TrojanHorse

OK, this is more of a gripe / unload than anything meaningful but I swapped out my 10 sp SRAM Force RD for a 10 spd Red WiFli RD so that I can stick a 32 tooth granny on the back. Easy right?

OK, undid the Rd and the cable was frayed. I probably could have lived with it but the cable moved a little roughly in the housing so... I figured, might as well replace it (I had a new set of jagwire cables laying around, so I swiped one derailleur cable).

Of course, it's an internally routed frame, so I start routing the guide through the chain stay and it gets stuck. I end up undoing the cable guilde under the bottom bracket, which means I need to disconnect the front derailleur cable. I get the guides run through the chain stay and the down tube and extract the old cable through the shifter...

I can't quite get the new cable into the old housing (which is still taped down to the handlebars), so I have to undo the right handlebar tape.

OK, run the cable, rerun the housing under the bar, retape the housing, reattach the bottom bracket guide, reattach the cable to the RD, reattach the cable to the FD.

Easy! Something I thought would take 15 min. took way longer.

OK, done griping. Rd and Fd all tuned up and ready to go, bring on the hills. Naturally, I'm jealous of all the dudes that could get this done in 15 min.

cny-bikeman

Don't be so quick to assume it goes easy for the "professionals." I originated the first tagline below when I was a shop mechanic.

Retro Grouch 

"Took way longer" means that you accomplished your goal. Congratulations! You persisted and you won.

leob1

Prolly would have been a good time to replace the FD cable too. Maybe even the brakes with it.
But it sure feels good when you can fix your own bike.

TrojanHorse

I didn't see any need to replace the FD cable - it's in good shape and only about 1 year old as it is.

I'm tempted to recable the rear brake because I cut that little loop of housing a tad small last time, and I got upgraded frame stops from specialized that I should probably put on buuuuut... it's the rear brake, not the front, and if it comes down to tweaking the brake or going for a ride I usually vote ride.

Retro Grouch 

May take way longer than you're thinking too. That's what rainy Saturdays are for.

TrojanHorse

no such thing in Southern California these days. We already got our three days of rain for the year.

Retro Grouch 

Well then you're just screwed. No time to work on your bike.

TrojanHorse

I know! I tend to do it at midnight when I can't see a daggum thing anymore.

Camilo

When I read the heading I thought "Really? An RD replacement is one of the easiest and quickest DIY's". But as Paul Harvey would say "now we know the rest of the story". One of the reasons I procrastinate is what you're talking about -the cascade effect of doing things right rather than half-assed.

Good job, it will be quicker next time!