The Breaking Look Pedals, A Cyclist's Prayer and More...

Here are some pollinations for this week.


1.
About 80,000 units of Look Keo bicycle pedals sold between 2004 and 2007 are being recalled, as of yesterday. The steel axle inside the pedal can break, it seems, and Look has received 14 different reports of accidents. Pedal models include Keo Classic, Sprint, HM and guess what...carbon. Titanium is not included. If you have any of these models, be a little concerned and spent some time reading this.



2.
One of the lightest in the market, the new Scott Road shoes seem like the perfect match for the Rock Racing team. Sorry, not me...



3. The following diagram presents Alpha Q's carbon Rooting technology, a fancy term for how they arrange bands of carbon fiber from the steerer tube down to the fork body. Read more here.





4. Here's an interesting picture.


It seems Team Barloworld mechanics etched this pattern onto this Mavic R-Sys front wheel rim (bike seems to be a Bianchi 928 Carbon) in the hopes that they will improve wet weather braking performance. This was during the Tour de France. See here.

So did it work in the end? I don't know, but I wonder if this action by the mechanics is in anyway telling of the wheel's original unsatisfactory braking performance?



5. Finally, my friend Dave Kina from East Aurora NY happens to be a good bike racer, and one of the deeper thinkers I have known in my circle.

In his blog, he presents us with his Cyclist's Prayer. I couldn't help grinning at a few of the statements, but really, when the T-factor gets going among us cyclists, lots of dangerous situations and conflicts can arise.

So what prayer suits you most?

Dave of Cyclelight says :

I say a few prayers while riding and racing bikes. These help me keep things in perspective and keep it real. Here are a few of my common prayers that aren’t too personal.

- Allow these bike racers not to rage against each other but to strive with each other. Amen

- Let these racers not get injured so they are able to continue doing purposeful work off of the bike and be able to do all the goodness they can with their families and friends. Amen

- Keep me from lusting after these bicycles. Help make my bicycle a tool for goodness as I pray while riding. Amen

- Help me not get angry at riders who don’t hold their line. Especially do not let me get angry when riders force their way between me and the racer in front of me because this is just a competitive move in racing bikes. Amen

- I know that the act of bike racing really doesn’t compare to more meaningful acts but at least let this time be enriched by prayer. And more importantly let this time be one of harmony between racers. Let us show support for each other and not trash talk or gossip. Amen

- Help me not get angry at this guy who is opening up gaps and riding at an uneven pace. Rather let me turn this anger over to energy toward catching the pack. Give me similar energy toward purposeful goals in my life. Amen

- If a racer causes me to crash may I not say anything until I can speak some peaceful words. Amen

Conflict management with a prayer? Amen to that! I find having to remind myself before I bad mouth some words on the road is a really good thing. Personally and more so socially, it seems less uncouth.

Here's the psychological science behind road bike rage for added reading, courtesy of Momentum Planet in British Columbia.

So goal for the month for us could be ---> lesser rage and more meaningful riding?