Product Reviews
So it's only installed on the back brake right now, but last night I installed the combination of Nokon housing and TRP CR950 carbon cantilever arms on the cyclocross rig. This is an upgrade from Avid Shorty 6 arms with just cheap/generic Bontrager cable housing.
The change is amazing. I barely even have to brush the cross-top lever to get the rear brakes to engage, and they do so in a smooth, predictable way, and deliver enough power to stop the bike quickly.
I'm really going to have to remain cognizant of the fact that my Las Cruces is moto-wired (ie.: the brake levers are wired opposite of usual -- left hand now controls the rear brake), or I'm going to eat dirt/pavement.
Cannibalizing!
The commuter inches closer to completion. I've taken the brake calipers -- Avid Shorty 6s -- off my 'cross bike and installed them on the commuter. They'll be fine on a commuter rig, but I wasn't very happy with them in competition last year. The 'cross bike will be receiving a set of the Paul Components calipers later this summer.
This will leave me with just the STI brake/shift lever and the wheelset to order, and the commuter bike will be functionally-complete.
So the cyclocross bike plans? Some minor upgrades before the start of 'cross season: Paul Components Touring Canti brakes with the Moon Unit bridges. Also, replacing my crappy Cane Creek cross-top levers with Paul's re-issue of their levers. Some blue Nokon cable housing for the brakes, and a longer cable hanger for the front end. A new seat -- the SLR is a comfy seat, but I kept bruising the hell out of my ass and thighs during the dismount. Maybe -- and that's a big maybe -- a carbon seatpost and stem to increase the ride comfort.
Frostbike ‘08 Recap
So Frostbike, QBP's miniature trade show, has come and gone. I hit both weekend days, learned a lot, met a bunch of cool people, and came away with a bunch of free schwag and evil ideas.
Saturday was a pretty good day. I rolled in just before 10am, cruised the expo floor, and then spent the rest of the day learning everything I could about running a bike shop.1 My first stop was a seminar on inventory management where I had my mind absolutely blown by the volume of what I didn't know. Lunch followed, then another swing through the expo floor, where I talked to the guy from Oval Concepts about their aerobar line, chatted with the dude from Crank Bros. about the future of their product line, and then cruised back upstairs for a seminar on the cost of doing business -- a 90-minute session that covered everything from initial start-up capital, to applying GMROI to employees, to the transition from credit-based operations to cash-based operations. At the end of the day, my head was spinning, I was more psyched than ever to get my shop opened, and I had resolved to go out and get myself an MBA.
Writing, Bike, Etc.
On the writing front, I seem to have lost momentum via the day lost to the dead logic board in my Mac Mini. That's kinda sucky, but I'm going to force myself to sit in front of the 'ol text editing program for an hour tomorrow -- either I'll write, or I'll waste an hour. One or the other.
On the bike side of things, Zipp finally got my wheels back to me. Only one minor issue -- a dust seal on the cassette hub body was folded over onto itself, exposing the internals -- and I was able to correct that in less than five minutes with a pair of 5mm allen wrenches and a dental pick. Tonight, I'm going to scrub the cassette clean before I re-install it, and get everything back on the Salsa. It looks awfully sad, hanging in the living room with no wheels.
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Ain't nothing more fun than an all-day meeting. Well, maybe being waterboarded. [fontosaurus]
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RT @dealsplus Hey! Retweet this to win an Apple product in 30 minutes. Don't forget to follow @dealsplus. http://bit.ly/9aq1Su [fontosaurus]
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I'm at Rainbow Foods - The Quarry (1540 New Brighton Blvd, Minneapolis). [fontosaurus]
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Checked in at Rainbow Foods - The Quarry
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I'm at PetSmart - The Quarry (1640 New Brighton Blvd, Minneapolis). [fontosaurus]
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Checked in at PetSmart - The Quarry
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Have not updated the blog in a few days. I should rectify that tonight. [fontosaurus]
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BLTs for dinner tonight, I think. [fontosaurus]
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I favorited a YouTube video -- Cycle Speedway Euro Club Champs: FINAL http://youtu.be/rKNCoaOsAT4?a [fontosaurus]
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RT @sveden: Haha, just as I was saying. A letter that makes no census? Minnesota Public Radio http://bit.ly/99ubkr [fontosaurus]
