Assembling

I spent most of Saturday afternoon assembling the cranks, front and rear derailleurs, chain and idler. Everything fell into place pretty well.

One disappointment was one of the new grip-shifts. The front one was extremely stiff, so stiff I wrenched off the rubber grip trying to turn it, yet it could not pull the derailleur against its spring. I transferred the cable from it to the old one, which works well enough, although it is worn-looking.

The cobra seat cover has, I discovered, a three-inch tear. The fabric was abraded when I crashed the bike last summer, and now has opened up. My wife thinks she can repair it.

Besides the seat, there's a list of fiddly little things to do: bottle cages, computer, fairing. The rear rack, although I'm not sure I will put it on, at least just yet.