces involved. I'd love to see EVERY James May explanation that either Hammond or Clarkson cut off on TG or GT. All. Of. Them.

Just amazed at how much depth you can talk about the simplest of technical subjects.

When he mentioned the A grades he meant Clarkson if I’m not mistaken.

Why is no one talking about when he put that wood between his legs and demonstrates the block breaks by putting it at the end of the wood between his legs?? 0:30

That was eye opening.ive had brakes chatter for 30 years.Thanks Mr May

I actually wouldn't mind at all seeing more bicycle maintenance videos from Mr May.

I am amazed James is not using a torque wrench for this.

I want to see how long it takes him to disassemble and reassemble a bike it’ll be a OCD crazy video

I love Mays boring manuals xD he makes things so clear and honestly I'm entertained I hope they let him do more of these

I’ve been riding for years. Never thought of that. Awesome tip. Thanks !