Campagnolo Veloce Dual Pivot Brakeset

If you enjoy cycling, and I'm sure you do, you should really do so on a bicycle with excellent stopping ability. The history of bicycle braking systems is long and storied, and out of the scope of this blog. But for a brief rundown, there are several broad categories of bicycle brakes:

1. Caliper brakes: these are generally seen on road bikes and on very cheap mountain bikes.
2. Cantilever brakes: most used on older mountain bikes, hybrids, cyclocross bikes, and touring bikes.
3. Disc brakes: used mainly on newer mountain bikes, but other bikes are available with these as well.
4. Hub brakes: never particularly popular. I generally make fun of people who use these.
5. Coaster brakes: The type of brakes where you back-pedal to slow down. Used on city bikes, beach bikes, and children's bikes.
6. Spoon brakes: Old-assed highwheelers and shite bikes that people ride in China use these.

So as you now know, road bikes generally use caliper brakes. Road bikes sold before the mid-90s generally had single-pivot caliper brakes. These were surpassed by the now-popular dual-pivot design that provides better stopping power and modulation.

Bicycle aficionados the world round know the name Campagnolo, the legendary Italian components manufacturer. While Veloce is one of their least expensive offerings, I've roundly found these brake calipers to be more than satisfactory.

The brakes offer an all-metal forged construction, which promises strength, stiffness, and weight savings over inferior metal forming procedures.

At 339 grams for the pair, you won't be feeling the load of these brakes on your way up the cols.

I personally found that the included brake shoes are superb. They offer a large braking surface and the shoes are very adjustable so you can get them toed-in just right. It's a real pleasure working on these brakes.

The brakes also offer the customary Campy style. They have a clean, fast look.

Overall these brakes offer awesome performance, quality, and durability for a great price. I'm so proud.

MEC Cycling Shoe Covers (Unisex)

You can keep your tootsies warm and dry with these cutie booties!

Being made from poly-vinylene propyl-trichlorate, there are very few chemical compounds that can penetrate this material. High winds and torrential rains are no match for the ablation capabilities of these magnificent winged swords of comfort.

Norco CRD 3

The ride is like stepping onto an infinite, frictionless plane. You feel like one soft push would propel you to the horizon.

Norco's CRD 3 is the acme of modern bicycle design. Incorporating a space-aged aluminum frame, carbon forks and Sora componentry, the frame is light and fast; it's a precision instrument no less suited for conquering hills than a scalpel is for performing delicate surgery.

A day riding this bicycle is a religious experience. Your legs will feel energized as you waft through the misty dawn. Your beating heart will urge the sun along its azimuth as the heat of the day arrives. When your ride concludes, you'll be left spent but thirsting for more of what the CRD3 has to offer.