It’s that time of the year, again.
That’s right, yearend recap time.
Luckily, for you, mine is short and sweet.
And might I add, Happy Holidays, to each and everyone one of you.
- Never mix regular brake pads with Mavic Exalith rims. The squeal will be so loud as to bring tears to your eyes and you will find yourself shedding riding partners like a Saint Bernard in Spring.
- I know flouro colors are the “in” thing, but there IS such a thing as wearing too much flouro. Remember kids, a little goes a long, long way.
- I can’t recall having so many cyclists I know being diagnosed with heart-related problems. Jim even died but came back to tell us his story. Do the annual check up and listen to your body, people. It’s okay to take it easy.
- I read a piece a while back where a writer complained about the over-saturation of logos on bikes. Well, same thing should apply to cycling clothing. I’m happy to have some logos for shoutouts, brand identity or to add a certain je ne sais quoi, but come on. Slapping on a bunch of logos everywhere is not going to make a pair of bibs ride better, but it will make you look like a tacky moving billboard. Less is more, get it? Kudos to Kitsbow and Ornot for getting it right.
- Doping is not going away. Is it? Could it, please, go away? As for micro-doping/TUE/motor-doping/mechanical fraud, honestly we don’t need to refer to the AP Stylebook or create another industry category just to describe what is commonly known as cheating. Cheating is cheating.
- I don’t care how awesome your company’s new bike/component is, it’s a guarantee you will lose me if your site has embedded music or a video which auto-starts upon arrival. I will click it if I’m interested, but it’s midnight here and that happy launch video of yours has just aggressively awoken my toddler. I hate you.
- Don’t forget to buy an awesome set of screwdrivers. I know, it’s easy to turn our attention to cool tools like a Crombie tool or them Usag T-handle hex keys, all the while using shitty screwdrivers to adjust your high-end, battery-powered derailleur (or chores around the house for that matter). Get a good set. You won’t regret this decision, like will the fluoro skinsuit.
- Out of all the bottle openers I’ve been given from shows and meetings this year, I absolutely love the one from Paul Component. Meticulously CNCed and gorgeously anodized out of Chico, California, this opener is straight up badass. So much so that I am torn as to whether to leave it in my tool box (it doubles as a 15mm open end wrench/rotor truing tool) or in my kitchen. These are the types of tough decision I am willing to wrestle with during the Holidays.
- Strava KOM/QOM: Yo! You just did an hour ride at an average speed of 60mph? Bro, you should land that ProTour contract and race the Tour. Or, at least, the Giro. Let’s just all be honest for a second and relax about the KOM/QOM hunting. Shall we?
- Group ride: Do not, I repeat, do not sprint to the front of the pack and ask everyone to stop for a flat. Especially, after the front just turned up the heat and started ripping up the road.
- Pro tip: Being courteous on the road/trail goes a long way. Be courteous out there.
- It’s been fun writing/shooting for Element.ly this year. It is a struggle at times and a thorough and thoughtful review takes much longer than I would have ever imagined. As a relative noob in this business I’m indebted to the many helpful people in the bicycle industry who have welcomed me with open arms and showed me the ropes along the way. It’s been quite a ride, a breath of fresh air from the photography world, and I can’t wait to see what rolls my way in 2017.
