Within the feedback on yesterday’s publish, the venerable “Urchin” shared this new product from Odyssey:
Okay, yeah, THAT’S AN INNER TUBE.
Yeah, yeah, I do know, there are two totally different air chambers, it’s obtained two valves blah blah blah, however let’s get actual right here, it’s a goddamn tube. You understand 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 offended, I’m not. If something, I’m deeply reassured, for it proves that completely every thing within the biking world comes full circle. I predict as soon as hydraulic disc brakes go totally digital (sure, that’s proper) you’ll want some form of redundancy system within the occasion of both lack of energy or fluid or each. Almost definitely, this may take the type of a discreet emergency lever:
This may act on a wound metal cable hooked up to an auxiliary stopper that grips the rim:
I’m undecided 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 mentioned the Milwaukee was a unbelievable bike however there’s simply one thing particular in regards to the Faggin? Nicely, it most likely received’t shock you that after using the Faggin for 3 days in a row then switching again to the Milwaukee I now really feel precisely the other:
As I’ve talked about, I’ve formally given up making an attempt to know bikes. Nevertheless, 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 form of a #whatpressureyourunning Goldilocks Zone. Nevertheless, by the following experience 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 somewhat on the stiff facet once more till they progressively deflate themselves again right down to the Goldilocks Zone and the cycle begins a brand new
It’s purple
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 an analogous inversion relating to the drivetrains: till now I used to be considering that the Tremendous Document on the Faggin was nicer than the 105 on the Milwaukee, however now I ponder if it isn’t the opposite manner round. The kinds of people that fancy themselves aficionados and tastemakers typically desire Campagnolo, and it’s not exhausting to know why. On the identical time, relating to mechanical, Shimano has the sting in a single space, and I’m stunned 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 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 experience with, which implies I’ve no must ever attempt to sustain with anyone–and I can guarantee you my common velocity displays this, or not less than 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 assessment go-fast highway bike stuff, I’m nonetheless going to replace you on the Pearl Izumi footwear I obtained again in 2022, seen beneath of their present state:
I’ll remind you that these are their finances footwear–so budgety in truth 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 changing into the usual cleat for indoor spinning. So why do I exploit them?
Nicely, like many cyclists, I used to make use of Look Delta pedals again when should you had been a “severe” roadie you both used Look or Time, or perhaps Speedplay. Then someday throughout the 10-speed period Campagnolo launched the Professional-Match pedal, and in some way I began utilizing these:
They had been superb pedals, although in typical Campagnolo trend they had been utterly overdone, proper right down to the two-piece cleat with a steel half and a plastic half and even somewhat 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 totally different pedal techniques 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 Check Pilot it wouldn’t do for me to experience 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 typically they seem like crap and no one needs them, so consequently you possibly can usually get them for in regards to the value of an interior 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 preserve which means to change again to the SPD-SLs, however at this level it simply seems like a problem–and talking of hassles, I simply changed the cleats on these footwear, 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 making an attempt 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 test your cleats–or, even higher, don’t trouble with any of this nonsense in any respect and simply experience in sneakers.
As for the footwear, since getting them I’ve worn them for many of my cleated highway using and have been extraordinarily happy with them. The heel pad thingy that aids strolling is just not replaceable, however as you possibly can see it’s barely worn. The Velcro (or its generic equal) can be nearly as good as new, and total I can’t discover a single factor to complain about, the disastrous pinky welt being 100% my fault. Often I nonetheless put on my Sidis, which I’ll admit do really feel somewhat higher, however they’re additionally fairly beat up, they usually don’t really feel so significantly 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.
