Shifting issues on 1st Gen Clementine

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I remember that there was talk about the shifters of the early Clems, and now I have a first gen Clementine and the shifting is giving me some issues. I took my bike to the mechanic for a tune-up and told him the front cog was reluctant to shift. He said the cable was a bit loose but he’d address it. A different guy ended up doing the work and when I picked up the bike I asked about the shifters. The mechanic said they had had a lengthy argument about whether the shifters were indexed or friction. (I had told the original mechanics these were friction and the clicks were irrelevant. He decided one was indexed and one was friction. Whatever.) The second mechanic knew they were both friction and said he adjusted it.

Today I took the bike to school for the first time. At the slightest incline, I realized I could not shift the front gears. Now, I always give myself time to shift because the bike hates me if I wait until I’m stomping to ask it for an easier gear. I decided I just needed to break it in. Tonight my whole family went on a challenging bike ride that involved mega hills into the canyon. Guess who came in dead last? Me, because I was stuck in the hard gear at the bottom of a hill and my little boy, an opportunist from BIRTH, saw my struggle and decided to have a race. Also, when I am really pushing the pedals, I hear the chatter of the chain in the right pedal. You know the sound that means you need to nudge your shifter into the proper gear? That sound. but only with lots of pushing and only in the right side pedal.

So, what I am asking here is: 1. Is this issue just a simple mechanical issue that the mechanics need to smooth out? 2. Is this the shifter issue folks discussed in the early Clems? Would I be better off changing shifters?

Thanks!
Leah

[Joe Bernard]

The finicky stuff was the rear cuz those clicks did in fact act kinda indexy and would sometimes leave you stuck slightly between gears. Which won't make a lick of sense to you if you've always used friction, so we can yak later on the PM about all that madness.

The front shouldn't be happening if you're downshifting before the hill, but WILL be a problem if you wait 'til you're already grinding up it. What the chain needs on those shifts is a little bit of pressure relieved - almost a paude - so the derailer can coax it off that big ring onto a smaller one. If you're already stuck on that hill then the family is just going to have to wait for mama as you head back down long enough to finish the shift and turn around again.

The trick here - it took me ages to learn this - is to shift too early. See that hill coming? Don't wait until you're right there; go ahead and drop to the small ring and get those legs spinning like mad. You'll gradually "catch up to yourself" on the hill after the first spinning burst jetted you ahead of everyone cuz you're fast you win!

[Joe Bernard]

*almost a pause. I have no idea what a paude is.

[esoterica etc]

Joe, I think a paude is what you do when you finally come to the realization of what FFS means.

~Mark

> On Aug 13, 2019, at 03:31, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> *almost a pause. I have no idea what a paude is.
>

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[esoterica etc]

Oops, I just realized that I was making a joking reference to a recent thread that was on a DIFFERENT google group (iBOB). Boy, do I have egg on my face now. Carry on, carry on......

[Leah Peterson]

The refusal to shift in front is so touchy that I have to be on pancake-flat ground. Any threat of incline is a deal-breaker. I’ve been riding 6 years on these same paths on my friction-shifting Betty Foy and rarely have an issue. I don’t think it should be this touchy. I caught on pretty quick with the Clementine and was shifting way before the hills started and still no luck.

I also seem to be always moving the shifters to find silence in the drive train. Not so with my bar-end silver shifters on the Betz. And every now and then there is ghost shifting. Because of the combination of these issues, I’m wondering if the shifters aren’t good. I was looking back at old threads and it seems my problems aren’t unique. Lots of folks disliked the clicky sun race shifters, but then some loved them. If it was an easy fix, that would be great, but I’d rather scrap the shifters and replace them if this is going to be my new reality. It’s miserable!

Lastly, I don’t even shift much. I will shift to the granny gear in the front on the monster hill home and then put it right back at the top of the hill. And that’s about all the shifting I do. I have been in the same two gears on the Betz for years. I’m a low-maintenance shifter!

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[Joe Bernard]

Ya know, all that esplainy stuff I did last night makes no sense in light of the fact you've been riding the Betz for years with no shifting issues. What was I thinking??

Yes, Silver bar-ends are miles better than those ridiculous SunRace thumbies. I'm thinking there's something wrong with the way the shifter/cable/front derailer is set up which can be solved, but if you can work with bar-ends on Boscos I say go for it.

[Drw]

I don’t know those shifters well enough, but I’d be inclined to go with shifters that are meant for their job, and as I recall those weren’t.

The front derailler (or at least most) should be in the little ring position naturally. Meaning you have to pull the cable to get it to leave that position, and if you were to release the cable, it would snap back to that position. I think because of this, a too long cable would only impact pulling to the larger chainrings, not staying in the littlest.

I have had a couple older bikes where the FD gets kinda stuck in the outer position. I assume from years or decades of it never being shifted, but I doubt that’s the case here.

I’d check limit screws to make sure it’s not adjusted to push the derailler out a bit too much. And also maybe check that when you down shift, the cable isn’t getting hung up somewhere, creating some slack in the line that isn’t allowing the derailler to pull itself back downward.

I’m sure an actual bike mechanic would’ve understood all this way better than I do. That’s kind of the puzzling part.

[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

Possible good news- silver shifters will go on those same thumb mounts on your Clementine, no need to do any grip/handlebar messiness. An easy swap for what you know and love.
-Kai

[Garth]

That sounds like a FD alignment issue Leah. Regardless of the shifters in question, I assume you mean the Sunrace "One at a time" ones, moving the chain from ring to ring should work easily as long as the FD is set up correctly and cable tension alright. If the FD is too high above the largest ring it will be sluggish to go up or down. I'd ask the next mechanic to ride it themselves, both before AND after any adjustments.

Unless that is all working well, a new shifter won't do anything !

[Joe Bernard]

Yep Garth, I think you're onto something there about derailer. Now that I've wandered over to Leah's Instagram to get a look at her bike, I'm realizing she has those Riv Silver cranks that mount the granny way tight to the frame. I'll betcha that fd as set perfectly parallel to the rings is bottoming out before the shift completes, so not providing enough force to kick the chain over. I'm guessing - I've done this before, possibly on a Clem - that moving the tail of the FD in a smidge to effectively move the derailer plates leftward would solve the problem.

[Bill Schairer]

It may be that the front derailleur is binding and needs some lubrication at all the pivot points. With the shifter in position for the small ring, if you push the derailleur cage in with your finger (not while riding, of course) does the cage move inward some more? Or, look to see if there is a gap between the stop and set screw. Lube the pivot points and move the derailleur back and forth several times until it will easily move through its full range.

Bill S

[Joe Bernard]

A bike mechanic who's used to all the shifty bits indexing properly might miss this btw. That double fd isn't designed to work with a triple, especially one with the low profile design Grant put into the Silver. It can be made to work, but it takes a bit of fiddling.

[Benz, Sunnyvale, CA]

On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 11:40:44 PM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:

The finicky stuff was the rear cuz those clicks did in fact act kinda indexy and would sometimes leave you stuck slightly between gears. Which won't make a lick of sense to you if you've always used friction, so we can yak later on the PM about all that madness.

It's not madness. Just overshift the clicky bits and backshift (slightly until at desired position) with the quiet friction bit. Ideally, the clicky bits should have intervals so small that you won't be stuck in between clicks, but small clicks just means you'll end up with higher manufacturing cost and higher sensitivity to dirt and neglect.

[Andy Beichler]

Will it shift when not on a hill?  It may be that the limit screw for the lower gear needs a slight tweak or that the cable needs to be given just a bit more slack so that the derailleur can move a little more toward the smaller gear.

[Joe Bernard]

I contend that it's madness. Those maddening maddeners only came on the first run, then Riv switched to 9-speed with Microshifts swapped so the rear has a soft ratchet and the front is pure friction. MUCH better.

[Patrick Moore]

Front derailleur adjustment is not rocket science, and unless there is some fundamental incompatibility between derailleur and crankset,* or between derailleur and bottom bracket assembly spindle length*, or between derailleur and shifter*, fixing a shifting problem is simply a matter of proper adjustment, which any competent mechanic ought to be able to accomplish.

The variables are throw (how far out and in the cage moves); height (the cage has to clear the big chainring but not by too much), and angle (the cage has to be aligned fore/aft with respect to the chainrings in such a way as to move the chain on and off the chainrings efficiently; this sometimes means that the cage should be very slightly offset to the chainrings).

Can you post photos taken from directly above the front derailleur and showing (1) the cage centered on the big chainring, (2) the cage at maximum outward extension, and (3) the cage furthest inward position? The problem might be that the throw to the outside is inadequate -- ie, that the outer limit screw is screwed down too much; or that the cage is mis-aligned with the chainrings; or it could be that the cable is too loose, tho' your mechanic should have fixed that.

* I recall long ago installing a Grafton triple (uber cool at the time) on my 1992 XO-1, but having no clue whatsoever that I needed to replace the 122.5 mm spindle that came with the stock Specialized S-1 crankset with something shorter. The Grafton crank sat way out there on that long spindle, and I unscrewed and unscrewed and unscrewed that outer limit bolt, and still, the front derailleur just would not shift to the big ring!

So I took it in to a shop, and I still cringe some 25 years later when I recall the contempt in the shop rat's eyes as he explained in simple terms of 1 syllable that the effing spindle was too effing long!

Patrick Moore, who did redeem himself in his own eyes by getting  early Dura Ace 74?? fds to work with a 9-speed-era, external bb Bontrager Race Lite triple (3 gold stars if you correctly explain how).

[Leah Peterson]

Well, that was an exercise in patience and fruitlessness.

The gracious pair of REI mechanics took me right in. They probably rolled their eyes when they saw me for the 2nd time in 3 days, but it couldn’t be helped. I told them the situation, reiterated some of what you guys told me, and one mechanic took the bike out for a spin. Meanwhile, I prayed he’d have the worst time out there so I wouldn’t I look like a fool who can’t operate friction shifters. 

The mechanic came back and said, “I had all kinds of problems!” The worst of all of them, he had decided, was that the chain was slapping into the fender, and obnoxiously. He decided they’d go over the shifting once again and shave the fender away from the chain. They told me to run my errands and return.

I did, and they said it was working better, and I marveled at the mechanic’s good, clean work of the shaved fender, and then we talked about Rivendell. They have had some customers come in needing bar end shifters and have been at a loss. I pointed them to the silver shifters on Riv’s site on their shop computer and then left the page open so they can look at the rest of Rivendell’s offerings later, ha. 

I went to pay my bill and they wouldn’t allow it and after a short argument, we decided I would find the Microshifter thumbies online and bring them for installation later. And then we happily parted ways.

I got to the parking lot and noticed the slightest of inclines. Ah, I thought, I’ll just make a lap or two. I was excited to try out the bike with the fender no longer interfering. I tried the shifters every which way...

It was as bad as it’s ever been. I just didn’t have the heart to go back in there and disrupt the mechanics’ work day again. Didn’t feel like dragging them out into 107 degree heat so they could be as frustrated as me. I put the Clementine back on the rack and pointed the van toward home. Something else must be going on with the front derailleur, though it shifts like a dream on the bike stand. Go figure!

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[Garth]

Now if you can find a way for your entire life to revolve around you riding your bike in a silly workstand you'll be all set .... Ahahaahahaa !!!! 

A reasonably good mechanic with any pride and curiosity at this point would go with you outside while you watch them ride it in the lot. I'm surprised they at least didn't ask you to test if before you left. 

Maybe going back you'll they'll have another mechanic who won't release the bike until it's done right and tested/approved by you. 

[Leah Peterson]

Garth, can you figure out a way to make me such a work stand? Haha. I’m off to the internet to find the MicroShift friction shifters! 

I do have a small bit of good news. My order arrived from Rivendell, and I got my pannier rails, my tail light, a Wald basket, and best of all, an XS Saddlesack to put on my bars and to match my Backabike bags. Then I lined up my Clementine and my son’s little Clem and we have mother-son matching Clems! Same saddles, same sweet bar bag. I’m including a photo and if that’s not the best thing I’ve seen today then I just don’t know what.

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[Coal Bee Rye Anne]

I still have the 1st Gen Sunrace shifters on my Clem and 2nd those that noted the ghost shifting in the rear.... my solution being the same as already mentioned... over/under shifting slightly and backing off to find the sweet spot. Definitely found a few in between gears with the mid range clicks and just grew to accept it though I have 9sp index plans on the back burner anyway with spare parts around. Haven’t experienced any such issues up front aside from a quick over shift or two that the threw the chain off the inner chainring. It was a quick fix to reset the chain y hand and then adjusted the inner limit screw a hair. Definitely sounds like a unique issue and likely shifter-cable-derailleur specific, etc. as already suggested.

I’m sticking with the remaining stock parts for practical reasons and mere acceptance of their quirks until some other conditions finally push me to just do a complete rebuild of the Clem.

Best of luck with your continued refinements!

Brian Cole
Lawrenceville NJ

[Garth]

I noted in the photos of your bike the chain appears in the smallest rear cogs and small ring and the chain doesn't have much tension. It could possibly have a few too many links, and/or RD isn't up to the task. This is all greek to you of course. It reminds me of how 2 people can speak the same language about a subject and yet neither one knowing what one earth the other is talking about.  So much for words...... 

[Leah Peterson]

You’re making sense to me with your fancy mechanic words, Garth! 😂 I see that too, now that you say it. I ordered the new shifters and will have the mechanics look at the chain when I take the bike for shifter install. 

The story gets stranger. I’ve ridden the bike to school the last 2 days, so about 16 miles, and the front seems to be cooperating more often than not, which makes me wonder if it just needed to be broken in? But the rear is GHOST SHIFTING. I know how to compensate for that weird setup, but still I get at least one spasm of unwanted shifting per trip and it is so unnerving. God forbid I was actually riding in traffic! 

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[Joe Bernard]

Leah, my guess is you got used to the way the front shifts compared to the quite different arrangement on Betz. I know from experience that those Silver cranks move the granny tighter to the frame than Sugino, so the shift over to it is going to be lazier. It's also going to be weak if you shift to the granny while in the smallest cog in back, a thing I never thought to ask about. It's better to get to the biggest 4 cogs in back (lowest 4 speeds) before downshifting the front.

The rear is just lame, that will only be solved with your new shifters. You'll love 'em!

[Mark Roland]

My first gen Clementine, after experiencing ghost shifts:

Every once in a while, even good companies make bad decisions. I would say get rid of those shifters. Silk purses, sows ears, etc. I also believe I had an issue with the rear wheel/cassette mechanism that contributed to the poor performance I experienced with the original drivetrain equipment spec'd on these bikes. YMMV. Good luck and get that Aquaclem back up to snuff so you can show that upstart speed racer who's boss.

The front is a double with a chain guard, so I don't the derailleur itself should be an issue; wasn't for me. Try swapping out the shifters and see what that does. Also, was this a problem that was not there a week ago, or did the bike just not get run through its paces until recently?

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[DHans]

Leah,

I don't want to disparage any bike mechanic but I wonder if REI has mechanics with much experience. I along with others would recommend new shifters as you have decided and take it to an LBS mechanic. Good luck!

Doug

On Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 11:29:25 AM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

You’re making sense to me with your fancy mechanic words, Garth! 😂 I see that too, now that you say it. I ordered the new shifters and will have the mechanics look at the chain when I take the bike for shifter install. 

The story gets stranger. I’ve ridden the bike to school the last 2 days, so about 16 miles, and the front seems to be cooperating more often than not, which makes me wonder if it just needed to be broken in? But the rear is GHOST SHIFTING. I know how to compensate for that weird setup, but still I get at least one spasm of unwanted shifting per trip and it is so unnerving. God forbid I was actually riding in traffic! 

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 15, 2019, at 12:32 AM, Garth <gar...@gmail.com> wrote:

I noted in the photos of your bike the chain appears in the smallest rear cogs and small ring and the chain doesn't have much tension. It could possibly have a few too many links, and/or RD isn't up to the task. This is all greek to you of course. It reminds me of how 2 people can speak the same language about a subject and yet neither one knowing what one earth the other is talking about.  So much for words...... 

On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 8:27:55 PM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

Garth, can you figure out a way to make me such a work stand? Haha. I’m off to the internet to find the MicroShift friction shifters! 

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[Patrick Moore]

My opinion of REI's bike mechanic fell precipitously a few years ago when the head mechanic told me that the rubbing pads of the Shimano disk brakes on a bike newly bought for a friend were behaving normally and would stop rubbing after they "wore in." Idiot. Fixed them myself.

I do like REI's merchandise, though, and I generally find the sales staff knowledgeable and helpful.

On Fri, Aug 16, 2019 at 8:39 AM DHans <dhansf...@gmail.com> wrote:

Leah,

I don't want to disparage any bike mechanic but I wonder if REI has mechanics with much experience....

[Leah Peterson]

1. You have given me hope that all will be well with new shifters!

2. Where is that darn speed racer? Must have decided he couldn’t handle the hill. And certainly not in this heat.

3. Front derailleur seems to be behaving this week. I don’t know that it had ever been used much. When I got it, I was in MN/ND and didn’t encounter hills that would have required me to use FD. Here in NV, I use that granny gear every day on the way home from school. My MIL (original owner of the Aquaclem) never shifted. Ever. So, you have a bike from late 2015 that has never been shifted until 2019. Hmm...could that be a factor?

4. More ghost-shifting today with the rear, and the FD chattered a bit and had moved itself forward, independently of me. I clicked it one click back, and it was silent again. It’s weird and I just don’t like it. New shifters are supposed to arrive by Saturday.

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 13, 2019, at 3:53 PM, Mark Roland <absolut...@gmail.com> wrote:

My first gen Clementine, after experiencing ghost shifts:

<DSC01775.JPG>

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<DSC01775.JPG>

<DSC01756.JPG>

[Leah Peterson]

I feel I must take the shifters to the REI mechanics now. That was the deal - they wouldn’t charge me for last visit but told me to come back for shifter service instead. Don’t I kind of have to see them? They do understand about friction, they just didn’t get the set up on my Aquaclem the first time. They kept arguing about whether the RD was indexed. Nope. Pure friction.

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[Joe Bernard]

Unless you're doing it yourself - I'll tell you how! - then it's off to REI for you. The new shifters will be less finicky for them, plus I/we can talk you through any further adjustments that may be needed.

Just make sure they know you're doing reverse-sides with both in friction. They'll be tempted to mount "normal" and set the rear to index, which wouldn't work anyway cuz that shifter is 9-speed and your cassette is 8.

[Garth]

Oh boy ..... at this point amidst the comedy of trials and errors, who or what done what to/fro who or what ..... it's enough to speed up the Earth from rotating for just one moment while It rolls in Laughter !  So may as well break out song ..... it's just like riding a bike .....  Liberty taking Flight .

Oh if any fool ever put hands on a bike .... that fool would be Me. Yes ... even the Me that is reading these very words and  murmuring "what, a fool .... surely not Me ?" 

Ahahahahahaahaaaa !

This Me, that Me, he Me and she Me

It's all the same Me to Me

Everything Be Wondrously Alright

Surely Forever Be

All Be Allrighty !

 

[Joe Bernard]

Party on, Garth 👊

[Bill Schairer]

With ghost shifting in the back I’d be checking the derailleur hanger alignment.

Bill S

[Garth]

Ghost shifting may also be as simple as a slight tightening of the tension bolt on top of the shifter in question. D-rings to adjust are sweet, hex/allen bolts are not !

[Joe Bernard]

Ghost shifting with those clickety SunRace shifters is a fault of using an IGH shifter on a derailer. It can be fiddled with enough cure it to the satisfaction of some, but it's simply not a friction shifter. Leah will be much happier with the Microshift, I promise.

[Garth]

Waiting for promises of a better product, delivery and installation in the future doesn't help in the present though. Tension in the bolt is an easy check today, regardless of the shifter. 

Even terrific Sun Tour Thumbshifters need a slight tension adjustment now and then, as with any shifter that relies on tension to hold the gear. That's all I'm saying.  I find it may happen  for example after the bike sits for the winter, so Leah's bike not being unused for long period could do likewise. 

[Leah Peterson]

Well, my new shifters arrived yesterday and when I opened the box I’ve never loved shifters so much. The best shifters are the ones you use but never think about and here’s hoping these are them. Today, I dropped off my Clementine at REI (I had to; I promised) and all 3 guys in the bike shop fussed over how awesome that Clementine is, so now they can screw up my shifter install and I won’t even be able to be mad about it. They don’t know what a Rivendell IS exactly, but they understand they are looking at quality. I tried not to look proud.

The MicroShift shifters are what is on my son’s little Clem and the mechanic said, “If these are the same as his they are going to be perfect.” I was tempted to read Joe Bernard’s install instructions to him but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I hope he gets it right! 

Now my son and I will have matching saddles, Saddlesacks AND shifters. Mother-Son Clems; let’s make it a thing!

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[Joe Bernard]

I should call them up in my best grizzled cop voice: JOE BERNARD HERE, DON'T SCREW IT UP. OK BYE.

[Leah Peterson]

I should have read Joe’s instructions to the mechanics. They called and told me the bike was done, so I headed over and retrieve it and was met with the young (19?), smiley, unfailingly nice mechanic. He’s a regular Golden Retriever. He explained that the mounts were made to go a certain way and the ergonomics would have been bad had he mounted the MicroShift the way the Sun Race shifters had been mounted. So, he mounted the new shifters on the outside of the bar rather than the inside.

I looked pleadingly at him.

Not wanting to wound a Golden, I managed, “Oh. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.” But then light bulb went off in my head and I reminded him that my son’s Clem (he worked on that bike last week) had the MicroShifts and in the coveted inside-the-bar-spot. He seemed puzzled by that, told me to go home and try out my son’s shifters and see how they worked. He sounded confident that I would like his arrangement over my son’s.

I’ve been to REI way too many times in the last 2 weeks. These mechanics know my first name now; I keep bringing them Rivendells and asking them to sort out my problems. They have had enough! I decided to go home, arrange my bells (they weren’t playing well with the new location of the shifters), put on my Backabike bags and start getting used to it. Oh, it was awkward. I looked longingly at the silver Clem, whose shifters were identical to mine and yet perfectly placed, and thought, “Nope. I can’t.”

Back on the van went the bike rack; and this time I loaded my Clementine and my son’s little Clem for good measure. Maybe a visual would help me get what I wanted. Hands now a definite shade of black and sweat moistening my church clothes from 102 degree heat, I drove 25 minutes back to REI. A true Golden, the mechanic looked happy to see me. “Dang it,” I thought, “He’s good. I baked bread this morning. I should have brought BREAD.” I apologized profusely and he sweetly switched my shifters to mirror the little Clem’s. He gave back the Clementine and I apologized some more and told him I understood that these were quirky bikes and I’m sorry it’s taken extra time. To his great credit he said he was happy for the learning experience and that it’s good to know how these bikes work.

Now I’ve got shifters that do what I want. At least I think so - I won’t be able to put miles on unless I do it late tonight or on tomorrow’s school commute. But they seem pretty great! I did notice the grips feel closer to me than they did before, and when I looked at the Brooks grips, I wonder if the mechanic didn’t push them all the way on the bars. I actually like them feeling a bit closer but the leather ends are a bit untucked (on the distal end), and I feel like those should be secured. I don’t have the special wrench that the Brooks grips require, and their website isn’t telling - does anyone know what tool it is so I can buy one? Is there any danger of having the grips NOT pushed all the way onto the bars?

Here is a photo of the initial set up. Shown is my right-hand bar (the little Clem is confusing things in the background):

[Dorothy C]

I found this on a bikeforums thread
6. The grips have to be pushed all the way onto the handlebar, you can’t let them hang off the end. The leather end plug is sandwiched between the end of the bar and a flange on the end cap. If you don’t have them pushed on all the way, the leather plug will shift and rotate. Also, the end cap needs to be in firm contact with the handlebar to support the spokes and leather rings properly.

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Thank you, Dorothy. ❤️ That is great to know, and I do think I’ve now gotten the issue fixed.

A List member messaged me and said, “Leah, I still don’t think those shifters are right...” And he was right. The clamp needed to swap places with the brake clamp. Then Joe B. realized the mechanic had swapped the brake levers (which had been correct), and apparently that is not right, either. I threw up my hands and took the bike to a LBS in town. The owner showered the bike with praise and took it for a long test ride. He fixed the shifters and brake levers and even found a thing or two extra to fix so the bike rides better. The ergonomics are better, the brakes are better, and the shifting is, so far, vastly improved.

He told me after seeing my bikes he’s been telling customers to buy Clems from Rivendell; he really thinks Clems would be great mountain bikes. I could barely believe what I was hearing. So, all’s well that ends well and I’ll try my new shifters in their proper places in the morning on the school commute!

Thank you all SO much for walking along with me.
Leah

[Joe Bernard]

YAYYY!!! That was a long road to this point, but all seems well now. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when you'll be shifty! Wait, let me rephrase that...