Additional to yesterday’s publish and my column about fixing flats, I fastened that flat:
And sure, I’ll concede that on this explicit case a tubeless set-up would have simply taken care of it:
No matter.
In the meantime, I don’t pay shut consideration to the latest and newest in crabon bike blobbery, so I didn’t notice simply how absurd inside cable routing had change into:
Sure, due to this bike business aversion to uncovered cables (coupled with fantastic advances corresponding to hydraulic disc brakes and digital shifting), a easy stem swap now entails a go to to the bike store and $300 price of labor:
Nevertheless it’s price it for all these watts you save as a result of lower in wind resistance.
As I famous in my Twitter kvetching, the straightforward bicycle headset has now gone from one thing you tightened as soon as and that allowed quick and easy bar peak adjustment forevermore to an built-in nightmare. (And that’s not even addressing these revolutionary new “auto-centering” headsets.) In fact the trade-off is price it for the elevated stiffness of at this time’s outsized fashions…besides it seems we didn’t want the elevated stiffness in any case so now you need to purchase a particular stem to eliminate it:
Between the price of the stem swap and the price of the stem you’ve now spent over $500 to get the identical efficiency out of your crabon “module” as you do out of a motorcycle outfitted with a quill stem in a one-inch headtube.
By the way in which, Cane Creek’s cutting-edge “ee” line additionally consists of a titanium crank that prices over a grand:
Scoff if you’ll, however they’re completely price it as a result of they “relieve joint fatigue” and depart your “ankles feeling recent:”
I admit I’ve by no means tried titanium cranks. Nevertheless, I’ve ridden just about every thing else, from one-piece metal to outboard-bearing crabon. Whereas the passage above additionally signifies that crabon cranks are in some way “chattery,” I’ve by no means skilled this. The truth is, in addition to apparent stuff like size and “Q-factor,” which you may discover, I’ve been unable to discern any distinction by any means in “really feel” between any respectable crank, most certainly as a result of it doesn’t exist on a degree that’s detectable by people. Granted, I admit I’m not ready to spend $1,000 to show that this additionally extends to cranks constructed from titanium, however I’ve received a excessive diploma of confidence it’s the case. (Now’s the place you inform me concerning the titanium backside bracket spindle you had within the ’80s that flexed a lot you bought chain rub when you a lot as turned a pedal, and that snapped on you after three months.)
There are numerous methods to piss your cash away on bike stuff, however when you’re really eager about in most expenditure for minimal return on funding, go purchase your self a very costly aftermarket crank, they provide no profit by any means.
However sure, it’s nice to see Cane Creek now affords a complete line of parts that may make your stiff race bike experience like a Rivendell with a Brooks saddle:
The seatpost prices $219 in aluminum and $319 in crabon, which implies that when you issue within the backside bracket and spider and chainring a whole Cane Creek plush-ification improve will value no less than as a lot as…a brand new Rivendell body.
Humorous how that works.
Talking of which, they’ve received Sam Hillbornes in inventory over at Outdated Man Petersen’s Home of Ferrous Velocipedes. No internally routed headset cables, sadly. Nevertheless, if you wish to make cockpit swaps a ache within the ass for your self or your mechanic, you’ll be able to all the time use a single-bolt stem and wrap the bars with numerous fabric, twine and shellac.
