It’s a bit moist round these components in the intervening time, so this morning I selected a be-fendered bike for my journey:
However earlier than heading out I figured I’d tackle my bar tape state of affairs:
Whereas I usually like the texture of cork tape, I felt the Homer might use one thing extra befitting its distinguished persona and lugged sensibility. Additionally, this explicit cork tape is recycled–I believe I’ve re-used it thrice at this level–and it’s fairly ragged because of this. (For this reason there’s a lot electrical tape on it.) So I figured I’d Riv it up a little bit with some Newbaum’s:
Regardless of being a Rivendell proprietor since March of 2020, I’d by no means truly wrapped a bar with Newbaum’s myself, which is type of like being an old-timey gentleman who’s by no means waxed his personal moustache:
Nonetheless, I’m an previous hand at wrapping drop bars, and I additionally deliberate to wrap the Newbaum’s over the tape that was already on there. Not solely would this save time, however I’d additionally get to get pleasure from the perfect of each worlds: the appear and feel of the cotton fabric, and the additional girth and cushioning of the cork. All in, I figured this couldn’t probably take greater than 10 or quarter-hour, particularly since I wasn’t planning to shellac it or wrap it in twine or deal with it with rendered beaver fats or no matter else the actual fabric tape aficionados do to it. So I opened the package deal and set to work:
Unwrapping the tape, the very first thing that stunned me was that the Newbaum’s has an adhesive backing, and a fairly sticky one at that. Little doubt everybody else on the earth already is aware of this, as would I if I’d taken two seconds to examine it, however for some cause I simply assumed it was plain previous fabric and that when you wished adhesive you needed to deal with it with rendered beaver fats or one thing. The second factor I realized was that, in contrast to cork tape, when you’re not cautious the Newbaum’s simply folds over on itself and will get caught to its personal moderately cheesy adhesive backing, which when you’re an fool who’s in an enormous hurry to move out for a journey means you’re quickly a state of affairs like this:
At each flip it appeared like I managed to get the tape tousled both in itself or else round some a part of the bicycle:
So I’d untangle it, just for it to rapidly get tangled once more in a roundabout way I didn’t assume was attainable:
It was just like the zipper scene in “There’s One thing About Mary:”
Sorry.
Clearly as a substitute of working proper off the large roll I ought to have found out how a lot tape I’d want and minimize it first, then wrapped the bars extra fastidiously, peeling off the backing slowly as I went. Nevertheless it was too late now, and in my haste I’d not solely wound up with an amazing huge knot but in addition began lacking spots alongside the way in which:
Moreover, this debacle was now slicing into my journey time, and so utilizing a scissor I fairly actually minimize my losses and hoped I nonetheless had sufficient tape left to correctly wrap the bars one other day.
Pathetic. Completely pathetic.
With that now behind me, I headed out into a lightweight drizzle:
“You recognize, the previous cork tape’s actually not so dangerous,” I attempted to persuade myself:
Talking of bars, some riders argue that built-in shifting is likely one of the best technological advances of the trendy period, and it’s actually best for race bikes, however I’d say that strictly when it comes to comfort a bar-end shifter is simply pretty much as good:
And with a low-normal/RapidRise/no matter derailleur a delicate nudge with the palm is all it takes to downshift:
Although a bar-end shifter does require you to set your drop bars at a wise top that lets you comfortably use all the assorted hand positions together with the drops, whereas 95% of street bike riders hold their palms on their brake hoods 95% of the time and the drops are solely there for aesthetic causes.
In any case it felt good to be again on a “regular” bike:
And as a lot as I get pleasure from driving the Y-Foil once I give it some thought whereas on the Homer it looks like some loopy lampshade I placed on my head once I received drunk at a celebration:
Oh, and additional to a current publish, I’ve confirmed that the Y-Foil was in actual fact designed to be “suspension prepared:”
[PDF]
It really is the anti-Rivendell, proper all the way down to the truth that the absence of a seat tube means your water bottle will get splattered with street grit, whereas the Homer lets you use fenders and hold each your pendulous saddle bag and your rear suspension system (by which I imply the leather-based saddle) good and clear:
It’s really a motorbike for all seasons.
