One-Sided Debate

Additional to yesterday’s publish, some man from upstate referred to as “Some Man From Upstate” famous the next:

The primary downside with the bottle cage is it’s not on the down tube, the place bottle cages are purported to go. Additionally, as one other commenter talked about, some wraps {of electrical} tape to guard the paint and a pair hose clamps is more practical. Zip ties can snap unexpectedly.

A very good level. Nonetheless, I’m keen to danger the comparatively gentle penalties of catastrophic zip tie failure (that being potential separation of water bottle from bicycle and eventual dying by dehydration) for the appreciable weight financial savings over hose clamps.

Except they arrive in titanium after all.

Oh, wait:

That modifications the whole lot.

Sounds fairly trick, although I’ll must defer to the Hose Clamp Freds on that one.

I imply now we have a Resident Nail Fred:

That’s truly a lower nail, made by a New England firm named Tremont, I consider utilizing gear that dates again to when these had been the usual. Additionally referred to as sq. nails, they had been standard from across the time of the Civil Conflict to the early twentieth century after they had been quickly displaced by wire nails. They’ve extra holding energy than wire nails and sure different traits that may make them a better option in some functions, which together with historic preservation tasks and plain yuppiness is what fortunately retains Tremont in enterprise. And, sure, I’m a little bit of a Nail Fred.

So it’s cheap to imagine we’ve additionally acquired a Resident Hose Clamp Fred.

It’s not all that usually a Nail Fred will get to flex his* stuff on a motorcycle weblog, but it surely occurs:

*[If you take issue with my assumption that all Nail Freds are men, I’m afraid you’ll find me unrepentant, unless of course you can find me a Nail Frederica. Good luck with that.]

I’m wondering if Finest Made Co. has gotten hip to the entire nail scene, as a result of I believe the market’s prepared for a $75 nail you may admire while strolling round pantsless in your quilted hanten jacket.

Talking of Some Man From Upstate, he’s after all a member of a rarefied group who’ve acquired a bicycle by way of this weblog, that bicycle being the Marinoni:

Effectively, now’s your likelihood to affix this choose group–or, extra precisely, now’s your youngster’s (or different small-of-stature individual in your life) to affix it. See, my very own human kids simply preserve getting greater, and so we now discover ourselves with bicycles for which we not have any use, together with this Islabikes Luath 24 kids’s cyclocrossing bike:

I listed it on the Free Categorised Hell Website the opposite day for what I believed was a pittance, however thus far no takers, and it occurred to me that maybe some reader of this weblog would possibly need it as a substitute. What do I need for it? Effectively, when you’re native and you might come decide it up I’ll fortunately commerce you for…oh, I dunno, a good bottle of whiskey? (Scotch, or Irish, however not Bourbon.) If there aren’t any native takers, I would think about delivery it to you, however you’d must pay for the delivery. How a lot is that? Effectively, final time I shipped a grown-up bike by way of Bikeflights it price roughly a Monetary Century. (That’s One Hundred American Enjoyable Tickets.™) So it’s gotta be lower than that, however by how a lot I can not say. Additionally, packing the bike is annoying, and you’ll’t hand me a bottle of whiskey, so that you’d must make it price my whereas another means, like throw a couple of dollars at Star Observe or one thing. However I’d somewhat have the whiskey than assist the youngsters, since I’m already serving to your youngster by giving them a motorcycle. Anyway, if you’d like the bike and can put it to good use let me know. I’d say I’ll give it away on a first-come, first-serve foundation, however that’s not true, and I’ll give it away on a what’s-most-convenient-for-me foundation.

Oh, I’ve a pair of full, never-mounted fenders, and probably some slick tires to incorporate. And sure, your youngster can experience this on gravel, although it doesn’t have DICS BRAEKS, in order that they accomplish that at their very own danger.

Talking of your budding gravelista, she or he might be lucky to develop up in a world the place there’s such a factor as a devoted gravel pedal:

My first thought was, “That is pointless,” as a result of what’s the draw back of a two-sided pedal on a gravel bike, actually? Positive, on the street you would possibly theoretically want the cornering clearance when you’re racing criteriums (do criteriums even nonetheless exist?), however is that basically a difficulty on garvel?

Then once more, I suppose you’re not continually clipping out and in on garvel rides, and I suppose the aggressive set goes to need to shave each gram potential, so positive, they could as nicely ditch half the pedal, why not?

On the flip facet, it’s tougher to clip in with solely one-sided pedals, a part of the draw of SPD pedals is fast re-entry that comes with two entry factors, however for gravel the thought is you clip out lower than on a mountain bike or in a cyclocross state of affairs the place there’s extra on/off required.

As for the remainder of us regular folks, this could in all probability be a very good pedal for a street bike, for the reason that shoe could be walkable but you wouldn’t be anxious by the guilt and disgrace of utilizing a mountain bike pedal on a street bike. And no, I’m on no account suggesting it’s best to really feel guilt and disgrace for utilizing a mountain bike pedal on a street bike. However let’s not fake we don’t.