annual breakdown & buildup

Every fall I break down the Yellow Maserati to parts and build it up again. I did most of that today. I threw the bike up on the stand:

... and stripped off everything that gets in the way: the bags, the taillight, the pump...

First, the easy stuff: I replaced the brake pads with the salmon Kool-Stop wet-weather pads. Below, the pads coming off (one set of Kool Stops, one set of original pads). I'm not sure you can see how worn down the pads are.

Once the brake shoes are set, replace the pads is easy; loosen the set bolts, slide in the new pad (get the orientation right!), replace the set bolts.

Next, new brake and derailleur cables. Rip off the handlebar tape, take out the  old cables and housing pieces, run the new cables, install the new housing...

One of the neat little details, if the housing has logos, is to cut a piece for that little run at the seatpost, and have the logo on it, right-side-up.

I like to run all of the cables first before I cut and finish them.

The other stuff I did was put on new bar tape and a new chain. The bar tape is this 40mm tape from Zevlin, which is over 50% wider than the tape I used to use, so I can wrap it thick at the tops where my hands are most of the time. Even in the drops, it's softer (it's 2.5mm thick polymer, offering more cushion and better support than "cork" tapes... at least, that's what's advertised... and the polymer will be easier to clean than the "cork"). My micro-test-ride around the condo today suggest that the comfort will be good, but the real test will come about 55 miles into a 70-mile ride.

The other thing is a new chain. Several months ago, I replaced the 50-tooth big ring on my compact with a 46, so I cut a shorter chain for this build.

One of these posts, I need to talk about how customized my bike is (even though the frame is a standard size), and why you ought to customize yours, too.