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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 08-06-18, 01:46 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by gomango
Heh, I've done that.

Luckily I can't wrench anymore. The RA stopped that in its tracks.
You can't and I shouldn't!!! LOL

Sorry to hear about the RA my friend...
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Old 08-06-18, 01:55 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Giacomo 1
You can't and I shouldn't!!! LOL

Sorry to hear about the RA my friend...
Thanks.

I can still shift with ergos, but maybe not for much longer.

Probably be back to DTs on my next project. Seems to be easier.

FWIW I have XTR thumb shifters on my Yeti and they're the hot ticket for me right now.
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Old 08-06-18, 02:04 PM
  #28  
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I tell ya, I feel a little bit better reading through these. I'm just a newb when it comes to this stuff but I've done many of the things mentioned above. Most painful was probably punching the big ring trying to get a pedal off, I had several fingers bandaged for days. However, my most boneheaded mistake is when I partially disassembled a rear derailleur to clean it. I thought I did a pretty good job getting all the gunk out, cleaning the pulley wheels, etc., I put that thing back together and I can't get it to shift right. I spent an hour fiddling with it, only to have Mike / 9volt take a look and see I had the pulley wheel cage on backwards. Huh. Never thought that would make a difference. Turns out another poorly shifting bike I had cleaned earlier suffered the same mistake - boy did I feel dumb.
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Old 08-06-18, 02:32 PM
  #29  
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Bought frame on eBay. Stuck seatpost. Sawsall. Sadness.

Jim
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Old 08-06-18, 03:05 PM
  #30  
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Painted my 73 Gran Sport around 75. I guess I thought white was a dumb color.
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Old 08-06-18, 05:05 PM
  #31  
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1989, age 12, riding my Murray 24in MTB, with a Super Soaker in each hand, headed for a dual wielding ride-by drenching, leaned harder than ever before around a corner, dragged pedal, broke collarbone
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Old 08-06-18, 05:50 PM
  #32  
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Last year, on my “new to me” and really well preserved ‘84 Trek 610 I patched the rear tire, put it all back together, making sure the QR was tight and pedaled away.

Leaving the chain on the chain hook on the seat stay! I bent it! At the time it seemed like I bent the snot out of that thing, and a year later it’s not quite that bad...

But man, that frame was structurally pristine when it came into my hands and I botched it up. I still kick myself for that. Parts can be replaced but that chain rest is part of the frame! 😣
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Old 08-06-18, 05:59 PM
  #33  
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Put my full weight and force into a pedal wrench on the driveside……..large ring was fully exposed; wrench slipped. hand went into large cog's teeth with my full body weight

Last edited by vintagerando; 08-06-18 at 07:49 PM. Reason: update
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Old 08-06-18, 06:23 PM
  #34  
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Uh, pretty easy.
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Old 08-06-18, 06:51 PM
  #35  
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I once tried to clear a stoppage to feed on a M1 Thompson SMG by whanging the bolt knob forward to seat the round, as you would with a M-16.

Top
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You know it's going to be a good day when the stem and seatpost come right out.

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Old 08-06-18, 07:02 PM
  #36  
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I chased a haji up two flights of stairs, down the hallway, and into an apartment. This before the UN allowed us ammo.

I bunny-hopped off a loading dock on a West Point banana bike. It was simply not equipped for a 4-foot drop.

I closed Tony's Tap the night before the Dairyland Dare. Twice.

I bet a guy I could run 3 miles in 18 minutes after a pint of tequila.

I offered to spar with a Korean Recon Marine in Tae Kwon Do.
I learned the subtle difference between an in'n'out done right and a roundhouse kick.
Or my head did.

I did the third "E" in SERE school. Very, very dumb.

The question is not the dumbest thing, because for some of us, the list is uh, long.

Maybe someone should ask "What is the least dumb thing you've done?"

Of course, I'd be stumped.

Last edited by RobbieTunes; 08-06-18 at 07:08 PM.
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Old 08-06-18, 07:20 PM
  #37  
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OK, you win the question, but only because I'd expect more dumb things from a Marine. Were you one of those guys who yelled 'RECON' rather than 'AIRBORNE' at Benning?
Top
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Old 08-06-18, 07:26 PM
  #38  
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  1. Lighter fluid assisted dragster style flaming burnout
  2. Evel Knievel style high arching jump assisted by springy plywood ramp at the bottom of a creek valley trail
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Old 08-06-18, 07:37 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by jgedwa
Bought frame on eBay. Stuck seatpost. Sawsall. Sadness.

Jim
I just removed a seatpost with a sawzall today!
​​​Ran out of patience and cut a nice deep groove inside the seat tube of a centurion semi pro. What happened to your frame?
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Old 08-06-18, 07:45 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by gomango
Thanks.

I can still shift with ergos, but maybe not for much longer.

Probably be back to DTs on my next project. Seems to be easier.

FWIW I have XTR thumb shifters on my Yeti and they're the hot ticket for me right now.
Command Shifters?

IMG_0063 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

IMG_2402 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr
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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
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Old 08-06-18, 07:59 PM
  #41  
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Lately?

How about forgetting the washer on a Sugino AT? Wondering why that crank extractor isn't working...
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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
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Old 08-06-18, 09:26 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by belacqua
I just removed a seatpost with a sawzall today!
​​​Ran out of patience and cut a nice deep groove inside the seat tube of a centurion semi pro. What happened to your frame?
I was in too much of a hurry, I guess. I did not keep the blade parallel with the inside of the tube and it cut into it before I saw what was happening. It was an interesting raised chain stay MTB too. Not much money involved, but it hurt.

Jim
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Old 08-06-18, 09:27 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by jgedwa
I was in too much of a hurry, I guess. I did not keep the blade parallel with the inside of the tube and it cut into it before I saw what was happening. It was an interesting raised chain stay MTB too. Not much money involved, but it hurt.

Jim
I feel your pain. I'm going to ride mine and see what happens I guess.
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Old 08-06-18, 09:37 PM
  #44  
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I always tell my kids,"only do 1 stupid thing at a time". It's when you mix multiple ones is when the SHTF
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Old 08-06-18, 09:55 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by top506
OK, you win the question, but only because I'd expect more dumb things from a Marine. Were you one of those guys who yelled 'RECON' rather than 'AIRBORNE' at Benning?
Top
Of course. And all the extra pushups were, well, not worth it, and again at Ranger school, until we had to get serious (I called my team the Brothers Grim: Nancy, Nancy and Nancy) However, the guys at SERE had no flippin' sense of humor at all. For some reason, they were very serious about the role playing. They put me in time out.

It's only stupid if you get hurt ….BAD.

Now, I did see a bike shop I won't name (REI) break two gear pullers trying to pull off a Campy crankset, basically pulling against the spider. Proved to me that the Campy spider was stronger than their Park gear puller.

I also saw a guy try to use a channel-lock pliers to remove an external BB cup set from a Trek Y-Foil. Failed, killed the BB.

Last edited by RobbieTunes; 08-06-18 at 10:17 PM.
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Old 08-06-18, 10:05 PM
  #46  
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I bought a bike with STI's before I knew what they were. I couldn't figure out how to shift them, and actually took them to a bike shop for repair. The bike shop was run by a very cute lady, who shifted them up and down flawlessly and charged me $5.

A few years later, a guy went in there to put a 10sp wheel on the back of an Ironman. She told him it should not be done, but gave him my number.

I bought Tufo C S33 tubular clinchers, and then taped them to tubular rims. I couldn't figure out why they looked so funny, and rode a century on them. That was some good tape.

I tried 650c wheels with long reach brakes. Rubber-rubber braking gets very hot, very fast, and smells bad. This was my aero stage.

I descended Thunder Ridge and Hwy 43 in the rain. I will not do so again.

At the beginning of any given charity ride, 2 out of 100 riders will not have their QR skewers tight.

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Old 08-06-18, 10:13 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by top506
I once tried to clear a stoppage to feed on a M1 Thompson SMG by whanging the bolt knob forward to seat the round, as you would with a M-16.

Top
Did it make you dance?
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Old 08-06-18, 10:48 PM
  #48  
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Recent years: Pulling a crank arm halfway off before realizing I had not first removed the nut. It turns out Aluminum is pretty soft stuff.

The younger me: Stopping to ask a policeman how to get to the start of a race, forgetting that my straps were fully cinched on my cleated shoes. Real cool.
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Old 08-07-18, 12:13 AM
  #49  
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Raise stem on MTB. Load MTB on top of car. Drive 20 miles to trail.

Crash bike in first 15 ft of trail ride (because I didn't tighten the stem after I raised it).

Load bike back on top of car. Drive 20 miles back to where I have a 6mm hex wrench to tighten stem
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Old 08-07-18, 12:40 AM
  #50  
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Crammed a wrong-size headset into a nice frame.
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