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Monday, March 11

Made hay, no sunshine

Aside from finding out that my car battery was dead right at the beginning of four days where I was expected to be an Uber for my daughter and the doggo, it wasn't all bad.

Up super early on Saturday to get Nia to her ACTs. The rest of the day with Boppit... until it's time to pick Nia up, take her home, take her to work... and then pick her up again at 10:30PM.

So what to do at home with a dog all day long?

How about finally going through all the tiny bits and baubles littering my work bench area? A proper culling has been a long time coming.  Shit that I've been collecting for what I guess would be more than two decades.

Kid makes ashtray.  Parent doesn't smoke.  Parent fills ashtray with all the things.

Such random crap.  More valve caps than I can shake a valve stem at.  Rando bolts, cable clips and sorters.  Washers.  Ear bud mushrooms.  O-rings.  Just a shameful collabo.

I had a small bin of what I'll call "shoe hardware."  Cleat bolts with some life left in them.  Used and new cleat shims.  Almost but not completely trashed toe spikes and the associated tools to insert them into the soles.

For the life of me, I don't remember the shoes this went to or what the tiny end did (does?).  I kept nothing but the new bits... and some spare straps and buckles... and tiny screws... and mebbe some SIDI SRS replaceable sole bits that don't look ded yet.  I'm almost ashamed at how much I kept, but not as ashamed as I am about how much I had collected.

My previously "organized" Shimano bleed and part box.

Jeebus.  How many sets of brakes does this pile represent?  How many olive inserter grabbers did I think I'd need?

Looks like about twenty.  And those UFO looking things.  And the things that keep brake pads apart.  And those piston blocks.  And all the ti hardware.

Dammit.

I assure you I cut it down to reusable hardware and only one spare of the plastic bits.  Mebbe.

Tire levers.
The Park TL-1 levers are my go to for tire installs and removal.  Not the newer TL-1 levers with "PARK TOOL" in the current script tho.  They changed the material they're made with to something shitty and flexy.  The way old ones are the bestest... and they're also the ones covered in latex goo.  The others?  Found or given to me at some point.  I pick them up when I see them in the trail.  Ikinda dig the metal core one.  Maxxis levers get trapped on the bikes to stay sponsor correct, natch.  That Giro multi tool you see in there... dates back to pre-'96.  Ohio days.  I have no idea why I still had it in my possession.

You think that's it?

Of course not.

I can draw this out for a couple more days easy.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You had me at Ti bolts - love Aaron

glen said...

hells yes!

Anonymous said...

Same deal with my old Cateye. I like it, but can’t remember how to use it almost every time I use it. Got instructions saved too. For crying out loud!