I have had some free time over the last week or so, and in that, I have been getting some mileage under my belt with this bike. Doing this has brought to light a few problems other than my evident unfitness. After about an hour riding, I started to get some shoulder pain in my left shoulder. On closer inspection of the bike, I discovered that the handlebars are twisted, very slightly (it is hardly noticeable). I proceeded to try and release the stem, a threaded one, from the headset. This is usually done by un-tightening the nuts holding it, then giving it a firm tap to release it. However, it appears to be jammed. This could be quite costly to repair, especially if it has to be drilled out, and that would result in a loss of what is a very beautiful stem.
I hope that, once it is in the hands of a professional, added experience, and brute force with some penetrating oil will do the trick. It is also possible that this problem is down to a bent steerer tube, which I am beginning to think is the result of a prior accident, this is probably what is causing the judder in the headset, which is still apparent when the steering is too tight. Hopefully the LBS where I am having my new parts fitted will be able to resolve some of those problems.
As far as those new components go, I now have a Campy derailleur and some shimano downtube friction shifters hopefully arriving next week. After that, all I have to think abut is how to go about painting the bike.
Balaclavas
No comments:
Post a Comment