Me so sorry

It's been amazing how strapped for time I've been lately. Blog posts have suffered as a consequence of me trying to squeeze in some bike maintenence in my early morning hours. A simple tire swap turned into an exercise in Stan's tape replacement and an even tempered patience. The change from a six inch rotor to a seven inch rotor caused more headache and pain than I bargained for.

After getting some advice to just use spacers I dug up some old aluminum ones that I think came with a brake booster I was using back in the late nineties. I would explain what a brake booster is, but if you don't know go ask your grandfather.

This looked weak. I was not inspired in the least. I could see broken teeth and a smashed helmet in my future. This operation was aborted before it was even taken out of the house.

Then I got a call from Johnny Nutsack Flapjack Bitchslap Nick Nack Paddy Whack Give the Dog a Bone. He had a couple spare adapters, the actual HAYES adapters, so a meeting place was arranged and a shady deal took place in a back lot in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (around 7:30AM).

This looks a little more inspiring. Of course when I went out to test it the whole thing sucked ass for no particular reason, so I had to break out the rubbing alcohol and fine grit sandpaper and work on the rotor and go about bedding it in again. I think it feels better. I get random unsolicited emails all the time telling me that an extra inch should be quite pleasing, so perhaps I'll feel the difference once I get to the Tour de Burg.

Bike Rumor had a nice post up the other day with images of the new XTR 2011 shiz (a new word I learned yesterday after abusing the word "shit"). Ten speed blah, blah, blah... new brakes that look awesome but I'm just a Hayes kinda guy (even though they don't sponsor me as they should), shifty bits that are all shiny, and a cassette with nine too many schprockets.

But then I saw this:

The NEW 2011 XTR PEDAL (aptly named the M980 because that just sounds like the hawtness)

I love XTR pedals, I just do. I can't help it. This one has to be better than the previous one. It's 15 grams lighter (that's fifteen average sized paperclips) than the current model. Would you carry around fifteen average sized paperclips in your jersey pocket if you didn't have to? I probably run around with 300 average sized paperclips in the bottom of my messenger bag all day, but that's a great training aid and they come in handy for impromptu arts and crafts style necklaces . When it's time to race I always make sure to leave the average sized paperclips at home. What else does this pedal do better?

"Power transfer efficiency is improved by increasing shoe and pedal body contact by 270% over PD-M970".

270%??? That's a lot more percents. That's 269 more percents than 1%. I would be getting this pedal if it were only 1% better, but this is 270 times greater than my wildest dreams. I need to go scour eBay for my newest pedal that will autmoatically make me faster than the moron riding around with fifteen average sized paperclips in his jersey pocket.