So the bike’s fixed now. Two-hundred dollars later, my shift lever now shifts nine times, the rear derailleur hanger has been straightened, I’ve got a new rear tire (apparently the Hutchinsons that came with the bike are softer than a meter maid’s backside and not exactly suitable for use on a trainer), a headset / head tube that no longer clanks every time I stand up, and I also splurged on the Deluxe Tune-Up for $59.99.
I know, that’s absolutely thrilling news, although for a total of $197, I was kind of hoping they might clean the bike up a bit but when I brought it home this past Saturday, it actually seemed dirtier than it had been when I dropped it off the previous week. I was also under the impression that $197 would include a few drops of lube for the chain, but thirty minutes after hitting the road, I realized that expectation must have been a tad bit too high considering the squealing coming from the drive train.
Regardless, after a two-week layoff, I’m now back on the bike getting the legs back into shape for . . . the end of the season. Not that I raced enough to say I had an actual “season,” but it’s only a matter of weeks before it’s dark by 5 PM and the only time you get outside to ride is Saturdays and Sundays--granted it’s not raining or snowing--and you do so bundled in a few swaddling layers of polypropylene, neoprene, polyester, nylon, cotton, and wool to keep from freezing to death. Christ, I can’t believe the summer is over already. My brain just isn’t ready for hours upon hours spent on the trainer in the basement. Maybe I’ll buy a power meter for Christmas (notice it’s Christmas and not the holidays) to make myself feel better.
Just maybe.
Tuesday, September 25
Thursday, September 20
It's in the shop . . . really
I finally brought my bike to the shop. When I explained the head tube / headset was making a clanking noise, the mechanic grabbed the bars, lifted the front wheel about a foot off the ground, and let go.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Big time.”
Locking the seat tube into a bike stand, he began picking apart my bike. “Come on over here,” he said, inviting me behind the counter. “You’re derailleur hanger is bent. Your brake calipers are loose and aren’t set correctly. Your rear tire is worn down to the threading.” (Apparently, the Hutchinsons that came with the bike don’t do so well with the heat from my trainer.) When he loosened the shift cable and toyed with the shift lever, he added, “You’re right. It’s only shifting eight times. The ball-end of the cable that broke is probably stuck in there.”
That was last Saturday and they’re still working on it. I agreed to the $60 tune-up while we were at it, but the good news is that they were able to fix the shift lever without replacing it.
And since I decided to take a few days off from riding beginning last Monday, I haven’t ridden since September 9th. Today’s the 20th. Man, do I feel all out of sorts or what? Regardless, if I can get the bike back by Saturday (I can only imagine what the financial damage is going to be), I’ll hit the road for the first time in almost two weeks. Thinking about it, the idea of riding again after two weeks off the bike is almost scary. I get the feeling I’ve lost every ounce of fitness I’ve gained over the past year and I’m going to cough up a long on the first serious climb. Rationally, I know that won’t happen, but it’s surprising what the imagination will come up with knowing a particular routine has been broken as long as I’ve broken it this past week-and-a-half.
That's it. That's all I've got right now.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Big time.”
Locking the seat tube into a bike stand, he began picking apart my bike. “Come on over here,” he said, inviting me behind the counter. “You’re derailleur hanger is bent. Your brake calipers are loose and aren’t set correctly. Your rear tire is worn down to the threading.” (Apparently, the Hutchinsons that came with the bike don’t do so well with the heat from my trainer.) When he loosened the shift cable and toyed with the shift lever, he added, “You’re right. It’s only shifting eight times. The ball-end of the cable that broke is probably stuck in there.”
That was last Saturday and they’re still working on it. I agreed to the $60 tune-up while we were at it, but the good news is that they were able to fix the shift lever without replacing it.
And since I decided to take a few days off from riding beginning last Monday, I haven’t ridden since September 9th. Today’s the 20th. Man, do I feel all out of sorts or what? Regardless, if I can get the bike back by Saturday (I can only imagine what the financial damage is going to be), I’ll hit the road for the first time in almost two weeks. Thinking about it, the idea of riding again after two weeks off the bike is almost scary. I get the feeling I’ve lost every ounce of fitness I’ve gained over the past year and I’m going to cough up a long on the first serious climb. Rationally, I know that won’t happen, but it’s surprising what the imagination will come up with knowing a particular routine has been broken as long as I’ve broken it this past week-and-a-half.
That's it. That's all I've got right now.
Saturday, September 8
Mechanical Failures
Been a while since I last updated this page, although I’m unsure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, I’ve been busy in the office and haven’t spent all that much time thinking about cycling, although I was thinking about it a lot the past hour as I was down in the basement working on my Jamis.
You know, a few weeks ago if you had asked me how I liked the bike, I would have said, “Love it.” Today, I’m not so sure and I say that as I’ve had mechanical issues the past few weeks including a Shimano 105 shift lever that only seems to want to shift eight times as opposed to the nine times (10-speed) it should be shifting.
When my shifting started acting funny a few weeks ago, I brought the bike home and started tooling with the barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur to try and get the gearing spot-on when the shift cable busted--at the end inside the shift lever. I changed the cable and got it working, but I’m convinced the metal end of the old cable is stuck in the lever and not allowing the shifter to shift nine times the way it should.
Oh well. That just means I can’t hit top gear and how often am I in top gear? Eventually I’ll get around to replacing the shifter, but no rush on that as those things are pricey.
(And I tried adjusting the H-screw on the derailleur but that didn’t help me at all.)
On top of that, I keep getting this loud clicking noise every time I stand up to sprint and I’m convinced it’s coming from the stem/fork. Everything’s tight when I do a check-up and I doubt it’s the crank considering I only hear the noise when I stand up and throw the bike side-to-side when I’m pedaling hard. I also hear a similar click when I hit a big enough hole, so I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the front end, but am I confident enough to take apart the stem and dismantle the fork from the frame? Not exactly.
Eventually, I’ll get that fixed.
And apparently, after having ridden the trainer a few times the past few weeks, the threading in my rear tire is now showing. I only noticed it today while doing climbing repeats at Bear Mountain and at first I thought it normal wear and tear, but after only 2,500 miles? It wasn’t until I had the bike mounted on the trainer tonight while I attempted to adjust the rear derailleur once more that I put the two together. This means I’m going to have to take apart the trainer and make sure that thing’s working the way it’s supposed to considering this never happened on my old bike (and the same trainer).
You know what I’d like? I’d like things to work the way they’re supposed to work. Is that too much to ask? Sheesh.
You know, a few weeks ago if you had asked me how I liked the bike, I would have said, “Love it.” Today, I’m not so sure and I say that as I’ve had mechanical issues the past few weeks including a Shimano 105 shift lever that only seems to want to shift eight times as opposed to the nine times (10-speed) it should be shifting.
When my shifting started acting funny a few weeks ago, I brought the bike home and started tooling with the barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur to try and get the gearing spot-on when the shift cable busted--at the end inside the shift lever. I changed the cable and got it working, but I’m convinced the metal end of the old cable is stuck in the lever and not allowing the shifter to shift nine times the way it should.
Oh well. That just means I can’t hit top gear and how often am I in top gear? Eventually I’ll get around to replacing the shifter, but no rush on that as those things are pricey.
(And I tried adjusting the H-screw on the derailleur but that didn’t help me at all.)
On top of that, I keep getting this loud clicking noise every time I stand up to sprint and I’m convinced it’s coming from the stem/fork. Everything’s tight when I do a check-up and I doubt it’s the crank considering I only hear the noise when I stand up and throw the bike side-to-side when I’m pedaling hard. I also hear a similar click when I hit a big enough hole, so I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the front end, but am I confident enough to take apart the stem and dismantle the fork from the frame? Not exactly.
Eventually, I’ll get that fixed.
And apparently, after having ridden the trainer a few times the past few weeks, the threading in my rear tire is now showing. I only noticed it today while doing climbing repeats at Bear Mountain and at first I thought it normal wear and tear, but after only 2,500 miles? It wasn’t until I had the bike mounted on the trainer tonight while I attempted to adjust the rear derailleur once more that I put the two together. This means I’m going to have to take apart the trainer and make sure that thing’s working the way it’s supposed to considering this never happened on my old bike (and the same trainer).
You know what I’d like? I’d like things to work the way they’re supposed to work. Is that too much to ask? Sheesh.
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