So I got a new bike

That’s right cheese eaters, I got a new bike. What’s it to ya?

Apparently the Look 566 had reached its end, which is to say it was time to sell it. Mr. Gurr pointed to the 585 and said why don’t you build that up? Well, I hadn’t thought about it. But as usual, once the suggestion is made the wheels get moving and pretty soon there is a new bike. It’s a wonderful program that most shop rats are on…

So I pulled down the 585 frame in white, ordered me some parts and waited for everything to show up. The brown panted Santa showed up bringing me all things Italian. I spent a couple of hours wrenching and magically a bike appeared.

You are correct in noticing the Campagnolo Chorus 11 speed attached to the pretty frame. Again the notion of suggestion runs strong. I had wanted the new Ultegra but Mr. Gurr suggested the Chorus and it was a done deal. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of Campy components, not because they don’t work but because they are uber expensive. Plus finding replacement parts, such as super hard to find things like cassettes, can take months, in comparison to being able to find anything you could ever possibly need for your drivetrain on the city corner. With this in mind, let me tell you how awesome the Chorus group is.

It’s pretty damn awesome. I’ve never been one to ride on the hoods for very long. I usually move forward to shift and then move back, but with the Campy hood I have ridden almost exclusively up top. The ergonomics of the shifters are quite phenomenal, at least for my hands.

I also decided to finally not use my Speedplay pedals and opted for the new Time IClics. Now I understand how dumb it is to name anything I-whatever, but these pedals are the absolute easiest in terms of engagement and exit. Step on, step out. That’s it. No thought needed.

Of course, these are my initial thoughts. I built the bike on Tuesday, rode it yesterday, and woke up too tired today. If anything changes I’ll let you know.

Moving on.

Jon Stewart is a fucking genius.

I saw this video and it made me wish that journalists that didn’t just make fun of the news could report that well. He always asks the right questions and juxtaposes them next to the answer. It’s genius. There is no other word for.

Speaking of independence. In the past bit, I’ve ridden to work more than I have driven. And it has felt awesome. I realized that six miles is really not that far to go and with that huge epiphany getting on the bike has become sooo much easier. Except for today, of course, when getting out of bed was like climbing K2.

In unrelated news.

I rarely comment on professional sports, and even less on professional cycling, but I would like to stick my tongue out at all you Lance lovers. So suck it!

Now let me explain before you all start sending me bombs. I think Lance has achieved things that are extraordinary. Does he dope? Probably, who doesn’t? The reason I don’t like Lance is because of all of you. That’s right Lance sucks because his fans suck and there is no way to have an intelligent conversation about a race with them without referring in one way or another to Lance. These fans are exactly like Dave Mathews Band fans, who, despite the fact that all of his songs sound the same, will argue to the death that he is the best damn singer/song writer to ever walk the face of the earth. Did I mention I hate Dave Mathews Band…

And to close, I raise my glass in honor of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake.

Just to mess with you.

Out.