The "I'm an idiot" Thread

[XtrPickels]

We have "Training Advice", "Ask the Experts", and "tools that belong in an F1 garage" threads. But let's be honest, we're a bunch of idiots riding around in the woods.

What dumb thing have you done recently that either prevents someone else making the same mistake or at least inspires a chuckle.

To kick it off:

I had a small "off" on a low speed corner - put a foot down and bumped into a tree. No big deal, but my bars were a little tweaked.
So, I got off my bike and stood over the front tire to put my bars back in place...

... and gave myself a nice half-moon brake-rotor-brand on my calf....

because I'm an idiot.

[Dee Hubbs]

Last time I did that “straighten the bars after a crash” adjustment, I broke the bond of the CSU, and had to live with a creaky CSU for the remainder of the season.

[Dee Hubbs]

[joetron]

^^^Full on LOL


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[Andeh]

We have "Training Advice", "Ask the Experts", and "tools that belong in an F1 garage" threads. But let's be honest, we're a bunch of idiots riding around in the woods.

What dumb thing have you done recently that either prevents someone else making the same mistake or at least inspires a chuckle.

To kick it off:

I had a small "off" on a low speed corner - put a foot down and bumped into a tree. No big deal, but my bars were a little tweaked.
So, I got off my bike and stood over the front tire to put my bars back in place...

... and gave myself a nice half-moon brake-rotor-brand on my calf....

because I'm an idiot.

Related to doing dumb shit with hot rotors... a couple years ago I did a run, and for some reason I don't recall anymore (I think wanted to wipe some gunk off that was making noise) went and rubbed it with the tip of my finger. Luckily I was wearing gloves, but the hot rotor proceeded to melt the silicon finger tip and smear hot rubber over the already noisy rotor.

[bagtagley]

That’s hilarious 🤣

[bennymac]

In a road bike relay race - and due to her pregnancy the rider behind me on my team was lagging (understandable of course).

I’m feeling super fit and confident I can blast my section and move us up quite a bit.

I take off and within 30 seconds I’ve flatted my rear tire. Shit. But like a F1 pit crew I executed a lightning fast swap. I mean even I was amazed at how fast I did it. Like under a minute type fast.

Except the new tube wouldn’t hold air. I’m struggling to figure out what’s going on. I’m starting to panic - my spare was a brand new tube - wtf is going on here this can’t be happening.

Then I realize I had pulled out the damaged tube and put that same one back in.

After fixing my idiotic mistake I spent the next two hours of riding hammering hard just to barely get us back in the standings to where we were when I started.

[muted reborn]

That’s hilarious 藍

Buncha poseurs in here, GTFO and let us morans take over this thread. if you guys were true idiots you'd think "Thats not a bad idea, I'm gonna do that next time".

[Thaleia]

Idiot thread?! My time to shine lol.

Destroyed a rear triangle on my Giant Trance attempting to replace pivot bearings. Looked unsuccessfully for a used one for weeks, then had to source one new through Giant. Just under $500.. Sold the bike a year and a half later, with a shit ton of upgrades (literally the frame was the only thing stock at that point) for $750.

[grskier]

my carbon santa cruz oem bar had delaminating clear coat.

I got a new oneup bar and promptly scratched it when trying to feed it through the stem and I didn't open it up quite enough to thread the bar through...

SO, yeah, not even ridden yet.

[ASmileyFace]

I like this thread.

First thing that comes to mind... I had just bought a mountain bike from my friend who owned a shop. He puts the thing together on his own time, but it was busy season in the shop. I went in to try and help so I could ride faster. He says, "you're going to want to set that up tubeless. Do you want me to show you?" I tell him I got it and I do not need help. I head to the stand in the back of the shop air down the tires, unseat the bead, put stans in, reflate those suckers and go ride.

A few weeks later I ask him why I keep having to inflate my tires in the middle of every ride. He asks if I ever removed the tubes? Huh? Remove the tubes?

I put the stans into the tire without removing the tubes that came with the bike. The stans was packed all around the inflated tubes and my wheel set weighed like 15 pounds on it's own lol.

[toast2266]

^^^ That's a good one.

My most recent idiot escapade: I had an MRP chainguide that was very slightly bent, presumably from an impact. It made no functional difference, but it bothered me when I looked down at it while pedaling. So I decided to take it off, throw it in the vice, and bend it back. Now I have two halves of an MRP chainguide, and no chainguide on my bike.

[grskier]

I like this thread.

First thing that comes to mind... I had just bought a mountain bike from my friend who owned a shop. He puts the thing together on his own time, but it was busy season in the shop. I went in to try and help so I could ride faster. He says, "you're going to want to set that up tubeless. Do you want me to show you?" I tell him I got it and I do not need help. I head to the stand in the back of the shop air down the tires, unseat the bead, put stans in, reflate those suckers and go ride.

A few weeks later I ask him why I keep having to inflate my tires in the middle of every ride. He asks if I ever removed the tubes? Huh? Remove the tubes?

I just put the stans into the tire without removing the tubes that came with the bike. The stans was packed all around the inflated tubes and my wheel set weighed like 15 pounds on it's own lol.

This made me LOL>

[Andeh]

I like this thread.

First thing that comes to mind... I had just bought a mountain bike from my friend who owned a shop. He puts the thing together on his own time, but it was busy season in the shop. I went in to try and help so I could ride faster. He says, "you're going to want to set that up tubeless. Do you want me to show you?" I tell him I got it and I do not need help. I head to the stand in the back of the shop air down the tires, unseat the bead, put stans in, reflate those suckers and go ride.

A few weeks later I ask him why I keep having to inflate my tires in the middle of every ride. He asks if I ever removed the tubes? Huh? Remove the tubes?

I just put the stans into the tire without removing the tubes that came with the bike. The stans was packed all around the inflated tubes and my wheel set weighed like 15 pounds on it's own lol.

If it makes you feel any better, I did something similar. I bought a Chameleon online that was advertised as being tubeless ready, but the description said that it would ship with the tires deflated due to regulations. So I get the bike, remove the valve cores, squirt sealant in, and go ride the thing. After a ride or two, I decide I hate the tires, and pull them off. And... discover that there were tubes inside them, which I had filled with a few ounces of sealant each.

[skaredshtles]

^^^ That's a good one.

My most recent idiot escapade: I had an MRP chainguide that was very slightly bent, presumably from an impact. It made no functional difference, but it bothered me when I looked down at it while pedaling. So I decided to take it off, throw it in the vice, and bend it back. Now I have two halves of an MRP chainguide, and no chainguide on my bike.

I laffed.

[Touring_Sedan]

I didn't realize I had left the output on the compressor turned all the way up when I tried to seat a 29x3 tubeless. Good thing I doubled the amount of glitter in the sealant on that one. I'm still finding shiny shit all over the place.

[skaredshtles]

I didn't realize I had left the output on the compressor turned all the way up when I tried to seat a 29x3 tubeless. Good thing I doubled the amount of glitter in the sealant on that one. I'm still finding shiny shit all over the place.

[XtrPickels]

I'm still finding shiny shit all over the place.

Sorry man, you've been infected with glitter herpes. You may think they're gone, but they never go away.

[ASmileyFace]

This made me LOL>

I've got a few other good ones for this thread that because I was to impatient to wait for my shop buddies help, but I will never live that one down. Gotta learn somehow I guess

I didn't realize I had left the output on the compressor turned all the way up when I tried to seat a 29x3 tubeless. Good thing I doubled the amount of glitter in the sealant on that one. I'm still finding shiny shit all over the place.

LOL that glitter will be with you for the rest of time.

[Roxtar]

Buncha poseurs in here, GTFO and let us morans take over this thread. if you guys were true idiots you'd think "Thats not a bad idea, I'm gonna do that next time".

Still early but I'm voting this post for the win.

[365wp]

Riding in Moab in the afternoon, tired, probably kinda dehydrated, stopped to take a break and absentmindedly put my bike down...on a cactus. Didn't realize until I heard the "sssssssss" of air.

As that was the sixth puncture of the weekend, at least by that point I was somewhat practiced at patching/replacing tubes (this was around 2001/2002, and I wasn't running tubeless yet).

[365wp]

After years of waiting, finally upgraded my bike. Excited for the first ride, I throw pedals on, and start riding. After a quarter mile, the pedal starts to wobble. Yup, I'd stripped that Hollowtech down to a nice flat surface.

You think I would have learned when I was about 8 and cross-threaded a pedal on my Schwinn. I think I was trying to take the wood blocks off the pedals or something.

[Roxtar]

I have one that almost killed me.
In the shop, rebuilding a Fox fork with lots of interruptions. I'm trying to remove the air spring snap ring which appears to be stuck in the groove. I'm staring directly down the tube as I wrestle with the snap ring pliers when a loud "bang" happens and I land on my back. Semi conscious, no idea what happened, and blood running down my face. Through the brain-fog I vaguely hear my wife asking a bystander, "I can't look. How bad is it?"

Forgot to release the air pressure.

The air spring shot out like an arrow, shaft hitting me right between the eyebrows, ricocheted to the ceiling, bounced off and hit the front wall, 30' away. An inch either direction and it would have gone right through the eye into the brain.

And people ask why I believe in God.

[VTskibum]

Holy shit! New fear unlocked right there!

[farmguy]

2019 I bought a Patrol and then started adjusting the suspension, many many weeks go by, like months and one night while on a group ride I bent over to do yet ANOTHER front fork adjustment that has NEVER worked


.....the dust cover came off and I found the fast/slow knobs.