The ride that wasn't...

I thought the shifting issues had been remedied with the installation of new cables. I was incorrect in this assumption.
Yes, the bike worked perfectly on Sunday. I put it away, and didn't look at it again until yesterday afternoon.
In that time of stationary storage, the right shifter decided it was done.
About halfway to the spot last night, the lever gave up. It would shift down the cogs, but not back up.
This meant, if I planned on participating, I'd have two gears. 39/14 and 52/14.
I tinkered with it in the parking lot, to no avail...so I rode home.
I ended with a very slow 45 minutes on the bike. All in the 39/14. Super.

Seeing that the lever itself is less than 18 months old, I was a little pissed off that :
A) It took a dump.
B) It would need to come off and go back to Shimano for warranty, taking Dog knows how long to return.
C) I'd JUST replaced the cables and tape.
D) All of the above.

Then I remembered the trick that has been passed down through generations...
Hose the lever body out with WD40/cleaner. Shimano grease, coupled with an untold quantity of sweat, assumes the consistency of peanut butter after a while.
Bike in stand, hood pulled off, faceplate pulled, and the inside cover of the body removed, I hosed the body out with Finish Line Speed Degreaser. Three times. The sheer volume of gunk that dripped out of the lever was appalling.
While allowing the degreaser to dissipate, I pulled the BB out of the Salsa, regreased everything, and slammed it back together. No more creaky...
I blew the lever out with canned air, re-assembled, and VOILA...it shifts again...
Hopefully it will remain operational for a while, as I don't want to disable the bike...or buy 11v.

 Assos' new Winter hat. Pricing wasn't given, but I'm guessing it's not priced like the simple cotton caps of old.  Oh, and those little loops? They're to run your glassed through...I shit you not.

 Not responsible for Cipo-related seizures...

 Is it just me, or does Cookson look like he left his teeth in the glass beside his bed?

 The new Atmos black and flouro. I may need one of these...or the new flouro red...

The new Silca Super Pista pump. Pretty cool right? Still fully rebuildable. Still the benchmark. Now, just $450. For that money, it better froth my damn mocha too. Of course, I paid $100+ for my Super Pista 15 years ago, and it still works just fine. Then again, so does my $35 5 year old Park pump...

Last road ride Thursday. The Urban Ride is firing up next Wednesday. Bring good lights, and a good attitude. The bullshit that is tolerated on the road rides won't be on the Urban Rides.

And filed under ; "Cycling News that makes Me Excited" :
Both Wiggins and Phinney are eye-balling shots at the Hour Record next year. Hey, Tony Martin...where you at?

Cuba Libre!

  Havana Bikes from Kauri Multimedia on Vimeo.

It's very PNW today. I'm staying inside...