Bill in VA

I now put a 12x12 foot painters pale tan canvas drop cloth under my bike repair stand for just that purpose. When the tiny allen bolt that holds the brake pads onto rim brake shoe dropped out I was able to quickly find it. It also prevents bearing from rolling all over. The canvas also minimizes bounce. When done I just fold it over the legs of the stand.

My longest "search" for a part was for a front disc brake caliper spring for my pickup. It popped off with a loud ping and was lost forever. I used a heavy magnet all over the grass beside the carport and nothing. Years later during a remodel of the carport/driveway I thought it might surface, but even using the ultra heavy duty magnet our contractor had nothing. As with all lost springs, I believe that the harmonic vibrations of a spring type of object opens a temporal rift in the fabric of time and they are sent into a parallel universe and lost forever.

Parts never get lost when a store is open to get a replacement.

woodcraft

BITD I had a moderate little wipe-out on the bike, and discovered later that the pedal dustcap had spun off.

After weeks of searching for a replacement, I went back to the crash site & found the part by the side of the road.

IME, the parts that get lost are not readily replaceable.

Chuck M 

I don’t know that I’ve ever searched a long time for something. But tonight taking some Bridgestone SCs apart I heard something drop. All I found was something that appears to be a spacer. I’ve spent a few minutes trying to tell where it goes and as far as I can tell it doesn’t go to this brake. If it is a bearing out of a chain I removed some links from a few weeks ago, the housekeeper isn’t doing a good job vacuuming my den.

Troul 

basically, if you lost one of the digits of the address during a restoration project, you'd just sell the house & have another one made. Sounds practical!

cyccommute 

I found someone else’s wedding ring in my yard 30 years after it was lost. Previous owner. We were doing landscaping and sifting dirt to reclaim it for raised beds.

cyccommute 

I’m sure that the bike co-op I volunteer at has vast drifts of ball bearings and tiny screws used on some Shimano shifters behind all of the work stations. An alternative explanation is that the parts fall into an interdimensional crack in the floor and are worshiped as sacred objects in another universe.

Litespud

This - stop everything and look to see where it goes. Many's the time working up ladder, I drop a screw or something, and I watch it bounce off a lower rung and head off in some random direction. I keep looking at its final location as I slowly descend the ladder. Most of the time I can retrieve it.

curbtender

I usually find it after losing something else a few weeks later. I've learned to use magnetic tools to hold on to small parts.

August West

Ha. Years.

When I was getting back into cycling about 2 years ago I decided to pull my hydraulic disc brake pads off to check for wear. While reassembling them I dropped the tiny clip that keeps the retaining bolt from backing out. I heard it hit something on the way down but never saw what direction it was headed. My garage floor is epoxy coated with flakes so finding anything that small is a challenge to say the least. I spent at least an hour on my hands and knees looking for it. Nada. Finally I gave up but since it was a safety issue I didn't want to ride without it. So went to the LBS which I'd never been to before since I was new in the area. The manager was able to dig around in back and find one for me. No charge. I alway remembered that and appreciated it. So much so I ended up spending over 5 figures with them since. And I never have found that damn clip although I still keep an eye out for it.