Anybody else out there find they have more wheels now than before they went car-free?
The latest for me is one I picked up for nothing -- an old late-70s-or-so 10-speed Puch (dunno if it sounds, but the way it was cared for this one definitely looked like "Puke"--grubby frame and surface rust, shredded-up seat, dyslexic brakes, and I don't think the owner ever tried shifting, but I could tell underneath was a nice nimble frame, sharp gears, recently replaced tires, and alloy rims with those old high-profile hubs that always stay looking classy.) It can get old riding by yourself, so I also managed to accumulate an old green women's Schwinn Suburban in a little better shape but still needing a fair amount of work.
For that one, among other things I have to swap in a new freewheel (requiring the right matching extractor tool), find a replacement brake bolt nut that fits, and I'm trying to find a clever way to mount a basket I came across that may not have been exactly designed for the cycling life...
so it's a mix of finding the right parts and having the right tools. Like any repair project, if you were to purchase all of those new, it would be ridiculously expensive. No wonder people buy new bikes!
One option is to acquire all the tools and gradually accumulate parts yourself. but having followed that approach in the past, I have a bottom bracket tool I used all of once, and a 'professional' quality pedal wrench that's probably working out to just under $10 per pedal removed. Not to mention trying to build up a medicine chest of parts and no wonder everybody needs to rent a storage space. I mean, this is bad enough for bikes, where most the tools you really need you could fit in a front pannier, but it's gotta be way worse for woodworking or metalworking, or repairing more serious stuff.
One alternative discussed in this thread is to buy what you need and then sell it back when you don't.
Another possibility is community workshops like (for bikes):
Community Bicycle Organizations
(I was going to list the three that I knew of, but then came across this monster list. Check it out - there is probably one near you. Anybody know if these exist for other crafts?)
As far as I know, most of those places are free or may charge a token fee (as in maybe 5$/hr) to use the space and equipment, provide tools which would probably cost you on the order of at least a few hundred dollars to accumulate yourself, have ongoing classes to teach folks how to do repairs, and often will have a supply of old parts you can use or purchase cheaply.
Sounds a little ERE, no? you don't have to buy all the tools yourself, everyone doesn't have to store their own personal warehouse of parts, and maybe my favorite part of a workshop-- there are other experienced people around to talk to before you go do something dumb. or at least watch you do it.
this seems pretty counter to the usual approach of everyone building up their own private workshop (which I'm sure tool companies are happy to encourage.) Not that I even mean to say that is necessarily such a bad solution--there may be important reasons for that (a shared woodshop I worked in once had any power tool you could want but hell if you could find a straightedge that hadn't been used as a prybar.)
But I'm curious what people think--is this something that only works with bikes and the sort of people who always say "community" without smirking and "collective" without thinking of zombies? Is there some reason for that? Why don't these sort of places exist on a larger scale--for cars, for metalworking, etc...? Though mentioning sharing as an option in the book, the ERE approach generally seems to converge toward individualistically purchasing tools you need and then sell/trade/freecycle them back, but is there also sharing going on? Or does that not work?
Finally, to really get a handle on it, I tried to think about where in consumerist society there is a communal workspace where expensive and specialized equipment is collectively shared on a regular basis...
as far as I could tell, there actually is one, but only one: The Gym.
Shared workshops (and other bad ideas?)
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jacob
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They do exist. Commonly called hacker spaces/dojos or maker spaces. See e.g. http://www.thecrucible.org/ .. some libraries also offer tools aside from books (Berkeley, CA, for example).
The reason that sharing is not more common is that, well, people you're willing to share with aren't that common.
The reason that sharing is not more common is that, well, people you're willing to share with aren't that common.
Good points - especially with the hack/maker spaces, those can be good places to get ideas too.
and like the Berkeley example, sounds like libraries and maker spaces are starting to merge. one quote from that -- "However, we have also entered an era in which people have become overly-reliant on the newest and latest digital innovations for both their learning and entertainment to the point where they may not know how to sustain themselves without their devices. Moreover, although the digital revolution has not replaced hands-on-education, it may be causing people to lose site of the value of hands on learning and the unique perspective that it brings to our lifelong educational experiences."
and like the Berkeley example, sounds like libraries and maker spaces are starting to merge. one quote from that -- "However, we have also entered an era in which people have become overly-reliant on the newest and latest digital innovations for both their learning and entertainment to the point where they may not know how to sustain themselves without their devices. Moreover, although the digital revolution has not replaced hands-on-education, it may be causing people to lose site of the value of hands on learning and the unique perspective that it brings to our lifelong educational experiences."
"...if you could find a straightedge that hadn't been used as a prybar.)"
Having worked in shops my whole life, this quote really got me laughing. There is always a division among people of those who care and those who care-less.
This thread reminds me of one that I started about sharing farm equipment. It's kind of the same dilemma. I've approached it cautiously, because for every responsible individual out there, there are two that are not responsible. I guess it takes time to identify who's who.
In the mean time, I try to acquire tools that are barter-able. I have a good idea what I can borrow and what would complement my own small community, so I try to contribute the best I can...
Like Jacob says, "The reason that sharing is not more common is that, well, people you're willing to share with aren't that common."
Having worked in shops my whole life, this quote really got me laughing. There is always a division among people of those who care and those who care-less.
This thread reminds me of one that I started about sharing farm equipment. It's kind of the same dilemma. I've approached it cautiously, because for every responsible individual out there, there are two that are not responsible. I guess it takes time to identify who's who.
In the mean time, I try to acquire tools that are barter-able. I have a good idea what I can borrow and what would complement my own small community, so I try to contribute the best I can...
Like Jacob says, "The reason that sharing is not more common is that, well, people you're willing to share with aren't that common."