I’ve been way too busy to post anything lately. Sorry.

I’ve got scads of drafts started, but none of them seem appropriate, especially in their truncated form. None of them really convey what’s been going on exactly at the shop, all really just unrelated anecdotes.

Maybe when these ideas pop into my head, instead of just saving them as a draft, I’ll just publish them—twitter-style. Bah, that’s lame though I think. Maybe when things settle down a bit I’ll have more time to flesh them out.

Keep an eye and an ear out for things to come.

How often is the spectrum of rainbow colors given credit for it’s vast effect on the bike industry?

I’ve not been in this industry my whole life of course, but from what I can tell the past several years mere color has accelerated and increased in variety from manufacturers and desire from customers.  Supply has increased because the demand is evidently there. Sometimes I think this whole color phenomena is a pretty amazing aspect of the bike world. Sometimes I think the fickleness of some customer’s color preference is a tad silly. Aren’t there enough options already?

The manufacturers are listening I guess:

SRAM X.0 Derailleur & PG-990 Cassette—photos courtesy of QBP

Granted I like functionality over aesthetics. Successfully combining both is the definition of art in my mind. Personally I like a simple complementary accent color in my monochromatic world. My Coppi is primarily black and white, silver fades in between with an accent in red—bar tape & pedals matching the miniscule red paint stroke in the bike’s logo.

Were I to have a bike that required some of these newer [mountain] components I’d attempt to remain as simplistic as this. I probably wouldn’t opt for the whole group in pink (although the orange—or Tango above—would be tempting), that being said, I can see the appeal and am glad to see the mega-manufacturers tastefully adopting more of the color palette in their components. Shimano’s Yumeya line of accent parts for the XTR group is pretty sick looking. These examples of colorful aesthetic are vastly more tasteful than some of the ridiculous and garish colors and patterns seen coming from Velocity and other fixie driven companies in my opinion. This, of course, is a different market and a subject due a post wholly unto itself.

I’ve not posted for a while now, things have been busy at the shop, and life, in general. I’ve moved to a new apartment, lot’s of travel plans have been executed, and while I’ve been at the shop the same amount as ever (six days a week), it’s been more exhaustive these past couple weeks.

It’s not the booming business the shop should be seeing that’s contributory to that exhaustion but it’s rather a subject that I haven’t found a way to describe on this site yet. I’ve been holding back on mentioning it, and unfortunately I have to continue to do so. But it has largely to do with control and value. Hopefully the rest of this won’t be too unbearably vague.

I went to UBI not necessarily for the experience or education but more for the certification. I wanted any prospective employers to see that I was dedicated to this industry. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but lately I’ve been feeling that the current situation I’m in is much more of an indicator of my dedication. I’m not satisfied with the shop I’m working at right now. I feel trapped in it, and yet I want to persevere. It is an obstacle I want to overcome on the one hand, but would walk away from the minute I am shown an opportunity elsewhere on the other. I know that sounds lacking in dedication, but there are many unrevealed circumstances being considered. The duality of the situation is thick. It is a challenge that I am unsure how to deal with.

As such, I’ve had a lot on my mind unfortunately; this website that, at times, is supposed to be a repository for these thoughts and considerations is unable to allay the stresses of my work at the moment. At least not publicly—yet, I have copious drafts written with much less vague descriptions of the frustrations I’ve alluded to above. Not publishing them however doesn’t quite lift their weight from my shoulders, writing them to begin with though helps nonetheless.

A lot of this has brought the notion of “valuable mechanic” to the front of my mind. I frequently wonder what other people think about that subject. I’ve been given the impression that my “employer” doesn’t value his mechanics, that they’re (we’re) quite easily replaced. Sure, I suspect there are people available that can fill the slot, but how does that make me feel? Am I working for some insensitive mega-corporation all of a sudden? Was my dedication and commitment to the industry even considered when I was hired? Is dedication and allegiance from an employee even valued in today’s businesses? Perhaps more importantly is the profession of a bike mechanic even viable, or valuable, in this era?

I try not to despair too much, but it is difficult; what’s eerily insightful is today’s Yehuda Moon. Maybe I do just need to be patient and weather the storm.