Thursday, November 10, 2011

DIY Guide: How To Replace Sports Instrument Band for Ham-fisted People

Good evening. Here's another episode of those popular Budget Cyclist's DIY Guides. Today I'll show you how to replace a broken band of your Garmin Forerunner 405 sports instrument.
 

Above, the sports instrument with the broken band and a replacement band.


1) Inspect the tool used for the assembly. This comes with the replacement band. Resembles a tiny fork somewhat, doesn't it? 


2) Inspect the sports instrument. Better lock the touch bezel, so you don't mess up the settings while replacing the band. 


3) On the back of the instrument, there are small holes. Fumble around in the hole with the tool for awhile, and the band should come off.


 4) Voilá! This is a piece of cake.


 5) The band is attached with two tiny thingamajiggies with springs inside. Those clocksmiths are geniouses.


6) Inspect the now-bandless sports instrument and the new, unbroken band. 


7) See the tiny hole there, in the band? Thats where the tiny, springy thingamajiggie goes. Or, should I say, springamajiggie. 


8) Er... the springamajiggie goes there. Now, simply put the band on, then fumble around with the tool provided, and... this is harder than I thought. Wait a minute. Damn! It almost went there. Try again. Careful... careful... don't break anything... now, if I'll just... almost there... heck! How the hell is this supposed to be possible? I should have three hands to do this. It's just impossible to... see, it's f**kin hard to hold this round bloody thing and then the band and simultaneously... DAMN! SHIT! FUCK! Why didn't they attach instructions of any kind to this? There must be some kind of a clever way how this CRAP! This is just fuckin' impossible.

(Continue trying for 20 minutes or so...)

  

9) Give up. You're a man, with big, manly hands anyway, and this kind of tinkering stuff is for girls and sissies. Shake fist at the bloody instrument. 

  

 10) Put the parts back into the plastic bag. The next day, take it to a clocksmith's to have the band attached by a professional.


 11) Have a beer to calm your nerves. Oh, have two.