Thursday, July 20, 2006

Getting my pic in the Blogger profile...


Here's me sporting a suit in 90 degree weather on the way to a baptism.

I'm all Nanotech and sh**


I just had Andrew Crooks, the talented owner of the NYC Velo bike shop in the East Village install a new fork on my aging 'ICE' racing bike. I had a feeling 5 years was way to long to beat the hell out of a carbon fiber product, and I was right. I propped the old Profile BRC on the floor and pushed against the blade a little (which had a small hairline crack). With little force, it started to come apart. Two weeks earlier I was bombing down hills on training rides at 45 mph. Scary huh? These are the perils of trying to save money on bike equipment. The lesson is: CHECK YOUR STUFF. Things like bars, stems, forks and even seatposts don't last forever.

The new fork, an Easton EC90 aero, is by far the fanciest fork I've ever ridden. It's the aero version of the Floyd Landis/Phonak fork. Easton claims the nanotubes make it twice as strong as any lightweight fork on the market. I hope so Easton, because although I'm neither obese, a sloppy rider, or a pro who races a hundred times a year, I do beat the crap out of my bikes. Riding and racing in New York city takes its toll on bike parts. I'm only 165 pounds and I've broken a Super Record seatpost, a Mavic bottom bracket, a Team Fuji, and now a Profile fork. Granted, all had many miles on them.

Tomorrow I'll show you how I created bottle openers from the Profile fork tips! DIY ahoy!

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

USQ Wines, you won me back...through technology


I'm a novice onephile. I have no interest in becoming and expert either. I do however appreciate wine with food and can take a decent stab at a pairing.

PBS interviewed me a few weeks ago for man-on-the-street commentary for their upcoming "Wine Makers" reality show. I hope they use my comments. I made the point that jargon is deliberately used to make people feel inadequate about wine. When people feel inadequate, they drop more money in attempt to bump their status as consumers.

Anyway, I started poking around other stores when USQ Wines moved a few blocks further from my office. I'm impressed by Bottle Rocket and was prepared to throw my bucks their way. However, USQ has the rad new Enomaticc wine serving system straight out of Tuscany. Give a name and email and they're create a free frequent sipper card for you on the spot. You start with 1,000 points and earn another 5 per buck spent.

A bit of wine from the two Enomatics ranges from 9 to 30 points. You get a real sense of the wines by putting them side by side, and it's a social atmosphere. I watched a bit of the World Cup while sipping a Malbec. Shopping behavior guru Paco Underhill is right. Create an experience and keep customers in the store longer and they'll spend more money.

One final thought: if you're in to documentaries, I strongly recommend Mondovino. There's a wealth of information in it about the economics and heritage of wine, and a reinforcement of the lesson that good branding often doesn't mean best product.

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