A follow up to my pubski post:
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I lost a gear in the process of switching my shifter setup. Turns out, Shimano requires just slightly less cable travel to fully engage than Suntour did. The mismatch had the effect of putting my lowest cog juuuuust out of my reach. Not a super big issue, but also not a boon in Kansas headwinds.
On a whim today, I went into the local bike shop and asked if they sold any of the used parts that they pull off. Guy said not really, and asked what I was looking for.
"Suntour Barcons"
Dude got a really weird look, said I might be in luck, and disappeared into the basement for about ten minutes.
Lo and behold: THEY HAD SOME. I now have a full set, no more mismatched weirdness.
The ratchet mechanism on the levers feel super solid and satisfying. Much better than the modern clone that fell apart on me. Also: the levers are fully serviceable. The pin that sheared off on me is a goddamned regular ass screw on these. Hell to the ya.
Skookum
As
Frig
Not too sure how long it will stay like this. I picked these handlebars out eight years ago when I was much more interested/able to ride in a lower posture. Nowadays I only touch the drops if there is a severe headwind (or, since they are flared outwards for leverage, if I find myself in deep gravel). I'm looking at replacing them with these, which would put me much more upright. If I do that, I'll probably also throw this stem on there, which would shove the bars up above saddle height. Ergonomically, it'd be a great change. Not as pretty of a setup though. That would have really bothered me a few years ago. Now, not so much.
