The Cynic Says……

Since I just got paid Friday, I get to go spend money at the bike shop today. I’ve been looking at getting a new set of wheels, but I can’t quite decide which hubs I want. Chris King makes the best stuff known to mankind, but I’m not too keen on spending $700 for a set of wheels for a $700 bike. Mind you, King hubs will last me basically forever and can be rebuilt at any time. They’re the only hubs on the market with a 5 year warranty that I’ve found so far. But ugh.. the price! I found a set of WTB Laser Disc Lite hubs that I really liked. Pair them with DT revolution spokes, alloy nipples and Mavic XC 717 disc rims and I’d have a wheelset barely over 1550g (3.4 lbs). Talk about some serious weight savings. That’s about 2 lbs less than my current wheelset and would be like knocking 6 lbs off the bike itself since 1 lb of rotating weight is like 3 lbs on the bike. Even with those hubs I’m looking at $550 for the wheels. Before I go splurging on wheels, I need to buy some gloves and a balaclava or something of that nature to cover my neck and ears. Staying warm when it’s 35 degrees outside is generally a good idea and probably more important than a set of beautiful uberlight new wheels. I know it’s probably amusing that I’m more willing to spend $1500 on a bike than on a car, but that’s just me. Having a car is too much trouble and totally not worth it. The only thing I’d use a car for would be to transport my bike to the trails so I can ride off-road. The cost of gas, insurance and maintenance is just ridiculous. I discovered that with gas @ 1.89, riding 15 miles a day 20 days a month saves $3500. That’s crazy. That’s money I could be spending on myself easily. Food, more bike stuff, electronic stuff for myself… computer stuff.. whatever. Yes, I’m self-centered. Sue me. I like to spend money on myself. I suppose that’s the best thing about not having a girlfriend. Nobody to expect me to spend money on them. Then again, even if I did have a girlfriend I wouldn’t spend much (if any) money on her. Hah, anyway… that’s enough for now.