Great stuff.

I've got a great Mavic group, slowly accumulating on my desk. More parts in the mail too, I promise pics soon :D

Zoetemelk actually means sweetmilk :P

Cue the circus music...

Haha, here are some pics of those Scott Drop-In bars I put on my Badgerbike. I figured the vivid colors would vibrate, and would therefore be very visible to motorists, but was pretty astounded at how painfully hideous these two colors were together. They look like they're fighting each other to the death with heavy, pointed ugly-sticks.
And the Scott Bars were very uncomfortable too. Bendy, flexy, and still seemed to transmit more roadshock, despite having two full rolls of spongey, modern, (and hideously ugly), ergo-tape. I've probably been ruined by those comfy, comfy 3T Ergonovas. Love-em, love-em!

At least my clown shoes finally don't seem completely out of place, which is nice. :)
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...ok-dropins.jpg
Angeldog agrees: "WTF were you thinking, Daddy?!"
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...k-dropins5.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...-dropinsfr.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...-dropinstf.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...-dropinstr.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...kdropinsrr.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...ropinsside.jpg

I don't consider it a failed experiment; even negative test results teach us what doesn't work. :)

Aha! I knew I recognized that name! CalamariChris, he used to ride his ex-500 ninja with a dog on the tank!

Those colors are rather bright, but they should dull a little bit with use.

I hope you don't mind some constructive criticism: My main complaint would be how the tape finishes at the top. It's a little lumpy and too close to the stem. The way I like to do it is to put a piece of tape around the bars where you want the tape to end. mark a line around the bars, then unwind the tape a few inches. Cut the extra tape off where you drew the line (should be at an angle so it the cut line is perpendicular to the bars when you re-wrap the bars). Re-wrap and tape the end. Similar to what's shown in HERE, but without risking putting a blade to the bars.

I've never tried the Scott bars, but I did use a Breakaway Bar for many years and liked them a lot. Same idea, except it was an attachment that went from one end of the drop to the other end of the drop, and provided another hand position similar to the Scott bars. Kind of like a more aero version of the drops. You can use them with other ergo bars if you want. Because they connect the two drops, the Breakaway Bars actually helped to make the bars stiffer, even when climbing on the hoods or sprinting in the drops.

Still do, every day; except on the days when I take her on the bicycle. She's 14 years old and now and still rides everywhere with me (except the freeway of course.)
Where'd we meet before? Kayaking forum? Motorcycle forum? (erm... Internet Dating?)
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...angcommute.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...lcurve1opt.jpg

Thanks Gaucho. Criticism welcomed. But I already stripped off that ugly tape and uncomfortable, flexy bars off my Hot-Dog-on-a-Stick bike. I got the bars on Ebay, and the stem-sleeve was a little scratched, and anyway I always prefer to tape it all the way to the stem.
My beloved, lightweight, and highly-comfy 3T Ergonova's are back on with the bulky-looking mtb-style stem. It's better to look good than to feel good, (if you know what I'm saying...)

Ex-500.com I was on there for a while, good times for a year or so.

I'm still riding my trusty ol' 500 (sometimes in red livery, sometimes in green); you still got yours?
Such a sweet bike, 36,000 miles on it, and still gets 55+ mpg.
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/080724-hwy36.jpg

Ended up passing it on to a new rider, I was doin the track day knee dragger stuff for a while before giving up the sport. I enjoy 2 wheels on pedals, and It's an inexpensive, healthy and safe alternative. The 500 is a great all-rounder for sure I'll still agree!

The only thing I can think is they were afraid of the bars being noticeably heavier than regular bars, and therefore used especially thin-walled tubing to make them?
I fancy myself a pretty fluid pedaller, even when standing, but these felt vague, noodly, and yet still harsher than the bars I replaced them with.
If you love the look of a classic quill stem, don't ever try the 3T Ergonova bars--they'll ruin you, change your lifestyle orientation, and forever impugn your C&V street cred. (But on the plus side, probably also your hipster cred too. [Sigh... every pitcher of curse contains a shotglass of blessing, and vice-versa.])

Yeah, those drop in bars were crazy flexy, especially if you actually used the in part while climbing. Good for keeping hands close to shifters if you wanted that (and maybe extra space for gadgets), but I tossed mine when I went to something stiffer/nicer).

Rode my Look in Saturday's (hawwwwwt) l'Etape du California. Passed about two dozen riders on the way down Palomar, and another dozen were resting in the shade up Cole Grade Road.
Only saw one other steel bike all day. Only 324 finishers out of 500+ entrants. There were fewer than 100 chips in the bin when I finished, but I was 111th on the KOM competition.
Two people said, "Nice replica!" Hahaha-nope!

http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...r-letape02.jpg
http://www.calamarichris.com/images/...r-letape01.jpg

Great !!

Nice work! Doing the Badger proud! I plan to ride my Look up Mt. Diablo to spectate Stage 7 of the Tour of CA.