Specialized VW

I have almost completed the build of a new bicycle. It's a Specialized Venge Vias that I will be running SRAM Red Etap 11speed shifters on. It's really fancy and in some respects a whole new approach to many of the components. The shifters are electronic and work by a bluetooth signal. So, no wires. The brake cables are all routed internally so as to add to the aerodynamics of the bike.

The front brake cable comes up through the fork tube and has to pass through a hole in the expansion plug. The rear cable snakes through the frame up through the head tube outside the fork tube and through a slot in the bearing surfaces. Since there are no wires or cables being routed for the shifters, I decided to run the cable for the headlight in it's place. I was trying to make it modular so that if I need to take it apart again, I won't always be cutting and re-splicing the wires. This added a level of difficulty.

The other night I was ready to put the front end together. I found I needed at least two more hands. So, I enlisted Jensen's help. It was at least 45 minutes of trial and error and then trying to fish the cable housings out of the holes in the handlebar. Jensen was great and offered great assistance and even suggestions at times. Which was very helpful since I can't really see that well in a poorly lit garage at night.

It reminded me of a story from my past: When I was single in Maryland I bought a VW Karman Ghia convertible. Once while I was living with a bunch of single guys in Columbia, MD the convertible top got slashed.

Shortly after Lenore and I married I decided it was time to replace it. I ordered one in the mail and set out on a Saturday to replace it. How hard could it be? Well, not easy. There is a cable in the back seam that fits into a groove in the body and you tighten it by cinching the ends of the cable that run through some flanges and tightening some bolts. The hard part was keeping the cable in place while you tightened it.

Lenore was ready to call it quits after several tries. I just kept at it and finally impressed her with my tenacity and resolve. We saved ourselves a lot of money.

The other night Jensen proved that she would have been up to the task of replacing the convertible top, might have even enjoyed doing the job.