Almost Pro Bike Mechanic

[Barrels]

I used the starnut and lots of spacers to compress the headset cups into place yesterday, not a fail, worked perfectly.

[Bigadz]

@Aeons

This is for Bigadz.

Goes to install new threaded headset, crown race is wrong size.
Then attempts to swap quill stems but has 26mm bars and a 25.4 clamp stem.

Then while disappointedly reassembling his bike he somehow puts his fork on upside down and starts threading the headset on until I point out his handlebars will be where his front wheel is supposed to be and vice-versa.

If you need any work done your bike just ask.

[alexb618]

@Aeons

Then while disappointedly reassembling his bike he somehow puts his fork on upside down and starts threading the headset on until I point out his handlebars will be where his front wheel is supposed to be and vice-versa.

this is amazing

[Bigadz]

Tonight I forgot for about 5 minutes to put peanut butter in the satay sauce I was cooking.
I had a derpy great weekend

[JLN_not_ZLTN]

@Aeons

This is for Bigadz.

Then while disappointedly reassembling his bike he somehow puts his fork on upside down and starts threading the headset on until I point out his handlebars will be where his front wheel is supposed to be and vice-versa.

[HLC]

^ I have that guy on instagram. Every time I see ap ic of this bike I face palm myself.

[gypsy]

That Steibel is built like that for that exact reason. Huge A2C for a track bike

[Andy_Vibes]

Installed a new set of Grand Bois tires. Must have knocked the brake pads out of alignment on the front wheel. Blew out the sidewall commuting that week.

Got a pinch flat on the way to work this morning. No problem, threw the spare tube in, pumped it up, when I went to unscrew the pump unscrewed the valve core with it. Did this two more times before having to do a very careful weird angle unscrewing of the pump to keep the core in.

[a.davis12]

^done this many a time with my funky lezyne track pump. Seriously infuriating.

[AL9000]

@Andy_Vibes

Installed a new set of Grand Bois tires. Must have knocked the brake pads out of alignment on the front wheel. Blew out the sidewall commuting that week.

Got a pinch flat on the way to work this morning. No problem, threw the spare tube in, pumped it up, when I went to unscrew the pump unscrewed the valve core with it. Did this two more times before having to do a very careful weird angle unscrewing of the pump to keep the core in.

oof. expensive mistake.

loctite your core / use cheaper tubes / ditch the lezyne.

[Andy_Vibes]

@Blakeyplz

oof. expensive mistake.

loctite your core / use cheaper tubes / ditch the lezyne.

I have a Topeak Race Rocket MT which has been good so I blame the tube. It’s a Vittoria. Too much passion.

[DICE]

Mechanical retardedness…

+1 more for Crank extractor/cap bolt fail. Not once, but t-twice. Both times too late at night, both in a dingily lit garage, tired and little pissed. Shakes head.

Totally fucking up a (cheap) wheelset by trying to replace a broken spoke and retrue without any of the correct tools bar a spoke key, nor any of the required knowledge.

Unknowningly pinching an inner tube in a rim and inflating to 120psi in a cold London flat, then turning on the heater, sitting down for dinner in front of the telly and giving myself and beloved a heartattack from the resultant (very loud) explosion.

Installing a stainless Crank Bros headset which has a flat base (like a BMX headset) and it getting more crooked than Berlusconi. Have to call on my downhill/BMX/Coffee Mechanic wizard buddy to save the day. Does so with a mallet, a plank of wood and a deft touch. Wizard.

Undoing the wrong bolt of a hydraulic calliper and pissing hydraulic fluid all over rotors and hubs. Brakes now require re-bleeding.

Undoing current generation Shimano Hydraulic brake reservoirs as if they were the previous generation and again pissing hydraulic fluid all over rotors, hubs, handlebars and forks. Brakes now require re-bleeding. Also stripping a torx bolt in the process of re-bleed.

And don’t get me started with frame painting.

Yup had my fair share of doozies.

[stephen.mhsrider]

@DICE

Unknowningly pinching an inner tube in a rim and inflating to 120psi in a cold London flat, then turning on the heater, sitting down for dinner in front of the telly and giving myself and beloved a heartattack from the resultant (very loud) explosion.

Happened to me, except that it exploded whilst I was walking down the street in the city. Gave just about everyone within a 10m radius a heart attack.

[JLN_not_ZLTN]

I remember pinching a tube and having it blow in the middle if the night. We had no idea what it was, so we looked out the window and saw a girl walking down the middle of the street crying, which was a bizarre coincidence.

[dfunkt]

@Andy_Vibes

Did this two more times before having to do a very careful weird angle unscrewing of the pump to keep the core in.

get the lezyne chuck with the release valve…
also, whenever i use a new tube with removable core, i pull out my tiny monkey wrench and nip it up.

[brendan]

@Andy_Vibes

Got a pinch flat on the way to work this morning. No problem, threw the spare tube in, pumped it up, when I went to unscrew the pump unscrewed the valve core with it. Did this two more times before having to do a very careful weird angle unscrewing of the pump to keep the core in.

may be teaching you to suck eggs here, but it seems that letting a little air out before screwing the pump on does help. i dunno why.

[hoonz]

@DICE

Unknowningly pinching an inner tube in a rim and inflating to 120psi in a cold London flat, then turning on the heater, sitting down for dinner in front of the telly and giving myself and beloved a heartattack from the resultant (very loud) explosion.

Had this happen while pumping up some brand new schwalbe marathons that kept popping off the bead. Also in a london flat and my flatmates were not impressed (was about 7am). Ended up riding to Amsterdam with the old tyres instead.

My dad showed me how to change an inner tube when I was about 9 or 10 I think, and showed me to seat the tube with a little air inside the tyre with it completely off the rim so my not-so-dextrous little fingers wouldn’t pinch the tube. I still do this and it has served me well as I never get pinch flats from fitting, only ever from rim tape or obstacles.

[horatio]

@JLN_not_ZLTN

We had no idea what it was, so we looked out the window and saw a girl walking down the middle of the street crying, which was a bizarre coincidence.

Sounds like some kind of art house film script

[P_N20]

@horatio

sounds like some kind of adelaide normality

ftfy

[jaseyjase]

@hoonz

seat the tube with a little air inside the tyre with it completely off the rim so my not-so-dextrous little fingers wouldn’t pinch the tube. I still do this and it has served me well as I never get pinch flats from fitting, only ever from rim tape or obstacles.

+1, good tip, have been doing this also.

Not so much a mechanical, but i only realized last night while attaching a knog frog that with my catlike kompact, i can actually adjust the rear strap thingy to a lower position so it cups the back of my head better.

Ive only had the helmet for nearly 2 years…