I'm about to embark on the adventure of putting together a bicycle for the first time, and I find myself anticipating all manner of difficulties arising from my lack of experience. I've got my brand-new A Homer Hilsen and a large assortment of parts, doo-dads, and associated accoutrements, and even most -- if not all -- of the tools that I ought to need to put it all together, but before I begin, I'd like to solicit some advice from the learned audience of this mailing list.
My first dilemma is where to begin. Clearly, I have a few choices, but it's not clear what unforseen surprises await me if I do things in an order that it less than optimal. The only thing attached to the frame so far is the headset (and front fork, of course). Perhaps the best thing to start with would be the bottom bracket, then the cranks? Or maybe there's a good reason to set up the stem and handlebar first? Speaking of which, it seems nigh-impossible to get the brake levers I've got onto the bar. If watched this video (http://youtu.be/oEUm3VzF_Z0), but it seems the bar that I've chosen (Grand Bois Randonneur) might have a larger diameter in the bend, because even with the clamp loosened all the way (or, indeed, separated completely from the brake levers), it's a very tight fit, and it seems impossible to slide onto the bar without causing lots of zig-zag scratches in the aluminum bar. This brings me to another, more general question -- where and how much grease to use. It doesn't seem like a great idea to grease the aforementioned brake lever clamps, but maybe that's the only way to get them in place. My inclination is to grease just about everything, especially threads, but maybe there are a few places where lubrication is a particularly bad idea, and everyone is just assumed to know about it... Here's hoping I don't destroy anything in this process; I'd rather learn from the mistakes of others than by making my own, at least in this case. --MR -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
