Tales of the unexpected maintenance

When I'm supposed to be cycling as lightly as I can, finding I only have two gears when I'm half way round a ride is a bit of a challenge.  I was most gutted, however, because I thought I'd managed to fix them myself.  

Could I really have done it that badly?  
Would I really have to go back to the bike shop and tell them?

I couldn't work out anything at home despite taking a little look.  At the bike maintenance course, the little twizzly bits were what we were taught to touch and everything else, at my level, was leave well alone.  The derailleur was working, I could hear the cable in the tube moving but the gear levers most certainly weren't playing.

I confessed to Chris the mechanic online that my jubilation at fixing my gears may have been a little premature but said there was no rush.  (I figured it might be a message to keep me off my bike for a while.)  He was back within minutes saying I could bring it into the shop as he was working there today.  

Well, what could be better than a bike mechanic that you can watch work and who shows you what's gone on, while having the treat of a fine latte?  The Commute is a quirky new coffee, bike and maintenance shop in Ilkley.  And I was there within the half hour. 

This is Chris who showed me that my cable had frayed and snapped inside the gear lever (which was why the gears were slowly slipping) and, joy of joys, it wasn't my fault!  It's a little surprising that they have frayed and snapped so soon but frankly, I'm ecstatic that I did the bit I'd learnt OK.

I wasn't half grumpy cycling home after it happened but a bit of caffeine, an inexpensive fix and realising it wasn't anything I'd done has strangely made my day.  My gears have been, on and off, a little troublesome since I got the bike so perhaps something wasn't quite in place right from the start.  

So it wasn't quite the day I'd planned but all has turned out well. 

...Off for a little more dancing.