And Chombi...I was still a bit green in my learning curve when I bought this bicycle. Kicking the tires, ya know? Never would have thought to have check the cables! Even worse...it has a compact, which never feels right. I didn't even realize the compact/standard difference back then. Ugh, what an embarrassment! All I can say is that I've come a long way since then but, of course, still learning, as this thread shows

I think the previous owner must have ridden in rain & through winter salt/grime and not recabled often enough. Not a good idea on a bike with internal routing, nor such a nice bike!