Broken stuff with a happy ending

I present to you, one broken lock nut. This was extracted from a Bontrager hub while servicing the bearings. I have never seen a lock nut split so perfectly in half before, and under such little pressure. Odd.

The picture probably doesn't really show what's goin' on here, but this is a Trek Madone and that little chip you see in the paint above the Trek logo on the seat stay is in fact a crack that wraps almost all the way around.

Anti Post Warning

Some of my handy work.

A set of Enve All Mountain rims, 32 hole, laced to 240's. A 150mm rear? You ask, yup. These are going on a Demo, in an attempt to make it light...

Command Post Fail

That's right. The collet disintegrated. This could be due to the fact of complete lack of maintenance and lots of riding or...

The original has returned

So it's been about 18 months since this endeavor was first inspired by a bike abuser that has become a constant thorn in my ass. The original post for this blog was about a bike that wasn't completely gone but the customer chose not to service. The bike that was gone was the one that returned. We did a Fox chassis upgrade for him 15 months ago, meaning he got new lowers/uppers and a complete service. We then didn't see the bike again until this past week. The fork had been completely neglected. The mars in the stanchion could be felt. He was blown away... Yes, sir, y our suspension does need to be serviced. When you see oil leaking down the side of the lowers, it's past time.

So here she is, the bike that inspired thisbikeisfucked.blogspot.com

I was actually surprised that it had been that long since I started this. Thanks for reading...

Broken T-Mobile Frame

Apparently, the person that installed this BB didn't get the memo that 900 ft. lbs was a bit excessive on the torque. The tool you see in my hands is what I like to call "the big guns." It is a 3/4" ratchet mated to an adaptor that brings it down to a 1/2" driver size. perfect for BB's.

What this picture fails to show in any way, shape or form, is that there is a crack that runs from about 5mm under the bottom braze-on boss to about 5mm above the top braze-on boss. And that both are about to pull out of the frame. I got the BB out, but the frame was toast...

An Sworks Epic 29'r came into the shop for some work. Customer was complaining that his headset hadn't really felt the same after TrueGrit. So I opened it up to find the inner race of the lower bearing had fused itself to the fork crown race. Yea, I bet it didn't feel very good.

While I was figuring out how to get the race off the fork. I saw this,

Really? It comes with a straw?

The reply, Yup, so you don't mess up your lipstick.

Out.

Nice cockpit.

I think I might just give 'em a try.

A montage of long stems

First up, the fact that DiaCompe is still around is evidence that longevity and stupidity can go together. I had to use a modified 5mm allen to even work on this stupid brake. I cannot fathom why you would want to put the cable fixing bolt towards the fork.

Long stem #1. This is only about a 14cm. Ah, the nostalgia.

This bad boy takes the cake, a full 16cm long.

SJ Anti-Post

This little gem came through the shop today in almost mint condition. The guy bought it in '87 and rode it for a couple of years and it has sat ever since... I'm pretty sure the tires are original. I have to say, I'm kind of a sucker for the deer head logo. Anyway, a piece of history however you look at it.

Today was good day for fucked bike pics

Last time I checked, the "E" was supposed to go the other way.









This is an early 2000's trek. In all that time, no one bothered to remove the brake caliper's packing material. That's despicable.












This "Schwinn Quality" sticker wouldn't be so special, if it wasn't on a KHS.

Bicycle Comics - Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery | A Little Goes a Long Way

Bicycle Comics - Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery | A Little Goes a Long Way
Yup, a great comic to show that lube tends to go in the too much category... Or in the too little category.
Check it out.

Flames always make your bike look faster...

A first in 16 years

There are a lot of complaints a bike mechanic has to deal with. Most are really pretty fucking stupid, some are valid and then there are the outlandish. It is the outlandish ones that really stick out in my mind.

For the first time in 16 years I actually had a customer tell me their reflector was on upside down and they wanted me to fix it.

So I did.

And then I laughed about it all fucking day.

My day

Today was a long day, which is not out of the ordinary. What is out of the ordinary is the depth this cable rub has had on the Lefty fork.

I also love being told the obvious, like where the stem goes...
And of course, what could be better than a whole box of zip ties to hold a speed sensor in place...

Ahh what a day?

Ah, shit. Haven't we all experienced this...

All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup | Mother Jones

Oops! Wrong side...

My little purple tool

You always here about a technicians favorite tool. Well mine is purple. Or at least it used to be.

I purchased this bad boy for $.99 in 2006 because I was sick of trying to put water bottle cages on with a triple. I soon found that with a descent bit kit I could do almost every repair possible with this small, functional tool. It improved my speed. It made it easier to switch over to a torque wrench when needed and has become my must have tool for any repair.

If you can tell from the picture, it is quite worn. The entire driver was purple when I purchased it and was also knurled. From the constant use both the anodizing and the knurl are almost gone. The magnet that helps hold the bits in place is also loosing some of its touch and on occasion the bits just fall out.

I tried to replace it about three months ago. I figured it had served its purpose and it was time to retire it to the home tool box where it would see minimal use. The driver I purchased lasted one whole day. After which the magnet fell out making it useless. I went back to my little purple tool.

It has also been interesting for me as I have worked with many mechanics and in a couple of different shops over the years to the response I have received about my driver. Every single tech has scoffed my little purple tool, only to regret their words as they break down and buy their own. I guess there is a reason I use it constantly, it works.

Cheers to tools!