I'm pretty new at this road cycling. Bought a Schwinn off the rack and realized there had to be more. Got a Trek 1.5 and I've just been loving it. After a week or so I got the dreaded new "cable stretch" or something and was getting a little rub, here or there. I'd tweak the front derauiller and it would fix where I was at and then rub a little somewhere else.

I've been obsessing over how the shifter, cable, derauiller all work together and I've been reading stuff and hitting websites. I just couldn't get it together.

This morning I went out for a long ride, long enough to where my bike shop would open right about the time I came around by it and I was going to swing in and hit them up.

About an hour into the ride after an adjustment or two it came to me. I wasn't even thinking about chain rub and something just clicked in my head and everything I read suddenly made sense. I turned my bike around and shifted it into it's fastest gear, got off the bike, got the cable loose, made a quick adjustment and BANG. Everything is right where it ought to be. Every time I get a little rub in any gear I can trim it out with the controls.

It only took a month or so but I finally got it.

After that I managed to pull off about a 50 km ride that was FUN beyond belief. Just a real good time.

John