second set of speedplay zero's. lost two screws, during one long ride, within the first week.
it's ok because i got 8 more from B&L bike sports. they only charged me.....$5!!!!

For cold weather commuting/training I picked up some Santini Thermofleece Bib Tights while they were on wicked sale at Nashbar for $50. Two nights ago in 12* F weather, wore them with some PI leg warmers underneath and it felt like summer, but without most of the sweat. Highly recommended.

^Santini Thermofleece leg warmers are also very comfy and warm, but not overly warm. Around $10 on bonktown a few months ago.

Assos T Roubaix FI Mille 3/4 Knickers

Loved them. Rode in them for the first time today and they are awesome. Great compression, great pad, warming, and awesome fit. After I bought them, I had read reviews of the Assos knee warmers where most people that had them hated them because unlike the leg warmers that seemed to be long enough for the average 9 feet tall man, these were extremely short and too tight. Most reviews said that unless you had chicken legs, they would not fit over the calf at all. It is hard to tell where Assos intends for them to be at, whether that is at mid calf or right above it, as the pictures I have seen have not been very clear. Regardless, these knickers fit just right to me, which is the only review that matters to me.

Ribble Cycles

Suck hard!! I placed an order about 10 days ago. Their site said nothing about being closed for holidays or anything like that. Their prices do seem to be significantly lower than even PBK or wiggle, plus they had paypal payment, which is a huge plus for me as they do not charge a fee for buying in a foreign currency. it was not until 7 days later that I get an email telling me that they cannot mail the Vittoria PitStop, so they want to know if I want the rest of my order. I replied saying yes and asking why it took so long for them to contact me about it holding my order in the meantime. 3 days later they reply again saying that they were closed for the holidays for so many days and were backed up with so many order. That was followed by another email 3 min later telling me they will cancel my order and refund me for the entire order because since I paid with paypal they cannot do partial refunds. Funny, since Wiggle doesn't seem to have an issue doing that. In any case, they won't see an order from me again despite their very attractive prices.

Nalini Calce thermal jacket
This thing is tits. It keeps me warm as an armpit even on days that dump snow and 10-15 degree cold on me. On days like that, I wear a CoolMax tank top base layer to keep from burning up.
I wear this jacket in public sometimes, it's still got miles of style and warms me up like a cup of tea.

Cinelli Jelly Bar Tape

Has no adhesive backing and you have to pull it really tight around curves. My bars are 44cm and you can't use the 1/2 overlap rule and still have enough at the end. I got the completely clear version which looks like ass on my gunmetal aluminum Dedas, and seemingly provides no additional cushion when wrapped over standard Cinelli tape.

4/10

IME, Cinelli tape on the whole is an epic waste of time and money. I hate that stuff.

Cinelli is the tape that all other tape gets measured up to.

True

Well, my opinion is that it sucks.
For cork, Deda is the best.

If you don't like cinelli tape, don't go to europe.

wait a minute...

Well played, sir.

Damn dgasmd!! You do have a lot of schwag Keep it coming.


Some of my Pearl Izumi jerseys/shorts are approaching 12 years of age. My Sidis were in constant service for 8 years they finally quit last year after the 3rd set of replacemnt strap and 5th set of heels. T stripped the threads for screwing in the straps. Testament to how good were those generation of PI and Sidis.

My latest review of new schwag are Buffalo Compsites carbon seatpost. Made locally in town. Very light and even the setback is all carbon. 100 gram seatposts. Comfortable as heck and matches my carbon Selle Italia Flite

Also arm warmers by SmartWool have a non clammy feeling even after a century ride. I just got some Swobo wool jerseys and so far I am happy with them.

If Mitch is a true "Merican" he'll carry a roll of Duct Tape to Belgium and show those frogs how we play the game.

I have to do something to justify my lack of performance ability. The whole thing about "it is not about the bike" only applies to pros that make a living out of this and have enough natural talent. For the rest of us amateurs, it is about the bike and it is about looking good!!!

Assos Uno Bibshorts

These were outstanding on their first ride today. I had the previous generation Unos and don't like them much. The pad is not comfortable, but it is not uncomfortable either. They also have no compression at all and the material is very thin. They hardly got used until I started using chamois cream, but since then, they fit so much better for some reason. These new generation bibs are completely different. The material is almost as thick and strong as the previous generation top of the line Assos bib. Same for the level of compression. Fit is a bit different, but in the whole good. The pad is so much better too. I have to say that I can hardly tell a difference between these current generation Unos and the Mille, which is great as the price difference between the 2 is significant. Maybe the Mille have a tiny tiny bit more compression but not by much really, and the pad feels exactly the same. Certainly not enough performance difference to justify the price difference.

Of course, this is a personal opinion based on fit and comfort to ME. YMMV!!!

Pearl Izumi PRO Softshell Gloves
I've tried several gloves last winter and this winter: Novara Headwind, PI Cyclone, Descente Coldfront, Swix System 3 (ski gloves) but some were too thick, too stiff, or not warm enough. This PI PRO Softshell is the '09/'10 update of the Gavia gloves. I was comfortable in the 20's-30's, and got a little warm in the 40's. Best gloves I've found for cold weather rides!

Also just purchased the PI PRO Softshell Jacket, will try them out this week!

2008 Velo Vie Vitesse 100 frame
Bought it used; a demo. Built it up with SRAM Force, 32h Kinlin 270/Velocity hubs/CXray wheels, Deda Zero 100, 3T Ergosum, Aliante saddle, Pro-Lite CF fork and Sette CF seat post. The frame's ride quality compares very favorably to my Colnago C40, although the BB on the Velo Vie is stiffer. Of all my frames, the VV rides most comfortably and eats up road vibration better. If you are looking for a CF frame that rides exceptionally well and is relatively affordable, consider Velo Vie.

Does anyone have a review on a Ritchey Pro carbon fork?

That's because it sets such a low benchmark.

Cinelli cork is so 1988

Not exactly the Pro, but I did have the carbon WCS one. Stiff as it gets. No issues with it at all. IN that regard, I find it no different than my current LOOK HSC6.

Mt Borah Ultra Pro bibs

Ibought two pair of these the other day, tested them out and REALLY like them. They're not Rapha, but the compression is really nice and tight, and the leg grippers are snug, but not enough to make my legs look like a piece of dough baking with twine wrapped around it. To boot, the pad is pretty nice (not a lot of testing, maybe later) and the stitching is good.

1% towards the planet too.

Anyone have experience with PI pro bib short? Probably gonna order some in the next week.

I have some that are almost 4 years old now, I love those bibs.

Excellent. 3point5 is a great site.