Parts and Stuff

Last night I got a box of stuff from Jenson USA. I’m excited. It’s just like Christmas in that I can sincerely say everything is exactly what I wanted, but actually mean it. I got shorts to replace the ones that are worn to the point of being inappropriate, a CamelBak bladder and a cleaning kit because I am a germaphobe, and an Easton carbon fiber riser handlebar to replace the flat bar on my Inglis SS. Uhhhh…new bars.

My Inglis needed a riser bar. Right before I sold my Felt, I swapped its nice titanium Merlin flat bar with the cheap, pre-vintage Profile riser bar from my Inglis, but the Inglis never felt quite right after that. It was hard parting with my Felt; there was no way I was going to let it go with the Merlin handlebar, this very rare, beautiful bar. And an incredibly strong bar too, stronger than the “low clearance” warning sign at a McDonald’s drive through. This is the kind of handlebar you could hang on your living room wall as a conversation piece, like an original M. C. Escher print. Definitely not the kind of bar I would leave on a bike I was selling to a guy who has no real interest in bikes; who only bought it to pose with.

That and I wasn’t sure I actually owned the Merlin handlebar. Kevin loaned it to me 5 or 6 years ago. It’s not clear how long one can borrow something from a friend before they can claim ownership. The rules are a little murky.