As spring approaches I discover myself consumed by an virtually pathological need to get all my wheeled conveyances operating as easily as doable. This extends even to THE CAR THAT I OWN, and so within the morning I dropped it off with the mechanic and returned house through bicycle:
In the event you’re questioning what I used to be having completed to the automobile, clearly I used to be having it lifted:
Simply kidding:
Additionally, in the event you’re questioning what sort of automobile I personal, I can’t disclose that as a result of it is a bike weblog and I’m supposed to keep up an arm’s size relationship with the hated car. Nonetheless, it’s fairly simple to determine, as a result of in the event you stay within the New York Metropolis space or actually anyplace within the northeast, you trip a bicycle, and you’ve got a household, there’s just one automobile you’re legally allowed to personal, and that’s the one I’ve. I solely point out this as a result of I used to be pleasantly stunned to study that in the event you fold the rear seats down in mentioned automobile you’ll be able to slide a 54.5cm Roaduno proper in there, ample wheelbase and all, with out even having to take away the entrance wheel:
And sure, I’ve varied racks for carrying bikes on the automobile correctly, however I don’t maintain them on the automobile on a regular basis, and I’m definitely not going to undergo the difficulty of putting in one for a 10-minute drive to Yonkers.
Anyway, with the automobile in succesful palms I then unleashed my very own incapable ones upon my bicycles, and as I discussed lately my subsequent mission is the re-modernization of the Milwaukee:
To that finish, I’d organized for the supply of a model new Shimano 105 drivetrain from Ben’s Cycle:
My normal method when tackling a mission of this magnitude is to go about it as shortly as doable, and within the course of screw up like fifteen issues. Nonetheless, this time I’m decided to be sluggish and methodical about it, and solely screw up like 10 issues. So over the weekend I patiently eliminated the outdated components, and my modest purpose for at this time was to easily bolt on the brand new ones–no cables, no changes, simply put all the pieces in approximate place and “mock it up” if you’ll.
Nonetheless, earlier than I even received began, I received it in my head to swap derailleurs on the Roaduno, for the reason that chain’s just a bit bit slack within the grandparent ring, and I figured a barely longer cage would do the trick:
Naively, I figured this could take me at most 5 minutes. As a substitute, the restrict screws on the Campagnolo derailleur turned out to not be lengthy sufficient to lock the derailleur into place beneath the one freewheel, and the opposite derailleurs I attempted had been too lengthy to permit the chain to shift into the massive ring, and the opposite chains I had had been too brief, so after a protracted interval of swapping and swapping and swapping once more I simply ended up placing the outdated derailleur again on there–although I did exchange the worn pulleys whereas I used to be at it, so I suppose it wasn’t an entire waste of time.
Oh, and right here’s how an expert mechanic creates sufficient slack within the chain to reattach it:
I’m positive there are a couple of thousand extra elegant methods to try this, however class is for “woosies.”
By this level I’d frittered away many of the morning, and if the derailleur detour wasn’t distracting sufficient, within the midst of all this fussing I obtained a bundle. A pair weeks in the past, whereas the 105 components had been already in transit, an extremely beneficiant reader despatched me an electronic mail alongside the traces of, “Hey, good weblog, would you like some outdated 11-speed Campy stuff I don’t want anymore?” Naturally I mentioned sure, however I couldn’t actually inform a lot from the photograph he despatched, and so I actually had no concept what I used to be getting till I opened the field and located it filled with not simply Report however SUPER Report parts!
The humorous factor about Tremendous Report is that it appears utterly pointless and indulgent till you obtain a bundle containing it, at which level you caress it lovingly after which run round exhibiting it off to anybody within the instant space, together with the cat. Certainly, I used to be tempted to abort Challenge 105 altogether and put the Tremendous Report stuff on the Milwaukee as an alternative, however as I discussed I’m decided to be methodical and so I resolved to stay to the unique plan. Sorry Campy-philes, however relaxation assured the Tremendous Report shall be discovering its means onto one other deserving bike very quickly.
And thanks very a lot to Stan, I’m eternally grateful.
Within the meantime, I rolled up my sleeves and received again to work, although I don’t undertake any bike mission as of late with out loads of Dumonde, the official lubricant* of Bike Snob NYC:
*[Dumonde would probably rather I not refer to them as my official lubricant, but I will continue to do so until they tell me to stop.]
Whereas the bike was largely aside I additionally took the chance to lastly file out the rear dropouts a bit since they had been just a little comfortable after the refinishing:
Lastly, I turned to the components. I do have expertise utilizing this iteration of Shimano 105, having spent a while with a test-cycle that was thusly outfitted:
Nonetheless, on a day-to-day foundation I’m extra accustomed to engaged on older parts, comparable to cranks with 5 holes:
Solely 4 holes? Unimaginable! I should be sooner or later!
Additionally, as soon as upon a time you can inform which means as much as put a chainring simply by taking a look at it. Now it’s anyone’s guess:
I lastly figured it out by doing a picture search, and naturally it went the alternative means I believed it did.
Then there are these space-age Torx bolts:
Fortuitously I do have a set of Torx keys, which I’ve used perhaps as soon as within the final 10 years:
I do get the explanation for Torx bolts, however what I don’t get is that the pinch bolt nonetheless makes use of Allen bolts:
However I’m positive an engineer will dork-splain it to me.
Within the meantime, as I used to be considering this thriller, my spouse appeared with a cappuccino for me:
Receiving a bundle containing a Tremendous Report drivetrain and receiving a shock cappuccino–on the exact same day no much less!–had me pinching myself with a cable crimper to verify I wasn’t dreaming.
With the crank put in, I moved onto the cassette:
After placing it on spent about 5 minutes making an attempt to interact the lockring, in the end resigning myself to the truth that the wheel I had thought was 11-speed all this time wasn’t 11-speed in spite of everything. “Oh, effectively, I suppose I’ll must get a brand new wheel,” I concluded. Then I spotted I had did not take away the spacer that had been behind the outdated cassette.
Fortuitously at this level I used to be saved by the auto mechanic calling to inform me the automobile was prepared, so I documented my meager progress and put all the pieces away:
Then I hit the path:
Stopping solely briefly to {photograph} this hawk:
Regardless of my presence it was as reluctant to depart its perch as I used to be to method it, and I questioned if maybe it was guarding a latest kill, or ready for a possibility to grab some roadkill off the Main Deegan:
No matter it was as much as, fortunately it didn’t claw my face off.
