It Took Longer To Write This Post.
I got home a half hour earlier than the family. I quickly changed and ran downstairs to the garage. All of the parts and tools were ready, so I just had to throw the ti bike in the work stand and get to wrenching.
The broken shifter came off easily. Snip the respective derailleur and brake cables, loosen the binding bolts, feel the cable through the housing and out of the shifter, loosen the one bolt that hold the shifter to the bar, and I'm done. The housings and bar tape stay in place, because they're in good condition and I'm lazy.
I reused the brake cable, because it was in good shape and I could feed it back through the housing without fraying the hell out of it. The derailleur cable? Not so much. No matter. The new shifter went on about as fast as the old one came off. I spent more time adjusting the rear derailleur than I did installing the shifter, because I suck at it. Eventually I got it to sound somewhat less like a washing machine full of bricks, so I called it good enough.
The ti bike is rideable again. I may replace the chain and clean it up, but the lazy side of me says that it's going to get filthy again in the first 100 feet of the first ride, so why bother? There may be something to that train of thought. I may wait until the snowmelt puddles recede a bit before I go all crazy with maintenance. Maybe a quick hose down and cleaning the drivetrain will suffice for now.
It feels good to fix things for a change.
The broken shifter came off easily. Snip the respective derailleur and brake cables, loosen the binding bolts, feel the cable through the housing and out of the shifter, loosen the one bolt that hold the shifter to the bar, and I'm done. The housings and bar tape stay in place, because they're in good condition and I'm lazy.
I reused the brake cable, because it was in good shape and I could feed it back through the housing without fraying the hell out of it. The derailleur cable? Not so much. No matter. The new shifter went on about as fast as the old one came off. I spent more time adjusting the rear derailleur than I did installing the shifter, because I suck at it. Eventually I got it to sound somewhat less like a washing machine full of bricks, so I called it good enough.
The ti bike is rideable again. I may replace the chain and clean it up, but the lazy side of me says that it's going to get filthy again in the first 100 feet of the first ride, so why bother? There may be something to that train of thought. I may wait until the snowmelt puddles recede a bit before I go all crazy with maintenance. Maybe a quick hose down and cleaning the drivetrain will suffice for now.
It feels good to fix things for a change.
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