Sheffield_Tiger
Guru
Anyone dropped any real clangers during maintenance? I don't mean the standard stuff like "use the crank extractor before undoing the bolt" (I have a bike to sort at the moment that a previous owner has done just that, looking at the non-existent state of the crank threads)
Reminded of this in another thread talking about using a big mallet, I recall years ago having been given my first "proper" watch for Xmas - a very nice gold and leather Accurist and not from the cheapest end either. But me being me I forgot to take it off when fettling an old clunker. Driving in a new cotter pin - being none too gentle with the hammer, I hadn't fastened the strap properly. The watch landed right on the cotter pin just on the downstroke of the hammer.....
My stupidist was my first go at fixing my bike - an old clunker again, bought 2nd hand and the stem way above the safety mark - it twisted and the bars came out (on a busy dual carriageway!) - that wasn't my fault I didn't set it up, but anyway, bought a new stem and swapped the bars, like you do on a front loader. But being a clunker it wasn't a front loader stem, it never occured to take the grips and levers off, rather I prised the stem open with the jaws of two spanners, and used a mole grip to pull the stem back into shape. DOH! To be fair, I was a kid then. I always think back to doing that whenever I look at someone who appears to have zero mechanical aptitude trying to fix things.
Reminded of this in another thread talking about using a big mallet, I recall years ago having been given my first "proper" watch for Xmas - a very nice gold and leather Accurist and not from the cheapest end either. But me being me I forgot to take it off when fettling an old clunker. Driving in a new cotter pin - being none too gentle with the hammer, I hadn't fastened the strap properly. The watch landed right on the cotter pin just on the downstroke of the hammer.....
My stupidist was my first go at fixing my bike - an old clunker again, bought 2nd hand and the stem way above the safety mark - it twisted and the bars came out (on a busy dual carriageway!) - that wasn't my fault I didn't set it up, but anyway, bought a new stem and swapped the bars, like you do on a front loader. But being a clunker it wasn't a front loader stem, it never occured to take the grips and levers off, rather I prised the stem open with the jaws of two spanners, and used a mole grip to pull the stem back into shape. DOH! To be fair, I was a kid then. I always think back to doing that whenever I look at someone who appears to have zero mechanical aptitude trying to fix things.