A little over a month ago my Feather started skipping occasionally during shifting. This usually indicates a problem with the chain and/or cassette so I took it into the shop. I bought this bike in 1999 so it is 26 years old. The original bike came with Dura Ace and it has been a very durable. Over the years I have replaces, chains, cassettes, cables and the front derailleur but the wheels and frame and rest of the bike have at least fifty thousand miles on them and have a lot more miles left. I just love the way the bike feels and rides.
Once I brought it to the shop they confirmed that it needed a new chain, cassette and new small chain ring in the front. The only problem is that since my group set is so old it is hard to get parts. The chain was no problem and although the original cassette is no longer available SRAM has a compatible one. The main problem was the front chain ring which took the bike shop some time to find and get. That meant that my bike was in the shop for a month while they waited for parts.
Once they got the parts and started to put it back together they found a few more problems. First the left crank was cracked.
I guess fifty thousand miles of me pounding the pedals stress the metal to the point of failure. The crack wasn't all the way through yet so I could have gotten a few more miles out of it but better to change it than have to ride with one crank.
The other issues that the shop found was a crack in the wield on the collar used to secure the seat.
This is not really a problem as it is just a crack in the wield. The collar itself is fine. Also I haven't moved the seat in many years so even if it fails I doubt the seat will move. The seat post is probably frozen to the frame at this point. Also if I need to fix this I want someone who is an experienced frame builder and wielder not a local bike shop.
Other than those problems once the shop got the parts they put the bike back together. I now have a new cassette and chain.
And a new small front chain ring.
The new chain ring is black instead of silver but I really don't care. The shop also put new derailleur cables on and new brake pads so the bike has now has had a full overhaul.
It's nice to have the Feather back as I have been riding my Synapse for the past month. My Synapse is a good bike and great for hill rides but it doesn't ride or shift as smooth as my Feather.
I took the Feather out for a couple of rides this week and it feels as good as new. It just tracks and rides so much smoother than any other bike I have ridden and I can push this bike a lot harder than my other bikes.
This will probably be the last time I will try to get new parts for this group set. When things wear out again I will probably completely replace the current group set for something newer with maybe a few more gears. That is probably a couple of years away. Until then I will just enjoy the ride of the Feather.
