While I’ve not quite been at Cyclingnews for the entire year, this is my first full year as part of ‘the cycling industry’, so naturally, I’ve cast off all pretence of liking budget tech to bring you eleven hyper-premium products that I’ve enjoyed this year but you’ve got no chance of affording.
I joke.
I like to maintain a certain reputation as a retrogrouch contrarian, which to some degree has been cultivated based on my own personal budgetary constraints. Old parts are, on the whole, cheaper, and so developing a love for them made as much financial sense as it did emotional. However, I am extremely fortunate in this job in that I have the opportunity to play with some extremely high-end goodies. My top eleven pieces of tech reflect this. There are some retro sensibilities that I cannot shake, there are some utilitarian items, and there is a smattering of top-end gear too, because, however much we all gasp at the ever-increasing price tags, some of it is truly sensational.
I’ve deliberately not over-thought this list. It would be easy to dive into things that are good value, that are ultra-high performance, that are purely aesthetically pleasing, and justify each one based on a set of measurable or semi-measurable metrics. Instead, I have chosen the things I have simply enjoyed using the most; things that spark joy, to coin a phrase that’s very much part of the post-pandemic parlance. They have, in various ways, made me smile, made me feel fancy, performed marvellously, solved a problem, and other things besides.
Kool-Stop Salmon brake pads
I know disc brakes are better. I know they stop better, and provide better modulation, and work in the rain. I know the industry is phasing out rim brakes on more or less every bike. It has basically succeeded on all but a few of the best budget road bikes. I know the logical arguments, and maybe it’s just my contrarian nature, but I love rim brakes. I love a radially laced front wheel, unobstructed by a stainless steel disc rotor, I love the satisfaction of finally getting a set of cantilevers to behave. I love that they are field serviceable, cheap to maintain, and easy to understand.
I will continue to run rim brakes, mostly because I have a bit of a vintage bike fetish, but I have one very important rule: I only run them with Kool-Stop Salmon brake pads. I used to think all brake pads were created…
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