Hello again and greetings again from the weirdest city in the whole US of A. Here's a list of things that I learned today, our 2nd day out @ the Outdoor Demo Day in Boulder City NV.....
The "Tour de Lake Mead" kicked my ass! Also know as the "Hangover Ride", the "TdLM" has become a staple of the show. You line yourself up a road bike on Monday, (I had a dandy C-Dale Synapse) get your butt outta the sack @ 5:30 Tuesday morn, work yourself out to Bootleg Canyon, grab your bike and line up w/ about 200 other bleary-eyed showfolk. When the nice officer rolls out w/ his lights blazing (Police escort - gotta love it!) you head down Route 93 bound for a lovely scenic turnout on the shore of Lake Mead.
Here's the thing......it's 95% downhill from start to finish. And a large percentage of that 95% is WAY downhill! 40mph downhill. Ridin' the brakes once in awhile kinda downhill.
And we all know what THAT means, yes? Yep......let's just say that it takes me a helluva lot longer to do the return leg and leave it at that. Okay?
Shimano's new electronic Dura Ace drivetrain is pretty dang cool! Coming from a guy that doesn't use Shimano, doesn't like electronic anything and for that matter hardly ever shifts......that oughta carry some weight! If they actually get that stuff to market it's gonna be pretty dang cool. The battery only weighs 70 grams (and that's the TOTAL weight diff 'tween mechanical and electronic groups), is good for 1000+ miles and the front der. trims itself as you shift in the back. Pretty dang cool.
I rode the new Dura-Ace non-electronic stuff too......I like the new shape of the hoods and the hidden cables a la Campy and SRAM.
Salsa's new Pistola steel frame is sweet........Tru Temper tubing, nice and light. Still...I think for similar $ you could get a Gunnar, although I won't know that for sure 'til tomorrow. (Or whenever I get by their booth)
It's my fault that Ross isn't riding much. (www.rossschueller.blogspot.com) 'Tis a heavy burden to be sure!
I just don't like carbon bikes!!! I rode a sweet Look, and an even sweeter Felt (assuming that $ = sweetness) They look kinda different, one can assume that the designers had different goals and/or philosophies and.......they felt pretty much alike to me. Just like pretty much every other CF frame I've ever ridden. A decent tool for the job but not anything I'd ever find myself passionate about. (Olde Farte Rant Mode off)
The buffet @Harrah's kicks the buffet @ The Imperial Palace's ASS!!!!! Take my word on this one, it's not even a contest. (And that's before you get to the chocolate fountain!)
I think that's about it......I only had the legs to ride until about 2:00, then I "de-kitted" and walked around takin' pix and scorin' schwag 'til we all headed back about 4:00. Tomorrow the show proper begins....I have 4 appointments, which seems like a lot for a guy that was determined to adopt an "appointment-phobic" attitude prior to the show. Hopefully I won't be sittin' on that plane Thursday night brooding over the stuff I didn't get to see @ the show. We're goin' to the 'cross race after the show tomorrow night so it'll be a l-o-n-g day. If there's no post tomorrow night that's why.
Later, MC
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2 comments:
I wasn't saying it was your fault...merely that there appeared to be a correlation between your absence and my lack of miles. And, to quote a song I know ... "correlation is not causation". A lesson in science that Mr. Gore is yet to learn.
Wow, you listen to songwriters w/ a much broader vocabulary than I do!
Which band does Mr. Gore write for?
Get on yer bike, ya lightweight!
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