Daily Commute

Why is this a bike commuting thread? Because if I hadn't spent the last few years taking care of my own commuter bike, I wouldn't have had the mechanical skills to change the disposal in any reasonable amount of time with a decent amount of workmanship. I was a complete klutz before I started doing my bike work. Now I'm just a marginal klutz.

And the disposal works just fine. Smooth and quiet, just like a well-tuned drive train.

linux_author

good for you! (and go Buckeyes!)

same here, except i replaced an entire toilet (a new skill i hope to never use again)

:-)

noisebeam

Garbage disposals, toilets, garage door openers, new light fixtures, dishwasher install, A/C maintenance, new bathroom/kitchen faucets and more all because of skills I learned as a young kid fixing bikes with nothing but a pair of vice grips, a screwdriver and a can of WD-40.

Al

unkchunk

What about plumber's putty? Where on the bike do I have to put some water proof goo seal that won't ever dry out? Grease on the BB maybe? But apart from that they are about the same.

Daily Commute

Maybe in the hubs on the ball bearings.

Cody Broken

Daily Commute - you have become a DIY guy, a handyman.

My observations about myself as a handyman:
1. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, take risks, struggle tenaciously to do something most would hire a "professional" to do. I have learned many things doing so.
2. I don't have disposable income, I have disposable time.

If I made $100/hr in my "job", would I still be a handyman? Don't know.

acroy

good point

I hate to admit it but.....
I'm worth more at work making overtime than at home doing most repairs. I can do it, and do it well, but it takes me 5x as long and 3 trips to Home Depot to git 'er done.

i still do most things myself for the sense of satisfaction.

Oddly, I just had to replace my disposal as well went like cake.

Cheers

ollo_ollo

Congratulations, just don't get to enthusiatic or you will end up building your own home. It's not rocket science, just takes a few years of your life, all your available time and all the money you have (plus about 20%). Self sufficiency is as American as apple pie

nmanhipot

I had the "pleasure" of replacing our disposal this summer. I thought you were going to post about carrying the disposal home on your bike or something. I did this and met a really nice female bike-nut who was a cashier there who talked my ear off about her Trek as I was strapping my load down with bungees. Being a cyclist certainly does change things!

For me, though, the mechanics went the other way. I cut my teeth working on beater cars and then working in the electrical industry. Wrenching bikes was a welcome change to cylinder heads and oil-filled transformers the size of a house. The garbage disposal, on the other hand, was a bit of a pain in the rear.

Daily Commute

Like a bicycle, most repairs around the house involve a compilation of simple machines. They require some dexterity, but the real key is not being intimidated. There are very few bike repairs that you can't do at home if you get the right tools. Likewise for most of the stuff that needs done on your house.

freako

Good for you on the disposal, but did you increase your water flow in that sink? Most sinks today have restrictors built in the end cap (airator) of the faucet to save water but with less water flow you stand a greater chance of glogging up a pipe whenever you use the disposal; you can remove that end cap by unscrewing it then pop out the plastic restrictor washer and replace the cap.

And don't use the disposal for stuff like mashed or instant potatoes or their skins, in fact any fiberous veg should be avoided, along with any fat. And if your on a septic tank forget using a disposal for anything!

nowheels

I call the handyman anymore......

dave.lloyd

It depends how far in the cabinet you can get. Mine was a pain in the middle of my back (right where the face frame of the cabinet hit) and my triceps and pecs (holding up the disposal trying to get it aligned). Eventually I had to ask my very pregnant wife to give me a hand holding the disposal so I could jiggle it into place. One of those jobs where an extra set of hands makes life oh so much easier.

I cut my teeth fixing old houses and cars and now I'm on to bikes. Bikes are wonderfully simple, especially compared to old houses.

I_bRAD

To bad you didn't change it for a compost bin!

climbhoser

It's funny, I've done all kinds of DIY home repair: disposal, dishwasher, bathroom sinks, toilets, hardwood flooring, garage doors, light fixtures, trim, windows and doors, hot water heaters...the list goes on.

Nontheless, I never enjoy tinkering with any of it like I enjoy tinkering on my bike. Maybe it's the importance of it...that sense of "If I don't do it myself we're out hot water..." kind of feeling, but I just can't stand doing that stuff myself. My bike, on the other hand, requires almost zero motivation to work on. I'll take it apart, repack the hubs just for the heck of it...because I can!

I love bikes!