Bloody Knuckles

Thats about how I felt yesterday after fighting with trying to change the pads on the rear J7's. I was about to pulp the damn thing then bash my hands against the wall. I ended up shoving the old pads back in for a quick ride down into Bethesda for a late brunch with the WYF.

Today I re-attempted the task and after about 30 minutes of fumbling, spreading, playing the the contact adjuster knob I got the bloody things to pop right on it!!! I think part of it was the angle I was trying to use. So after, that I felt brave and boled and decided to replace my Rear D, hanger and the cable. Yep at the same time. Even as a computer guy I should remember the first maxim.

Only replace 1 major componet-eth at one time moron!

Well the rear d I did some minor adjustments on the high and low with the cable and chain off to match the originals settings. The other adjustment wasn't far off. The cable was the biggest pain as I did a shitty job cutting it. So it frayed a bit as I tried to thread it. After some lubing, pulling the housings apart to feed it through very carefully. A quick set of the cable in the rear d and a test. Hmmmm adjustmet is a bit off can't hit 2 gears, re-pull the cable. A few more adjustments of the Hi/Lo and viola. I recleaned the disc and set out for some quick runs to work in the brakes. The new pads, from Jagwire seem to be good, and maybe even offer a slightly softer touch. We'll see. I replaced my front skeewer with one we got free at the MORE winter party this year.

Cleaned the rear wheel/cogset fully and fully degrimed, degreased, and cleaned the the chain. Then I gave it a good spray of tri-flow to get out the water and solvents. Then I applied my usual coat of my regular lube, and then shook it down and wiped off all the excess. Butter!

The damn thing shifts great so far, expect to need a tune up in a week or two.

In crappy news I realized that yes my fat 2.25 in back is rubbing a bit so for now I taped it up with a few layers of electrical tape to judge the wear over the next few rides. Probably gotta find a narrow 2.25 or a wide 2.10 to replace the crossmark with. Not sure if I want to try the 2.1 CM.

Ahhh beer and chili for dinner. Now thats the way to wrap up a day off.

Also did a bit of window shopping for a new bib set.