Stir crazy!

[Mike Ayling]

Replying to various posters:

I normally keep several grub screws on hand because I'm a serial cack-hand.
I can relate to that. I have a jar with all my old grub screws and two in their original ziplock bag from SJS!

or even just a bit of thick grease.
I tried that this time and it did seem to help.

Or dropping one in your back yard right at your feet and not finding it after an hour of searching.
I do my oil changes under the carport which has a concrete floor. To slow down the bounce of dropped grub screws I place an old blanket underneath the bike. This time when I dropped it I  found the grub screw right on the edge of the blanket.  In past years our son has found dropped grub screws on the concrete weeks and months after the oil change.

Mike

[John Saxby]

I place an old blanket underneath the bike

+1 for that, Mike.

I've wondered why this situation should exist -- surely there's an easy design fix? When something that should be easy or straightforward doesn't appear, then it's probably not a technical issue.

So: My guess is that there's a power struggle going on between engineers pursuing simplicity and elegance, and sales reps chasing profits on behalf of their grub-screw manufacturing company, which holds all the patents and a substantial percentage of shares and/or investment financing of R****ff.  What chance would the engineers have?--Status quo is very profitable, thank you very much.

(This is what stay-at-home regulations and lousy weather do -- force you down rabbit-holes chasing ghostly symbols of political economy.)

Cheers,  John

[rafiki]

When I used to service my motorbikes on the driveway many years ago, a lost nut or washer was always quickly found by placing a bounty of 50 pence on it. My eagle-eyed son, then about 10, would find it in no time.

[PH]

In the interests of science and because I really am that bored, i thought I'd put theory to the test.
This is a spare grub screw on a lose fitting ball end hex key, with a blob of white Blu Tack, I hung it on the windowsill for an hour, it could be moved around easily without becoming detached and when I'd finished playing the Blu Tack was easy to pick out with a small screwdriver.

[Andre Jute]

If you don't have a well fitting hex key, maybe a blob of Blu Tak or similar would hold it on, or even just a bit of thick grease.

Thanks for the tip. Actually I have a pack of some tiny BlueTak spots on a sheet somewhere which I use to apply the motor cutout magnets to the brake handles. They would do well for this job too.

[John Saxby]

Pretty slick, PH!

I find this to be very useful around the shop, chasing wee steel things that run away and hide:  https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/home/toys-and-games/crafts/44260-pocket-magnet-pin-retriever

Especially helpful too, I've found, if you're deep in a rabbithole & wondering where all those branching horizontal tunnels might lead...   

[Andre Jute]

I place an old blanket underneath the bike

+1 for that, Mike.

You guys are lucky still to be married. There was the case of the Porthault towel, which was eventually forgiven, and the case of the Persian carpet (how the hell was I supposed to know the ragged thing was a valuable prayer carpet?), which wasn't.

[energyman]

Left over from my seagoing days a bl+++y great Magnetron Magnet strategically placed near to where I'm working, drop anything and (as long as it's magnetic of course) no problem !

[PH]

i wouldn't have thought the SS screw was very magnetic, so I tried it and it is, a stronger attraction than I though, though still weak compared to a similar size steel screw.  If I had a need I might magnatise a hex key, but as I have a tight fitting one there isn't the need... as I wrote that I realised I have a box of magnetic bits...

[leftpoole]

When I used to service my motorbikes on the driveway many years ago, a lost nut or washer was always quickly found by placing a bounty of 50 pence on it. My eagle-eyed son, then about 10, would find it in no time.

When I was much younger (!) I owned Motorcycles. Whenever I worked on them I was certain to have screws or nuts leftover. Bikes always worked fine until the day I found a small circlip on the garage floor!
Those who know engines will know where the circlip came from.
Needless to say it wasa not until out riding that a problem occured......
John

[martinf]

End of the most restrictive phase of lockdown here in France today.

8 weeks of being restricted to 1 hour of walking a day has taken its toll. 

I managed 23 kms on my Raven Sport Tour this morning. Using the lowest gear on a hill where I would normally be in 3rd. And an average speed of 16.7 kph rather than the 20-22 kph I would normally do on that loop.

But a great relief to finally be allowed to do more than a very short shopping trip on the bike.

[Andre Jute]

8 weeks of being restricted to 1 hour of walking a day has taken its toll.

On my treadmill at a spot over 3km an hour to stretch it out before I wear out, I look out over the trees and imagine I'm riding my bike slowly down a favourite hill to enjoy the view longer.

[John Saxby]

Here, the weather gods have been reinforcing lockdown regulations: we're still denied access to the hills of W Qué, but could we take advantage of an opening?  Forecast for this aft is 2 - 4°, gusty winds, and snow showers or flurries.  Tomorrow, we're due to have our Weekly Cycling Day, 17 and sunny, so I'll go with a buddy to a small village on the NW outskirts of town.

Precursor of spring attached below: a photo of a cardinal in our backyard apple tree, taken from our back door some distance. The few early leaves signal a spring that's about 3 weeks late.

[martinf]

Lockdown was eased in France on 11/05, so I did a 20 km ride on my Raven Sport Tour.

Which showed me how unfit I was after 2 months of virtually no cycling and only 1 hour a day of walking allowed. I only averaged 16.7 km/h.

Much better today after 18 days of gradually increasing distances and speeds on my (mainly utility) rides.  47 kms at average 22 km/h on a moderately hilly circuit, and for fun 60 km/h pushing gear 14 at 130 rpm on a long downhill. 

[Matt2matt2002]

Lockdown here in Scotlandshire easing. And I've managed daily rides.
My son lives in NYC, 3,100 miles away from me, as the crow flies.
I've set myself a goal of riding that distance this year.
So far I'm ahead of schedule.
I could be with him by July......