My bike in 2010: (new fenders for Seattle, new seat from DeRonnaise, and the new parts mentioned in the previous post)

in contrast to 2006 (kinda miss my black wheels, but those weren’t the originals either):

First impressions with the new parts:

• I noticed there was no gritty feeling when rolling the bike backward when I wheeled it out of the basement. I’m guessing this was due to the bottom bracket being replaced. I hadn’t really noticed it too much before, but definitely notice the new smoothness.
• The new cables and housings make a big difference in braking, but an even bigger difference in shifting. Probably this has to do with the new chain/cassette/chainrings too, but shifting seems instantaneous now – like I’m literally pushing the chain onto a different gear when I click the shifter levers. There’s no hesitation whatsoever, even with 8-year old front and rear derailleurs.
• My bike is silent. I notice it most when going through the bike tunnel above I-5 or when riding close to cars on my right. Usually I could hear the buzz of the chain on the gears reflected off objects as I peddled, but now there’s nothing to hear.
• I’m a little surprised it was so easy to spend the same amount of money in upgrades/repairs as I spent on the original bike. Soon there will be no original parts left except the frame…

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