I finally learned why the club rides are cancelled due to rain... I got an e-mail that said the ride was cancelled, then 10 minutes later it was on again because it looked like the rain would clear up for a while. So rushing to the start I took the very first wet and leaf strewn corner at about 20 mph and was instantly horizontal sliding across the pavement. Luckily no traffic to slide under!

Anyhow, the road rash ain't too bad, straightened out the brifter, and got the derailleur hanger straightened out by the LBS guys the other day. Just noticed that there are a few cuts in my bartape that I didn't see until looking closely because it's black. Not huge and maybe just a sliver of handlebar barely exposed if I am yanking on them a certain way.

Would you just ride the tape until it tears or use it as an excuse to buy some new tape??? I find myself philosophically aligned with the "ride it until it breaks then upgrade" crowd but want to replace things that might be best replaced earlier rather than later. I got aluminum handlebars, not carbon, dunno if the tape protects anything or is more a comfort thing for the hands... Thanks!