It's The Little Things

Yesterday I was out doing errands on the mule (my predominant winter bike) and stopped at a local bike shop for some advice. I needed to replace a shifter cable but I'd be darned if I couldn't find how to remove it. I had taken the shifter off the handlebars and the cable seemed to be encased in the mechanism with no entree. So I presented the experts with my dilemma. Yes, they said, it is a little difficult and sometimes confusing, but it's not all that difficult. What you have to do, they added, is while it is still on the handlebar (with the grip removed) give it a gentle tug and rotate it counter-clockwise and it will separate into two pieces, exposing the cable end. OK, I thought why don't I do this while I have it in the shop...so I did. Like this, I said, as I gently pulled and turned...then to my (and their) chagrin, I heard a cracking sound followed by the sound of small pieces of plastic hitting the floor. Apparently I pulled a tad too hard (or the grip has simply been through too many Buffalo winters)...at any rate it was rendered useless.

After what seemed like an uncomfortably long silence one of the guys says, well the good news is that if you buy a new shifter the cable comes already attached. They also threw in a free pair of grips for free (which I was there to purchase as well)...they're good people, there at Campus Wheel Works.

At any rate, after going the past month as a single speed (not fixed, just single...never fixed) I finally have a shifter that shifts perfectly again (and handlebar grips that are not constantly sliding off)...it's the little things, sometimes, that can really make me happy.