Within the feedback on yesterday’s submit, the venerable “Urchin” shared this new product from Odyssey:
Okay, yeah, THAT’S AN INNER TUBE.
Yeah, yeah, I do know, there are two completely different air chambers, it’s obtained two valves blah blah blah, however let’s get actual right here, it’s a goddamn tube. it, I do know it, Odyssey is aware of it, even MTBro within the video tail-whipping repeatedly down the path like a cat with a burr caught to its ass is aware of it:
And if I sound indignant, I’m not. If something, I’m deeply reassured, for it proves that completely the whole lot within the biking world comes full circle. I predict as soon as hydraulic disc brakes go absolutely digital (sure, that’s proper) you’ll want some type of redundancy machine within the occasion of both lack of energy or fluid or each. Almost definitely, this can take the type of a discreet emergency lever:
This might act on a wound metal cable hooked up to an auxiliary stopper that grips the rim:
I’m unsure what they’d name it, however “Contingency Velocity Retardener” has a pleasant ring to it.
In the meantime, yesterday I took to the highway on a bicycle with a cutting-edge air-filled tire bladder system in addition to entrance and rear Continency Velocity Retardeners:
Bear in mind how I stated the Milwaukee was a implausible bike however there’s simply one thing particular concerning the Faggin? Properly, it in all probability received’t shock you that after driving the Faggin for 3 days in a row then switching again to the Milwaukee I now really feel precisely the alternative:
As I’ve talked about, I’ve formally given up attempting to know bikes. Nonetheless, I haven’t given up bloviating, so listed below are my main theories as to what’s occurring:
- These final three days on the Faggin had been chilly and wet, however yesterday was heat and sunny, so naturally I felt higher on the Milwaukee
- Because the tires very slowly lose air like all tires do I’ve inadvertently discovered myself in type of a #whatpressureyourunning Goldilocks Zone. Nonetheless, by the subsequent trip they’ll be barely too low, at which level I’ll determine the Milwaukee feels barely extra sluggish than the Faggin, till I lastly get round to topping off the tires, at which level I’ll suppose it’s slightly on the stiff facet once more till they step by step deflate themselves again all the way down to the Goldilocks Zone and the cycle begins a brand new
- It’s crimson
All of this obsessing ought to final till the brand new tires I ordered from Rivendell for the Roadini lastly arrive and I begin fixating on that once more.
Now the place the hell’s that UPS truck?
I’ll additionally confess I’m experiencing the same inversion relating to the drivetrains: till now I used to be pondering that the Tremendous Report on the Faggin was nicer than the 105 on the Milwaukee, however now I’m wondering if it isn’t the opposite means round. The types of people that fancy themselves aficionados and tastemakers usually desire Campagnolo, and it’s not arduous to know why. On the identical time, relating to mechanical, Shimano has the sting in a single space, and I’m shocked no one ever appears to say it: particularly, it’s very straightforward to brake and downshift on the identical time as a result of the brake lever can also be the downshiftershifter. As I recall, this was how Lennard Zinn justified Campagnolo digital again within the early days of EPS:
As absurdly particular because the above passage from Zinn is, in my case all of that is past theoretical and much more ridiculous, since not solely are my racing days lengthy behind me, however I don’t even have anyone to trip with, which implies I’ve no must ever attempt to sustain with anyone–and I can guarantee you my common velocity displays this, or a minimum of it could if I had been nonetheless utilizing Strava. Which I’m not anymore.
However yeah, I’m actually having fun with the 105 stuff.
Anyway, having established I’m utterly unqualified to evaluate go-fast highway bike stuff, I’m however going to replace you on the Pearl Izumi sneakers I acquired again in 2022, seen beneath of their present state:
I’ll remind you that these are their price range sneakers–so budgety actually that they appear to be marketed as a lot for indoor spin bike use as for precise biking. Talking of which, you’ll see I’m utilizing Look Delta cleats (or their generic equal), which have additionally fallen out of favor amongst cyclists whereas on the identical time turning into the usual cleat for indoor spinning. So why do I take advantage of them?
Properly, like many cyclists, I used to make use of Look Delta pedals again when if you happen to had been a “severe” roadie you both used Look or Time, or perhaps Speedplay. Then someday through the 10-speed period Campagnolo launched the Professional-Match pedal, and someway I began utilizing these:
They had been superb pedals, although in typical Campagnolo vogue they had been utterly overdone, proper all the way down to the two-piece cleat with a metallic half and a plastic half and even slightly piece of grip tape for the underside of the cleat.
Then Shimano SPD-SL got here out and like seemingly everybody else I switched to these, and I had nary an issue with them. Certainly, I’d nonetheless be utilizing them right this moment if it weren’t for the Vengeance Bike:
That bike arrived with the Look pedals (Delta, clearly), and if there’s one factor I can’t stand it’s having two completely different pedal programs going on the identical time. (I make an exception for “highway” pedals and “mountain” pedals, however even that I discover annoying.) But because the official Traditional Cycle Outdated Crap Take a look at Pilot it wouldn’t do for me to trip the Vengeance Bike with trendy pedals. So as a substitute I purchased some outdated Shimano Look Delta-compatible pedals off a sure web site the place folks public sale stuff. These pedals are very top quality, however usually they seem like crap and no one desires them, so because of this you may typically get them for concerning the value of an inside tube or two. So I purchased one other pair, and one other, and earlier than I knew it I used to be utilizing Look Delta-compatible Shimano pedals on all my highway bikes.
I maintain which means to modify again to the SPD-SLs, however at this level it simply seems like a trouble–and talking of hassles, I simply changed the cleats on these sneakers, however as a result of I waited so lengthy even the screws themselves had been worn down and I needed to Dremel little notches for a screwdriver into them to get them off, however not earlier than first attempting to get them off with a pair of needle-nose pliers and badly pinching the pad of my pinkie within the course of, leaving a nasty welt that was as painful as it’s ugly. So let that be a reminder to go forward and examine your cleats–or, even higher, don’t hassle with any of this nonsense in any respect and simply trip in sneakers.
As for the sneakers, since getting them I’ve worn them for many of my cleated highway driving and have been extraordinarily happy with them. The heel pad thingy that aids strolling isn’t replaceable, however as you may see it’s barely worn. The Velcro (or its generic equal) can also be nearly as good as new, and general I can’t discover a single factor to complain about, the disastrous pinky welt being 100% my fault. Sometimes I nonetheless put on my Sidis, which I’ll admit do really feel slightly higher, however they’re additionally fairly beat up, and so they don’t really feel so a lot better that I don’t nonetheless go for these more often than not.
So there you go–although once more, you actually can’t go flawed with sneakers.