Using a sharpened spoke, or pick to detect problematic bearing races is a great idea, but the record needle analogy only works because vinyl is making a comeback. There are still many young people who have never bought a physical CD, much less seen a vinyl record on a turntable. The analogy is fine for us old guys who still own lots of LPs!

Steve Andruski
The Rockville Bike Hub

On Thu, Dec 20, 2018, 1:10 AM Cyclista Nicholas <cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
Oh, that lid one is really good, I'll have to use that.

Yeah the sharpened spokes! Exactly! I often tell participants the point
on the spoke against the race in a cup or on a cone is like a record
needle, if you can feel it catch along the race, the part is bad.

@Bob re: teaching wheel truing: We keep one spoke with a nipple attached
laying at the base of each truing stand we have; after giving a
tutorial, and before leaving a participant to fend for themselves for a
little while, I show them the spoke and tell them that if they get
confused about the direction of the thread, they can pick up the
assembled spoke/nipple and play with it to check. It's a great tactile
and visual aid.

cyclista Nicholas


On 2018-12-19 21:54, mist@strans.org wrote:
> To add a couple thoughts...
>
> We often use the 'lid on jar' example for explaining right hand and
> left hand threads. I find this to be very useful when teaching wheel
> truing,
> as I'll often say the spoke is like an upside down jar and the nipple
> is like
> the lid.  Many people, before hearing/seeing this, will say/think that
>  the spoke nipple
> is a left hand thread.  I'll take the time to demonstrate with a spoke
>  in my hand
> and put the nipple on, emphasizing it is a 'regular' right hand thread.
>
> We use the sharpened spokes ('spokers') for many things also, like
> pointing
> at parts, showing ware lines on sprocket teeth, gently checking for
> pits in cups
> and reaming open freshly cut housing.
>
> -Bob Giordano
> Free Cycles Missoula (community bike shop)
> Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation
> (our research, design and advocacy arm)
>
>
>> On Tue, Dec 18, 2018, 7:08 PM <wormsign@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> At times I ask what word they use to describe certain things. I often
>>> say
>>> “we call this...” then describe its function. Also using “like
>>> tightening a
>>> lid” for clockwise and vice-versa.
>>>
>>> Loconte
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 11:36 AM Cyclista Nicholas
>>> <cyclista@inventati.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yes, definitely. Words are seriously magic. I remember just the
>>>> other
>>>> day I figured out that using the word "hinge" would dramatically fix
>>>> an
>>>> annoying inability I had in conveying a particular process to
>>>> participants (I can't remember which process, just the word >_<!).
>>>>
>>>> Something else I do is demonstrate along with the words, usually by
>>>> pointing as I describe. At every workstand and throughout the shop
>>>> we
>>>> have a tool we call a pokey spoke (literally just a shortened,
>>>> sharpened
>>>> stainless spoke) that we use for a wide variety of pokey-oriented
>>>> things, not the least of which is pointing to parts with extreme
>>>> specificity. Pointing out the set limit screws, for instance, or the
>>>> lock ring on the adjustable cup as distinct from the cup itself.
>>>> It's
>>>> easy to forget how baffling and disorienting these shapes and parts
>>>> are
>>>> for those not trained in what to look for. The spoke is superior to
>>>> a
>>>> finger because fingers are way fatter than a lot of the things that
>>>> need
>>>> pointing at.
>>>>
>>>> I've trained myself to hunt for the right words at all times. I'd
>>>> rather
>>>> pause in a description than blurt out generalities and hope for the
>>>> best. Typically I'll load someone up with a precise description
>>>> coupled
>>>> with pointing and usually also some articulation of the components
>>>> in
>>>> question, then leave the participant on autopilot (self-pilot!)
>>>> while I
>>>> move to the next person. More often than not, they've made various
>>>> kinds
>>>> of progress by the time I check back in with them. Any mistakes
>>>> they've
>>>> made are useful in further framing of the issue.
>>>>
>>>> But yes, words are just as much a challenge as any mechanical
>>>> system.
>>>>
>>>> cyclista Nicholas
>
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