dennis336

Question came to mind in my response to a post in another thread regarding things I probably should have known but didn't or just didn't think about. I recently had one of those do'h experiences when I was repairing a flat (was doing it at home so had my floor pump). I was thinking my floor pump may have been having issues with inflation as the seal around the stem didn't seem to be holding for one of my tubes. So, I figured I'd test the floor pump on my new tube before inserting it into the tire. I started Inflating the tube and got to probably not even 35 psi - the tube was looking deformed (like a snake swallowing a rat) and, of course, exploded. I brought it back to the LBS thinking it was a defective tube and, of course, they gave me that "what were you thinking by trying to inflate a tube AT ALL outside the tire". It was pretty embarrassing and I realized that was something I definitely should have known not to do.

Have you had any situations where, once it happened, you had that "how could I NOT have known this" moment?

mcours2006

I've inflated a bare tube outside the tire all the time whenever I have to check for a puncture, but not to the shape of a doughnut.

pvillemasher

A few weeks ago I couldn't shift into the smallest cogs, so I assumed I needed to adjust the rear derailleur. I got the bike on my stand and tried to adjust, but couldn't get it to shift properly. I released the cable and it got to a point where the shifter didn't seem to be shifting, so I assumed it was a bad shifter.
Brought it to the shop and within a few minutes they had a new cable in and all is well.

I should have known that

indyfabz

When I was touring across the country I got lost and realized I should have known to take that left turn at Albuquerque.

And with that, I have reached 20,000 posts. to me!

PepeM

mcours2006

Slightspeed

I installed a new chain and cassette on my Roubaix, and just couldn't get the chain chatter to quiet down. Lube, barrell adjust, nothing worked. I even loaned the bike to an out of town visitor, hoping he would want to buy it. I began to hate that bike. Following a 50 mile ride in pouring rain, I was checking things over, cleaning and re-lubing everything. I saw that I had routed the chain on the outside of some kind of guard tab on the cage next to the jockey wheel. It was intermittent, depending on cage rotation. The really dumb part of this is that it was my second time to make this mistake... on another bike. All quiet now, and the bike is a pleasure to ride again.

noimagination

Ha. I've done that, too, but noticed it right away while it was on the stand and I tried clicking through the gears.

My contribution: when routing shifter cables, you need to make sure that they're routed under cycle computer sensor wires. Had to replace a cycle computer mount and sensor set due to that brain fart. I just didn't think of it.

dennis336

Wow, I'm excited that I'm part of history in the making!

Milton Keynes

I'm just absolutely amazed that you got a bike tube up to 35 PSI before it exploded.

fietsbob

R60 Friction steering damper is not as good as the hydraulic one on the R69,
on BMW Motorbikes,
in curing, or more like masking , fork oscillations..
of some what imbalanced wheels..








...

Trakhak

It was nowhere near 35 psi. Try pumping up a tube outside a tire (wear hearing protection) using a pump with a gauge; you might not even see the needle on the gauge move before the tube explodes.

I once worked in a bike shop that had been open 45 years (since the 1930s); the shop had a very old handmade wire form about the size and shape of a motorcycle tire, the idea being that to find a slow leak in a tube from a balloon-tire bike, you'd insert the tube, inflate it enough to expand to fill the form, and plunge it into a sink filled with water to find the leak.

Milton Keynes

I agree. That's why I said I'd be amazed at any inner tube being pumped up to 35 PSI before exploding. That's about the pressure that normal car tires use.

mcours2006

One time, upon failing to remove the NDS crank arm from an old vintage bike on account of me stripping the threads on the crank arm because I did not seat the crank arm remover tight enough, I attempted to take a hacksaw to the crank. Eventually I did manage to get it off without cutting it, though I forget what I used. I should have known to make sure crank arm remover was seated all the way and tightly.

ksryder

I tried to remove the freehub from a fairly nice hub that was not laced to a rim. Lacking the necessary grip and leverage, I came up with the brilliant idea to use a set of vice grips to hold the hub. The vice grips mutilated the hub and basically ruined it.

Like I said it was a rather nice hub... I'm still ashamed enough that I'm not going to reveal what kind of hub it was.

dennis336

Yeah, this was a seriously heavy duty tube! Sometimes I marvel that I've stayed alive 65 years

WizardOfBoz

Reminds me of an old cartoon by MacNelly (the "Shoe" strip). The rumpled "Perfessor" Cosmo T. Fishhawk, a writer for the local "Treetops Tattler" newpaper, asks the editor Martin P. Shoemaker for an advance. The dialog went something like this:
Shoe: "An advance!? Again? What happened to the advance I gave you last Friday?"
Cosmo: "Well, I spent some at the bar, and a lot more chasing women. I lost a bundle at the track...".
Cut to the next panel:
Cosmo: "The rest, I'm afraid, i spent foolishly".

Just think what you could have done with the time it took for 20K posts. You could have learned Italian. You could have learned to silver solder, and built yourself a custom mid-70s Cinelli knock-off!

Seriously, though, I've learned a lot from your posts, Indyfabz. Congrats on the milestone.

MarcusT

Brand new crankset, went out for a test ride, the crank-side pedal came loose and stripped out half the threads of the crank. I usually double check nut/bolt tightness.
I should have known this.

Homebrew01

I did that once. Luckily, I caught it within a mile or so.

Steve B.

I removed a set of mt. bike grips, hated the feel. I usually pry up the outside end of the grip with a flat screw driver then spray some Windex in, loosens it right up, old grip off, new grip on and the Windex drys out and leaves the grip nice and tight.

Last time I couldn't find the Windex so used som WD40. Mistake. A year later and the grips rotate like a motorcycle throttle, Vroom, Vroom. Great.

I tried cleaning. Nope. Tonight I'm trying some Glue Stick stuff. Doubt it'll work so expect to be buying new grips.

JanMM

WTG! Got any tips for someone else hoping to someday reach the lofty plateau of 20 grand posts? (Retiring at the end of December should help free up some time for productive posting.)

canklecat

I'm disappointed. Your 20k post should have been: ****

🤣

nomadmax 

Trying to remove a square taper crank with the washer still on the end of the BB spindle (it didn't come out with the crank bolt). I'm lucky I didn't pull the threads out of the crank.

Breaking a drive side pedal loose without having the chain up on the largest ring because I was "in a hurry". Note to self, it takes less time to put the chain on the big ring than it does to clean and dress a gash from the teeth.

alias5000

I once overinflated my tire at a gas station pump to the point of explosion. I should have known that the pressure ratings are meant seriously. The fun part was that I was running one of these slime-filled inner tubes...
My bike was 'repainted' to faint green within the time span of a loud 'boom'.

MikeyMK

I put a petrol engine on a 1970s Ellswick Hopper, nearly killed myself on the thing, then decided it was probably better without the engine.

I should've known that.

In my defence, the engine is still on it - because it's funny AF