Bicycle Diaries: Manly skills?

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30.9.07

Manly skills?

where are
the brakes, cables,
cranks & chains?



Popular Mechanics, the übersource of all things DIY, has compiled a master list of 25 Skills Every Man Should Know. The effort is laudable given the ever-increasing tendency of Americans to outsource even the simplest mechanical tasks.

Unfortunately, it's also an unintended testament to the dominance of cars in American life. Almost 25% of the skills involve auto repair or maintenance. Only Skill #24 - Fix a Bike Flat deals directly with our under appreciated transport choice. Of course you could add the cross-over #10 - Use a Torque Wrench. Though that's only 8% of the list.

I could even add Skill #7 - Build a Campfire (why not gobble some smores at the end of a long, tough ride?), Skill #9 - Navigate With a Map and Compass (it always helps to know where you are), and finally, Skill #18 - Mix Concrete (lay your own DIY bike path when the local municipality cuts funding). But bike relevant skills remain a little less than 20% of those manly, manly skills.

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2 Comments:

Blogger gwadzilla said...

I believe that the fixing of the bicycle is a way that could teach people about tools and the logic of repair

I am less than handy


but compared to most

I do pretty okay

the bicycle is one of our last repairable possessions in this computer age

3/10/07 08:27  
Blogger Alan said...

Although building a campfire was listed, they mentioned nothing on how to weather a storm in camp - rigging a storm proof tent and the like. One of the few things I am good at.

3/10/07 10:23  

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