I don't have Jim's skills, tools, time, nor patience to do repairs the way Jim does. I'm not afraid to tackle the small stuff, though, especially if I have nothing to lose.
When I first contemplated getting a winter bike -- one I could ride on salty roads -- with impunity, I was told by a Free Wheeler that, should I get one, I would not be permitted to clean it. Ever. A beater bike is a beater bike, after all.
Gonzo is made of spare parts: cast-offs from Kermit's upgrades, gift certificate cash-ins, and donations from a former bike courier. One shifter is missing its cap. The shifters are Shimano. The brakes are Campy. Not-so-quick-release.
A year ago at this time, Gonzo had matching handlebar lights. No longer; one fell off long ago. The paint on the steel frame is chipped. The cranks are pitted from corrosion (nothing serious, but it ain't pretty). The bottom bracket holder had to be re-tapped. Gonzo is a LeMond Zurich, Ultegra and Dura-Ace components mixed in with a low-end rear pack rack, a lock from 1983, a cheap tail light, and two very expensive headlights. Gonzo is a pedigree mutt.
It's only fitting, then, that I use a beat-up pair of road shoes to ride to work in. They're over 7 years old and have seen enough rain that the leather squeaks when I walk in them. They're getting floppy, but they still fit.
Last week, on my way out the door, the left buckle caught on the bottom of the screen door and was yanked out of place. I bent it back the best I could in a hurry and pedaled off to work. The strap held for the trip in, but on my way home the strap no longer held and my foot was sloshing around.
It didn't take much Googling to locate a new set of buckles, which arrived today. It's a simple repair: the buckle is held in by one screw (which, incidentally, had been chronically loose on the now-destroyed buckle). The replacement took all of 30 seconds.
Until I tried to put the strap through the buckle.
Damn. When Sidi upgraded their buckles, they narrowed the straps.
There was nothing for it but to grab the strongest pair of scissors in the house and trim the strap. Two ribbons of plastic on the floor later, the job was done. I'm ready to pedal into work on mismatched feet.
The good shoe with its functioning buckle
The new buckle in the old shoe
A hatchet job done with scissors
Ta-da! The perfect mismatch for Gonzo!
1 comment:
Hooray! Well done! An excellent, inexpensive solution to a difficult problem.
As for the "refuse to walk up hill, but won't buy a bikestand" business, I defer to my ol' pal (whom I never met, of course), Walt W:
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.
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