Viewing 40 posts - 201 through 240 (of 262 total)
  • That sinking realisation of your own idiocy. Lets have your examples
  • Tim
    Free Member

    Left a saddle and seatpost on the pavement the road outside my house when packing car…gone

    Destroyed a crank and crank tool by forgetting it was a square taper crank and an octalink tool (rushing)

    Forgot to depressurise a lower leg of a magura fork with a leaking positive chamber and blew the innards into orbit (seemingly) and my glasses off my head

    cb200
    Free Member

    I took the time on Friday to swap the wheels on my gravel bike, tubeless set up, clean, lube etc.

    Quick ride to the shop half cut and I remember thinking ‘these brakes don’t feel too powerful’

    Next morning morning at 5.30am, wheeled bike out for a proper ride, only to realise I had forgotten to swap the rear brake disc onto the new wheel.

    i_like_food
    Full Member

    I once left some (slightly) radioactive samples from my lab in a bank. In a large box with radioactive stickers on it. On September the 12th (yes, that 12th). Police weren’t amused.

    I also have reversed over my own front wheel twice (two different wheels, not twice over same wheel, that would be stupid).

    Aged 14 I thought “what will happen if I hold this camera flash up to my eye and set it off”. So I did. What happened is I went temporarily blind then, after about 20 minutes, only green came back. Felt like such an idiot that I didn’t tell anyone. Took a couple of days for full vision to come back.

    Those are just the ones that spring to mind, there are many many more.

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    timbog160
    Full Member

    Changed the brake pads on my Shaguar. Spent ages looking for the locking wheel nut until the awful realisation that I had left it on the nut and it must have flown off driving along. A week of frustration with various chisels and sockets ensued 😡

    Macgyver
    Full Member

    Seeing I like Food’s one about the camera flash, we were sitting outside the pub near the office one evening, and the guvnor brought out some single use 35mm cameras left over from Christmas parties (would have been 15 years ago perhaps). I wanted to look at the guts of it but after a few beers you forget about the flash. Might only be a single AA battery to power it but the voltage step up gives you quite a belt when drunken fingers complete the circuit.

    frankconway
    Full Member

    An old mate of mine…wife is away so he decides to make pease pudding – split peas in muslin bag in pressure cooker with lid on.
    Timer goes off so he opens pressure cooker without releasing the steam pressure; the contents erupted all over the kitchen like Vesuvius.
    Major clean-up and redecoration after that one.

    dyna-ti
    Full Member

    Aged about 14, tried to cut a hilti nailgun cartridge in half using a hacksaw. Needless to say I discovered why that isn’t a very good idea.
    Actually that was more a sudden realization than a sinking one.

    I’ve still got loads of these cartridges in the workshop, though I sold the gun ages ago. Keep them around as still looking for a use for them, a fun use that is. Lesson learned from previous experience ?.

    Nope.

    tomd
    Free Member

    Remembered another one. Had a car windscreen replaced due to crack. After it was changed I needed new windscreen wipers as the old ones get worn to the screen.

    Pulled wipers up, removed old blades (leaving just the metal bit) and then twang. The metal bit snapped down on the screen and cracked it.

    I always put the carboard box from the new blades on the screen now.

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    Have just fitted the front wheel to my Whyte the wrong way around, went to check the brakes and strangely enough, the front does nothing. Fitted it the correct way around and obviously, since they’re Sram, the lever is now jammed solid. I foresee hours of my time trying to coax the pads back and bleed them to some semblance of feel stability.

    canny1
    Free Member

    Many years ago, late 90’s i was upgrading from a steel road frame to a nice new lightweight alloy Principia. I was transferring over the groupset myself. Fitting the down tube cable stops onto the bosses i encountered trouble. The drive side stop, secured with an allen bolt, would just not nip up tight and kept spinning, albeit with a gentle amount of force. After about six extra turns i stopped and took stock. The heart stopping moment was when i realised i had pulled the opposite non drive side stop into the downtube denting it. The two bosses were connected through the downtube not just brazed on like my old steel frame.

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    Left my gloves behind after the MNPR last night.

    Retrieved said gloves at lunchtime.

    1 hour and 20 miles worth of fuel that I won’t see again.

    doublezero
    Free Member

    Not me but my genes, I had been busy bodging as I had left duct tape lying around, my son jumps into the living room, flying karate kick, shouting look at me I’m a ninja, wrapping duct tape around his head to make a headband.

    I was in hysterics, poor fool didn’t realise how well it sticks, finally got it off about an hour later with half his scalp heating it up with a hair dryer to loosen the goo.

    Still laugh about it and was about 7 years ago, if your gonna be dumb you better be tough.

    teamslug
    Free Member

    Have you ever wondered what’s in a golf ball. 40 years ago me and my mate cut the outer shell off and spent what’s seemed like hours unravelling miles of elastic band type stuff. Ended up with a small marble type centre. “What’s in here?” my mate said and proceeded to cut into with a craft knife. A jet of white paint shot out and hit him in the face, he was covered in the stuff and his silhouette was outlined on the kitchen wall. One of the funniest things I have ever seen even though he couldn’t see properly for a few days.

    tthew
    Full Member

    Sorry, just returning to this,

    …it was “what the pro’s did”

    This is George Hincapie’s MTB from back in the day. Don’t get much more pro than George!

    aazlad
    Free Member

    A lovely new set of wheels arrived from Hunt today. After a bit of a struggle the tyres and Rimpact inserts went on. Tubeless jizz went in and they inflated first time with no drama…great. Then on went a new set of brake rotors….perfect.

    Finally, I carefully slid the cassette sprockets onto the freehub, tightened the lockring and it just span. I somehow managed to strip the threads with barely any torque. Luckily it looks like it’s just the lockring that’s damaged and not the freehub.

    I’m hoping a mate or a local shop will have a 12 speed lockring in the spares bin. Very annoying!

    bjj.andy.w
    Free Member

    Many moons ago during my miss spent youth my then girlfriend (now wife) and I bought our first house. As you do we decided to re decorate so after a trip to B&Q all the paint was acquired to do the ceilings, walls and skirting boards. First job was to re paint the front room ceiling. I was working mornings so got home before the good lady and thought I’d get into her good books by making a start before she returned from her work. “I’ll just have a quick joint before I start though”
    Now suitably stoned I made a start. Poured out the white paint into the tray.
    “Bit thick” I thought as I started to use the roller but carried on regardless.
    “Wow, what a difference it’s making.”
    I managed to do half of it when she came in from work, looked at the ceiling and stopped dead in her tracks.
    “What are you doing?”
    What does it look like I’m doing, I’ve made a start on painting the ceiling”
    Your painting it with gloss…”
    Moral of the story? Don’t do drugs then start diy kids.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Just a little one but was riding at laggan today, thought I’d pop over the road and do some of the brown as I still had a little bit of leg left. Popped back to car to change my gloves, accidentally got changed and packed the bike into the car.

    Started pissing down 5 minutes later so it worked out OK but I mean really brain?

    FB-ATB
    Full Member

    Have you ever wondered what’s in a golf ball.

    +1 me and a mate had the same thought- got the outer layer off and had the mass of elastic in the vice to cut it in half to see what was in the centre. It shot out the vice, bounced around the garage dislodging tins of screws etc. We called it quits there so never got to find out what was in the centre, until today!

    trailtom
    Free Member

    Was working in the city around 2000/01. On the Friday after work we went out for a few drinks once work was done for the week, I was heading to Peterborough for the weekend so jumped on the GNER service in the evening,
    Got on fine then I dozed off, Got woken up around 5 hours later by a women with a Scottish accent telling me this was the end of the line, Get on the platform and see Edinburgh Waverley then my heart sunk.
    Ended up on a National Express to London the next morning as the train return was too expensive…

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    Often had that waking moment on a train but it’s always been my stop or one before. But living in Reading and getting the train back from Paddington, the gamble was always an unexpected journey to Penzance

    Unlike my sister’s college friend, who got a train back from Godalming to Guildford yesterday evening after a rehearsal. It’s a 7 minute journey but she fell asleep and woke up in Waterloo having slept through multiple stops on the way. Drama students! Not even old enough to drink yet!

    DirtyLyle
    Free Member

    Not me, but I used to work with a Czech girl who on a trip home had gone to a boozy lunch with some friends, and hopped on a train back to her parents. She woke up several hours later having crossed 2 countries and woke up in Budapest. Don’t drunken sleep on the continent, kids!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I absolutely mastered sleeping on the bus on my old commute, but just once, I was properly asleep and ended up at the terminus. No worries I thought, I’ll just jump on the return bus. Called my boss, sorry, I’ll be 15 minutes late, 30 tops.

    Jumped on the wrong bus, fell asleep again, woke up about 2 hours away at that bus’s terminus. Got a taxi from there, got to work at about lunchtime.

    rhorn
    Free Member

    Arrived at campsite after hellish 8 hour drive to Yorkshire for a weekend of watching the 2014 Grand Depart + some cycling. Open boot, realise the only footwear I have is the smart black work shoes I was wearing at work earlier in the day…

    tthew
    Full Member

    Fresh off the press -literally half an hour ago this one. I bought some of those Polaris shorts with braces and non-abrasion resistant arse fabric. The inevitable has happened, big hole in the bum but I like them so bought some iron-on repair fabric to patch over the seat. I’ve only managed to attach the patch to the tea-towel that you put over while ironing. Must be supposed to go on the INSIDE! 🤦‍♂️

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    @tthew
    That has just made my evening, fantastic

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Arrived at campsite after hellish 8 hour drive to Yorkshire for a weekend of watching the 2014 Grand Depart + some cycling. Open boot, realise the only footwear I have is the smart black work shoes I was wearing at work earlier in the day…

    My grandparents were all prepped for a week away in the caravan. Long journey to the north of Scotland, got to the campsite and more or less fell straight into bed. Woke up the next morning and realised that the suitcases full of their clothes for the week were still in the garage. Each thought that the other had packed them.

    They had nothing other than the clothes they were wearing.

    Drove back that day.

    Greybeard
    Free Member

    Reached the summit of a climb in the Alps (3400m) rather later than planned, both of us thinking the other had the headtorch. We’d checked who had the spare battery, but not the actual torch. There was no moon, and it was too steep to descend by starlight, so we abseiled 800m of scree and cliffs, having to cut the end off the rope to make a sling after we used them all.

    onehundredthidiot
    Full Member

    New bottom bracket bearings and a magura brake bleed tonight before tweedlove locals enduro tomorrow. No testing I’m sure it’ll be fine.

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    Delivering training today from home. Finished for lunch, went for a pee, came downstairs to make some food (bacon and egg).

    Could I heck as like find my phone afterwards. On silent too. Searched everywhere. Got the wife to do a proper search everywhere. Rang straight through to answerphone, despite the battery being pretty full.

    Weird.

    Eventually tracked it down at the afternoon break when I made a brew to help me think over what I’d done with it.

    I’d put it in the fridge.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Greybeard
    Full Member

    We’d checked who had the spare battery, but not the actual torch

    This is why modern battery technology is so good. Simply hit the lipo with a rock a few times, and it’ll light up the trails with its terrifying unextinguishable flames.

    mattarb
    Free Member

    1. Not taking the tent pegs for a weeks camping at Tremadog, fortunately the weather wasn’t too bad and alternative solutions were found.
    2. Same trip, top of Bwlch y Moch, we decided to ab down rather than scramble, neither of us checked that the rope was round the anchor, threw the rope off the top of the cliff, fortunately it was retrievable from the trees after a bit of searching.
    3. Hitched up to Chee Dale with a mate from Leicester, we had doubled up on everything apart from a belay device.
    4. Went to for a fortnight to Scotland, packed two back wheels, at least I had only to buy a wheel not a wheel and a cassette.
    I do sometimes wonder how climbers survive.

    thelawman
    Full Member

    @mattarb Sadly, not all of them do, not even the good ones. See T Patey for details.

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Today’s ride was made far more strenuous than it had to be when I realised that I’d forgotten to charge the flat AXS battery in my rear mech leaving me singlespeed.
    Was pretty much in the middle of the block so <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>climbs weren’t actually that bad but spinning out on all the descents was a bit annoying! </span>

    carbonfiend
    Free Member

    Didn’t think I had anything to add to this thread until today, finished work went to find the key to the van (T5 camper) which I’d put down on a table with wallet & phone or so I’d thought. That sinking feeling when you realise you can’t remember bringing it with you or locking the van. Get to the van amazing it was still there with the key in the ignition.

    onehundredthidiot
    Full Member

    Follow up on my brake bleed. Tested in carpark almost over the bars. Not a great start to the day.

    fabricedelcampo
    Full Member

    Many years ago when I was a young commis chef at an Oxford college. Opened drain tap on floor standing deep fat dryer and drained old oil. Cleaned inside of dryer. Poured in a significant amount of fresh oil from big drum of oil. Watched as new oil flowed out all over kitchen floor. Also at same college: they had a large long wooden table that would be loaded up with plates, bowls etc for lunchtime. On first day in job told to put out said crockery. This table had a pair of ‘wings’ to make it longer. I piled up loads of crockery on one end. Result: you know the scene in the original black and white Titanic film where it gracefully slides into the icy Atlantic? Made a hell of a crashing sound in the empty dinner hall.

    nbt
    Full Member

    Oh yea, just remember turning up for a caravan holiday having packed the full size awning and the poles for the half-size porch awning. Had to just make do without

    And the trip where I carefuly packed the telly but forgot the remote control. At least you can get “all4one” remotes that are programmable, and when you have a no-name TV like the one we had you can sit there for an hour patiently working through codes until you find one that works…

    hooli
    Full Member

    I’ve done pretty much every variation of forgetting things.

    Commuted to work forgetting work shoes so walked around all day in a suit, tie and SPD disco slippers.
    Forgot SPD shoes after a 90 minute drive – ride in flip flops and SPD pedals.
    Forgot helmet, £120 for a helmet from onsite LBS. It didn’t fit all that well so only wore it a few times.
    Forgot the bladder for camelbak on an all day ride in mid summer.

    I now make a list of things I need and put it next to the front door.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    I’ve got a good one from the other week.

    On holiday in North Wales, I drove over to Lake Vyrnwy for a ride.

    Parked up in a layby, pedaled right up to the top, rode across the hill a bit, then back down a few different trails before arriving back at the van for a late lunch about three hours later.

    As I pedal toward it, it looks like the driver door is open. Yes it is. Oh shit, is the glass broken? Looks like it might be. I get closer, no it’s not so what’s happened?

    Oh, I just left the door open. With a load of riding kit, a pressure washer in the cab and a spare bike worth about £4k plus extra wheels in the back.

    Thankfully I was parked in one of the most remote bits of Wales, with only the odd tourist going by, and nothing was gone.

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    Spent a lot of time this morning trying to get the PSI in my tyres about right. Just wasn’t working even though I appeared to have very little air in the tyres. They just felt way too firm. Figured my pressure gauge was broken until I realised it said bar in the corner and not psi

Viewing 40 posts - 201 through 240 (of 262 total)

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