ABC Oops

Bar End Shifter Installation

When my road bike derailleur broke, described here, I got another one after I found that some of the simple parts aren't available and others were bent. Then the right (rear) shifter stopped working. Conveniently enough, I decided this was a good time to switch to the eight-speed bar end shifters I already had.

Over the weekend, I changed the various stuff out and did a bit of a shakedown cruise after work today. I dutifully put air in the tires, fulfilling the "A" part of "ABC Quick Check." Then after checking basic brake "B" and chain/changer/cassette "C" operation, I set off for a rather extended check. Can you call it "Quick" if it takes an hour?

Anyway, shifting and braking functioned well, as would be expected from new cables and housing, but before I'd gone a couple of miles, I noticed a disturbing rattle from the back end of the bike. Stopping, I looked things over and didn't see anything. I decided I'd give things a thorough going over when I got to the coffee shop. It really wouldn't do for a distracted cyclist to ride along and trying to look at his rear wheel and associated hardware. "Officer, I really DON'T know WHAT was wrong with that guy, he just kept looking back until he ran right into that pole!"

Anyway, when I stopped, the FIRST thing I noticed was that it looked like the cable for the front derailleur had been installed by a drunken sailor. FAIL the "C."

The Cable is SUPPOSED to go THROUGH That Hole!

It's Dried Mud on that Chainstay, Not Corrosion

THEN I saw the cause of the disturbing rattle. That shows up below, where the rear brake nut backed off until the seat stay stopped it from going any further. FAIL the "B."

This NEEDS to Get Snugged Up a Bit!

At least I managed to put AIR into the tires without any problems, and it illustrates why it is a good idea to ride around a bit after fooling with the shifting and braking on the bike. Imagine how I'd have felt if, on the way to work, my rear brake had fallen apart and the shifter cable cut into the frame. Instead, all is well, or it will be if the NEXT shakedown ride reveals no further problems. By the way, what LOOKS like corrosion in that middle photo is really dried mud. The road bike needs a bit of cleaning/waxing action before being put back into service.

The New Brake Levers DO Look Nice

Going and Not

Fatally Damaged Derailleur on Road Bike. Missing Pulley Was the Least of the Problems.
Hmm, reading Big Oak's post about his axle breaking, perhaps things are going around. In my case, they aren't going around. At least I didn't bust a wheel.

I rode my road bike to work this morning. More accurately, I rode it 90% of the way to work this morning. At that point, a rear derailleur pulley bolt departed and flew to points unknown, as did the associated pulley. After some fruitless looking around, I found that I could still power the beast with one particular gear combination as long as I didn’t mind it skipping if I pedaled too hard, and if I held my breath a lot. That let me limp the last two miles in. At lunch, I concluded that I’d been lucky to go two miles, and no jury rigging would keep it together well enough to get home under power.  What's more, enough parts of the derailleur are bent, that I think I shall ride Buddy to work for a bit while I see if I can't get a replacement. While I do not recall “ABC Quick Check” instructing us to check the security of derailleur pulley bolts, I shall add this incident to my long and growing list of “ABC” things that go wrong. I can’t really say I’ve ever had a derailleur come apart this way before except when I was dismantling them on purpose. This particular derailleur was last dismantled about 250 miles ago. Maybe it’s bad karma from Big Oak’s axle.

Just as with Jaguars, on rare occasions, it’s best to give the vehicle a ride home…

Felix, the Jaguar