I crack myself up...

respect is letting an old man rib you for how young you are.... and you as the young person do not rib them back about how old they are....

at work I get this all the time
there are these guys who are a tad older, okay much older
not only are they older but they have been in the business since the beginning of time
they are pre-technology
we say animals are pre-historic,well, these guys are pre-technologolic
so I let them rib me
I think once I learned that it is disrespectful to rib an older gentleman about his age
or was it his weight.... or was it his height
or yea.... it was his height
I figured he knew he was short by now
okay... I do not need people reminding me I am bald
it is not that I forget... I just do not need to be reminded
what was my point
oh yea

at the shop today one of the mechanics was helping me out with a tool
the technology has changed
there are more words to describe more types of things
this was for a crank puller
aparrently there is this new type
mike knows my bikes
mike knows I don't know my bikes or the new technology
(disc brakes are new to me... still trying to figure them out.... I am not old school..... just old)
back to my point
I wanted a classic old style COTTERLESS CRANK REMOVAL TOOL
yes... that is what we called them in my day KIDDO!
(I hate when people call people kiddo.... I hate when people call my kids, KIDDO.)
I did not call the tool that
I used the term Crank Puller
and well
Frank and Mike got a laugh out of the tool confusion
I lacked the language to tell them which one I needed but I knew it on sight
so we walked back to the tools and Frank handed me what I needed
then he kindly offered me a lesson in how to use the tool
that is when i broke it out
"excuse me.... I was using this tool before you were born.... ((hold on... I am thinking: light bulb above the head: mouth opens to wide gap toothed smile)) yes.... I was using this tool before you were born."
apparrently I am hard to read
hope frank read that I was joking and that i appreciate his offer
on a day where I did not have one kid asleep in the burley trailer and the other kid tearing down the bike shop I would have love to see the professional way of using this tool

I actually own this tool...
maybe even two of them
but over the years the threads get worn or torn out from missuse
my first cotterless crank removal tool was a tool that needed the assistance of a 15mm wrench
most of the time I used a big set of adjustable knuckle busters
remember... I come from a time when bottom brackets tool grease had a set of free floating bearings
there were adjustable cups and lock rings to deal with
I thought that the Suntour grease injections were a gift from the gods

if I had videos of myself working on bikes without all the right tools and without a stand
those were the days
try putting in a headset without the proper tools
without creating your own press with some large washers and a long screw.... turning bolts on both ends
NO! I used a mallet and a board
okay
this caveman has evolved
far less BAM BAM in my fix it projects

dam
getting late
gotta roll