Massive newbie mistake... anyone a bigger idiot?
06-21-19, 08:49 PM
#26
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Tried to drive into my garage with two bikes mounted to the roof rack. Totaled two bikes, the rack, the roof of the car, the bottom of the garage door, the garage door opener and the trim work around the garage door frame.
Oops.
-Kedosto
Oops.
-Kedosto
06-21-19, 10:00 PM
#27
Heft On Wheels
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Ouch!!!! This is the biggest reason I didn’t get a roof rack because I would have done this.
06-22-19, 02:12 AM
#28
Pizzaiolo Americano
I hit a sign with a brand new, unridden mountain bike on my roof rack leaving the shop I bought it at...pulled the bike right off the rack and dented the down tube...I get mad at myself every time I look at it...On the other side of the coin, I have tried some things on that bike I might not have if it were still perfect.
06-22-19, 07:07 AM
#29
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I wouldn't call this a newbie mistake, and it's fairly common. I see a dozen of these bikes come through the shop every year, wondering if the frame can be repaired.
06-22-19, 07:59 AM
#30
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Massive newbie mistake... anyone a bigger idiot?
Dat ain’t nuttin. I posted to this thread, “How long does it take you to fix a flat?”
So.... Had my bike a week and loving it. But until today I've been feeling a bit disheartened. I've been struggling with hills, big time struggling!! …Anyone out there a bigger idiot? Beat that!! 
… I posted about living through a flat-tire horror story:
I just posted this PM yesterday about our cross-country tour on Merciers with fully loaded panniers in 1977:..
Back in' 72, I think it was a pretty high quality bike, costing ~$250 at that time, but we did not get a top of the line model, i.e. not Campagnolo equipped. They did have sew-up tires and we actually used the bikes for touring pretty well in Michigan and Ontario.
We then used them to ride cross country and the sew up tires we're the worst part of the trip due to an excessive number of flats, the difficulty of repair, and the need to take a couple days off to find a city with a shop that sold them, but we made it.
Back in '77 it was a lot harder to get good information--no Internet!
Back in' 72, I think it was a pretty high quality bike, costing ~$250 at that time, but we did not get a top of the line model, i.e. not Campagnolo equipped. They did have sew-up tires and we actually used the bikes for touring pretty well in Michigan and Ontario.
We then used them to ride cross country and the sew up tires we're the worst part of the trip due to an excessive number of flats, the difficulty of repair, and the need to take a couple days off to find a city with a shop that sold them, but we made it.
…When we did our cross-country honeymoon, we brought six spare tires. It seemed we would get a flat tire about every three days, just as the sticky glue-grime wore off our hands.
Twice on the tour we had to ditch the bikes in a motel and hitchhike to a city to buy more tires (in Flagstaff, AZ and Pueblo, CO), losing two otherwise rest days, plus all the delays and time expended fixing flats.
We switched wheels soon after arriving in Boston.
Twice on the tour we had to ditch the bikes in a motel and hitchhike to a city to buy more tires (in Flagstaff, AZ and Pueblo, CO), losing two otherwise rest days, plus all the delays and time expended fixing flats.
We switched wheels soon after arriving in Boston.
06-22-19, 04:00 PM
#31
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I once test rode a customer's bike just before he was picking it up for a week long tour. He had us set it up "continental" so the front brake was on the right. As I was riding back to the shop I saw the customer, waved with my left hand and pointed to the bike as I was braking with the right. Landed on my face.
06-22-19, 04:02 PM
#32
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I think we have a winner here. Dave
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06-24-19, 09:53 AM
#33
wears long socks
06-24-19, 10:02 AM
#34
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Tried to remove the freehub from a Shimano 600 tri-color hub while it was not laced to a wheel. Decided to use a pair of vice grips for leverage. Vice grip teeth sank into the hub like it was made of butter.
06-24-19, 10:10 PM
#35
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We all make mistakes now and again.
Facepalm.jpg
Yesterday morning, I was out early... cruising along. Stopped for a second and noticed a new slit in my rear tire. It looked like something light grey was in the bottom of the slit.
So, I didn't have my knife that I normally probe with, but I thought I'd probe the slit with a small allen wrench.
Whatever it was, it didn't pop out easily. So I probed more...
Then...
Psssssssssssss
It turns out I had a hole through the tire, and I was probing the tube that was poking out.
I was running late (or would have been on time).
Tossed in a new tube. Patch over the hole in the tire (without letting it dry properly). And, down the road again.
Facepalm.jpg
Yesterday morning, I was out early... cruising along. Stopped for a second and noticed a new slit in my rear tire. It looked like something light grey was in the bottom of the slit.
So, I didn't have my knife that I normally probe with, but I thought I'd probe the slit with a small allen wrench.
Whatever it was, it didn't pop out easily. So I probed more...
Then...
Psssssssssssss
It turns out I had a hole through the tire, and I was probing the tube that was poking out.
I was running late (or would have been on time).
Tossed in a new tube. Patch over the hole in the tire (without letting it dry properly). And, down the road again.
06-25-19, 11:00 AM
#37
Member
On a recent commute to work, I ran over a piece of coil spring about an inch long. No problem, I’ll get off the bike and replace the tube only to find I left my saddle bag at home with spare tube, tools and CO2. Call the wife to bring it and drop me off at work.
End of the day I am removing the tube and putting in a new one when I attach the only CO2 cylinder I have and hear a loud hiss. Turns out I removed and then remounted the same tube with a hole in it. New one sitting there on the floor.
End of the day I am removing the tube and putting in a new one when I attach the only CO2 cylinder I have and hear a loud hiss. Turns out I removed and then remounted the same tube with a hole in it. New one sitting there on the floor.
06-25-19, 11:14 AM
#38
Senior Member
06-25-19, 11:16 AM
#39
FNG
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I recently installed a master link from a retailer I really shouldn't have and went on a ride without a spare.
I actually broke both sides of it clean in the middle. The two ends of my chain had both halves of each...half still in there.
Good thing I only made it a mile from home.
I actually broke both sides of it clean in the middle. The two ends of my chain had both halves of each...half still in there.
Good thing I only made it a mile from home.
06-26-19, 04:49 PM
#40
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06-27-19, 03:00 PM
#41
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When I first started riding my first bike had crank arms held on by cotter pins. After overhauling the bottom bracket and putting everything back together I went for a test ride. I rolled down the driveway and soon discovered that instead of the arms being 180 degrees to each other they were parallel. Hilarious trying to pedal that!
06-27-19, 04:14 PM
#43
Senior Member
06-27-19, 09:06 PM
#44
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06-27-19, 09:18 PM
#45
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I routed my chain under the chain stay and around the back nub on the derailleur at the same time
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Genesis 49:16-17
Genesis 49:16-17
06-27-19, 09:18 PM
#46
Senior Member
Didn't they make an insurance commercial about you?
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06-28-19, 01:48 PM
#47
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The car, a Subi Outback, was wedged under the two steel framed MTB's. I couldn't pull the bikes out they were wedged in so tight. I had to really give it the gas to back out, and doing so pulled the garage door off the track and the garage door head unit fell from the ceiling and hit the floor. The track was bent anyway, so it was a goner. The wooden framing around the door was splintered with shards strewn around a blast radius of about 15 feet. It was truly a disaster of epic proportions.
We made an insurance claim for the car only and paid out of pocket for everything else. I've never used a roof mounted bike rack again.
-Kedosto
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06-28-19, 02:22 PM
#48
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That has to be the dumbest mistake I ever heard of. Are you really that d...? No, 
just kidding that is to funny.
I know of someone that drove to a group ride and forgot to bring their bike.
I personally went on vacation and forgot to load my cycling clothes. Good excuse to by more though.
just kidding that is to funny.I know of someone that drove to a group ride and forgot to bring their bike.
I personally went on vacation and forgot to load my cycling clothes. Good excuse to by more though.
06-28-19, 07:01 PM
#49
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Wow, this thread is really bringing the woe.
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Sheldon Brown's bike info ~~~ Park Tools repair help
Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list
Sheldon Brown's bike info ~~~ Park Tools repair help
Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list
06-28-19, 07:21 PM
#50
Newbie
