Monday, April 13, 2009

EXTREME BIKE MAKEOVER

After a week of great anticipation, my new wheelset finally arrived, and after replacing a bent spoke (thanks, USPS) I got everything up and running this afternoon. They are the Wienmann Deep V style rims with a track/track flipflop Formula hub so you can run 2 different size fixed cogs- pretty cool for longer rides with varied terrain. I got a good deal through Fly Bike Shop's Ebay store: $174 with free shipping. I also bought some new Vittoria Rubino tires (23's) and replaced my old Fizik tape with some black RAV-X Wrap. I have never heard of this brand (the guy at Art's said it's newish) but I have to admit that I am sold on its comfort and affordability ($14). My bike looks like a bumble bee. It's never had an official name before, but now I'm thinking of something along the lines of Buzz!Kill! or Stinger, etc. I put about 10 miles on her this afternoon and, apart from a 25 mph headwind, everything felt great!  It's nice to have new, good quality gear.

Monday, April 6, 2009

NEW PEDALS!

All the bike stuff I have been selling on Craigslist lately has started to pay off, and so I decided to invest in some new/higher quality components for the Peugeot. For some reason when I first built this bike about a year ago, I installed mountain bike pedals. They still work just fine, but I don't like how hard it is to get my feet into my clips because of the serrated cages. So after looking around for a while, I bought a set of Origin 8's in yellow, of course. These were relatively inexpensive (around $33) and after putting a few miles on them I have to say that I am pleased with their performance. They turn smooth and needed no adjustment out of the box, which is nice, seeing as how most other inexpensive brands seem to need an overhaul before you install them for the first time. Origin 8 makes pedals and cranksets in a ton of different colors, including this super sick "Anti-Freeze Green" color that momentarily made me consider changing my whole color scheme. The best prices I could find were at the Wheel and Sprocket online ebay store here. I also just ordered a set of yellow Weinmann Deep V rims with a track/track rear hub. Currently I'm riding a good, durable set of Windsors that I really can't complain about, but it was just time to make the upgrade if only for added style points.