Tooltime: Needles & Syringes

One of the best knee jerk reactions to come out of our Ministry of Health this year in its losing battle against the alarming rise in new cases of HIV infection is the introduction of a needle exchange programme. This programme targets the intravenous drug user groups with the aim of preventing the spread of blood-borne diseases, chiefly HIV. The scheme when implemented is to provide these hard-core abusers with accessible channels to obtain safe and sterile needles and syringes for their injecting habits.

This approach has drawn plenty of flak from certain morally uptight groups (Drugs are bad, mmm’kay?) for they fear it would encourage more people to shoot up. The Fakawi however, were kinda overjoyed to hear this piece of development.

Sure, we care about the lives of families saved from AIDS. HIV transmission rates through needle sharing still runs very high. We absolutely, positively comprehend the economics of giving away a couple of thousand bucks’ worth of needles and syringes to save a couple of billion bucks in healthcare expenditure in the HIV units in hospitals nationwide in the long run.

We are particularly thrilled namely because we too can’t wait to get hold of some free needles and syringes for our own use. Before you start censoring this website from your kids, let me explain…

Yes, we are all addicts… but our addiction is purely to bicycling… (and bike parts). We do not self inject FinishLine lubricants or WD40 into our bloodstream. We sure as heck are not dopers. (Dope is bad, mmm’kay?)

Needles and syringes are indispensable tools in our bike toolbox and frankly, we are sick and tired of getting dirty looks whenever we try to purchase these items from clinics and pharmacies. (“Honest! These marks and bruises on my forearms are not injection marks! They’re leech bites!” ….”Yeah, right!”)

At this point you are asking yourself, “Wait a sec, I know of bike mechanics using syringes for bleeding disc brake hydraulics but needles? What the Fak do you need needles for?”.

Today, I’m gonna let you in on a simple Fakawi tool-time tip. You read it here first. I could have submitted this tip to some biking magazine and earned myself a free Giro helmet but I’d rather share it with you here.

Because we bike so much, we tend to wear out our bike parts fast. Being upgrade freaks like we are, handlebar grips are favourite affordable regular upgrades. Anyone who has tried changing grips at home will attest that it can be a real pain in the neck..and wrist..and elbows…

This is where the handy needle and syringe comes in.

Firstly, you gotta get hold of some quality needles and syringes.
Try sourcing them at the Needle Exchange Centers. If the lovely healthcare worker behind the counter gives you some puny insulin syringes (see pic), politely throw them back in his/her face and demand for something bigger: preferably a 5cc or 10cc syringe.
I was lucky to get hold of a 60cc one from a vet... (Made up an excuse that my cow has an addiction problem and it has been caught sharing needles).

Puny Insulin syringes..No good for the job


At least a 3cc syringe with 23 Gauge Needle

Now we're talkin! 60cc of travel!! Yeeha!

Here comes the tricky part. Suck/fill the syringe with water, affix a clean needle (a large bore needle would be best) and don’t forget to remove the cap. Now we’re ready for action!

Not just any water....

To remove a stubborn grip, poke the needle right through the rubber grip at an angle somewhere in the middle, and simply inject the contents of the syringe into the space between the rubber and the handlebar. The grip will now slip out with ease! Note: This only works with non-lock on grips.

Remember: Non lock-on grips only


Pierce thru and Shoot away!


Grip is out and no hand blisters!

I learned this trick when I was with the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Emergency Department’s Mountainbike Squad (Doctors and Paramedics on bikes). Special thanks to our personal trainer, Mr. Les Fisher, a biker-paramedic from Canada for imparting this handy tip to us.

-Ongawi, August 2005