A few miles further down the road ....

Since my last blogg entry I've managed to keep on the bike.
My backwheel however had something to say about that as the rim had cracked. The said wheel is now at the local supermarket/postoffice waiting to be sent back to the suppliers.
Now, there is a lot of snobbery in cycling. Not too dissimilar to the snobbery that was rife in the Hifi Stores I worked in on Tottenham Court Road in the 80's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxQqWSnsHoA

Because my back wheel has been sent back, I've now been riding on one Mavic Cosmic Carbon (at the front) a wonderful wheel, and one Mavic Aksium, a for all intents and purposes (at least on first sight) a not so wonderful wheel. The looks and comments have been flowing steadily in my direction.
So what's it all about?
Well, imagine you're driving your grey Rolls Royce Silver Shadow to a Rolls Royce exhibition and your back doors fell off so you replaced them with lime green doors from a 1984 Opel Astra. (read this in your best Jeremy Clarkson voice) and you've gotten the picture.
The thing is though, the lime green doors of the Astra give better sound insulation, weather insulation, have a longer life and cost a fraction of the price to produce.
(well this may not be the case but I'm being hyperthetical here just to get the point across)

A Frame on a bicycle comes nowadays in all shapes and sizes. Most come in just the one material; Carbon.
They can apparently be more rigid and softer for different uses, and most self-acclaimed cycling connossieurs will tell you this effects the comfort. The fun starts though when you realise that all of this Connoseuring has been read in a book/magazine/cyling forum/website ... and not (Im afraid) pertained from the actual art of riding the bike itself. Pro's can usually notice the difference but we common or garden cyclists that chase grams in material instead of cutting out the cakes and chasing the grams around our girth are more likely than not just excersing their born-right to show off there abundant knowledge and feel Pro.
IF they had managed to ride the bike, who's to say it's the frame and not the wheels deciding the comfort?
The most important attribute a bike can have is the correct gearing for the job needed, and the right geometry so I don't get back, bum, neck, wrist ache.

So back to my Aksium Mavic wheel. 1800 sek (about £150) for the pair compared to the 8,000sek the Cosmics cost. And apart from the look, (Oh and the beautiful swishing noise a front wheel makes) I feel no difference. They roll when I pedal, and I can sit behind another cyclist on a slight downhill slope and hardly have to pedal at all ... everything works just like on the Cosmic. There is one niggling little problemo though. Something isn't right. It's not the comfort, it's not the roll, it's not anything at all really, it's my mind .... (nothing new there)
BUT, in step from Stage Left my mate Phil. We met up on a group ride we did on Kristihimmelfärds dag (Ascension day - is this a UK Bank holiday too??)

I told him why I was riding with two different wheels, just to avoid the look and the inevitable question.
He told me quite off the cuff that he had a pair I could use if I like.
A Pair of revolvers worth about 12,000sek.... "If I like?" Deal done and dusted. I've had to buy some new brake pads made from cork, cost me fifty quid and the wheels are now in the LBS (Local Bike Store) having tubes put on ... ummm, Come on grandad, you know what tubes are!!! ;)