Some things change and other things don't

Just got the bike back from the doctors

Aha! Full service complete and woohoo! Can't wait to take it on the road....

I decided I should play things safe and take the bike for a Gold Service at Evans Cycles at Gatwick. The great thing about this place is the Gatwick location is the national warehouse for all the Evans Cycles national chain of stores (unless someone knows of some other warehouse). And all of their gear are competitive internet style pricing (not that I work for them in any way you understand), just that while I love the internet there are times that touching stuff just helps before you buy it.

It means that taking the bike there meant we could try out a few options there and then. They just put a request in, a little like Agros, and out pops the thing you wanted to look at through a little hatch. Cool.

Now with a catalog full of potential all you want to do is look at everything. Don't you? But then, perhaps it's just me.

So there I was. Just looking at the potential, and made my list of things. Stuff that's going to be important. The thing is that a gold level service means they strip the bike down, pretty much to it's nuts and bolts before cleaning and re-assembling. The cost of putting new bits back on the bike is nothing as it's all covered in the service. My list went something like:

• Full Service
• Fresh Handlebar Tape
• New Brake Callipers and pads
• New Brake cable inner and outers
• New Chainset - This is the large toothed wheel where your pedals attach
• New Front Derailleur

The service would take care of the strip down and re-build which included the head gear, this is where your handlebars attach. They also took care of the bottom bracket. This being where your pedals and cranks attach to the frame. Both of these had never been touched since I got the bike in '84! Not good really.

Handlebar tape, I've gone soft. No, not me, the tape. This stuff has gel inserts to provide some padding for your hands after long days. I've changed from white tape to black for the change. And actually, I like it more than the white!

Brakes. Well, just imaging me on a bike (it's all heavy muscle I tell you) going down a hill (think of Ditching Beacon for those who know it, or Kirkstone Pass in the Lakes) then add some rain. Hmm, not going to stop very quickly. If at all. As I've found out a couple of times already. SO..... Time for some new stopping power with new callipers and pads. The result? It's like going from old drum brakes to big shiny new disc brakes with servo stopping power. Amazing difference.

Chainset. Err, OK, I went for a triple. I know, I know, it's for whimps. BUT, hold on I say. A good few years back I managed to pick up some infection or something which in turn gave me poly arthritis. It turned me into an old man overnight and landed me in hospital not being able to walk. Not an experience I would wish on anyone. It took years to recover from it and so I'm just that little protective of having some functioning joints today. So will a little precaution I hope to keep my working joints for many more years yet. Add a couple of pannier bags to the bike and lots of Cornish Hills and I think having those extra low gears should I need them may make all the difference. Basically, I added 7 more gears to the bike as a low range. And as I put an extra cog up front you also need the front mech (derailleur) to make the chain move correctly.

So there you have it, a rebuilt bike, stripped and rebuilt once more with some new bits added and a few bits left well alone (which is only the rear derailleur, the handlebars, the frame, and the brake and gear levers. Hmm. Not much left of the old bike in the back of the shed now is it? Nah, of course it is......