Catching up with the outside world

Too much about me lately.  Need to look out, not in.  Things are happening...

It's true, Specialized and now Trek are making fat bikes.

It was coming, like it or not.  People were buying slices of pie, and they (S & T) did not like that they had no pie to offer.  As much as I think most fat bikes are going to waste (not used up to their potential, bought as trendy playthings) and many will soon be covered in dust and cobwebs, I'm enjoying the new hate this trend is producing.  People are complaining that somehow fat bike "originators" such as Surly and Salsa (same thing) are somehow due something for jumping in feet first and making many aspects of this new genre possible.  Complaints that the giant gorillas "stole" something from them...

Whatever. Surly invented single speeds, right?  Where's their comeuppance on that one?

Two or three years... enjoy your bigger tire and component selection that will come with bigger players entering the market.

More hate?

Drunk Cyclist beat me to this, as I was too busy yammering on about myself and do not have a bullpen of correspondents and contributors to cover all the bases.

Lets all ignore the fact that Specialized has managed to sneak two bottle cages in standard (reachable) locations on an XC full squish race bike.

Nobody was asking for that... oh, they were?  Kudos.

Back to the tube tumor device.  It's hideous, it's ingenious, it's stupid.  Note that from everything I've read, that's a big red S Turbo tube in there.  Not much room for anything else more tubulent.  The Turbo tube is only .6mm thick.  One was acquired for my use in May of 2010.

 Very small package.  It lasted right up until I went to use it.  It was more fragile than rice paper.



I now stick with tubes that are in the .73mm thickness range or thicker.  I've been burned (twice) carrying ultra, ultra lite tubes, and I would never carry them for my own personal use.  I would be willing to loan one to The Pflug though.

The multi-tool aspect of the SWAT concept (Shitty Way to Access Tools)?

Stick it in the frame...

or in its tidy little holster under the bottle cage.

I hate multi-tools... of all sorts.  They make no sense 75% of the time.  Not enough leverage, not enough tools, too many tools, too bulky for tight places, not long enough to get everywhere you need them...

"The EMT includes a slotted screwdriver, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm allen wrenches and a T25 torx..."

Quois le Fuque?

By process of elimination, I guess that is your 8mm.  Looks great for torqing on your pedals and cranks.  My best Bike Rumor arm chair engineering opinion.

I do think the chain tool in the steer tube is brilliant... almost as good as the banana in the tail pipe.

Fascinating.

I was almost thinking about buying one... even though I just ordered a NOS one of these for $15.90 shipped to my house to replace the one I lost awhile back.

That was right up until I read that the mighty Francis Cebedo of MTBR actually tried to use the SWAT chain tool and found a few shortcomings.  So there's that.  I'm not a fan of shortcomings when you can have something that actually works... can't believe I dropped Francis's name and the word shortcomings and didn't take the time to integrate a short joke.  Maybe later...

Guess I'll stick with my Fix-It Shit in a Tülbag and tubes/CO2 lashed to the bike with some sort of Awesome Strap.  Hard to improve on that concept... especially with these sweet beauties:

I've been waiting for these my whole life.  I've been getting away with shoving my Tülbag in a radio pocket in order to wear my Club Pride sleeveless cowboy jerseys and belly shirts.  This is a game changer, something I've wanted and never dreamed anyone would ever make.  Hate on Specialized all you want, I will haz this.

And finally, I've followed about 1.7% of this year's Tour de France.  I just wasn't into it.   Yesterday, I did catch some live streaming at work.  I saw all the bike swapping going on during the individual time trial (more standard road bikes for the initial "technical" sections, TT bikes for the final stretch).  I couldn't find any images of an actual swap, so here's one of some racer dealing with a serious pre-race morning constitutional... looks like he's going for the KOM.

They can swap bikes at the TdF.  They've been able to for quite some time.  I could give two shits.  Give me the option (and the resources), and I'd do it too.

But this?

Sounds like Froome doesn't wanna die.  I don't blame him.  I'm not in a hurry to get to my grave either... but it's bike racing.  We go up hill and down hill in all kinds of weather.  It sucks.  Deal with it.

Of course I'll feel bad if someone overcooks a corner and dies today.  Bike racing is a very dangerous sport and it's really up to the rider to protect themselves from things like death and whatnot.  I wish them all luck today, and I hope they safely race from start to finish.  Something... anything to make this year's race less boring... other than death.

No blogging tomorrow.  Heading to the mountains to hike with The Pie.  Hike?  All right, walk around in the woods on a designated trail and look at things.

ORAMM Sunday.  Up at 4:45AM and hitting the road.  No plans to stay closer, but no plans to be woke up at random intervals by malfunctioning smoke alarms or soaking wet on a hotel floor with my feet under a defrosting mini-fridge.

All the marbles.  I'm ten pounds heavier than I was in May.  I'm over it.  My attempts to drink no, less, not more than usual amounts in the lead up... thwarted.  Less fuques have been given.  Living off the land, no drop bags, Sherman's March to the Sea.

Should be great.  Check back Monday.