Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Ain' that the truth...

The slide into winter-proper, as the light fades and the days shorten, is always something i find a little tough. I think i was designed to hibernate...as it happens, i'm doing a bit of street wandering later in the evening, with the grommet tucked into a papoose. I've decided to explore some of the streets in the area i have never been along. Quite interesting: lots of converted buildings and mews houses that seem jammed between the more visible rows of houses and flats. It also helps the grom sleep, so its all good. Everything is crunchy and icy still: i cannot remember such a prolonged cold snap in the city.



I've also had the chance to get a couple of rides in, local, and relatively short, but it keeps the legs rolling and the ice has made for some pretty interesting terrain. Last night saw dave chops options and myself literally pin-balling sideways and slipping out with zero warning. Ace fun!



What with one thing and another, there has been some componentry changes that have been fun to evaluate. The Vertigo got some terralogic/talas forks (once i tracked down 15mm thru/qr end cap adaptors for the DT 440 hub). Very limited time on this, but i think i'm going to like the terra logic. The fork can be set up soft and pliant, with the terralogic meaning minimal wallowing when climbing etc...Much more time needs to be spent on it before i form any valid opinions. Looks are kind of good, too.



I've now ridden the XTR M988 brakes (trail version) on the jones and even with non-ICE rotors the performance is like nothing else i've experienced. Light action, excellent modulation with real-life working bite point and lever position adjustment and off the charts power. The only brakes they compare to in this regard (though ive not spent any time on Hayes) are the Saints. But the lever feel is so much sweeter. Downsides? the levers are short. So far i have not needed (and cant see myself ever needing) more than 1 finger so its not an issue for me.



I also picked up a set of the new XTR cranks for the upcoming Vertigo build. They are a real piece of work - its a crying shame to ditch the rings, but the bike will be 1x9 and so its getting a higher tooth count (hopefully ti) ring. Sweet cranks, though.



To top it off, i can recommend Kraken rum. It is very smooth, either en las rocas, or as a dark and stormy...



A fairly significant dampener has been applied with the Milo case in the states and the virtual hand slap for the killer of a cyclist in the UK. It is always hard to make sense of the legal issues involved, but these cases do seem to highlight a growing concern that hitting and killing cyclists is not taken seriously enough in some quarters. When a perpetrator can escape with such leniency, the legal process is not seen in a great light.