No, is of course the answer but the gear problems I’ve had are starting to get on my nerves a little! I lost the ability to change into a lower gear about 3 weeks ago and this doesn’t help when Wimbledon Hill is between me and work.

Now since I’ve had this problem the former bike mechanic at work was very doubtful it was the shifter (Shimano Sora STI) – but I could see no other problems, the cassette and chain work verifying this. I was going to buy a shifter straight away, but thought I would wait until after I fit my cassette and chain and checked the dérailleur was moving freely.

Having replaced the chain, cassette, cables and cable housing the problem was slightly improved in that I found it was only changing from the very high gears that wouldn’t work. Now this is fine, I have some gears, and know how to fix the rest, so went back to cycling to work quite happily.

However as I joined the A3 at Tibbets Corner, a heard a load crunch and my rear shifter seized. So after wedging a tyre leaver into the dérailleur so that I could get up a hill I got to and from work.

Shiny new cassette and brake lever!

Cassette and tyre lever.

Shiny new cassette and tyre lever keeping me in a friendly gear.

The Sora Shifter is definitely the problem, so now I just need to find £67.99 for a new set (unfortunately they only come in sets, although I have only tried Evans cycles so far, definitely not the cheapest…) so there’s another job for when I get back form working on my mini.