I'm a hack mechanic

[stephenmarklay]

I was very excited to get my soma swept bars for
My commuter. I excitedly started to put the on and then got stuck. Literally that 40
Degree sweep and then the sweep back toward the center made me have to use brute force. I used a big screwdriver to open up the stem but the bar coating too a hit and I even gouged the bar a little. That sucks.

The only good news is that I was going to wrap the entire middle of the bar anyway but if this were a good bike I would be really unhappy. In guess a stem that opens in the front would be better but in 25.4 I am limited.

[charliedid]

I've done WAY worse.

Life

[Tickdoc]

I've got ya beat.

[Iansir]

I once put a crankset on with drive side flipped 180, including reverse threading the BB shell. Too many IPAs...does not mix with major bike overhaul.

[charliedid]

That's me in my "expert" T-Shirt. Irony never laughed so good. The fork? That would be my wife's. She took the photo.

[bicycletricycle]

Slide hammering the bearing race onto the fork with the dropouts on the bench or some nonsense?

[charliedid]

Slide hammering the bearing race onto the fork with the dropouts on the bench or some nonsense?

Yes sir. after 12 hours of work I decided to help build my wife's new Gunnar. Race not seating so I set it on the floor. (I kid not) It has a comfort mat next to the stands so I thought...

Bad move, sales guy.

Waterford to the rescue.

[Tickdoc]

That's me in my "expert" T-Shirt. Irony never laughed so good. The fork? That would be my wife's. She took the photo.


Ouch. I don't have YOU beat, expert;)

[charliedid]

Ouch. I don't have YOU beat, expert;)

I used to love wearing that shirt. My wife bought it for me ;-)

It was meant to be a joke about the "Genius" shirts they wear at Apple. People are always referring to bike shop employees as you know, experts.

Step away from the tools.

[Clydesdale]

Thanks for sharing.

Most of us have dumb stories... but maybe not many have photo proof in an ironic t-shirt. Thanks for the laugh this morning.

[stephenmarklay]

Thanks guys :o I am not sure I could have got those bars in without mangling them. Next time I am choosing a different stem.

[Dead Man]

That's me in my "expert" T-Shirt. Irony never laughed so good. The fork? That would be my wife's. She took the photo.

I let a fork slide out of the headset and hit the floor once.. Bike was up in the stand, so it fell like 2' onto the fork ends, bent one not quite as bad as that, but still pretty bad. I just pried it open as much as i could with a screw driver and i think maybe had to do some sanding too. But i rode it.

[Onno]

Good thread! I like to think of myself as mechanically adept, but I have made lots of dumb mistakes working on my bikes, often having to do with forgetting the order in which little parts came off. So far, no expensive ones. On my cars, not so much. One error that stands out occurred while changing wiper blades (!). They can be really stupidly hard to get off. I resorted to some violence (jerking the thing, hoping to break it off), and when it did, the wiper arm slammed down on the window, sending a crack up the whole windshield. Lesson learned.

[icepick_trotsky]

Couldn't get the cap off the maple syrup this morning. Forgot to grease the threads last time.

[adamhell]

i just bought a beautiful brand new black mountain cycles monster cross, came home and cut the fork too short. i feel yer pain

[Saint Vitus]

Frozen bottom bracket on an old Gazelle, don't recall which side but the direction always confuses me. Confused my friend who is a manager for a local bike shop lol

Anyway, after much force in the wrong direction it came loose and the threads weren't ruined, amazingly. I have a sticky note for that procedure now that I slap on a frame before ever getting the wrench.

[estilley]

Was dead blow hammering a cassette the other day to get a stuck freewheel off the hub - freewheel and cassette go flying across the garage.

[stephenmarklay]

i just bought a beautiful brand new black mountain cycles monster cross, came home and cut the fork too short. i feel yer pain

Well you got me beat :crap:

[Dead Man]

Only kinda related.. but I'm reminded one time of coming home and finding my bike not where I left it in my office.. so I go out in the garage, to find it chucked up in the workstand - clamped right smack in the middle of the TT. I can see the brake cable all mashed up between the clamp and the tube, and I'm just absolutely dreading what I'm going to see when I unclamp it - it's the old school Park stand with 1" or 1-3/4" settings, and it's on the 1" setting... clamped to a fat titanium top tube...

I unclamped it, expecting cracked/crushed TT... miraculously nothing but a surface scar where the cable was crushed into it.

Yea - had words with the wife over that one.

[Mr_Gimby]

Its threads like these that remind me, even if I don't have a very high wage, at least I can be comforted by my job security. :p

--Your friendly LBS mechanic

[Gummee]

That's me in my "expert" T-Shirt. Irony never laughed so good. The fork? That would be my wife's. She took the photo.

I've BTDT on an Alpha Q 1" fork. Try finding one of THEM these days

M

[Dead Man]

I've BTDT on an Alpha Q 1" fork. Try finding one of THEM these days

M

Can't help but think you'd be a rich man if you could produce quality 1" forks.... but I guess if that were true, the existing manufacturers would offer them

[KidWok]

Back in the days before torque wrenches were required, I had a Cinelli Alter stem with a Cinelli Nerve handlebar. Thought I was the shiznit even though I didn't bother getting the pinup cover. I had constant handlebar slippage and tightened the hell out of that stem. Then one day I'm JRA and the front bolt (the only one up front) stripped through and I was left holding my handlebars at about 15 mph with no control. Fortunately I could slow down a bit and roll into the grass by the trail. Being the fool I was, I helicoiled that sucker and kept using it. Still have that stem...ugly as hell. Cippo made me do it.

Killed a DA chainring once coming off a stop sign. Bent the sucker right in half 'cus I was missing two chainring bolts and didn't notice. FML.

Oh...and the time my cleat bolts came loose and I fell on my side at an intersection after committing to leaning over but not being able to get my foot out.

Been pretty fortunate otherwise...Have gotten better about tightening things over the years.

Tai

[purpurite]

My epic dumbness doesn't come from working on them, it comes from transporting them. :eek:

[CMiller]

Tightened a pedal with an adjustable wrench in a nice XT crankset before I had the proper tool. First ride it stripped!

I bought a proper pedal wrench the next day.

[Frankwurst]

For me working on a bike is like growing up. First you crawl, then you stand, then you walk and learn to run an fall down and get beat up..........a lot. But you keep doing it because it's so damn much fun.:beer:

[charliedid]

Thanks guys :o I am not sure I could have got those bars in without mangling them. Next time I am choosing a different stem.

I'd probably mangle them regardless of stem. :D

I wouldn't feel too bad.

[Fatty]

Thanks guys :o I am not sure I could have got those bars in without mangling them. Next time I am choosing a different stem.

Way back. Had a steel quill one bolt stem. Wanted to run a Pro Taper riser bar, no way the bend would make it through the stem without prying it open. Didn't want to pry on it and leave tool marks so I ran the bolt in backwards though the the threaded end first. Slipped a penny in the gap on the stem and the bolt pushed against the coin opening up the stem enough to slide that bar right through. Still have the penny in my tool box.

[stephenmarklay]

Way back. Had a steel quill one bolt stem. Wanted to run a Pro Taper riser bar, no way the bend would make it through the stem without prying it open. Didn't want to pry on it and leave tool marks so I ran the bolt in backwards though the the threaded end first. Slipped a penny in the gap on the stem and the bolt pushed against the coin opening up the stem enough to slide that bar right through. Still have the penny in my tool box.

Great idea!

[Elefantino]

I put Frog cleats on backward the other day for a customer. Wasn't even thinking. Fortunately she had her bike with her and we discovered my effup in time.

**It happens. To some of us more than others. :crap:

[OtayBW]

Way back. Had a steel quill one bolt stem. Wanted to run a Pro Taper riser bar, no way the bend would make it through the stem without prying it open. Didn't want to pry on it and leave tool marks so I ran the bolt in backwards though the the threaded end first. Slipped a penny in the gap on the stem and the bolt pushed against the coin opening up the stem enough to slide that bar right through. Still have the penny in my tool box.
Nice trick - and helpful - but the last time I did that, I still managed to scuff up my nice NOS 3TTT bar at the hooks....:crap:
I did not save that penny...

[etu]

i just tried installing a new fork without a crown race, doh!!!:o

[oldpotatoe]

I put Frog cleats on backward the other day for a customer. Wasn't even thinking. Fortunately she had her bike with her and we discovered my effup in time.

**It happens. To some of us more than others. :crap:

Left the crank bolt washer inside a DA crank and then tried to pull crank arm off..stripped all the threads. On Ron Keifel's race bike, while he was standing there...

[gemship]

Left the crank bolt washer inside a DA crank and then tried to pull crank arm off..stripped all the threads. On Ron Keifel's race bike, while he was standing there...

I'm trying to picture this from a technical standpoint and I can't but I am sure there must be some kind of logic to it better to see to believe rather than how described.

[2metalhips]

A friend showed up for a mtb ride with one pedal missing, her boyfriend at the time had worked on the bike, That didn't end well! :no:

[etu]

A friend showed up for a mtb ride with one pedal missing, her boyfriend at the time had worked on the bike, That didn't end well! :no:

welcome to the forum and thanks for a great 1st post. LOL

[dsillito]

I'm trying to picture this from a technical standpoint and I can't but I am sure there must be some kind of logic to it better to see to believe rather than how described.

Imagine the inner end of your crank puller pushing against a washer instead of against the end of the BB spindle. Eventually, the tool just rips the crankarm tool out, with a lovely ribbon of aluminum threads embedded in it.

I've had a mind lapse and started cranking on the wrench flats to insert the tool into the crankarm (once the tool was already in), instead of the ones to pull the arm off. Thankfully no damage was done. I was just amazed at how seized the arm was on the spindle, until I realized....

[stephenmarklay]

Left the crank bolt washer inside a DA crank and then tried to pull crank arm off..stripped all the threads. On Ron Keifel's race bike, while he was standing there...

I did this once too :( It was only a 7-speed 105 and not a race bike though :o

[dsillito]

A friend showed up for a mtb ride with one pedal missing, her boyfriend at the time had worked on the bike, That didn't end well! :no:

Yet another good reason to ride to your ride.

[2metalhips]

welcome to the forum and thanks for a great 1st post. LOL

Thanks!

[2metalhips]

Yet another good reason to ride to your ride.

Or do your own pedal switch! DOH!

[gemship]

Imagine the inner end of your crank puller pushing against a washer instead of against the end of the BB spindle. Eventually, the tool just rips the crankarm tool out, with a lovely ribbon of aluminum threads embedded in it.

I've had a mind lapse and started cranking on the wrench flats to insert the tool into the crankarm (once the tool was already in), instead of the ones to pull the arm off. Thankfully no damage was done. I was just amazed at how seized the arm was on the spindle, until I realized....

Ok now this makes sense. I am always amazed and rather forgetful of how to take off crank arms. Amazed because it's interesting how much leverage is required with bike specific tools to take apart most of these components. I recall snapping the end of 15mm open end wrench trying to loosen a pedal. Got the Park tool and it's a heck of a lot easier/doable.

[cadence90]

Left the crank bolt washer inside a DA crank and then tried to pull crank arm off..stripped all the threads. On Ron Keifel's race bike, while he was standing there...

"George, what exactly the eff is thepatatameister doing down there?"

"Errr, Ron, don't really know...but I'm guessing you won't be riding today."

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8sHpFqkUAzM/UDh7TQyKoUI/AAAAAAAALp8/z97yvHQvPd0/s400/Ron+Kiefel+and+George+Hincapie.jpg

[Gummee]

Great idea!

ITM Eclypse stems used to come with a c-shaped metal bracket that did the same thing as that penny.

I probably still have one kicking around the bottom of my tool box

M

[dsillito]

Or do your own pedal switch! DOH!

True. Or devote more time to boyfriend training. :D