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

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Comments

  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    It would be a highly inefficient economy if we all sought to be generalists and undertake a variety of tasks that other people are better trained/more skilled at.

    So from the perspective of maximising returns from his time, DDD is absolutely right not to bother with mundane DIY tasks. He should enjoy his free time doing things he loves, perform better at work as a result and pay others to do what they are good at with the resulting increase in salary. Society as a whole would benefit.
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    edited June 2011
    Thanks Sewinman
    The Beginner wrote:
    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 :lol: ) so ytu learning...

    I never said anything about not trying. I never said people cannot learn. I'm talking about an acceptance of skills, abilities and acknowledging what you are good at and bad at.
    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

    Personally I think this is a blinkered almost dismissive view of mechanical type skills/jobs/work. You're right they don't require the same skill set as a footballer or athlete. They can require a high level of skills nonetheless. I know I don't have the dexterity to build/repair a mechanical watch (Horologists). - Very few people do (to a degree hand made prestige watchmakers standards) and doing it completely right IMO is an art.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • kelsen
    kelsen Posts: 2,003
    The Beginner wrote:
    I'll never be able to ride a bike as fast as Will Hoy

    Well, obviously! Even Chris Hoy would struggle against a BTCC car.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    Sewinman wrote:
    It would be a highly inefficient economy if we all sought to be generalists and undertake a variety of tasks that other people are better trained/more skilled at.

    I disagree (to a point). If many more people did their own fettling, the shops would sell more tools as well as repairing the c0ck-ups. There may be fewer shops, but they should be of a higher standard.
    Every house in the land would be awash with tool kits and men in sheds building/repairing things.

    And I'm not just talking bikes and bike tools. People would be servicing their own cars again, giving the window frames a lick of paint, building their own book shelves, configuring their wi-fi networks etc and the shops would happily sell them the things they need at retail rather than trade prices.
    The people who would have done these jobs would probably be working in the manufacturing sector making the spanners, paint brushes and planes (for wood, not for flying) or at college/uni learning how to design a better wi-fi thingymabob or build a better mouse trap.

    I forsee two problems with my scenario:
    1) The UK manufacturing sector is a shadow of what it was so we would probably end up buying tools from China and have more people without a job.
    2) With this step back in time, the world would be in black and white, men would smoke pipes and use Brylcreme. On the plus side, women would be at home preparing dinner for the men folk and looking after the kids an the kids wouldn't have ASBOs.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Anyway, have you managed to get that screw out yet?
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    The Beginner wrote:
    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

    Complete ballcocks.

    Some people can look at a mechanism and instantly understand how it works.
    Some can't.

    That's how they sold PMP cranks.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    kelsen wrote:
    The Beginner wrote:
    I'll never be able to ride a bike as fast as Will Hoy

    Well, obviously! Even Chris Hoy would struggle against a BTCC car.

    I'm not so sure, I hear that BTCC cars are rubbish at track standing, so Sir Chris may have a chance when they are jockeying for position for the sprint.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Sewinman wrote:
    So from the perspective of maximising returns from his time, DDD is absolutely right not to bother with mundane DIY tasks. He should enjoy his free time doing things he loves, perform better at work as a result and pay others to do what they are good at with the resulting increase in salary. Society as a whole would benefit.

    really? I think DDD just wants to adjust his saddle height a bit. This being a mundane DIY task, should he take it to a bike shop?
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    will3 wrote:
    Sewinman wrote:
    So from the perspective of maximising returns from his time, DDD is absolutely right not to bother with mundane DIY tasks. He should enjoy his free time doing things he loves, perform better at work as a result and pay others to do what they are good at with the resulting increase in salary. Society as a whole would benefit.

    really? I think DDD just wants to adjust his saddle height a bit. This being a mundane DIY task, should he take it to a bike shop?

    Given the amount of time we have all spent discussing it and with no resolution in sight - absolutly...!
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Well that's because it ceased to be a easy task and became more tricky once the screw head was rounded off.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    I think its time for the cleansing caress of fire.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    will3 wrote:
    Well that's because it ceased to be a easy task and became more tricky once the screw head was rounded off.

    Hence the need for a specialist. I was not suggesting that every task that could possibly be done by someone else should be. I am sure DDD could adjust a seat post as quickly and easily as anyone.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    Sewinman wrote:
    will3 wrote:
    Well that's because it ceased to be a easy task and became more tricky once the screw head was rounded off.

    Hence the need for a specialist. I was not suggesting that every task that could possibly be done by someone else should be. I am sure DDD could adjust a seat post as quickly and easily as anyone.

    Not without rounding off the bolt though.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    I've got to say this has become quite the conversation.

    EKE I don't disagree with you in principle but there are a few sticking points for me.
    EKE_38BPM wrote:
    I disagree (to a point). If many more people did their own fettling, the shops would sell more tools as well as repairing the c0ck-ups. There may be fewer shops, but they should be of a higher standard.
    Every house in the land would be awash with tool kits and men in sheds building/repairing things.
    This is what society has moved away from, and in someways it is quite sad. My Dad a telecommunications engineer made his own through-lounge.

    Would I do it? No. But then in his day that type of thing interested him as did building valve amps.
    People would be servicing their own cars again

    I disagree, most modern cars are reliable enough that you don't fettle anymore. The engines are normally covered preventing access to tweak and service them.

    I agree largely with the rest of what you've said. But I can't ignore a lecture I had at Uni where we discussed changes in the way we work and that with the advent of internet and email work has seeped into our lives at home and that we have in fact less time to do things like manual labor. Example: I'm always amazed by the number of people who pay cleaners to clean their homes as they just don't have enough time.

    Equally society has moved on from typical maintenance norms of the past. I think it wrong to simply say that today's norms are wrong and yesteryears approach was right.

    People today live longer, travel further are generally healthier, more aware of current affairs, more likely to travel to other parts of the World. But at the cost that some might not have it in them to do DIY. It's a trade off not better or less than.
    Anyway, have you managed to get that screw out yet?

    No I haven't had the time yet. Gonna wait until the weekend. That said I could have taken it to Cyclopolis and had it done within the day....
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    People would be servicing their own cars again

    I disagree, most modern cars are reliable enough that you don't fettle anymore. The engines are normally covered preventing access to tweak and service them.

    you see this is just it : the mechanically curious among us know that if you give that cover a tug it comes off and underneath it all looks much the same as it did ten years ago.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    With modern cars, servicing just means topping up the fluids and changing the filters.

    I remember some American car advert boasting that the car doesn't need servicing for 100,000+ miles!

    My Dad was a builder so did everything at home including the through lounge and the plumbing. I did the electrics for the central heating when I was a young teenager and that 'can do' spirit lives on in me - when I wanted a new bookshelf but didn't want to copy everyone else with IKEA stuff, I built my own. With the removal of two bolts and eight screws, it dismantles and flat packs, so moving it is easy.

    If I have kids, I hope to instill the same mindset.
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    We have regressed in one area - flat pack furniture. No-one built their own Chippendale chairs or Welsh dressers did they!? I am not a furniture maker or carpenter - making it highly inefficient for me to have to undertake such tasks.

    I don't completely buy the idea that everyone could do everything in the past - just look at traditional surnames - baker, thatcher, carpenter, butcher, smith etc. We have always had professions. DIY is a modern concept.
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    will3 wrote:
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    People would be servicing their own cars again

    I disagree, most modern cars are reliable enough that you don't fettle anymore. The engines are normally covered preventing access to tweak and service them.

    you see this is just it : the mechanically curious among us know that if you give that cover a tug it comes off and underneath it all looks much the same as it did ten years ago.

    OK, I come from a family of drivers. My Uncle for example has only ever had performance engines. As much as he loved fiddling with the engine on his Fiat Uno turbo (when he had it) what's the chances he is going to do the same (or even needs to) on his TT (which he has now)?

    Similarly my Dad loved playing around with his old BMW E21 (1975 - 83 3 series) what's the chances he would do the same or needs to with his 2003 5 series, which has now passed 120,000miles and still drives smooth. (Plus I'm sure some of these cars come with features that prevent fiddling).

    It's a bit rich spouting mechanically minded would pop the engine cover off. Half the time the curiosity stemmed from the fact that the old cars would break down. New ones don't as much. Hell it took snow and a flat battery for my Dad to find out where BMW housed the battery in his '03 5 series (it's in the back I think). Here's a man that in the 80s once sandwich his BMW between two buses had to climb out the sunroof and then took it to a man (garage scrap yard) and banged it back into shape replacing the doors bonnet, parts of the engine etc.

    So it's a bit rich citing "mechanically minded". If there isn't a need curiosity usually diminishes.

    And this is why I go back to my changing a fuse example. I can count on 1 finger how many times I've actually had to do this. Re-installing Windows 98? Every bloody week at 1 stage.

    Plus technology may be more complex but it's purpose is to make life easier. Call boxes - house phones - mobiles - smart phones.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    edited June 2011
    Sewinman wrote:
    We have regressed in one area - flat pack furniture. No-one built their own Chippendale chairs or Welsh dressers did they!? I am not a furniture maker or carpenter - making it highly inefficient for me to have to undertake such tasks.

    I don't completely buy the idea that everyone could do everything in the past - just look at traditional surnames - baker, thatcher, carpenter, butcher, smith etc. We have always had professions. DIY is a modern concept.

    Exactly, and I'm getting tired of those lauding it with "In my day we built our homes, cars, and furniture with coal, spit and a tuppence six".

    Society has moved on from shed dwelling men. Yes we've lost something, we've also gained.

    There is nothing wrong with paying someone to do DIY, like there isn't anything wrong with trying it yourself. Likewise there isn't anything wrong with asking a question about how to do something but given how some are so quick to laud their own mastery and ridicule others lack there of, it's a wonder why many even bother to try.

    But we've gone off the point:

    1: Individual aptitude is just that. Subjective to the individual. Some people are better than others at somethings and not others.

    2. Some skills are interchangeable. Some skills are not. Some people are good at one type of skill and not others. Some people can cover a general range of varying skills.

    3. All people have the capacity to learn to varying degrees, this ability to learn and understand does not mean they are going to be good at the thing they are learning. Some, don't need to learn (or learn as much as others), some are just gifted.

    4. There is nothing wrong with asking a question if you don't know something. How do you think we learn? Equally if you have the money there is nothing wrong with paying someone to do it. You shouldn't be made to feel ridiculed or be afraid to ask a question and others shouldn't be so willing to ridicule or cast judgement on the person asking the question.

    5. Skills change in line with the demands of society. How many smiths (black, gold, silver smiths) are there today compared to 750yrs ago? Just because there are a diminishing number of people able or willing

    6. Societies' demands change our approach to things. Right now time is the most valuable commodity we have. In general we spend more time working and have less recreational time. This can be seen as a reason behind why we are more willing to pay for someone else time to do something we'd rather not waste time doing ourselves.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • Monkeypump
    Monkeypump Posts: 1,528
    EKE_38BPM wrote:
    kelsen wrote:
    The Beginner wrote:
    I'll never be able to ride a bike as fast as Will Hoy

    Well, obviously! Even Chris Hoy would struggle against a BTCC car.

    I'm not so sure, I hear that BTCC cars are rubbish at track standing, so Sir Chris may have a chance when they are jockeying for position for the sprint.

    I would have thought having 4 wheels makes it much easier...
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    There is nothing wrong with paying someone to do DIY, .

    Yes there is.
    Paying someone to do DIY is paying yourself.
    that's lunacy.
    Likewise there isn't anything wrong with asking a question about how to do something

    Do believe that's what forums are for.
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    will3 wrote:
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    There is nothing wrong with paying someone to do DIY, .

    Yes there is.
    Paying someone to do DIY is paying yourself.
    that's lunacy.

    When I assembled my PC cabinet I repaid myself with beer. Raving lunatic me!
    Likewise there isn't anything wrong with asking a question about how to do something

    Do believe that's what forums are for.

    Yes you would think that wouldn't you....
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Enough talk. Have you got that screw out yet?
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • Monkeypump
    Monkeypump Posts: 1,528
    DesWeller wrote:
    Enough talk. Have you got that screw out yet?

    Don't be silly - this thread's pagecount isn't into double figure's yet.
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    No I haven't had the time yet. I'll try and tackle it this weekend.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Why did you want to loosen it anyway?
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    will3 wrote:
    Why did you want to loosen it anyway?
    Considering the state of the bolt head, he uses different saddle heights for the the journeys to and from work. Something to do with one's leg length shortening during the day and then recovering overnight.

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