The Problem With Spring

As you may--or may not, depending on your local--have noticed, we're in the middle of Spring. I love Spring, mostly because it heralds the approach of my favorite season: Summer. Blossoms are blooming, everything is green again--here in western, OR, anyway--and the days are longer.

But there is a very serious downside to Spring, not counting those afflicted with pollen allergies.

The problem with Spring is that it is a mixed bag.

Winter, is rainy and cold-ish very nearly all the time. Oh, you'll have good days now and then, but you can usually count on bundling up before riding. And, you'll take that bike with the full fenders if you are headed outside.

But then, right around the middle of April, the clouds part, the sun comes out and the ground starts to dry out. You pull the road bike off the trainer and get in some rides wearing sunglasses! Then, the rain returns.

In the winter, the rain isn't so bad, it's expected after all. But once I get a taste of riding in short sleeves and feeling the warmth of the sun overhead, getting out on the now-filthy fender-ed bike just doesn't seem as nice. I have tasted summer riding and I want it now! I am unwilling to wait until June--usually the middle of--before the weather is consistently good.

Unlike the winter, any amount of rain will drive me indoors and onto the trainer. I know that the plants need the water, and it keeps my water bill down while simultaneously keeping my yard green. I know these things. But at the same time, I am reminded of the line from the musical Camelot that states--roughly--that in Camelot it never rains 'til after sunset and by 10am the dew has gone.

If any weather gods are reading, that's how I'd like western Oregon to be in the Spring, please. Except on the nights we have a night ride scheduled.

Thanks.

Ready for 10?

There has been a ton of new product news from Sea Otter, but, to me at least, one of the more interesting bits has been about the new Shimano XT and SLX components.

If you've been around mountain bicycles for any length of time, you'll likely recall drive trains moving from 8 to 9 cogs in the rear cassette, or even from 7 to 8. The move from 7 to 8 wasn't very controversial since the space between the cogs didn't change, but going from 8 to 9 sparked quite a bit of conversation among mountain bikers.

The main points of contention were that the narrow chains would be more prone to wear and it was generally thought that chains and cassettes wouldn't last as long. Additionally, there was less slop built into the system, so derailleur adjustment had be more precise.

In general, these initial concerns did, in fact, bear out in practice. The chains don't last as long, are more expensive, generally, are the rear derailleur has to be kept in adjustment. This didn't stop it's wide adoption--thanks mostly to the use of 9-speed on new bikes--and today you'll be hard pressed to find an 8-speed bike in good running order.

And now it's all happening again.

The new XT and SLX groups are going to be 10-speed. Unlike SRAM, though, the new Shimano groups will still run a triple up front. Depending on which cassette you choose to run, the range will be wider than any existing 9-speed set up--this is with the 11-36 cassette. Or you could end up with smaller jumps between gears.

All this is fine and dandy, but all of the old arguments are being made now. Why do we need 10-speed? The chains are narrower, less durable and will likely need to be replaced more often. The space between cogs is narrower so the adjustment on the rear derailleur will have to be more precise to maintain shifting quality. Finally, there is cost. The current SLX cassette costs $55, the new will supposedly cost around $77*. If the new one wears out faster--it might not--then that increased price will be felt more often, too.

More than likely, like the 8 to 9-speed jump before it, 10-speed will become the norm, whether we like it or not.

However, in one way, this represents a major shift for Shimano. Up until now, 9-speed was 9-speed, whether road or mountain. Any 9-speed shifter worked with any 9-speed derailleur/cogset. The new XT and SLX are not compatible with 10-speed road. This a big deal for some 'cross and touring bikes, which have at times mated road shifters with mountain derailleurs and cassettes.

What's your take? Is this a good thing, or not?

The only pricing I could find online was on BikeRadar.com and it was listed in British Pounds, so take the price with a big ol' grain of salt.

Light Review Update -- "I'm not dead yet"

I've been asked "whatever happened with this year's light review?" and I can tell you, that is a good question. One that I've been asking myself, actually.

It's still in progress.

That's the bad news. The good news is that I've used the snot out of all the lights in all sorts of conditions. I've used them in freezing temperatures, rain, dust, etc... So, while my opinion of the lights is pretty solid, I just haven't gotten it all typed up.

Earlier this year, I was tied up finishing up a school term--read: finals--getting into Optometry school, and getting my house on the market--it was a fixer upper that we never really got around to fixing, so it required quite a bit of work. Through all this, I was continuing to ride--more night rides than anything else--and working on the review, just not writing the review.

That's all wrapped up now, and I'm halfway through the writing portion. The beam shots are done, the run time graphs are done, I just need to get the thing finished!

So, hang in there, we're on the final stretches now and it'll be complete soon.

Costs

A long time ago I convinced my wife that the great thing about cycling is that once you have the bike, you're basically done spending money.

Ha!

Okay, so I love upgrading parts (who doesn't?). And, thanks to the superb marketing and continual drive for "innovation" of the leading manufacturers in the industry, there's plenty of things I need to buy.

That's right, I said "need." However, even though I need these things, I avoid buying them--which shows how much sacrifice I'm willing to endure for my family.

Needs
There are, however, a few actual needs that cyclists have if they a) ride bikes, and #2 want to keep riding them. These include, but are not limited to, new tires, new tubes, pedal cleats, clothing (c'mon Assos, at that price I should be able to wear this stuff the rest of my life--and I look good enough in it that I might), grips/bar tape, drivetrain stuff, cables, etc. Besides that, I've learned from long experience that I can't bleed brakes to save my life (and believe me, my life is in the balance when I bleed brakes and then go ride a white-knuckle descent!). So, while that isn't a "part" as such, I need to pay someone at least $50 to bleed them.

Though I could go on and on about the woes of buying tires (a tire sponsorship would honestly be enough for me, I'm not greedy), that's not what I want to focus on. No, I want to call out that little tiny thing I fairly glossed over with the words "drivetrain stuff." Here's what's bound to wear out in your drivetrain fairly often: chains, cassettes. Of course, if you don't replace those, then you'll be looking at chainrings too. Actually, if you stay on top of the chain, you should be able to extend the life of your cassette. Well, that and if you keep your chain clean.

But I'm not here to talk about proper drivetrain maintenance.

The truth is, other things will wear out eventually, too. When you're laying down the kind of power I am, you'll find that the expensive Dura Ace cassette you've been rolling with just disfigured your expensive (light-weight!) aluminum freehub body on your expensive (light-weight!) wheels. So now you're all-of-a-sudden looking at a chain, a cassette (expensive and light-weight!) and a new freehub body. Can I get mine in buttery-soft aluminum, please?

Stable
On a separate thread, I'm also, secretly trying to own as many bikes as possible. Not because I'm trying to one-up my neighbor (I'm looking at you, Rick!), but because I love bikes so much. Unfortunately (sort-of), three bikes does not equal three-times the drivetrain maintenance costs. Oh no. You see, I'm the kind of guy who also likes to have multiple wheelsets. I mean, I need one for the rollers (who wants to be swapping out tires all the time?), and one for the road. Ideally, I'd like one for racing on, but since I don't really race much, I can put that off for now.


So, now that I finalized my order, I'm starting to regret not measuring my chain to see if it's stretched.