Cycling riddle

What’s the difference between a 30-speed bike and a 3-speed bike?

One broken cable.

A few days of fiddling with an out-of-whack rear derailleur, adjusting and readjusting and just not being able to figure out why I couldn’t get it to stay in smooth alignment – though it’s a 10-speed cassette, and therefore finicky, I’m not new at this – and I finally found out what was really wrong. After a few days of flats to get my legs back in the groove, I decided that Thursday was the day to climb Taborton Road up to Dutch Church, a good hard 11km climb followed by a rocketing descent, and I thought I had the gears back in shape to take it. But as I headed out to Sand Lake things were getting balky in back again and taking the time to fiddling with the cable adjustments wasn’t getting me anywhere. Just before I was to start the climb, I went off on a flat side road to make one last stab at getting the gears right. Got off, fiddled, spun the crank, ticked the lever – and nothing. Nothing. The lever is now not changing anything, no matter how many times I tap it. Reach up to look under the hood, touch the cable, and it falls out of the lever. I’m now completely disconnected, stuck on an 11-tooth sprocket, and thankful for the triple in front that will hopefully help me to limp partway home. (Second call to the sag wagon in two weeks, which is annoying, after NO calls in a couple of years.) The hills of Rensselaer County are somewhat unforgiving to those stuck in the final gear, even with a granny ring up front, so I was grateful when I saw the Big Blue Truck come up the road.

No debating with myself this time, I ran it right down to Steiners and decided to have them true the rims while they were at it (after 6600km or so, I probably should have had them change the cassette and chain, too, but you know how it goes). Hoping to get it back today and finally get these legs back where they should be, up to Dutch Church.