Addiction XXX5
05-02-14, 11:44 PM
#176
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05-02-14, 11:44 PM
#177
Friendship is Magic
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05-02-14, 11:46 PM
#178
Friendship is Magic
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....I've been doing it for years, and when I haven't done it for six months or so, the first one takes a long time.
You get faster after you get the idea of how it goes, and it's also faster if you do a number of them at the same time.
You get faster after you get the idea of how it goes, and it's also faster if you do a number of them at the same time.
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05-02-14, 11:47 PM
#179
Still can't climb
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i spent 3 hours truing a wheel that only needed 2 spokes to be fiddled with. Oy vey!
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coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
05-02-14, 11:52 PM
#181
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05-02-14, 11:57 PM
#182
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I often put myself in the ditch, so to speak, when learning something like this. Then I sit there a spin in the mud for a bit until the light bulb goes off.
05-03-14, 01:13 AM
#183
Casually Deliberate
I have now spent four days as one of those despised creatures known as the Walmart assembler. The hardest part is not spending hours trying to tweak parts that were poorly manufactured/damaged in transit although some people would probably say I devoted way too much time the other morning to making sure the front wheel of a cruiser didn't rub on the fender. (A colleague said "That's probably good enough. I mean, that's what Walmart stuff is: basically good enough." Yeah, but before I was an assembler, I was a mechanic and I don't want it to be "good enough"; I want it to be right.)
The hardest part is not deciphering the pictures and instructions clearly written in a language that isn't English then translated into English by someone who doesn't speak it very well. But I can tell already that a number of these items will be returned to the store because some parent has cracked the plastic windshield trying to put it in the frame or some kid has been injured falling on the small plastic bicycle attached to the Barbie bike that took two people and six hours of swearing to attach.
No, the hardest part is feeling I'm way behind and there's no way in hell I can catch up with all the team-building activities we have to participate in. Some of what's slowing me down is the tool kit they gave me to assemble bikes and ride-ons. It had no pliers. It had no screwdriver. It has wrenches of a sort but they are, in fact, cone wrenches and as such do not, of course, ratchet. I have all of these things in my personal tools but I am supposed to be requesting the necessary tools be designated for "store use" and it's like pulling teeth. ("But you already got a screwdriver. You need another one?" Yeah. I need a Philips and a flat-blade.") Then there are the team meetings and the store-wide meetings and the twenty minutes we spent walking as a team around the outside of the store to admire it and the twenty minutes I spent waiting for a "salaried member of management" to show up to clean up the blood after one of my co-workers sliced his finger open on a metal strap because he was using my cable cutters instead of "aviation snips".
There are 78 slots for bikes and 6 for ride-ons and they all need to be filled before we open in roughly three weeks. Someone should have been working on them since the 14th. I suppose it's silly to think of myself as being way behind when I only got the green light to start building/assembling on Tuesday. That is how I feel though. I'm delighted and excited to go to work every day because I'm getting paid to work with bikes and how cool is that? But I go home every day feeling I've only accomplished a fraction of what I needed/wanted to and that is much less cool.
The hardest part is not deciphering the pictures and instructions clearly written in a language that isn't English then translated into English by someone who doesn't speak it very well. But I can tell already that a number of these items will be returned to the store because some parent has cracked the plastic windshield trying to put it in the frame or some kid has been injured falling on the small plastic bicycle attached to the Barbie bike that took two people and six hours of swearing to attach.
No, the hardest part is feeling I'm way behind and there's no way in hell I can catch up with all the team-building activities we have to participate in. Some of what's slowing me down is the tool kit they gave me to assemble bikes and ride-ons. It had no pliers. It had no screwdriver. It has wrenches of a sort but they are, in fact, cone wrenches and as such do not, of course, ratchet. I have all of these things in my personal tools but I am supposed to be requesting the necessary tools be designated for "store use" and it's like pulling teeth. ("But you already got a screwdriver. You need another one?" Yeah. I need a Philips and a flat-blade.") Then there are the team meetings and the store-wide meetings and the twenty minutes we spent walking as a team around the outside of the store to admire it and the twenty minutes I spent waiting for a "salaried member of management" to show up to clean up the blood after one of my co-workers sliced his finger open on a metal strap because he was using my cable cutters instead of "aviation snips".
There are 78 slots for bikes and 6 for ride-ons and they all need to be filled before we open in roughly three weeks. Someone should have been working on them since the 14th. I suppose it's silly to think of myself as being way behind when I only got the green light to start building/assembling on Tuesday. That is how I feel though. I'm delighted and excited to go to work every day because I'm getting paid to work with bikes and how cool is that? But I go home every day feeling I've only accomplished a fraction of what I needed/wanted to and that is much less cool.
05-03-14, 02:32 AM
#184
Senior Member
How many times did you have to unlace one, two or 20 spokes. 
Truth.
I try to build a pair of wheels at least once a year. I have been putting off putting a some new Shimano dynohubs into our touring bikes' front wheels.
It also speeds the process when you are dealing with less than 36 spokes... or 32... or 28...
But congratulations, Jonesy. You won't give your wheels a second thought until one day you stop and think "I built those, and they're still as good as the day that happened".
I try to build a pair of wheels at least once a year. I have been putting off putting a some new Shimano dynohubs into our touring bikes' front wheels.
It also speeds the process when you are dealing with less than 36 spokes... or 32... or 28...
But congratulations, Jonesy. You won't give your wheels a second thought until one day you stop and think "I built those, and they're still as good as the day that happened".
05-03-14, 02:42 AM
#185
Senior Member
I have now spent four days as one of those despised creatures known as the Walmart assembler. The hardest part is not spending hours trying to tweak parts that were poorly manufactured/damaged in transit although some people would probably say I devoted way too much time the other morning to making sure the front wheel of a cruiser didn't rub on the fender. (A colleague said "That's probably good enough. I mean, that's what Walmart stuff is: basically good enough." Yeah, but before I was an assembler, I was a mechanic and I don't want it to be "good enough"; I want it to be right.)
The hardest part is not deciphering the pictures and instructions clearly written in a language that isn't English then translated into English by someone who doesn't speak it very well. But I can tell already that a number of these items will be returned to the store because some parent has cracked the plastic windshield trying to put it in the frame or some kid has been injured falling on the small plastic bicycle attached to the Barbie bike that took two people and six hours of swearing to attach.
No, the hardest part is feeling I'm way behind and there's no way in hell I can catch up with all the team-building activities we have to participate in. Some of what's slowing me down is the tool kit they gave me to assemble bikes and ride-ons. It had no pliers. It had no screwdriver. It has wrenches of a sort but they are, in fact, cone wrenches and as such do not, of course, ratchet. I have all of these things in my personal tools but I am supposed to be requesting the necessary tools be designated for "store use" and it's like pulling teeth. ("But you already got a screwdriver. You need another one?" Yeah. I need a Philips and a flat-blade.") Then there are the team meetings and the store-wide meetings and the twenty minutes we spent walking as a team around the outside of the store to admire it and the twenty minutes I spent waiting for a "salaried member of management" to show up to clean up the blood after one of my co-workers sliced his finger open on a metal strap because he was using my cable cutters instead of "aviation snips".
There are 78 slots for bikes and 6 for ride-ons and they all need to be filled before we open in roughly three weeks. Someone should have been working on them since the 14th. I suppose it's silly to think of myself as being way behind when I only got the green light to start building/assembling on Tuesday. That is how I feel though. I'm delighted and excited to go to work every day because I'm getting paid to work with bikes and how cool is that? But I go home every day feeling I've only accomplished a fraction of what I needed/wanted to and that is much less cool.
The hardest part is not deciphering the pictures and instructions clearly written in a language that isn't English then translated into English by someone who doesn't speak it very well. But I can tell already that a number of these items will be returned to the store because some parent has cracked the plastic windshield trying to put it in the frame or some kid has been injured falling on the small plastic bicycle attached to the Barbie bike that took two people and six hours of swearing to attach.
No, the hardest part is feeling I'm way behind and there's no way in hell I can catch up with all the team-building activities we have to participate in. Some of what's slowing me down is the tool kit they gave me to assemble bikes and ride-ons. It had no pliers. It had no screwdriver. It has wrenches of a sort but they are, in fact, cone wrenches and as such do not, of course, ratchet. I have all of these things in my personal tools but I am supposed to be requesting the necessary tools be designated for "store use" and it's like pulling teeth. ("But you already got a screwdriver. You need another one?" Yeah. I need a Philips and a flat-blade.") Then there are the team meetings and the store-wide meetings and the twenty minutes we spent walking as a team around the outside of the store to admire it and the twenty minutes I spent waiting for a "salaried member of management" to show up to clean up the blood after one of my co-workers sliced his finger open on a metal strap because he was using my cable cutters instead of "aviation snips".
There are 78 slots for bikes and 6 for ride-ons and they all need to be filled before we open in roughly three weeks. Someone should have been working on them since the 14th. I suppose it's silly to think of myself as being way behind when I only got the green light to start building/assembling on Tuesday. That is how I feel though. I'm delighted and excited to go to work every day because I'm getting paid to work with bikes and how cool is that? But I go home every day feeling I've only accomplished a fraction of what I needed/wanted to and that is much less cool.
You can go only so far with trying to "tune" bad bikes. It's the point that has been made on BFs thousands of times over the years. Crap in, crap out, and no amount of polishing the turd is going to change that.
I was a little surprised you wanted to go this route and take a pay cut to do it. It's going to conflict with your bike principles forever. I was told once that the best business people are those who don't engage in their passion. The same LBS as above was run by the daughter of the owner; she was an architectural graduate with a strong arts bent. She had little to no interest in cycling, but made a hugely successful bike shop manager.
Last edited by Rowan; 05-03-14 at 05:09 AM.
05-03-14, 05:35 AM
#186
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In the near future you folks better hope Internet Brands (Bike Forums) has deep pockets. This will totally change the internet as we know it today.
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See, this is why we can't have nice things. - - smarkinson
Where else but the internet can a bunch of cyclists go and be the tough guy? - - jdon
05-03-14, 05:42 AM
#187
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05-03-14, 05:42 AM
#188
Senior Member
In the near future you folks better hope Internet Brands (Bike Forums) has deep pockets. This will totally change the internet as we know it today.
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Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
05-03-14, 05:46 AM
#189
Senior Member
Thrasymachus had it right all along.
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Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
05-03-14, 05:59 AM
#190
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05-03-14, 06:28 AM
#191
Senior Member
Exactly, which is why I've never bought into the Big Corporation vs Big Government thing. Both are run by folks out to profit and control. Just two sides of the same coin.
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Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
05-03-14, 06:57 AM
#192
Still can't climb
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coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
05-03-14, 07:17 AM
#193
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I thought about it when I got to the first set of crosses. But I went for a short walk with Benson and the feeling passed.
05-03-14, 07:19 AM
#194
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05-03-14, 07:51 AM
#195
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In the near future you folks better hope Internet Brands (Bike Forums) has deep pockets. This will totally change the internet as we know it today.
05-03-14, 08:23 AM
#198
Still can't climb
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i visited california. full of fatties. i was so disappointed after watching baywatch.
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coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
05-03-14, 08:25 AM
#200
Still can't climb
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i think i am addicted to burritos.
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coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
coasting, few quotes are worthy of him, and of those, even fewer printable in a family forum......quote 3alarmer
No @coasting, you should stay 100% as you are right now, don't change a thing....quote Heathpack
