Worn seat-post clamp-bolt-thingy, help!

DonDaddyD

There are some who simply aren't mechanical minded and others who aren't computer literate/minded. Like the builder I asked to send an attachment in an email and promptly replied "whoa I'm a builder mate". He was my age.

Could I replace a ceiling like he could. Hell no.

I managed to replace the rear hub on my wheel so I'm not completely inept. But then I don't have the space or room to really get into maintaining my bike but I can do enough. Removing a overtightened bolt that has had the allen key bit rounded off - that ain't your usual bike maintenance task, I think. Well first time it's happened to me and I've always owned a bike

bails87

will3 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

, but ask an 'old school' mechaincally brained person to configure a router.

Are we talking 1/4" or 1/2" router here?

Exactly!

desweller

They're not mutually exclusive skills you know ;-). It is possible to be both computer- and mechanically-literate...

The Rookie

Mechanical aptitude is not born with, it comes from trying (and sometimes failing) and practice....my plastering is still rubbish, but I'll try, I hate wiring but do it, funnily enough I'd never built an engine until I did it the first time......I was 41 when I got back into bikes, I started by building my first one up from a frame and a pair of forks....all the tools you need for a bike wouldn't fill a messenger bag and practically any job (my wife has only drawn the line at stripping and spraying my MTB frame) can be done in your living room.

Simon

DonDaddyD

The Beginner wrote:

Mechanical aptitude is not born with, it comes from trying (and sometimes failing) and practice....

But like all abilities/aptitude some people are more naturally gifted than others. Some people can be taught to a standard that equals or even surpasses those who were naturally gifted and some people are just rubbish regardless of the amount or quality of training.

The Rookie

All true, but he who never tries will never succeed! You may have masses of untapped natural ability, just never been bothered to try it and find out!

Simon

SimonAH

Some people are born ept, some become ept and some have eptness thrust upon them.

dcurzon

so is the bolt dealt with now?

more options -
weld an old allen key (the one you've been using cos its clearly not very good as an allen key) to the knackered head, then wind it out

use a drill from the OTHER end - as you drill in, it will bite and drive the bolt out

will3

dcurzon wrote:

so is the bolt dealt with now?

more options -
weld an old allen key (the one you've been using cos its clearly not very good as an allen key) to the knackered head, then wind it out

use a drill from the OTHER end - as you drill in, it will bite and drive the bolt out

You haven't been paying attention have you?

desweller

Only with DDD could a thread about removing a stuck screw run to four pages. I salute you.

dcurzon

[x] should be in 'Workshop'

will3 - sorry, started reading then it all became a blur about online personas n stuff

Sewinman

The Beginner wrote:

All true, but he who never tries will never succeed! You may have masses of untapped natural ability, just never been bothered to try it and find out!

Simon

This is basically my logic for why I should be given a reasonably competitive car for an F1 season.

EKE_38BPM

Sewinman wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

All true, but he who never tries will never succeed! You may have masses of untapped natural ability, just never been bothered to try it and find out!

Simon

This is basically my logic for why I should be given a reasonably competitive car for an F1 season.

Whats reasonably competitive? Massa can make the Ferrari look rubbish whereas Alonso makes it look, well, not so rubbish.

Maybe Di Resta Vs Sutil is a better comparison.
I'll give Vijay Mallya a ring and tell him to kick Sutil out.

Getting back to mechanical ineptitude, there are some things that I can't do but that is because I've never needed to, but I still want to learn how to do them. Welding is a good example.
I think it is a question of attitude. I'm willing to learn, to try and, maybe, to fail. Some people have a glance and if they can't do it straight away, they give up and pay someone to do it.
I prefer to pay for tuition and tools than I am to pay for someone else to do it and that applies as much to mechanical issues as it does to computers.

bails87

The thing with a lot of mechanical stuff (maybe more true on a bike) is that it's all doable by anyone with a bit of hand/eye co-ordination and the ability to read instructions.

You might never be able to write computer code or paint a beautiful picture. But if you've got the right tools and the instructions, doing something like servicing MTB forks or bleeding disc brakes is easy. Just work through it logically, do everything in the right order and double check everything.

Something like wheel truing that requires a degree of 'feel' is less easy to do though.

el_presidente

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. Just work through it logically, do everything in the right order and double check everything.

mudcow007

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. Just work through it logically, do everything in the right order and double check everything.

an wash your hands afterwards, the mrs hates hand marks on the sheets

bails87

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. .

You do it in the garage with 'her' clamped to a wall.....and occasionally you have to get the hacksaw out to chop bits off?

desweller

bails87 wrote:

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. .

You do it in the garage with 'her' clamped to a wall.....and occasionally you have to get the hacksaw out to chop bits off?

Don't forget to wipe the blood off the hammer.

Kieran_Burns

DesWeller wrote:

bails87 wrote:

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. .

You do it in the garage with 'her' clamped to a wall.....and occasionally you have to get the hacksaw out to chop bits off?

Don't forget to wipe the blood off the hammer.

dry or wet lube?

EKE_38BPM

Kieran_Burns wrote:

DesWeller wrote:

bails87 wrote:

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. .

You do it in the garage with 'her' clamped to a wall.....and occasionally you have to get the hacksaw out to chop bits off?

Don't forget to wipe the blood off the hammer.

dry or wet lube?

Lube? I like the sound when you don't use any and just grind away.

rjsterry

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

DesWeller wrote:

bails87 wrote:

el_presidente wrote:

I treat bike maintenance like making love to a beautiful woman. .

You do it in the garage with 'her' clamped to a wall.....and occasionally you have to get the hacksaw out to chop bits off?

Don't forget to wipe the blood off the hammer.

dry or wet lube?

Lube? I like the sound when you don't use any and just squeak away.

FTFY.

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

There are some who simply aren't mechanical minded and others who aren't computer literate/minded. Like the builder I asked to send an attachment in an email and promptly replied "whoa I'm a builder mate". He was my age.

Could I replace a ceiling like he could. Hell no.

Bobbins. They're the same skills, just adapted. I can understand plumbing, mechanics, and building, just the same that a plumber, builder, sparky can understand bike maintenance. It's just an ability to follow a problem, and remove possible causes. You use different tools: adapt.

What I'm saying is: yes, yes you really could replace a ceiling; it's just you've never had to do it... if you've any degree of mechanical aptitude (and this is the stuff we learn as children to walk about and make toys) then you could understand it. You'd just be an order of magnitude slower.

EKE_38BPM

davis wrote:

...sensible argument... if you've any degree of mechanical aptitude...

WRT DDD's skills, that is the point that your argument falls down.

DonDaddyD

davis wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

There are some who simply aren't mechanical minded and others who aren't computer literate/minded. Like the builder I asked to send an attachment in an email and promptly replied "whoa I'm a builder mate". He was my age.

Could I replace a ceiling like he could. Hell no.

Bobbins. They're the same skills, just adapted. I can understand plumbing, mechanics, and building, just the same that a plumber, builder, sparky can understand bike maintenance. It's just an ability to follow a problem, and remove possible causes. You use different tools: adapt.

What I'm saying is: yes, yes you really could replace a ceiling; it's just you've never had to do it... if you've any degree of mechanical aptitude (and this is the stuff we learn as children to walk about and make toys) then you could understand it. You'd just be an order of magnitude slower.

My supposed skills and talent aside I think you're missing the point. Yes there are some skills that are interchangeable, sure. There are however, people who have an aptitude that demands a certain particular skill set while clearly lacking an aptitude or skills in another area irrespective of trying. There are, however, also those who can generally be regarded as 'all-rounders'. Lastly we must accept that some people are just generally better than others.

This is why you have some people excelling in one type of sport but not in another.

My example of building a PC, being computer literate (which, could be argued as requiring different skill sets i.e. an understanding of software and the other hardware) is, I would argue, completely different to building work, mechanical engineering, bike maintenance etc.

As for my difficulties with my seat post, I have a number of solutions available to me and I'm sure one will work.

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

My example of building a PC, being computer literate (which, could be argued as requiring different skill sets i.e. an understanding of software and the other hardware) is, I would argue, completely different to building work, mechanical engineering, bike maintenance etc.

And here's where we disagree. I'm a sysadmin (sort of) and I think the same skills are used in plumbing, building, mechanics. It's just a combination of breaking down the problem into smaller pieces, logic, and following things through. I think many (most) engineer-types (and actually, people) could understand what I do, too. It's not magic.

I'm paid to do Unix system administration. Could I build a wall, replace a head gasket, fit a boiler? Sure, I just wouldn't be very good (at all) to start with. But then, neither were the professionals when they started.

DonDaddyD

davis wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

My example of building a PC, being computer literate (which, could be argued as requiring different skill sets i.e. an understanding of software and the other hardware) is, I would argue, completely different to building work, mechanical engineering, bike maintenance etc.

And here's where we disagree. I'm a sysadmin (sort of) and I think the same skills are used in plumbing, building, mechanics. It's just a combination of breaking down the problem into smaller pieces, logic, and following things through. I think many (most) engineer-types (and actually, people) could understand what I do, too. It's not magic.

Actually what you're describing is problem solving at a high competency based level.

Part of your job is to analyse the problem and find a workable solution. Problem solving or 'confidence solution finding*' is very much a transferable skill. Would a builder, plumber, mechanic understand code, the technical terms, computer language, SQL script? Doubt it.

But yes people can learn, to varying degrees.

* That one was for Sewinman

davis

DonDaddyD wrote:

Actually what you're describing is problem solving at a high competency based level.

Yep, that's what I regard many jobs as.

Would a builder, plumber, mechanic understand code, the technical terms, computer language, SQL script? Doubt it.

Yes. My father, who's been a brickie for around 35 years, can understand this stuff. Sure, I had to explain the syntax (it's a bit unfair to expect people to grok technical terms on first contact), but he understood. Really, what's so hard about:

for(i=0; i<5; i++) {
 printf("Bobbins %d\n", i);
}

{edit}: Actually, I must agree with you somehow. I still regard music, and probably some other things, as a mystical ability, so I must somehow believe in the idea of "natural talent".

desweller

davis wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Actually what you're describing is problem solving at a high competency based level.

Yep, that's what I regard many jobs as.

Would a builder, plumber, mechanic understand code, the technical terms, computer language, SQL script? Doubt it.

Yes. My father, who's been a brickie for around 35 years, can understand this stuff. Sure, I had to explain the syntax (it's a bit unfair to expect people to grok technical terms on first contact), but he understood. Really, what's so hard about:

for(i=0; i<5; i++) {
 printf("Bobbins %d\n", i);
}

+1

I know guys who started on the manufacturing and assembly lines where I work who are now writing small data analysis programs, stock management programs etc. etc., despite having had no formal education in these areas and having been practical, manual people for most of their careers. It just requires a methodical approach.

DonDaddyD

Actually, I must agree with you somehow. I still regard music, and probably some other things, as a mystical ability, so I must somehow believe in the idea of "natural talent".

I know guys who started on the manufacturing and assembly lines where I work who are now writing small data analysis programs, stock management programs etc. etc., despite having had no formal education in these areas and having been practical, manual people for most of their careers. It just requires a methodical approach.

Davis, your Father has learned a new skill. I'm not disputing that people cannot do that.

Here is the crux of what I'm saying.

Different skills are required for different jobs. However, there are some skills that are interchangeable.

In life you will find people who are better at some things than others. You will also find that there are people who are better at certain things than others.

People have have the capacity to learn new things to varying degrees.

The Rookie

I'm not sure I agree 100%, however on your own basis....
1/ You'll never know if you have an aptitude if you don't try
2/ You have tha capacity (your clearly not stupid, just blinkered maybe ) so ytu learning...

There are some things that require a natural physical aptitude, like being good at football, sure my footballing skills would get better if I practiced 37 hours a week, but I'll never be Wayne Rooney, nor will Peter Crouch (who does about the same amount of practice), though he's clearly not to bad at it, likewise I'll never be able to ride a bike as fast as Will Hoy or do tricks like Dany McAskill, but as I enjoy it, I'll try harder (I hate football....so cant really find the will to try!)

Doing Mechanical style things does not require that aptitude, they are slower moving more regimented processes that just require you to learn each process, no 'flair' is required at the level we are talking about, just a general desire to learn how to do it, to take pleasure from it and love saving the money!

Simon