Saw a guy on the Red Line fix a flat with a coffee stirrer

This was Tuesday morning, maybe 7:45 AM. We were stuck between stations. Guy pulls out a bike tire tube, a patch kit, and a wooden coffee stirrer. He used the stirrer to spread the glue. Had the patch on in under two minutes. Whole car was watching. I always carry a full kit, but that was clever. Anyone else seen a weirdly smart fix on their train?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephmartin3d agoTop Commenter

That coffee stirrer trick is genius, makes a lot of sense for getting the glue thin. @river_allen is right, it's all about the fix that works. Saw a woman use a hair elastic and a pen to make a temporary phone stand on the Blue Line once. People get really creative when they're stuck.

lopez.quinn3d ago

My friend watched someone on the Orange Line use a gum wrapper and a battery to jump-start a dead key fob. It was this whole tense moment because the train doors wouldn't open at their stop without it. The person just folded the foil around the terminals, popped the battery back in, and it worked long enough to get out. Kind of amazing what people can figure out under pressure.

river_allen3d ago

Honestly used to think you needed all the fancy tools for a real repair. Seeing someone use a coffee stirrer like that kind of changes the game, doesn't it? Makes you realize the best fix is just the one that works right now. Bet that guy has done that more than once to be that fast.