dweenk

The day started pretty well and then went downhill. I was working on a Frankenbike commuter project:

Free Spirit FS12 high tensile frame with really nice paint (made in Japan or Taiwan)
700C wheels
Sturmey Archer 8 speed hub
Center pull brakes
New Shimano UN26 bottom bracket

All had been going well until the crank set. I had planned to take the cranks from a Motobecane Mirage single speed conversion I had done a few years ago. The small chain ring was 40 tooth as I recall. The cranks were a brand I'd never heard of - Dotek (a take-off from a donor bike), and I had forgotten that extraction threads were messed up from back when I found it.

Well, I messed both sides up with the extractor - never done that before, so I had to use a pickle fork to get them off. I am not about to use them now because the next owner of the bike (if there is one) would need to resort to similar drastic steps to remove them. Perhaps I should have stayed in bed.

cb400bill

I've felt like before.

Murray Missile 

Been there, you are not alone.

rhm

Well, if you ruined a Dotek crank, at least you didn't ruin something of value. Not that I scoff; I have two of them, rode one today.

sailorbenjamin

I've done dummer things.

randyjawa 

My Bicyclebads include:

Twisting the handlebar while holding the front wheel between my knees, hoping to loosen the stuck stem, until one fork blade snapped free of the fork crown...

Twisted the a stuck seat post until one seat stay snapped off...

Wrecked the threads on one Stronglight 49d crank set...

Blew up half a dozen inner tubes during assembly...

Painted three bicycles...

3speedslow

Didn't look and left the washer in the crank arm. Went to take it off...

Velocivixen

I bought a really cute, single owner 1987 Miyata Valley Runner mtb for cheap. Overhauled everything, and I saved the headset for last (1st mistake). When I repacked the headset I noted that the lower pressed cup was very loose in the head tube......head tube ovalized, and upon further inspection could see minor evidence of a crash. Ugh. Spent hours prior to the headset on that bike.

Made lemonade out of lemons - took off all the parts & made my other bike, a Miyata mixte, from a double to a triple!

We've been there. Sorry it didn't work out, but you never know....this might reveal better options for you. You will keep us posted, right?

dweenk

I was able to salvage the crank arms this morning. I have an old Sugino crank extractor that's been sitting in the back of tool drawer for years. I remembered that it has a longer bolt that is not captive, so I pulled it out, took it apart, and used the bolt to align part with the crank threads. Once I had it aligned, I used a pair of big a** pliers to force it past the damaged threads, Once past the damage it aligned itself with the good threads. It took a few back and forth passes, but I can now insert the extractor by hand. I figure the cranks are good for a couple more removals at least.

The tool.


The tool in the crank arm (not the Dotek, but a similar arm).

dailycommute

That fix is worth a catnap, or my preferred, extended canine slump out in a corner.

Bikedued

Randyjawa, I did something similar on a schwinn world tourist. Except, the fork twisted WAY out of alignment before I noticed. I put a centurion fork on it and never looked back, haha.,,,,BD

noglider 

It was a Dotek. It was already planning to self-destruct.

dweenk

The Doteks are on the bike now and I am pretty confident I can remove them at least once. I just hope the square taper holes in them stay that way. This may be why we don't hear about Dotek anymore.

randyjawa 

This is my latest oops(got it a week, or so, ago), a 1971 Falcon with a bent frame...

I did not notice the minor damage, but the damage is there, none the less. I refunded the price of the bicycle to the individual I sold it to, along with my apologies, for wasting his/her time. How many times do I have to put myself through this..?

Don't really have an answer to that but, parted out, the Falcon is worth considerably more than intact. Now I have another set of Cinelli bars, a near mint Campy Vellox transmission, a very cool set of Campy high flange hubs with near mint straight blade skewers, and a gorgeous headbadge, not to mention the Weinmann brake set, including serviceable hoods. All in all, not the worst thing that could have happened, but now, what to do with the frame/fork set..?

Henry III

Yesterday was a tough one. It's started out great though. Received a job offer I wrote off on hearing back from. So now I'm a TIG welder again! But after that I wanted to hide in a closet. While on the phone with the HR woman I explained to her how I couldn't start until possibly Tuesday because I was heading back to Wisconsin to visit my aunt who was given two weeks. Exactly 30 minutes later my Dad called and told me my aunt passed away that morning. We were going to see her today but now we're seeing her not how I intended.

Then my brother sent me a message telling me his son who was trying to switch between a different branch in the military before being sent off to basic wasn't able to and has to ship out this Monday. This is turning into a weekend visit of goodbyes.

Then I had to take my drug test for the new job which was 30 miles away. On the drive down I see a message from CNN about the shooting in Oregon and my heart skips a beat. We may of moved but our oldest stayed behind as she's going to ....a community college in Oregon. It didn't mention what college in the message so I was freaking out until I could check to see where. We only lived about an hour south of the shooting so it a bit alarming.

Oh and I broke the derailleur hanger on my Cannondale which happens to be my most ridden bike.

Please let Friday be better.

alfonsejr

Aha, I thought I was the only one. Only once (so far) though.

3speedslow

Jeez Henry,

That is really getting it piled on. So sorry to hear of these tragedies, missed moments and just bad timing and luck.

Friday has to be better !

3speedslow

That's a BUMMER !

plonz 

ACK!!! Don't say this... your site has convinced me to try my first brush job over the winter!

3speedslow

So with all this rain keeping me inside I decide to get an early jump on winter wheel building.

Get through the entire first wheel and notice the hub is off kilter in relation to the rim plane. Doh... Busted my self on the first step, make sure the spoke hole orientation matches the hub side.

dailycommute

A hour ago I accidentally destroyed the seat lug on a 1973 Super Course with the beautiful capella lugs (been working on trying to remove the seat post for weeks). Stripped it down and while staring at the beautiful lugs on the now worthless frame thought "why not make some crazy ass wind chimes with this frame"**********? New hipster idea probably could etsy them up baby............and yes, I should have been in bed vs f*&&^% around late night on bikes.

randyjawa 

I paint a bicycle as a LAST (well, not last - last is pitch it out) resort, except for the first one I did paint, which was the first vintage road bicycle I ever owned. I made soooooooooooo many mistakes building that bicycle, that I decided to share my don'ts and do's with the rest of the interested world.

These days, I still paint only when the original paint is really gone, as is the case with what ever this is(pretty sure it is a Roberts)...



I have been trying, for a few years now, to decide to paint or not to paint my old Legnano...



I should paint it and document the process for my website including my back yard paint baking oven.

Anyway, paint away, but make sure that doing so is warranted(my opinion). One day, the two rarest vintage bicycle things will be the original paint on a frame and an unbroken Simplex front derailleur..!

Prowler 

Randy, I had that sort of wide ranging rust on my Raleigh - both TT and DT. It sure looked like bike trainer sweat damage. So I taped the lugs and the rest of the frame and rattled just the TT and DT. I'm glad I did and the color was pretty close. I've even had complements on it. I could have just converted the rust and clear coated it all but that mess would have nagged at me all the time. I suggest that one paint/no paint factor is the owner's personality. Some folks can looks right past it, don't matter a bit. Others like me, find their eyes drawn to it and it bugs them constantly. "Know yer self, grasshopper".

3speedslow

So sorry to hear of your loss. it was a nice looking bike.

Please get it looked at if possible before cutting it up, IMO.

jjames1452 

Blew up inner tubes........I recently met a friend after work to ride the bike trail below Caesar Creek Ohio. Had a flat. Didn't fully check the tire. Had 4 more flats in the next mile. Bad news, good news, bad news. Bad news, the mosquitos were out in full and lost a pint. Good news, I was PREPARED with 5 tubes. Bad news, friend thinks I'm cursed.... I just keep pedaling.