My old nemesis has returned.

So, once again, I’m having clutch issues.

After doing the valves, I took off the front sprocket cover to clean up the ten metric fucktons of crap that the chain spews there; while in the general area, I decided to readjust the clutch. It’d been doing that annoying “Wha? Neutral? Huh?” thing at stoplights again.

With Peter’s (very patient) help, we got the clutch back in spec…which means, of course, I can’t pull in the lever. My two options with this bike seem to be:

1) Clutch is functional but requires superhuman arm of steel to pull in lever
2) Clutch is accessible to mortals but then does not engage and, in fact, pretty damn well just doesn’t work.

Well.

I should also point out that, while working on this, I idly bitched to Peter about “why was this just happening now?” and how “the clutch used to work just fine”, thereby proving that I have become senile at 28. In fact, while doing a bit of websurfing just now, I found posts I’d made about this same exact problem back in 2001.

Meanwhile, the riding posture on the SVS is aggravating my shoulder. I know this, but yet I continue to ride the bike to work. I spent my entire commute today thinking “huh, I’m probably undoing all of the good that physical therapy is doing for my shoulder”. Sigh. I just don’t want to face the possibility of not being able to ride the SVS, whether for short or long term. “Denial” isn’t just a pretty river in Egypt.

What I should be doing is riding Dora to work. So far, she hasn’t given my shoulder any problems. Perhaps I can learn from my posture there.

At what point do I give up? When do I say, “OK, we’ve had 60,000 really terrific miles together, but I can’t ride you at all without my entire left arm erupting in agony within 20 miles. I’ve tried everything I know how to do, and nothing helps. I’ve changed the handlebars and the seat and my own gear and I’ve been to physical therapy twice and I see a chiropractor every month and I’ve totally revamped my office cube and home desk for ergonomics and still my arms and shoulder hurt.” How do you know when it’s time to say so long and thanks for all the fish?

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