[Update] First Big Upgrade/Maintenance- Thanks for the help

After a long Sunday afternoon and evening, the bike is finally upgraded.

This came after a post on r/bikewrench – “https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/s/RdnTljjoaw” I made here that left me genuinely encouraged Huge thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice. You all made me feel way more confident about doing the maintenance myself.

What I Learned: • Bought master links and chain pliers last minute in decathlon; • Still need to grab extra cables and a proper cable cutter for the future and an end cap for the rear derailleur (so I don’t end up stabbed by my own bike). • The existing cable length worked out fine, but I’ll stock up on extras for next time. • Chain sizing and derailleur adjustment? Absolutely brutal. Either it’s trickier than it looks or I’m just still learning….but it tested my patience for sure. • Wrapping the bar tape wasn’t too bad—slow, but kind of satisfying. Not perfect, but for a first try, I’m happy with it.

Taking it for a test ride when it doesn’t rain to feel how the changes hold up, especially curious about how it climbs now.

Thanks again to this sub for pushing me to give it a go! 🫶🏼