I like trying to fix stuff, but honestly, a good chunk of my life is kind of patched together. Most things work—just not always perfectly. Like our dryer... every time I hear that familiar thump-thump-thump, I’m reminded it’s still wobbling around. I keep saying I’ll fix it, just gotta find the time (and watch another YouTube video). Same goes for my golf push cart—it's still rolling thanks to a couple zip ties holding the tires on.
Truth is, I can be a little impatient. I’ll start something, hit a wall, question if I know what I’m doing, and then usually land on, “Eh, good enough.”
So the other day, I rolled into Bike Newport during their open Bike Garage hours. I’d been dealing with this annoying clicking in my bike chain—especially in the middle gears. If I pushed down hard, the chain would jump and click even more. I could ride in just the high or low gears and get by, but it was kind of a pain. I’d already pulled up a YouTube video and was about to dive in when Mark, one of the guys there, walked over.
I told him what was going on, and without missing a beat he said, “Yeah, sounds like a bent derailleur hanger.”
Boom. That was it.
I’d already spent an hour at home messing with all the adjusters—barrel this, high and low that—and I would’ve wasted a bunch more time. But Mark had it figured out in seconds. He took off the derailleur, grabbed this tool that looked like a long bar with a little sliding piece, and started gently bending the hanger back into shape. He explained how you can’t rush it—too much force and you could snap the hanger clean off.
He also gave me a quick bike history lesson—how hangers used to be part of the steel frame, but now with composite frames, they make hangers separate so they can break instead of the frame getting wrecked. Made me realize I should probably carry a spare hanger if I’m out in the woods or on a long ride.
Anyway, the whole thing was a good reminder: sometimes you think you’ve got the skills, but you're just kinda guessing. And that’s fine—but if there’s someone who actually knows what they’re doing, it might save you a ton of time (and frustration) to just ask for help.