I have nightmares about loose stems on bicycles. Besides the financial liability possibly incurred from a mechanic’s carelessness, there is a terrible guilt associated with such an occurrence. Even more so when injury results.

So here’s the hint. Whenever you have a stem loosened while still installed on the bike, rotate it severely off center. It’s a good reminder that the stem is loose and you can be sure to tighten the stem after you’ve aligned it with the front wheel.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under How To, Repair Tips, Mechanical Hints, Daily Rant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.