I finally scrapped together the Tommasini. Built up with a mish mash of gently used Shimano bits. Every single part is used except for the chain, bar tape, cables and housing. I created a seven speed cassette out of nine speed cogs and seven speed spacers all on a free-hub body that would accommodate an eight or nine speed cassette but I had a brand new eight speed chain and I have a seven speed shifter. It's a piece of work. Today I took it out for a short jaunt...
and it's speaking to me in clicks, rattles, clunks and ticks. Most of which are not too serious. It doesn't inspire confidence however and does not feel like a solid well built machine. Not yet. It's as if you threw together a bunch of kids from different schools who had never met and asked them to play soccer against an experienced prep school team full of kids that grew up playing soccer together. But as you know the Bad News Bears and the Mighty Ducks come together and triumph in the end.
I put together a bike full of parts from all over the place that have never met and I expect them to work well together. So now they're just complaining a bit, but they'll work it out.
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