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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sweat and setbacks

There's been a lot of human error in my bicycle dealings over the last week and a half.

First: Kickstand self-installation
Here is a picture of an environment that is not conducive to calm or joyful bicycle work:
not well thought out

What you can't see in the photo is how hot in was in my living room or the actual puddle of sweat that formed underneath my body.  The kickstand plate is in such an awkward little spot, and I didn't have an Allen key that was quite the right size or that could easily be maneuvered in the space.  I just couldn't get the kickstand to sit correctly, and things kept slipping out of place and keeping me from being able to properly screw everything together.  It was a frustrating attempt to do something that seemed like it was going to be incredibly simple, and it made me so angry that I didn't even want to look at the kickstand or think about anything bicycle-related for about a week.

Second: Bike shop installation
Once I stopped being mad, I took things over to Quad Bikes to let someone else take care of it for me.  I have to admit, I was a little bit pleased that even there, with the repair stand and all the right tools, it still took some wrangling to get the kickstand attached; but it did get attached.  Then came time to cut down the legs.  They had a nice little circular saw, and the kickstand had pre-marked notches for height adjustments, so this seemed like it would be straightforward.  We cut once, but it was still a little bit too tall.  Then we cut again, and it looked like the right side was a little bit taller than the left, so we needed to cut a little bit more off to even it out.  Then it still looked a little high.  Can you guess what happened next?  Of course, we cut again, and when we got the bike on the ground, it began to tip first to one side, then the other.  Too short.  Sigh.  Who knew this would be so difficult?  So the shop is ordering a new one, and fingers crossed, third time will be the charm.

Coming up: Part I of the Lady Raleigh's new wheel.  Here's a sneak peek:

7 comments:

cycler said...

Sorry to hear about your problems. I never bothered to cut down my kickstand legs for fear of the dreaded "level the kitchen table and end up with a coffee table syndrome" If it's a tiny bit out of level, you can adjust it by removing one of the rubber feet..
A trick I learned when working on big heavy bikes in small spaces before I had a workstand: turn the whole thing upside down such that it rests on its handlebars and saddle. This is surprisingly stable and convenient, although you might need to remove or at least pad with a towel bells or any protrusions that can't be adjusted/ removed.

margonaute said...

cycler, I thought about turning the bicycle upside down fairly early on in the process but was just in one of those moods where I was going to be stupid and stubborn and keep on doing what I was doing! But yes, that certainly would've been a better way to work!

Corey K said...

Poor Frida. It looks there as if she's had a few too many gin fizzes, and went kickstand-over- saddle on her way to the powder room!

(I presume the parson was not amused.)

Sorry to hear of the trouble, but at least you'll get another try and it will work out well soon enough.
For some reason, I thought the Fryslan came stock with a scissors kickstand.


So that rim in the trash pile... is that a rotten fabric spoke liner I see on the inside edge, or is that live rust?

If the latter, no wonder the rim had to go!
Yeccch.

Corey K

Dottie said...

Oof, so much work for one little kickstand. I hope the new one comes in soon and you can get it all set up right. I really need to get a double-legged kickstand for my Rivendell. She's tired of falling over.

Velouria said...

What you are describing is one reason neither are nor the "Co-Habitant" are pleased with these stands. They are a @(4^* to cut down, not always well-balanced, and his even broke this past winter due to strong winds! I know that people rave about these, and that is why we got ours, but honestly, not impressed. I hope you have better luck with yours!

Moopheus said...

This is why I went with another Click-stand for my new bike. Stable, lightweight, no installation hassle.

Anonymous said...

Radio silence...hope that does not mean you have given up. Perfect cycling weather just hoving into view!

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