Things to do:

Figure out what tools I need and get them

Reattach fork and front bearings

reattach handlebars 

reattach front brakes

fix cables on handlebars

insert seat & seatpost

calibrate brakes and gears

reattach pedals

I think that is it. While this is a little more than I expected to do, I look forward to getting to know my bike a little better. This will also help if i ever get around to building a bike and fixing my own bike! I will hopefully update this as I move down the list. The only bike store relatively close opens at 9 tomorrow, so I am going to pay them a visit in the morning so I can pick up any tools I need. I might as well buy the tools because I am going to have to take it apart later.

To improve the my chances of putting this back together and taking it apart again, I am going to try to write everything out (Finally! A chance to practice my orientation terms!).

First rule of unpacking things: Document everything!

Seatpost and Saddle

The seat post is wrapped first in a plastic bag, then in cardboard. The cardboard covers the bottom of the seatpost, but is about a forefinger's length from the saddle. About two inches from the top of the cardboard, the plastic is pulled out and around the cardboard. The plastic and card board are wrapped tightly with two separate pieces of packing tape.

The saddle is wrapped in a similar way, first with plastic, than with two pieces of cardboard. The bottom piece is under the posterior part of the saddle and the top piece of cardboard spans the entire saddle. The two pieces of cardboard are wrapped in masking tape... It looks like the bottom piece was attached first as there is tape wrapped around the bottom cardboard and the plastic on the top of the saddle. Then the top piece was added and a piece of tape was wrapped around the entire thing. With the combined piece in front of me posteroanterior(ly?), the tape goes from the posterior left lateral side, down and around the bottom piece of cardboard (anticlockwise), comes back up and across the top piece of cardboard (overlapping the the starting place; still anticlockwise), down and around the bottom piece again (overlapping itself). Then, when it reaches the posterior right lateral side, it moves diagonally to the anterior left lateral side. It then wraps underneath the the anterior of the saddle (anticlockwise). the piece of tape ends on the anterior left lateral side by just overlapping itself. OK. That's enough Colin. Just unwrap it fo goodness sake!

Second rule of unpacking things: broken tape is ok, broken packaging (cardboard and plastic bags) is less ok. 

Notes: I've noticed that may marker rubs off of the plastic, but considering I won't be handling it much, I think it is ok. If it turns out to be a problem, I will use tape. Oh Wow! The carbon fiber seatpost is so light! I really want a bike mide out of carbon! Alright, the seatpost and saddle have been freed from their travel garments. Time to tackle the main course. I feel like a forensic biological anthropologist or something...a mortitian perhaps. I wish I had a recorder. 

Frame

Viewing the bike from the right lateral side, observations are posteroanterior. The seat stays and chain stays seem to be wrapped in a cardboard-esque paper that is sealed by some doublesided tape...not tape...glue. The cardboard wrap around the left chainstay is wrapped in red cord that is threaded through the hole in the crank arm where the pedals go.

Crank Arm

The left crank ("not the same side" to the drive train) had red cord threaded through the pedal hole and around the chain stay on that side. Both were covered in a sheet of plastic with a sticky side. 

Bike Rack

The left (arms/spokes/bars) that reach down to the rear axle had a little bit of cardboard on them...but not the right one. >.<

Here is a brief description of what packaging is left to strip: 

Front wheel is attached to top tube and has some cardboard, cardboard around top tube and down tube, plastic around headtube and fork, carboard and ziptie around chainrings, cardboard on the handlebars, cardboard on front brake calipers. 

Front Wheel

The front wheel is secured to the frame with two thick white zipties. Both are around the top tube, two spokes apart. There is a little slab of cardboard on the outside of the wheel under one of the ties (posterior) and there probably should have been one under the other...perhaps it slipped out. The posterior ziptie is also looped around the handlebars, keeping them elevated. 

Notes: Success! I have removed the top two zipties without damaging them! But now I need a way to keep my bike stable so I can work on it. Normally, I would turn it upside down and rest is on the handlebars and saddle, but neither of those are attached...I am going to try to do that before I remove anything else. (A few minutes later...) Hmm, Forester says I can hang it from rafters (which I conveniently have in my garage) with clothes line. I will have to insert the seatpost though, and I don't know how well that will stay without the right tools. I will remove the rest of the packaging, then see what I need to do to insert the saddle and the handlebars. Perhaps my roommate will be nice and drive me to a hardware store. 

Fork, Headpost, and Handlebar Post

The plastic wrapped around this set of components covered the entire thing. I looks like the fork went in the bag first and reached the bottom. Part of the opening of the bag was pulled over the handlebar post and secured with a rubberband. the rest is underneath the cardboard on the down tube. 

Frame (Continued) 

The top tube is protected by two overlapping pieces of carboard paper (same material as the seat and chain stays). The first piece was wrapped around the anterior of the top tube and the second piece covered the remaining posterior area. 

The down tube has similar packaging with the addition of a folded piece of cardboard near the superior, anterior part of the tube (where the down tube meets the head tube).

Notes: One of my housemates generously offered to let me borrow her car if I need to run to the store...I wonder if there are any hardwear stores in the area... I don't really want to wait until tomorrow to finish this project. Then again, it might be a better idea to wait so I don't have more than one of the same tool (I am going to buy a multipurpose tool tomorrow no matter what so I can have on when I ride).  All that is left is the carboard around the chainrings, front brake calipers, and handlebars. 

Chainrings

There is a thick sheet of cardboard in a "|_|" shape that is secured around the chainrings with a white ziptie. The ziptie went through all three chainrings and was tightened around the cardboard. 

Handlebars

Two pieces of cardboard. The long skinny piece was wrapped around the shift/break levels, and the bigger piece was wrapped around the shift level stub. 

Notes: I should be time stamping this. It would make it more dramatic. Let's just say it has been several hours. My awesome roommate suggested hitting up Fred Meyer (West Coast Meijer)! Great idea! I am going to go there right now! 

I have returned from Fred Meyer with Hex Keys! I can secure my saddle and handlebars! Though I need to figure out how the cables go. They are thoroughly confusing. 

Alright. I am going to call it a night and finish working on this in the morning. I have reattached the seatpost and saddle, handlebars, and fitted the rear brake calipers. I am having trouble fitting my shift cables. There are these little notches that keep the cables in place on the bike, and I can't seem to get them in there. Once those are fitted, I need to add the front wheel and pedals, then calibrate everything. Not much at all. From what I have seen, calibration is relatively harmless and should only take an hour or so at most.