“Am I all hat and no cattle?”

Sometimes it takes the words of a 13-year old to put what it is about a bicycle that I love. Henri Boulanger, son of Gary and Jean wrote this. Ride on, Henri!

Holy cow was today busy! Had what was supposed to be a simple Dura Ace triple install finalize on a Somec cross frame. Evidently a Dura Ace triple front changer with STI doesn’t like pulley rollers for top-pull cable routing. After trying what would be a standard down the left and up the right cable routing and finding that I could not get the derailer to work to my expectation, I crossed the routing (down the right side of the roller and up and around the left to the derailer. That small change in cable pull angle was all it took for the derailer to hit all three rings perfectly. In addition to that, while the customer was in the shop, I showed him that the already installed bottom bracket cups were showing light between the cup and the bottom bracket face. A facing was in order. He did say he did have a tough time getting the axle through the bearings. A quick facing and the axle went right through slick as you please. All buttoned up.

Next was a sweet Soulcraft that was in for an oil change in the fork with new wiper seals and a brake bleed. Black tainted oil came out of both the fork and brakes. Much needed oil replenishment. I can’t say enough about Shimano hydraulic brakes and just how easy they are to bleed and once bled just feel “right.”

In addition to all that, I wrote up repairs for five more bikes. It’s going to be busy tomorrow too.

(What’s playing: Green Day Welcome to Paradise)