Sunday, March 29, 2009

A "Brick" and a Soapbox

 

It was the first day in a week that it wasn't pouring rain.  I set the alarm for 6:30 in order to get in a nice morning ride before church.  The alarm went off and I actually got up - success!
I grabbed a couple of water bottles, hopped on the Kuota and started riding toward the sunrise.
As I normally do, I made one lap around the neighborhood before heading out for my ride.  (This gives me a chance to find out if my tires are too low or my chain is loose or I forgot something while I'm still relatively close to home.)  There was still a bit of chill in the air, so on my way out toward the highway, I pulled up at the house to run in and grab an extra layer to fight off the breeze.  
As I pulled up towards the garage, I clipped out my left foot and my pedal fell to the ground in about a dozen pieces.  Further investigation showed that a screw had fallen out, and I was lucky (thank God) that the pedal had fallen to pieces in my garage instead of 15 miles away on the side of the road.
So, determined to make the most of my morning, I threw on the old running shoes and spent the rest of the sunrise making some footprints on the local dirt roads.  It was a peaceful and rewarding run, and I am thankful to God for the time He gave me out on the road this morning. 
*WARNING....RANT AHEAD.*
However, I do have to say that I think it is ridiculous how expensive the triathlon industry makes everything, specifically the bike portion.  Every component requires a different tool and every tool requires another accessory, all of which are priced far above what they are actually worth.  Why does every screw on the bike have to have a different type of head on it?  The vast majority of the world does fine with flat, phillips and hex.  Am I supposed to believe that having six different types of asterisk shaped screw heads makes my bike faster?  I heard a statistic about amateur triathletes being among the wealthiest of all non-professional athletes.  And when I think about the cost of keeping up one of these bikes, that's like saying that Rolls-Royce owners are among the wealthiest drivers.  No crap - normal people can't afford this stuff.  
Yet sadly,  I am among the thousands, if not millions, who will continue to fund this exploitative industry.
Does anyone have $150 I can borrow to buy a new screw for my pedal?  

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