...
The one downside to less expensive parts is that they often don't last as long as their more blinged-out brethren.You have to devote more care to less expensive parts so they will last a bit longer.
I found this out the hard way after putting the bike atop my van for a two-hour drive home in snowy weather on salted roads.
I didn't clean everything off right away, and after two weeks...ok, three weeks...of neglect, the bottom bracket was completely seized.
Meanwhile, the bottom bracket on another bike on top of my van in the same situation at the same time didn't meet the same fate.
This was my first time on an aluminum AND rigid ride in several years, so I had a bit of anxiety as to how the bike would feel for me during the first couple rides.
Fortunately, I was able to overcome my apprehensions in one single ride by taking the horns of the bull right away.
So on a very nice autumn day, I set off for an XC jaunt with two professional dow...
Read more...