Aluminum Shimmy

The idea of making shimmy from a beverage can came from reading the book 'Zen and the art of motorcycle Maintenace'. The author describes how he used some aluminum shimmy made from a soda can, to fix his motor bike's loose handlebars. For him, this was a perfect solution while his travelling partner would only fix such a problem if the part had come from the motor bike dealership. The book was more about philosophy than fixing motorcycles.

Anyhow, this knowledge did enable me to buy a cheap secondhand bicycle which had a loose seat stem and then to quickly repair it using shimmy made from a coke can, much to the intrigue of the secondhand dealer.

Making shimmy is not too difficult, nor does it require specialist tools.

Empty beverage can

Shimmy can be created by:

1. Cutting the top and bottom off an empty beverage can with scissors. Then trim again for a smooth edge.
2. Cutting down one side of the can.
3. Flattening the sheet by rubbing the sheet against the edge of a table.
4. Cutting the sheet into small 'shimmy sized' strips.

Shimmy can be used to make things tight. This could be a seat post of bicycle seat, the handlebars of a motor bike or to fill in a small gap. The photo shows some aluminum shimmy being used to tighten a wobbly wooden support.