So, my eBay “shopping” seems to come in bunches; nothing for a while, then ‘zip, bang, boom’, I’m buying stuff!
When I resigned myself to the fact that I have to buy another fixed gear bike, I knew that this meant I’d need a few components. I’ve found eBay to be the place to go for good deals on such things.
When I bought the Pista, I got the brake levers, front brake, pedals, and chainring from eBay.
So, anyway, I’m looking around for such things when I come across a Campagnolo “peanut butter” wrench. Naturally I decide I must have this. I’ve been needing a 15mm wrench for the Pista’s track nuts anyway. My stubby Craftsman combination wrench is perfect for carrying along, but something with a bit more leverage would be nice when portability isn’t an issue.
So anyway, I decide to bid on the wrench, it looks well used, but functionally fine. I decide I’ll go as high as $22.00 for it. I make my bid, then do a little research. The first place I find that has them wants just under $30, so I’m feeling pretty good about my bid, but then I discover that Excel Sports has it, brand new, for $21.95.
D’oh! I should have looked first. This puts me in the position of anxiously watching the auction, desperately hoping to be outbid. Which, mercifully, I was.
So, I dodged that bullet, plus, I bought a set of brake levers ($25) and hopefully I’m about to get a really good deal on a set of Dura Ace (7700) brake calipers. Why a set, you wonder? I can swap the rear brake’s fixing bolt with one from a front brake and have D/A front brakes on both fixies!
So, it was with deepest regret that I realized yesterday (Saturday) was the day Henry “The Fonz” Winkler was in town for an evening of dinner, dancing (honestly!) and discussion on the importance of education at the Project SOAR — (Sailing Over Academic Requirements) fundraiser.
I so wanted to make a spectacle of myself by leaping up (in the requisite “semi-formal” attire) and shouting;
“I paid my $25… now dance with me, Fonzie!”
Oh well, it’s probably just as well; I’m pretty sure no one else would have found it nearly as funny as I would. Plus, that’s just the sort of thing that can get you branded as a raving lunatic in many small towns. Like I always say;
“Vast amounts of comedy escaping into the vacuum of indifference.”
Yep.
So, I had hoped that buying the new wheels would keep the dreaded New Bike Bug at bay, but no such luck. I want need a new, lighter fixed gear bike!
Unless (or until) I change my mind again, I’m leaning toward the Bianchi Pista Concept. “Pista” is, of course, Italian for “track” and the Pista Concept is Bianchi’s serious track racing bike.
Of course, mine will be rolling on the new wheels.
So, today I’m out for a ride on one of my usual loops. Just as I pass the city limits sign rolling back into town, I see Der Doggie Dog and his young apprentice racing toward their fence to greet me. I swear it’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen either of them, and they seemed just as happy to see me as I was them. I don’t know if it was because they were overcome with joy, or if they forgot the “rules” to our little game during their vacation (or whatever) but instead of racing me down the entire length of the fence they instead headed to the halfway point, leaping around, their whole bodies wagging as I said hello. Glancing back over my shoulder as I rode away, I saw that they were both standing in the corner of their yard, tails wagging like mad, watching me ride away.
It’s not too often I get to say this, but those dogs made my day!
So, today as I was rolling out on my ride, I happened to glance at the Madonna del Ghisallo medallion which adorns my bike’s stem. At that precise moment my cyclocomputer, stem, and the edge of said medallion were splattered with bird poop.
I’m not sure, but I think there’s a good chance that the little atheistic avian bastard is going to Hell for defiling a religious symbol like that.
So, I went and (finally!) picked up my new Phil Wood cogs for the Pista Monday. The word “shiny” doesn’t begin to do them justice. Unfortunately, neither do photographs, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Stainless steel, polished to a mirror finish… they’re pretty enough to be jewelry, for cryin out loud!
Oh, so shiny!
Those of you who have been keeping score at home know that I love tamales. Specifically, tamales from Bernard’s in Midland, Texas.
Those of you who are, like myself, conversationally illiterate in español probably have a pretty good idea what I got for my birthday.
Anyway… my wonderful, sainted step-mother, Terri (no, I’m not trying to butter anyone up!) called the other day to let me know to be expecting a belated birthday gift; a parcel of tamales, as per an earlier conversation. Then she dropped the bomb… she sent ten (10!) dozen!
I had to laugh when she was telling me how she was a bit grossed out by the ingredients listed on the case (yes, I’m now one step closer to mastery of the dark art of tamale making). Along with all of the expected players, they contain pork snouts.
“Snouts?” I thought to myself,
“They’d have to be made from brains and anuses before I’d be too grossed out to eat them.” Actually, I’m not entirely sure that would keep me from eating them, but it probably would squelch my desire to cook them.
Anyway… I was a little nervous about them arriving still semi-frozen, or at least somewhat cool, but assuaged my fears by reminding myself that tamales were originally created (at least in part) as a means of preserving meat in the days prior to refrigeration.
The package arrived, right on schedule; a case of 120 tamales packed with blue-ice packets, inside a larger box. Tearing into the box, I found that they were, indeed, still cold. Digging deeper I discovered that those in the center of the case were actually still frozen.
I decided that the first thing I needed to do was to divvy them up into freezer bags and get the reserves into the freezer. Immediately I realized the folly of this course of action and grabbed a pot, put some hot water in it, dropped in the steamer basket and loaded it up with precisely as many tamales as would fit and still allow the lid to go on. Then I busied myself with getting the rest packed up and stored safely away.
By the time I finished with this, my kitchen was filling with that most heavenly aroma and it was tamale time (it’s like Hammer Time only greasier and with less dancing). After inhaling 2 or 3, I had to call to share my elation with Terri. I got the machine, left an effusive, barely coherent message of thanks, then turned my attention back to my tamales. Before they knew what’d hit them I had devoured that steamer load and plopped down, satiated, to contemplate my bounty.
Life is good. Happy birthday to me!
So, back in February when I got the new wheels, I decided to pull out all the stops. To that end, I had Roger (at I-Pro) order me a couple of Phil Wood cogs, a 16 and a 17. As luck would have it, the 17 was out of stock, but they were just about to do a production run, so no worries. As the weeks rolled by, Roger was having a hard time getting any sort of time commitment from the folks at PW; or even getting them on the phone.
Finally this past Saturday I decided I’d had enough; gorgeous, shiny, and machined from stainless steel or not, I was sick of waiting. I intended to go by the bike shop after work Saturday morning and have Roger tell them where they could stick ‘em, and order some EAI or Dura Ace cogs from Euro Asia (which are decidedly less ‘pretty’) unless the Phils were either there or on their way. Naturally, I was exhausted when I got off work and went straight home and to bed.
When I got up there was a message from Roger on the machine. The cogs finally came in!
“Yippee!” I thought, “I’ll go pick them up Monday.”
The message continued… “that’s the good news, the bad news is, I’m going to be closed all next week, until the 17th.”
“Gee thanks, Roger.” I said to the machine, “The good news is, your cogs are here, the bad news is, you can’t have them!” I just had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Oh well, I’ve waited this long; another week won’t kill me… damnit!
So, I’ve had some Rudy Project ‘Ekynox’ shades for a few years now. Last night I somehow managed to step on them and snap one of the temples, right at the hinge. They’re amazingly well made and suffered no other damage. I did notice that the nose pads could stand to be replaced, too, though.
So I call their toll-free customer service number to enquire about getting replacement parts. Within moments I have an actual person on the line (Celeste, who really should consider working for Bianchi!). Total for the parts: $6 or $7 (I forget, it all happened so fast). My parts will ship no later than tomorrow and I do have a spare pair, so all is well.
Rudy Project earns a resounding “CGSOA”.
Rudy also has a Replacement Lens Guarantee that can’t be beat!
|
