Stupid Things We Have Done

[lunacycles]

Inspired by Clockwork's response to a recent thread:

I think somebody should start a thread, for stupid things we have done.

OK, I am game, and here are some of mine:

*Installed tires backwards (I still do this in my less “present” moments—fortunately it is pretty obvious once you put the wheel back in the frame)

*whilst in lively conversation with a customer, attempted to install her eggbeater pedal on the INSIDE of the crank (very embarrassing, but again, distraction played a key role).

*forget to tighten completely the stem bolts before test-riding someone’s lovely custom ride (can you say scary as the handlebars slip forward while braking)

*forget to put the seatpost/saddle in bike box before shipping (I still do this on occasion)

*fall on my *** moments after thinking I have perfected the “track stand”

Let's hear them...we are all incredibly human

[Zen]

I'm guessing you don't mean stuff like marriage.

[malkin]

*snicker*

[lunacycles]

I'm guessing you don't mean stuff like marriage.

oh no I am guilty of that TOO...

seriously, CYCLING RELATED.

[tulip]

I'm guessing you don't mean stuff like marriage.

*snort!*

I spend way too much of my time, energy, and talents second-guessing myself. For instance, my house, as many of you know, is in renovation mess and has been for months. The house next door went on the market as I was buying mine. I ALMOST went to see it, but I already had a pending offer on mine, so I didn't. The couple who bought it have not done any renovations--at least not that's obvious--they are out playing and having parties while I'm still kitchenless. Their house was cheaper, too, and it has a screened in porch. Not going to at least see it was a stupid thing. But my house has more "charm". Whatever.

Oh, and the marriage thing. I wouldn't call getting married stupid in my case--I was happily married for seven years. It was probably a bit stupid to stay in that race for an additional 10 years, though.

As for cycling related, I can say that the SMARTEST thing I've ever done is buying a bike from Margo! The stupidest was crashing by crossing wheels with the guy in front of me and going down so hard that I had to be taken out by a helicopter (but crashing that bike led me to Margo). Oh, and going for a 70-mile ride with one bottle of water, no snacks, and no money. That was dumb.

[Veronica]

I'm guessing you don't mean stuff like marriage.

It's probably the smartest thing I ever did as a teen.

Veronica

[newfsmith]

#1 to #3: Rode my bike into the back of a parked car. Why #1 to #3? Broken nose, 2 broken teeth.
#4: Building my first bike, running the front der cable over the wrong cable guide under the BB shell.
#5: Getting the little nipple gizmos that let you put a Presta tube in a Schrader wheel, putting on the new rim tape, remounting the tire & tube, starting to inflate the tube when I noticed said gizmos still sitting on the work bench.
#6: Cutting the brake cable on my road bike getting ready to replace it (I didn't want to drag the ragged end through my fairly new housing) and then discovering I had picked up MTB brake cables and of course LBS was then closed.

If I wasn't stupid, I wouldn't have any claim to fame. (By the way, as a non-pro I regard mounting tires with the labels on the non-drive side as just a way to get a cleaner looking bike. In the same vein, when we flatten bikes for shipping at Bikes-not-Bombs we alway put the pedals on the inside of the cranks, so I might have thought that was deliberate.)

[shootingstar]

Put my back bike panniers on the wrong sides of rack, like wearing shoes on the wrong feet.

Forgetting to wear a bike helmet..rare but suddenly highly noticeable to self within 10 ft. after cycling off.

Cycling for 30 kms. with my wallet balanced on top of my back rack with panniers clipped below. Believe me, I discovered the rolling tire, already wore down a slight mark on the leather of wallet. We were riding on the road in a rural area with moderate traffic. Just amazing...

[redrhodie]

I rode for months with a twisted cleat, and for weeks with a rubbing brake. Much of the time the 2 things overlapped, causing every ride to be slow and painful, but still I pedalled on, thinking my body was the problem.

[kermit]

Forgetting to put the bike covers on the bikes during lovebug season. A seven hour drive with a roof rack was quite messy. Its amazing was a dead bug can get caked into.

[Zen]

Just think of them as learning opportunities.

[derailed]

Riding a frame that I crashed into the back of a car for another few months. When it failed, it really really failed.

[jesvetmed]

OK.. this one's not me (I swear!). My friend drove her car into the automatically lifted up garage door... with the bike on the roof rack! To make it worse, after the bike / rack and car were repaired, her husband did the exact same thing to his bike a couple of weeks later. (It was a new house, new concept ). At least his lightspeed wasn't injured. But -- I hope that I have learned from them!

[ny biker]

OK.. this one's not me (I swear!). My friend drove her car into the automatically lifted up garage door... with the bike on the roof rack! To make it worse, after the bike / rack and car were repaired, her husband did the exact same thing to his bike a couple of weeks later. (It was a new house, new concept ). At least his lightspeed wasn't injured. But -- I hope that I have learned from them!

When it comes to roof racks for bikes, there are two kinds of people: those who have, and those who will.

[Aggie_Ama]

Not me but DH and I still make fun of him (so do many people). Ran into the back of a parked 18 wheeler leaving campus back in 2004. Ambulance ride, sprained wrist and hefty hospital bill later he deserves a little ribbing. I sent photos to everyone of him sporting bruises, with a bandaged wrist, holding a sign that said "Roll on 18 Wheeler". (It is an old country song).