Fleet Update fall 2020

 

I decided to list the Trek again before I could talk myself out of it.  I put it on CL at $375 and got the full price within a few days.   The buyer plans to commute on it and really liked the bike and as much as I debated letting it go I am glad its going to a good home where it will get ridden and not spend most of its life in a spare bedroom -lol.   I kept the leather saddle and MKS sneaker pedals that I had on it as they will both get used again.  Interestingly the buyer had looked at a Nishiki Cresta in his search but noted it was not in good shape and was barely safe to ride so I think the Trek was a breath of fresh air.

With the clunker challenge over I got the Univega ready to hand off to my barista friend.  I put the original saddle back on, not sure the one I used for the clunker challenge was much better and this saddle is fine for rides under about 6 miles.

I put a decent range cassette and new chain on the bike and some new grips since I am keeping the nice Ergons for that someday Mountain bike.  All up including purchase price I am still a shade under $100 for this bike so if my friend doesn't like it I can list it on CL but I hope it fits and he likes it.

And then there is the problem child Giant..... I should be very clear these problems are entirely self inflicted, I brought this on myself.

I did know going in the hoods had tape and were suspect but they were even worse than I thought.  I was able to find the right replacements in the UK and fortunately I had a refund at PayPal so the hoods were only about $10 out of pocket but the real cost was not cheap.  

Speaking of hoods the rear shifter is going to need some attention, down shifts are ok but up shifts are a chore at best and not all them work.  I am hopeful that a WD 40 flush and some gentle brushing to remove the gunk and then a lube, will solve that issue.

I had an inkling the tires would need replacing and I was right the ones on the bike were old and a bit brittle.  I was lucky the left over Continental tire I had that wouldn't fit on the Allez fits fine on the Giant and this bike is red too, so I only had to order one new tire.

As I think I mentioned in the last post there is a fair bit of sticker residue so I will have to spend some time with Goof Off and a plastic scrapper to remove it and get the bike a bit cleaner and more presentable.

Here is a learn from my dumb mistakes lesson.  When I unloaded the bike at home and was walking it to the apartment I noticed a hesitation in the rolling and that was because the front wheel was out of true and would scrape on the brake at one point in the rotation.  Why was that you ask?  Um broken spoke that I found when I set about trying to true the wheel.  I really should have caught that and got myself a discount.... oh well no stuck stem or seat post.  Although I could try and order a single spoke to replace the broken one I think I will bite the bullet and just go to the LBS as I did for the Univega and have them replace it.  

With any luck I can get most of the issues sorted over the long weekend and spend the rest of the month blissfully riding the now 4 bike fleet, or find a new bike mess to get myself into....

Ride. Caveat Emptor. Smile. Repeat.