Self maintenance?

[Kitsune06]

Deb- I knew you'd have some wisdom for me Thank you. Regarding the proper tension on the allen bolt, is that something with an inherent trick to it, or should it feel self-explanatory?

any suggestions for wrapping around the brake levers?

Are you replacing the drop bars with something else? Are you putting a shorter stem on?
My suggestion is to do the replacing stem and bars thing first- but don't wrap the bars yet. Ride it for a couple of weeks, because you may well want to make adjustments in where the hoods sit, or the hood angles. It is also quite possible that you will want a different size stem than what you are putting on. These things are hard to judge after one or two rides- especially if you are new to the dropped down road posture. Once you wrap, you can't make these changes anymore until you strip the tape and buy new tape again.

If you put too short a stem, your steering will become wobbly and annoying. Your body will slowly adapt to the new position to a certain extent, and the reach will seem less long and way more comfortable after a couple of months riding.

You suggest I ride unwrapped?
I'm switching the drops that came on it with a slightly different bar. Like the Salsa Short 'n Shallow... and narrower, too. 36cm, fitted to my shoulder width, which fit *inside* the bars the former owner had.
The stem on it currently is pretty long for me. With the seat moved to a place where I get the proper KOP, my torso is stretched way out, with straight elbows to even reach the hoods, so there's a lot of weight on my hands, rather uncomfortably.
But yes, I feel like I'm venturing into very foreign territory. I believe in going what 'feels right'... but the whole concept of riding in that road position, with drop handlebars, is still strange, to the point that I don't know what 'right' is yet.