Does anybody else get the syndrome where a bike seems to be fighting against you trying to build it?
I've wanted a proper touring bike for a long while. I bought a Dawes Galaxy frame (with a number of parts) a few years ago and have had several attempts to complete it. It always seems to be harder work than any other bike I have built.
I thought I wanted it as a flat bar bike - built it up with mostly late 90's XT stuff (because it works well and I had some) - it just didn't feel right.
I bought 3x8 road levers so I could use drops - this meant changing from the 'V' brakes, so I bought some good quality modern canti brakes - the front canti bosses were too close together to use them.
- luckily I had been tidying the workshop, and had found some older 'wide stance' (Shimano BR AT50) cantis that I didn't realise I had.
While building it, every little thing seemed to be against me - putting the brakes on - first I hd got the left and right springs mixed up (so the brakes sprung on rather than off), then I had one of the spring ends in the wrong hole on the canti boss, each time the screws had to be undone and redone, and the whole assembly seemed to go in a similar manner.