Wednesday, April 18, 2007

My New Toy!!!

This is, by far, the coolest looking bike i ever owned!!! They are made by a French company called YCone. The frames/forks are made of full carbon WITH replaceable aluminum deraileur hanger. If i were to buy a bike, this tiny detail would make or break the deal for me!
(frame weight: 1100g - size M)

Another plus is that there is enough clearance in the fork and chainstays that i can run my oversized cyclotourist tires. The extra room also makes for easy cleaning when you're too lazy to remove the wheels.

Speaking of wheels...our trick new carbon racing wheels arrive today. What you are looking at on the bike are our training wheels which are extremely durable (not that i've extensively tested them today on cobbled road and rocky dirt paths). They are also heavy enough to get in good training rides yet light enough to race on - I've already used them for both!

Our team wheels are called Carbon Diva (see photo). They are Deep Dish (50mm) carbon wheels with aluminum breaking surface so they are reliable in inclement weather.

My favorite detail is definitely the blood type noted on the inside chainstays. Some people may think of it as morbid, but it brings a bit of reality to the glamorous sport of bike racing. Racers crash. It's the chance you take when you step up to the start line.

Total weight: 8.0kg with race wheels

With my oversized saddle bag, full lights, and picnic basket, the weight increases to about 12kg.

15 comments:

Chris said...

Wow. Cool bike. Like, really cool.

Paul Tay said...

Hey, dat's MY blood type!

PEANUT said...

On a somewhat side note, i just heard that two people with the same blood type are not supposed to have kids - something about it being the equivalent of procreating with your first cousin. Unfortunately I can't remember if this source is from Belgium, France or South Africa so i can't tell you the exact origin of this tale.

Hey Paul, based on your bible belt location, i'd say you are also a perfect match for the USA flag next to the O+ ! I have never been to tulsa. Is there anything interesting about it that we'd be surprised to learn?

Paul Tay said...

Well, P-nut, I suppose it all depends on what you'd consider interesting.

There's some dude, BikerFox, who rolls in funky spandex, complete with the proverbial skid marks on the back of his shorts. He's a worldwide PHENOM. His speciality is the front bike flip. He's a little post traumatic from getting dinged all the time, while in practice of his art.

Then, of course, there's Santa, who insists on PISSING off IGNORANT motorists and cops by bicycling on the expressways and the BUSIEST streets, during RUSH. But, I ususally see the biking Santa after drinking WAY too much. Probably just another UNIDENTIFIED bicycling object.

If you come to Tulsa for a race, i.e. easy beer money, I suggest you NOT drink the water. It's ALL in the water, chicken POOP.

Other than those two crazies, NOPE, not much too exciting around here, except for the grass growing.

PEANUT said...

Wow. you really know how to sell a town. Those were funny stories.

Paul Tay said...

P-nut, why would the thought of two people with same blood type NOT marrying come to YOUR mind?

Actually, Tulsa sells itself. You'd either love it or hate it here. I absolutely HATE it, and, want OUT, if only I knew where to go.

Anonymous said...

that bike is wicked

Anonymous said...

Wow! The bike does look great, and I bet you can snug your beloved 28mm 400g Armadillo winter bombers in there. Mr Tay, hold your head high (while practicing your spelling of the word "peloton"). Chicken poop notwithstanding, Tulsa can rest on its laurels for begetting Dwight Twilley, South-Central's stunning wreck of a counterpart to Memphis's Alex Chilton.
-- E.C. Chamberlain

PEANUT said...

paul - i was being sarcastic when i said you really know how to sell a town. THat's ok, though, because E.C. didn't do much better.
And about the blood type compatibility thing, i love frivolous information.

Paul Tay said...

You really didn't think I was actually trying to sell this crap-ass town, didya?

And, even if I was trying, would you really buy?

Hey, E.C. I actually met Dwight recently at the Tulsa Police Awards Banquet. He was the replacement speaker, because the first guy got busted for DUI.

When I was in high skool, I thought he was a country singer. Dwight looked pretty good. The DUI speaker didn't.

The arresting cop thought Mr. DUI was going for a gun in his center console. So, they had to drag him out on his FACE. The mugshot EVERY TV station posted didn't look pretty. The gun turned out to be his iPod.

P-nut, stuff like this are just a few of reasons why I want OUT. Cops who can't tell the diff between iPods and guns. World-famous CRIME authors busted for DUI, twice in the SAME month. And, Santa rolling all over the road, on ANY given rush.

PEANUT said...

why don't you just leave?

Anonymous said...

Yep, Dwight's name just had that goofy twang that made everyone--not just you, Mr. Tay--assume that he must be some one-hit Bakersfield mumbler with a private jet that he would eventually insist on piloting himself to an unhappy landing. Too bad he sort of slipped through the cracks: "Sincerely" was your "September Gurls."
-- E.C. Chamberlain

Paul Tay said...

P-nut, in order to leave one place to go to another, wouldn't it make sense to know the new destination? Or, I could simply wander around until I keel over.

PEANUT said...

WEll, if you just wander around, you will at least make it out of town. Or you can do what i did when i moved to CA. I packed my bike and a little bag for a vacation from NYC to CA and just never returned. OK, i suppose most people are a little more thoughtful about these decisions. Let us know where you end up! The Bay Area seems to be a great place for cyclists - great weather and cool people.

Paul Tay said...

Sounds great. But, I seem to find some measure of masochistic comfort in places with crappy weather and stupid, ignorant uncool people. I truly enjoy annoying them.

I think I would be lost in a sea of like-minded individuals in the Bay area. I once seriously thought about joining a hippie, new-age commune up in Humbolt County. But, just ended up roughing a couple nights at the Seattle hostel.

I did crash in someone's yard, I think maybe it was Bicycle Bob's yard, in Durango, when I raced the Ironhorse. That's another tall tale.