I’m generally pretty handy with DIY stuff including bike maintenance. I’ve built a bike, bled Shimano/Sram brakes, etc. and it usually all works fine.
I was rushing a bit yesterday to reinstall Ultegra 8100 chainrings and put the small ring on backwards. The teeth are set a bit inward, so having the chainring on backwards means the gap is too big between chainrings (or so I’ve learned). Went for a ride today, shifted going up a hill, and promptly dropped my chain between the small and big rings Luckily I wasn’t too far from home and could make it home in the big ring.
If you have any home mechanic goofs I’d love to hear them!
If that’s your idea of a mistake that you need to feel bad about, rest assured, that is absolutely nothing
While it’s not my fault, there is a car in my garage right now that has been sitting for 6 months. A bad alternator replacement job turned into a water pump, tensioner, water pump passageway (can’t remember the part name, but basically an extension of the engine block). And of course…the alternator.
Here is just one;
Installed sram olives backwards at the levers. Could not figure out why fluid would not go thru the hoses.
Note to self. 3am is prob not the best time to be putting a bike together.
I did accidentally break a Shimano GRX Di2 shifter when trying to reinstall the hose after shortening it. The brake hose flange nut must have been slightly misaligned so I cracked the shifter when using too much force to tighten it. This was in 2021 when there were still Covid bike part shortages and a few weeks before an event….couldn’t get a replacement shifter in time so had no choice but to buy another bike
I re-laced a zipp 404 wheel and put the valve hole in the wrong position, so it’s hard to fit the pump head on (often resulting in bent valve cores when removing it). I realized it as soon as I was done and figured I’d just relace it correctly when I had an hour to burn. Not that dumb of a mistake, but it’s been haunting me for about 8 years (to lazy to relace) and I’m reminded every time I put air in the tire.
Doesn’t look terrible, but it’s tight getting the pump on.
I had the bike upside down and was trying to remove pedals without a proper wrench. Predictably, the wrench slipped while I had it under pressure. The palm of my left hand went onto the chainring…. I went to the ER and came home with about 8 stitches.
A few times when I was younger I’d thread the chain round the jockey wheels only to realise I’d put it round the chain retainer (or whatever its called). Once I did it the night before a club run and wondered why it was noisy for 50 odd miles They must’ve redesigned derailleurs as I’ve not done it in a while and I don’t think I’m any wiser
my worst all are around ruined bolts, cross threading, letting bolts corrode, or over tightening things (even with a torque wrench).
I consider myself a decent home mechanic, but my list of bike crimes are as follow…
Stripped a corroded bolt on a 3T base-bar on a tri-bike. Tried drilling it out and ended up ruining the whole thing. This was two weeks out from a Ironman, so panic purchased a new base-bar and extensions. The wife was not impressed.
Over tightened (but I think it was a bad design) a 3T seatpost head clamp, and cracked the metal plate that holds the rails. Replaced this with a cheap knockoff Enve seatpost with a similar design and cracked it in the same place. Used the same torque wrench for both, but could be my body weight cracking the plate.
Waxed my road and gravel chains at the same time, got them mixed up, showed up at BWR Montana this summer with my road bike chain on my gravel bike. Got it out of the car to give it a quick test ride and It was shifting so bad, completely unrideable, had a make a mad dash to the mechanic at the venue as I didn’t know what was happening, they figured out that it had way too many links. I now have two gravel bike chains.
Cross threaded a Assioma pedal body nut and killed the threads, this one particularly broke my soul, such a simple dumb mistake.
I once put a mountain bike tyre on backwards, realised my mistake, took it off and then put it on backwards a second time. Incredible really.
I do basic services on my suspension bits and almost always have everything put back together when I realise the little red travel o-ring is still sitting on the workbench.
I decided to do my first bike build last year. I would consider myself an intermediate-level mechanic on a good day, but I like to think I bridge the skill gap with a lot of patience. I installed and bled the first brake no problem, but when I got to the second one I could NOT get the brake fluid to bleed properly. I checked and rechecked everything (I thought), went over it again and again in my head. Finally took it to the LBS and the next day the mechanic called and told me I had left the plastic stopper in the end of the hose that’s installed at the factory. Oof. I always prefer dumb, affordable mistakes over big, expensive ones, so I wasn’t too mad. But yeah, you’re in good company!
Luckily I wasn’t too far from home and could make it home in the big ring.
