I3-2 / R2: 郑州

July 3, 2022

But is it a "rest day" or a "repair day"?

Since I don't leave Emily's apartment for the nearby Specialized shop until well past noon, and since I have craft beers and tacos for dinner, I think it's probably a rest day. It's just that repair of the bottom bracket also happens.

Hopefully, given that completely new pieces are involved, it will stick⁰.

The Specialized doesn't give me the confidence that a shop with their name ought to. They've got all the right stuff, the right tools, but they're squeaky clean in ways that a bike shop ought not be; and where's the photos of local cyclists winning races or doing shit together?

The Patterson is an astonishing bit of engineering

This photo of people taking artsy photos is really just an excuse to take a picture of the enormous sidewalks and bike lanes

An electric wheelchair and a manual wheelchair heading somewhere together

As well, given that I show up in a tatty Shimano jersey¹, mended bike shorts, and mismatched UV protection sleeves², even if you ignore the things about my bike³ that point to me being Hardcore Crazy Cyclist who consistently spends a decent amount of money on this hobby, I kind of expect staff at an expensive bike shop to recognize that I'm their people.

Instead, while they're not actually cold to me, they are hardly warm and, particularly as the test ride shows up a shifting issue in the Rohloff⁴ that they aren't even willing to look at because it's scary, I vow, as soon as possible, to find a Xidesheng to check their work.

Xidesheng is the Chinese "budget luxury" brand. They sponsor a number of the provincial teams and have very high end (for the price) bikes.

Half price margaritas that I'm not participating in because my alcohol tolerance is screwy

Their shops are some of the most fanatically competent at understanding the mechanics behind why things work or how to fix them with bubblegum and shoestring⁵.

I've been to Xidesheng that tell me "can't help you" but I've been to more that somehow have acquired a Team Japan race bike from the 80s to suspend from the ceiling.

Meet Philipp for beer and dinner. This may be my last western food for a while.

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⁰ Spoiler: it didn't stick

¹ purchased 17 years ago

² One a standard white with stains, one from a club in Guizhou

³ Like a Rohloff hub

⁴ An issue I've actually been aware of since I needed to take my rear wheel off and change the tire in Zanhuang but which I haven't had anyone I've felt comfortable mentioning it to prior to now

⁵ Or pieces of farm equipment

I don't even know what this was formerly a part of prior to that Xidesheng incorporating it into my bb

Today's ride: 22 km (14 miles)
Total: 1,657 km (1,029 miles)

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