New, old shifters

Sometimes, I get the greatest pleasure from things others would barely notice. Today, I went to my favorite bike shop. It's on Broadway, a couple of streets west of Arbutus, across from London Drugs. I asked for two new shifters. The one on the left was broken and dangling. I have no idea how that happened, but it made for a very tricky ride last night. The one on the right has been wonky for a while. The reason I love this shop is because the owner, Don, always says it like it is. He has no respect for my mechanical knowledge, and he's right. I'm pretty sure he also thinks I should do a better job of cleaning up my bike, and he's right about that too. However, he understands that I realize that bike owes me nothing, and he respects that I put in a lot of time and distance on it. Today, he brought out steel shifters. They aren't new, but he felt I would like them, and he was right. I love them. I rode to North Van to try them out, as well as for the fun of riding on a beautiful day. The ride was perfect. Every time I shifted, I said a mental thank you to Don and his crew.

Here are the "new" shifters. The mechanic turned the bell down, so "I love my bike" can no longer be seen, but I can now reach the ringer without groping for it.

Here are the former shifters, a couple of months ago, on the Lions Gate.

My ride today took me to Bridgeman Park. Bill drove there to meet me, and he brought Black Jack with him. My bike rested on Bill's truck while we walked, and accepted a lift home afterwards.
I've decided to make a few blog entries about our walk, as I took about a kazillion photos.