Velochallenge

Once again the Tour of California exposed and created the drool of those prototype components; it’s no surprise that where there are big-ticket teams, there are sure to be big-ticket toys.

One of the coolest items on the list was Shimano’s Dura-Ace electronic shifting system that has been in the works for a few years. Campy has been developing a system of their own and Mavic had an electric system I believe in the early ’90s.

So why would anyone need this kind of thing? Think about it: the shifts happen instantly and precisely ever time. The derailleurs would never go out of tune. There would be no cable stretch. The mechanism would be almost entirely maintenance-free. (As long as you remember to change the batteries, that is) Will it ever replace cable-actuated shifting? Of course not, but for big-budget racers, it’s a no-brainier.

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Someone’s got a bright idea! Make sure you have a tool for all occasions!

Well, it has been a while, been kinda crazy the past few weeks. Unlike some people, I decided to take an extra week off and not race the cherry pie road race. From what I’ve heard it was great, the weather held off and produced some decent warm riding. I was going to attempt to take a ride but alas other plans took precedent. Those plans being the preparation of the baby room which included new carpet and furniture. So after waiting for the new carpet to be laid it was finally time for the baby furniture.

Thanks to my awesome neighbor Caleb, we got all the furniture up the stairs and into the baby’s room. I swear each piece averages 100 pounds. Well I found out the negative of being a cyclist, I have no upper body strength. So after the sixth step my arms were like jelly and my neighbor would have occasionally wait patiently for me to regrip and continue upward.

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Have you hugged your bike today?

Forget carbon fiber, I’m going wood!

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