The joy of fixing a bike :)

[lph]

I finally realized that the key to getting my winter bike fixed up again was time and comfort... wrenching outdoors in winter is a race against time and frozen fingers and ensures shoddy and minimal work. So I took Friday off (!) and transformed our cramped little kitchen into a bike workshop. Oh joy! Being able to mull over little mechanical details in warmth and comfort! Puttering around in stocking feet with a cup of tea!

So poor filthy corroded Kona Frankenbike got a new rear shifter lever (broke the last one, I keep doing that ), new cables and perfectly adjusted re-routed housing for both derailleurs (which will be interesting cos now I've crossed the cables underneath the downtube, they rattle but don't seem to rub). Housing that is too long is such a pain in cold temps, every little extra bit of friction is noticeable. New brake cables and housing, meticulously lubed brake pivots and derailleurs, freshly scrubbed brake pads and rims and I splurged and threw in a new chain as well. The old one wasn't that worn but it came off looking like a seismograph with a million stiff links from the damn road salt. Oh, and a new front fender, tenuously attached, with a home-made mud flap from a soda bottle.

ooh-ooh-ooh, can't wait to go out and ride a "new" bike to work Monday!

And now my "good bike" can go rest in a corner, and corrode in peace until spring...