| Finished my project bike!
I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project bike. I
stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a time (with
the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a ton about
how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting them
to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!
I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike. By
removing a lot of the tension involved in working on a good bike, I wasn't
afraid to goof it up. But, now, I have confidence I could replace the
cables and cable housing on my good bike. I now see the way to fix that
front derailleur that has been auto-shifting from the middle chainring to
the granny gear by itself. And, as a bonus, I have a sense of
self-satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and brain to create
something of value---that actually works!
Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing this. I
spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to do,
working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable, front-suspension
mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!
Pat in TX
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