it shouldn't have taken one-and-a-half hours. it probably shouldn't have taken one hour, or probably even 45 minutes. but, yes, due to my lack of experience and newbie-ness at working at the shop, it took me pretty nearly 1.5 hours to switch out two brake cables along with archie.
archie told me he has been a patron of the 816 for four years, when he first got his bike there. he's been on that same bike ever since, and it's clear that he loves it. he has several d.i.y. fixes like masking tape on his bars for grip and zip/cable ties on his top tube, which we had to take off to do the fix. archie had recently been riding downtown, heading down a sizable hill when he applied both brakes and both cables snapped. thinking quickly, he stuck his foot on his back tire to stop himself. luckily he wasn't hurt. so there he was at 3:00 sharp, when the shop opened, to get his bike fixed.
one thing that is so great (and "right") about the 816 is their d.i.y / d.i.t. (do it together) ethic. i took archie's brake fix as an opportunity to practice that as best i could, asking archie for help as i fumbled my way through the mechanics of center-pull brakes, road-bike brake levers, and finding the correct cables. we've all had those moments when we've wanted a third hand, and this time we had four.
archie is a great guy who knows his old-school soul / r&b (he sang along quietly to most every song playing on the radio that afternoon), rides his bike a lot, and needs what the 816 has to offer. i look forward to working with him again soon.
