Title Omitted for Extra Weight Savings!

First of all, did you see this over in the right-hand margin?

That's FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS off registration for the NYC Century just for reading this blog!

Indeed, I may hop into the ride myself this year, though I may also decide to stay put and heckle it when it passes through my neighborhood instead.

In other cycling news, the Tour de France continues to tour the France, and while I'd be lying if I said I had any idea what was going on I did read that somebody rolled a tire:

The rider and his teammate George Bennett, who stopped to help Kelderman, were quick to absolve the mechanics of responsibility for the wreck, saying the extreme heat on the stage caused the glue holding the tyre to the rim to fail.

"We're riding on very small climbing wheels," Bennett said. "It looked like Wilco's wheels were so hot that his tube loosened. The glue was totally melted and I burned my hands on it when I grabbed the wheel."

Of course this probably wouldn't have happened if he'd been using disc brakes, but so great is the peloton's fears of dismemberment that they're still using rim brakes:

So here's the current state of affairs: The riders who should be using road bikes with disc brakes (that's the pros) can't, whereas the rest of us schlubs who are perfectly well-served by rim brakes probably won't be able to find replacement parts for them in two years.

And no, you won't be able to buy a bike with rim brakes soon.  Even the new entry-level Specialized Sequoia comes with disc brakes, for chrissakes!

The new entry-level Specialized Sequoia is purpose-built and engineered to spend the rest of its life unridden in a suburban garage, and indeed many purchasers will probably return home only to find the previous iteration of the Sequoia already there:

("Oh yeah, I was totally going to take up cycling 13 years ago, I completely forgot about that!")

It's a good thing they never rode it, because those rim brakes are unsafe at any speed.

Anyway, it's also somewhat surprising to me that the pros are still using tubular tires, and I can only imagine it's because the team mechanics still insist on it:

("Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit gluing tires.")

After all, you can service a racing bike with about three hex keys, and if it wasn't for the arcane process of gluing tires the riders could just service the bikes themselves and the mechanics would be out of a job.

Speaking of disc brakes and high performance, meet the Cat 6 folding bike of your dreams and/or nighmares:

Someone should probably tell the Lios Nano riders that the Bromptonauts aren't even racing, but I suppose that sort of utter cluelessness is what defines a Lios Nano customer in the first place.  And just check out these specs:

Designed and developed in the UK, all versions of the Nano get a carbon frame and fork with disc braking and a belt drive transmissions as standard. The lightest of three available specifications even comes in at sub 8kg (17.6lb).  As you probably suspected, entry to the Nano range is for those with deep pockets only as pricing starts at £3,250 (international pricing TBC).

That may sound expensive, but keep in mind that in a post-Brexit economy £3,250 is only like nineteen bucks.

Just don't burn your calves on those rotors when you tuck the Lios Nano between your legs on the subway (and yes, I realize that sounds vaguely dirty):

Shimano SLX hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors take up an almost comical amount of space at the centre of each small wheel to provide all-weather stopping power that’s exceptional in this segment. Nano frames are available in one size only and with each version getting an identical carbon handlebar and seatpost.

I'm not sure why a folding bike needs disc brakes at all, let alone 160mm rotors.  Seems to me that with those tiny wheels you'd grind the rotors on the road surface while leaning into a left turn--and lean you will when you're Cat 6-ing on the special limited "Monaco" edition:

Lastly there’s the £5,000 limited edition Nano ‘Monaco’ edition, which can be considered a no-expense spared version of the Nano Superlite. Among other upgrades, a switch to Rotor’s 3D crankset, Shimano’s top-end XTR brakes and carbon DT Swiss hubs takes the all-black folder down to just 7.9kg (17.4lbs).

The Lios Nano is definitely targeting a tight niche but for those who want a genuinely fast folder then it could be the best choice out there.

Hilarious.

Lastly, via Kickstarter, here's a kit to transform your regular bike into a bakfiets:

All right, now that's pretty cool.  

I kind of want one now.