Fitting a new chain, I counted the links on the old chain to size up but forgot that this had been connected with a quick link and the new chain would be connected with the connecting pin. Split the new chain the length of the quick link too short. Didn’t realise until I nearly ripped the mech off in the stand testing the shifting and going into big-big (probably could’ve done with an extra couple of links really). Could’ve left it on but wouldn’t trust myself to never accidentally shift to that gear, so ended up going to Halfords to buy another new chain. At least it was only 10 speed, not 11.

The other day I was putting together a bike for one of my friends, put the crankset on the wrong way round.

Couldn’t get the bloody front derailleur to fit, figured that it was the derailleur… Bought another one, still didn’t fit.

Finally dawned on me when I started routing cables and the cable guides were on the other side of the bike.

Bloody hell.

I have installed the cranks on the wrong sides. That was quite dim of me…

I once upgraded the rear mech. Looks the old one off, put a breakaway bolt into the new one (what a faff that was). Got it all fitted nicely, tinkered for ages getting shifting absolutely spot on, best fettle I’d done for a long time.

Then I realised all I’d done was the off the old mech and refit it again (including the breakaway bolt!)…

Measuring where to cut the steerer tube on a set of forks without the stem fitted then cutting it to that length.

Pre bonded steerer tubes thankfully.
I wasn’t so lucky. Eedjit.
Also, took bleed port screw off rear brake and couldn’t understand why front brakes would accept new fluid from the syringe.

Building up my new Cube frame, everything went on fine, I left the chain until last.

Threaded the chain on, joined it, and turned the cranks, que a very horrible grinding noise…..

I’d threaded the chain round the outside of the seat stay and it has acted as a chainsaw on the lovely new white paint…. I threw a right paddy at that.

Many, too many.

The most recent one:

Bleeding brakes – bottom up, push the syringe, push some more, hose pops off the CLOSED bleed nipple and brake fluid ends up all over the garage floor and me.

Put an Anything Cage bolt into the bottom of 3 mounts on a pair of Salsa Carbon Firestarter forks. the bolt came out the other side. That was an expensive “one last turn”…
But I have made a new friend who carries out composite repairs… and isn’t doing much at the moment…

Last friday I was fitting a new set of disc brakes on my townbike.
Cut the hose at the lever to fit the hose through the guides, fitted olive&insert and on to the lever and was about to bleed the brake when I realised I haven’t even shorten the hose. Did that twice with front and rear.

Most expensive was fitting a new chain in the dark…
I’d just stuck the 11 speed cassette and rear mech on in failing light and figured I’ve swapped chains so many times I’d do it by feel… as I wanted it done and the bike packed in the car for the Saturday morning.

Somehow I put the chain the wrong way round the rear mech guides … didn’t check the next morning and 5 mins into the ride I ruined a 11 speed chain and damaged the rear mech… rear mech is since “mainly” repaired… but I ended up buying another at the time so I could ride Sunday…

Back when Campagnolo made MTB rims, early 90s, they had angled spoke drillings. I proudly built my first wheel with each spoke coming out of the rim pointing the wrong way then bending. Worked, until I buckled it trying to do 180 degree bunnyhops, then put huge tension in one side to straighten it, then continued my attempts and completely properly tacoed it about 45 degrees.

Re chains – always sized the old chain against the new one, quick job like a pro. Only if you buy a larger cassette, there’s a flaw in the idea. Half way round an epic ride I shifted to big/big and it locked, but backpedalled half a turn and carried on. Some miles later I discovered I’d bent the frame 🙁

Cutting cable outers too short, why always me…

My standard one – I’ve done this at least twice – is to thread a new inner into the outer cable which needs cutting to length (to make sure it’s as short as possible, but not too short) , then work out how much outer I need to trim. Then – of course – forget to pull out the inner, so I snop right through the outer AND INNER at the same time, so now I’ve got a perfect-length outer cable and an inner cable that’s about 2 inches short 😳

fit a new Hope headset and bearing, then tightened up – Still some play, so i tightened up a bit more but no, still a bit of play. So I went back online, downloaded the install guide, check spacers, bearing orientation, etc…it’s all there and in the perfect order. Not sure if it’s just me but i was not able to sleep because i was just thinking about that play. I finally got it after 2 days – the bushing of the rear shock was knackered. Once i changed it, the play in the headset disappeared.

Possibly not my fault this but – Pace RC36 forks, my first ever sus forks – the air piston and the damper rod became detatched – no damping. I forgot to (or couldn’t, or didn’t need to can’t remember now) let the air out of the damper leg. Removed circlip from the damper as per the instructions and the now un-tethered damper shot across the room with a fairly spectacular blam. Highly dangerous, I was lucky to come away with a face full of damper oil like some kind of bike nerd bukkake ritual.

Mate had a Yeti ASR, it was creaking, replaced BB, Headset, Shock bushes and the frame bearings, still creaked! 1/8th of a turn on the mech hanger bolt……. silence!!! Guess what I always check first now!
Oh and watching Bob undo the top caps on his Shivers! As soon as the second one released the forks sagged and deposited a pint of oil all over his front brake then the kichen floor!