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What's the Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done

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What's the Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done

Old 03-08-19, 02:08 AM
  #101  
Lemond1985
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Well, like I always say, you learn a lot more from your mistakes than from your successes.
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Old 03-08-19, 06:37 AM
  #102  
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Spent half an hour trying to remove a crank that wasn't budging. Banging on the crank remover arm with a hammer, frustrated to the point of tears.

"WHY...WON'T YOU.....COME OFF**********"

Yes, I forgot to remove the fixing bolt.
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Old 03-08-19, 09:43 AM
  #103  
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I guess my breaking the tension spring in my daughter's Super Grand Prix bike last weekend. I can't believe it broke and think it may have been stressed before and my hand pressure crank turning while working on it was just the final straw. The front derailleur had one of those outer pant protector rings on it that was bent into the large ring so I took that off and adjusted the rear derailleur to where it now shifted to all cogs from the small front ring. Working on the front derailleur it had been on the small ring so long it didn't even want to move, so plenty of lubricant got it moving. Somehow it jammed while still on the stand and I was really surprised & disappointed to see the rear derailleur go limp. I'm pretty new to wrenching and I was hoping to get together with @3speedslow this w/e for a wrench-fest but a schedule conflict came up.

It's a Raleigh branded SunTour according to Law, anyone have any advice or YouTube links on replacing a tension spring? I found one from RJ the bike guy but it was a more modern derailleur. Here's a couple of pics of the bent ring and rear derailleur -- help !



Last edited by Deal4Fuji; 03-08-19 at 09:48 AM.
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Old 03-08-19, 11:03 AM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by clubman
We've covered this long time ago. 1972. Age 14 . Suburbia. My first racy-road bike, 72 Orbea OCI , Zeus Alpha Junior parts on seamed tubes. Riding with pack of 15 year old peer group, smoking pot and get inspired to yell 'Evil Knievel', pop a wheelie over curb. Front quick release lets go mid air, forks bite tarmac, over bars I go, grind 3 front upper teeth into nerve screaming chicklets.

Cut to hostipal, 27 shots of freezing, 4 extractions and a lifetime of dental plates, partials and complications.

Surreptiously, I find out later that close friend had released QR as a joke. Still haven't confronted him yet after 45 years. Still a friend.

Sigh!
Always remember to stop smiling just before you're about to go down face-first onto pavement, it protects the teeth. Tooth damage was due mainly to the pot-induced grinning, I would speculate. Totally understandable though.
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Old 03-08-19, 06:58 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
A couple days ago I was rehabilitating a donated bike for our charity shop. Worked on it for a while, with distractions, then hopped on it for the obligatory test ride.

Forget to tighten the stem to the steer tube. Handlebars when one way, the front wheel another.

Fortunately, I was able to jump off and avoid a serious crash.
Whether because wisdom comes with age, or because I am coming to terms with an imperfect memory, I have developed the habit of putting a piece of tape on the stem bolt until it’s been tightened. Of course one still needs to remember the tape.
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Old 03-08-19, 07:26 PM
  #106  
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Dumbest thing I've done ? That's easy .... destroy multiple Suntour freewheel tools trying to remove a freewheel and boogering up the freewheel engagement notches in the process to the point I had to take it to the LBS because they have a YUGE vise and were able to get the freewheel off . They took mercy on me and only charged me $20 , and honestly I would have charged me more . The experience did not make me more of a Suntour Fan to be perfectly honest, and I can say with candid honesty I have not encountered such stubborn freewheel before or since.
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Old 03-08-19, 07:37 PM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by Lemond1985
Always remember to stop smiling just before you're about to go down face-first onto pavement, it protects the teeth. Tooth damage was due mainly to the pot-induced grinning, I would speculate. Totally understandable though.
All we got back then was stems and seeds. Idiots.
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Old 03-08-19, 07:41 PM
  #108  
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Oh, you mean bike-related.
Installing the wrong-size headset in an '86 Peloton because I went with what I thought it should be rather than, you know, measuring.
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Old 03-08-19, 08:08 PM
  #109  
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>>> Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done

Two things, really.

1. Bought that nurse a coffee. [I STILL wake up in a sweat after 32 years!], and

2. About the same time as #1 , above, a beautiful orange maple leaf was caught in the front brake...went "bzzzzzz". Down hill about 25 knots, I reach up to remove it and get two fingers caught in the brake...jammed in there...won't pull loose. I fully stopped the bike with that jammed right hand...looking down right now at the scars. [That nurse was REALLY cute., tho'.]
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Old 03-08-19, 09:20 PM
  #110  
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One recent one... I had taped one side of the drop bars of this Univega with new bar tape, stood back to admire my work, then noticed the aero levers I had mounted and the absence of any brake housing.

$#@&!

Most of my builds use non-aeros, so I was just going on automatic pilot.
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Old 03-09-19, 04:37 AM
  #111  
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I was working on a Bridgestone T700 bike that was previously owned but was kept mostly indoors, so it was in pristine condition. I cleaned up everything -- from the frame, lubricating the bearings, and installed new cables and housing, etc. But when it came down to cleaning the handlebar and stem, I decided to remove the handlebar. It worked out fine. But when I reinserted the handlebar, the stem was resisting and there were deep gouges into the handlebar. The only error in an otherwise immaculate condition bike
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Old 03-09-19, 06:36 AM
  #112  
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Originally Posted by Deal4Fuji
I guess my breaking the tension spring in my daughter's Super Grand Prix bike last weekend. I can't believe it broke and think it may have been stressed before and my hand pressure crank turning while working on it was just the final straw. The front derailleur had one of those outer pant protector rings on it that was bent into the large ring so I took that off and adjusted the rear derailleur to where it now shifted to all cogs from the small front ring. Working on the front derailleur it had been on the small ring so long it didn't even want to move, so plenty of lubricant got it moving. Somehow it jammed while still on the stand and I was really surprised & disappointed to see the rear derailleur go limp. I'm pretty new to wrenching and I was hoping to get together with @3speedslow this w/e for a wrench-fest but a schedule conflict came up.

It's a Raleigh branded SunTour according to Law, anyone have any advice or YouTube links on replacing a tension spring? I found one from RJ the bike guy but it was a more modern derailleur. Here's a couple of pics of the bent ring and rear derailleur -- help !

I don't think that was a dumb mistake, just life as we know it. BTDT. Start a separate thread and we can help. No reason to bury that help in this thread.
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Old 03-09-19, 08:19 AM
  #113  
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Originally Posted by Prowler


I don't think that was a dumb mistake, just life as we know it. BTDT. Start a separate thread and we can help. No reason to bury that help in this thread.
Good idea, thanks
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Old 03-09-19, 03:12 PM
  #114  
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Tried to make a 30lb C&V lighter. It was for the OH. it's lovely, but I'm so ashamed I've never put a photo of it anywhere on here.
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Old 03-09-19, 07:35 PM
  #115  
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This isn't the dumbest thing I've done, but the most recent dumb thing I did was to put Octalink V1 cranks on an Octalink V2 spindle. Folks here on BF helped me figure this out. So today, I put in a V1 spindle, but damn it, I've chewed the insides of the cranks up! Now the cranks are toast. And I have some BBs I can't use, either.
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Old 03-09-19, 11:59 PM
  #116  
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Maybe this is a bit older then C&V, but harken back to Camelot (circa 1962). It is spring and we (aged 8-11) decided when we were out on our Columbia and Schwinn balloon tired bombers, that riding was too tame and we needed a change-up - to broom jousting!

Mounted on our trusty steeds at 15 yards apart, one took a broom, bristles forward, a bucket (steel or plastic) with eyeholes for a helmet, and faced the opponent. A fast acceleration and contact, hopefully to mid-chest, with the broom would unhorse your opponent. Worked for two rounds until the contact caused two riders to veer into each other with foreseeable (now, not then) results. Broken spokes, bent fenders, headlight batteries on the ground, cuts and bruises, just as some parents decided they HAD heard a crash and decided to check it out.

Yelling and scolding colored the air, and all bikes, buckets, and brooms were on lockdown. Yet we all managed to survive until the thought of riding without a helmet would be unthinkable. No kneepads, no gloves (helmets-yes ). Fun? You bet!, Stupid? Yes! Memories? Hilarious and lifelong!!!

Plus we all definitely learned how to fix bikes.
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Old 03-10-19, 05:58 AM
  #117  
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Not bike related, but this ^^^^^ reminded me of something my brothers and I used to do. When we were around 5, 7 and 10 years old (I was the middle one), we would put on boxing gloves, go into a windowless room, close the door and light, and just swing away. We laugh about it now, but with the crap we did as kids, we're lucky we're still walking this earth.
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Old 03-26-19, 03:21 PM
  #118  
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For context, I should start by stating that my bike is currently set up as a single speed. I’ve been planning to switch it over to a 6 speed, but haven’t quite gotten to it yet.

Well, today I went out for some errands. I kept hearing a steady rattle coming from the bike somewhere. I was a bit busy so I decided to wait until I returned home to check it out.

Probably 2 miles round trip at most, with a couple of stops along the way. An annoying rattle the whole time.

Just about home. In fact I had just crossed the last street and arrived at the driveway to my apartment when I hear a noise behind me. I look back, and see smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk, a 1st gen Superbe rear derailleur!

Suddenly it dawned on me that two days prior, I had threaded the RD to the hanger just enough to see what it’d look like on the bike. A few threads at most.

And suddenly it dawned on me that forgetting to remove it, especially before taking the bike out for a ride, has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done (C&V related of course)!

Last edited by deux jambes; 03-26-19 at 03:27 PM.
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Old 03-26-19, 04:04 PM
  #119  
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Originally Posted by gearbasher
Not bike related, but this ^^^^^ reminded me of something my brothers and I used to do. When we were around 5, 7 and 10 years old (I was the middle one), we would put on boxing gloves, go into a windowless room, close the door and light, and just swing away. We laugh about it now, but with the crap we did as kids, we're lucky we're still walking this earth.
One reason my faith is so strong. With all the dumb things I've done in life its a wonder how I'm still alive and well. Anyway, nothing much bike related except a couple of stories that come to mind.

Story One:
Trying to make a slow 180 turn while staying on the bike path. Of course at 6'4 and sitting tall top heavy in the saddle the physics didn't cooperate and down I went. I broke my fall when I reached out but my palm hurt for 6 months. I guess it was fortunate I had on gel gloves at the time.

Story Two:
Unclipped with the right food and leaned left. I realized in mid-fall what I had done wrong. Luckily the light was red so I just lay there splayed on the asphalt. Undamaged other than my ego.
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Old 03-26-19, 04:10 PM
  #120  
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Sunday I unscrewed a set of dura ace 7400 levers 100% off the mounting post/band Idea being to save time (first warning of a mess coming) not running them off the bars to put rustines hoods on. Immediately the little bolt with plastic thingy that screws into the mounting post/band pops out of alignment. No problem simple to put back......but nooooooo! fought it for almost an hour, taking the other one off also so i could see the alignment.....and of course it pops loose also. next a small washer drops on the floor ...find it after t minutes. then i drop the little bolt plastic thingy, find it after 10 minutes looking.... feel into my tool bucket. At that point I put everything in plastic tub and had a beer. Will try again tonight

may not be the dumbest thing I've done but way up there on the frustration chart
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Old 03-26-19, 04:40 PM
  #121  
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Back in the 70s, we were on a pick-up truck road trip from California to visit North Dakota relatives. Mom asleep, sis asleep in the back of the truck with me, Dad bored & staring ahead at the empty, endless Utah interstate. Ensuring no witnesses, I reached over the side of the truck and felt the +/- 60mph spinning tires with my fingertips.

I waited until I was 38 before telling my parents about that and they still froke out. I was maybe 4 or 5 when I did it, but no statute of limitations on that one, apparently.
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Old 05-24-20, 10:42 AM
  #122  
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I wish I had slow motion video of this one


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Old 05-24-20, 10:44 AM
  #123  
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The sequel. At least I took out the balls first this time



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Old 05-24-20, 04:44 PM
  #124  
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Old 05-24-20, 06:01 PM
  #125  
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