I'll join in with thanks to Randy and others for generously helping newcomers and suspending judgement about the relative merit of their bikes or technical expertise.
this is great work and I think seriously undervalued !
so here's what I'd suggest as a pre-amble for newbies posting requests for help:
thanks for sharing your question with the Bike Forums C&V crew. Even tho we don't charge for our support and expertise, you are drawing on the collective wisdom of many experienced folks who want nothing more than to help you resolve your problem so you can better enjoy the sport.
Our "ASK" of you is simple - describe your problem / frame your question as clearly as possible. Be specific ! Measurements and pictures REALLY help.
when you act on information and recommendations you got here - tell us what you did, what worked and what didn't.
tell us when the problem is resolved and what it was that fixed it. post a pic ! That way we can learn too.
my point being, we're delivering a lot of value here for no money. I think the challenge is to cause the new people to place a value on the information they are getting. They may well become a regular participant in our group. which is the best outcome.
these are my deep thoughts
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA