Back to School (again)

This coming weekend I leave for United Bicycle Institute in Portland. I will probably be riding my bicycle in the rain to catch an early train at the Amtrak station in Fairhaven. I'm getting nervous, worrying that I'm not prepared for the class. It's been six years since I took UBI's week-long intro class, and except for about six weeks at the Birch Bay Bike Shop, I've only done basic repairs and maintenance on my own bikes - my old K2 Tradewinds hybrid, my Surly CrossCheck, and my new Cannondale Synapse.

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and housework, including sorting through my collection of bicycle paraphernalia, old parts, and tools. I wrote up a tools inventory and found duplicates of a few things like cable cutters, and an assortment of hex wrenches of different sizes. And a couple of things I've never used and don't recognize (crank puller? free wheel remover?) I guess I'll find out soon.

I also found this collection of old keys, clamps, clips and devices for attaching lights and accessories. Back in my days as a commuter, it took a lot of trial and error to find head and tail lights that would last more than one rainy season. Rain or condensation always seeps in to corrode the contacts, so every autumn I would end up buying a new set. Often the lights came with more than one type of attachment, to give the customer options for mounting. But the fittings are not interchangeable so now I'm stuck with a bunch of mysterious, useless black plastic parts.

Would it be possible for designers and manufacturers to invent a universal attachment, maybe using zip-ties? Please?