Editor’s note: This was originally post on March 7, 2014. It’s been almost 4.5 years since I stopped wrenching full time. I was feeling nostalgic and needed to recenter…
It was in June that I cleaned out my tool box. All my tools went into a big cardboard box and were transported in the Mooseknuckler-mobile and deposited in my shed. It was a moment of mixed emotions. My wrist had started to act up a couple of months prior and the work load at the shop required less wrenching and a little more managing. So it made sense for me to step away from my bench.
I must admit that my tools sat in that cardboard box for about six weeks before I took the time to take them out of the box and begin to organize them in my home shop. Since that time, the organization has changed multiple times. In particular, every time we go on a trip where bikes are involved, I pull out the tools I think I might want and organize them in a little tote. And then they stay in that tote until I need them and I spend the next 20 minutes searching through my tools trying to find them. Then I see the tote and remember that I moved them, so I have to take them out and re-organize the shed.
As you all know, Bryce is no longer with us. His replacement started this week. This means that we have a new member of the Alliance and also that I have been spending a lot of time in the service area. Showing, teaching, watching. Sometimes I feel like a creeper back there stocking my way through making sure the new guy knows how and what to do. And most importantly, that he does it right.
This also coincides with the fact that my Pops decided to give me light for my birthday. He ran electricity from my house to my shed. Then he put up the lights, installed some plugs and poof, I now have a shed that I can work in at all hours. I could put a heater in there, or more importantly an AC. And maybe a little fridge where I could put six packs of beer soda.
I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t gone out there, turned on the light and just stood at my repair stand. Sometimes I giggle a little bit, but mostly I just stand there. Then I turn out the light and come back into the house.
In the past week, I have gotten more done in my backyard thanks to those lights than I have in the past six months.
My cross bike had been hanging in the shed with hubs that I was scared to ride due to the ton of mud they had been ridden through. Yup, got that done. Decided I didn’t want to run the Pike anymore, took it off and put the 36 back on. (Yes, I have a fork section in my shed, what’s it to you?)
I must admit, I miss wrenching on bikes.
After last night’s foray into my shed, I came into the house, poured myself a tall shot of bourbon and climbed into a hot bath. I couldn’t help but wax nostalgic about my days wrenching and how I miss being in the trenches, tied to a repair stand figuring out how to get some piece of shit bike to work. And then once I got it to work, turning around and grabbing another bike and busting it out because some racer needed their $10,000 blingy whatever to be perfect before they headed out of town. And yes, I remember the frustration and the pain, but it’s always the hard things that are romanticized in life. Wrenching isn’t easy, but I do enjoy it.
Albeit I enjoy it a hell of a lot more now that I have lights in my shed and can do it at home whilst drinking bourbon and listening to whatever music I want.
It took a week. Prattipus’ last day was this past Thursday. He showed up last night to borrow a truing stand. Which we, of course, responded by telling him we didn’t loan tools. He didn’t pay any attention to us and used one anyway. I don’t know if it’s like this in every shop, but every one that I have worked in, the employees kind of become a misfit, bike-dork family. You can leave, but you will always be a grease monkey who will come sit in the stool in the corner and shoot the shit with anyone who will listen about the good old days and the shit that you saw and the things you did.
I guess the wrench can put down his tools, but he will never stop being one.
P. L. and R.
This was a good one.