2 Razors 1 Bike
2 Razors 1 Bike
😌 Mantras that guide my maintenance & teaching
REMEMBER TO KISS
(Keep It Super Simple!)
Just so that we’re all on the same page, I’m talking about philosophical razors here. These are like mantras and can be used anywhere thoughts and decisions exist. I wanted to share with you two razors that I use in my every day life, especially when it comes to teaching bike maintenance, and with fixing bikes. I also live by these when it comes to learning anything new and diagnosing problems.
Occam’s Razor
First up we have Occam's Razor: ‘Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity"’ (wikipedia)
Or more colloquially put:
“The simplest explanation is usually the best one.”
I use this especially when diagnosing bikes. Human nature wants to jump to the worst case scenario (My brakes need bleeding! My bottom bracket is toast!) But in reality, it's often something much simpler than that. I always start with the thing that's on the outermost part of the bike, the one that's the easiest to check, tighten, or remove and replace with a part that's brand new: the saddle can cause squeaky creaks, and so can pedals. These are infinitely easier to change than a crank arm or bottom bracket.
Feynman’s Razor
I love Feynman's Razor:
"If you can’t explain something simply, then you don’t really understand it."
Feynman was a physics professor at UC Berkeley (go bears 🐻).
If I can't explain a concept to a 6 year old, I'm not fit to teach it.
And when someone comes along and uses jargon heavy language while claiming to teach me something, I know that they're not actually trying to teach me, they're trying to make me think they're smarter than I am / dumber than they are. (I'm looking at you Jordan Peterson.)
This is a power move - don't fall for it.
The amazing thing is that if you can get yourself knowledgeable enough to teach a concept, it means that you’ve really learned what you were studying.
This is why when after I finish teaching a class, I give homework: go teach someone else to cement the knowledge in your brain.
These 2 razors guide how we work and teach at LBK. We’ve found that using these guidelines save time, transfer knowledge, and make life a little easier and more efficient in the process.
There are other great razors out there (Hanlon’s Razor!) what’s your favourite?
UPCOMING CLASSES
I’m teaching a new test class tomorrow afternoon: How to Adjust Your Bike to Fit Your Body. (I am purposely avoiding the words “bike” and “fit” next to each other.)
And Silvi has one spot left on the Wheel Building Part 2 test class: How to Lace and True a Wheel. Part 1 is required for this so if you haven’t taken that yet, start there.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR CLASSES HERE:
THEY’RE HERE & THEY’RE GORGEOUS!
Ombré rainbow Voile straps have arrived. These are black 25” straps, the most common size. Perfect for all you strap n00bs who want to build their collection, as well as for strapping veterans who want to grow their stash or gift to a friend.
Our friends at Brixton are also struggling right now - their lights literally went out and are in need of a cash injection. They have set up a Go Fund Me page, which you can find here.
If/when we move (we still have that eviction notice over our heads but they keep kicking the can down the road!) we will also be setting up a Go Fund Me to help with the inevitable moving slog.
If anyone knows of a shopfront/warehouse with affordable rent (~£10k/year) please let us know. So many spaces are going at market rate (~£40k+/year) which is absolutely not doable for us.
After the ICJ ruled that Israel was "probably" committing genocide, the western superpowers (UK included) retaliated by defunding UNRWA, the largest aid organisation for Palestinians. We need to let them know that we're watching. PSC have a form to send to your MP & the Foreign Office.
I just came back from checking in on my neighbours - their fire alarm was just going and going and going. I initially went out to see where it was coming from, noted that there wasn’t any smoke, and went back home. Then I started to think, “what if something else is wrong? Is anyone else going to help?” and so I put my shoes back on and returned, this time knocking on the door. It was a neighbour I had never met nor seen before. She was Muslim and I immediately was worried about wearing shoes in her house so I kept outside. (A clean and good habit shared with us Asians!) She had put some extra incense on and triggered one of those industrial fire alarms going off in every room. I searched the internet and it suggested turning off the fuse box, so we did that but it didn't completely work. Sadly no one else came by to check. She assured me that she was ok and that eventually the alarm would go off. And it did, 10 mins later. (My tinnitus is activated now unfortunately!)
I share this because old me would have ignored it completely. Old me shared old thoughts like "it's not your problem" and "they'll give you more work to do". And then I thought well, I just want to make sure they're safe and alive, and if they give me work then I'll be able to say no. And my fears were unfounded. I met a new neighbour. In person. It took 15 minutes of my day. It's weird to say this in 2024, when I remember as a child in the 80’s we knew ALL our neighbours (that didn't mean we liked them all tho 😂).
It reminds me of a favourite quote (first heard via Mad Men / Don Draper but turns out is Balzac):
“Our greatest fears lie in anticipation.”
Anyhow, here's to trying to do something a bit differently. 🥂
I leave you with the Adam Curtis documentary Hypernormalisation. Some insight into how we got here. It’s also available on BBC iPlayer as the Youtube upload might not be as good quality.
Ride on,
Jenni x