Saddle Cover

Brooks has updated their saddle cover. They left off the printing, they are using a more waterproof fabric, and the medium cover is a closer fit on a B.17. There are more pictures in this Flickr photo set.

Tags: saddle cover

Zeus Seatpost

This Zeus two-bolt post has allowances for a little more saddle setback if the rider really needs it. Three pictures on Flickr

Tags: seatpost, zeus

Every once in a while I mention emails from Taiwan. These are marketing messages from companies that have Wallingford Bicycle Parts on some list. Here is one that came yesterday:

Dear S/M,
How are you?
We’re a trading company specialized in bicycles & parts. And I am Tony from qualita co., ltd of Taiwan.
Our main products are: brake series, freewheel, saddles, pedals, shifting lever etc. Most of them are well sold to the EU, Brazil, India and USA.
Welcome to our website: www.qualita.com.tw  for more information!
All of our factories have more then 20 years experience in manufacturing. There’s no need to doubt the quality, we export our products worldwide more than 10 years, and most of customers do business with us more than 5 years.
If you are interested in any kind of products, please let us know. We will be happy to give you a quotation upon receipt of your detailed requirements.
Looking forward to receiving your enquiries soon.

Qualita has some interesting, unusual items.

They have a leather saddle line and in the fuzzy picture they provide you could be forgiven if you thought you were looking at a Brooks B.17.

They have other components. There are conventional seatposts and then there are a couple that defy comprehension.

It’s kind of fun to look through these offerings. Gotta be a little skeptical though.

Tags: knockoff, taiwan

Some of you have seen this bar tape on the Fizik Europe website. Since three of the colors are “black,” “honey,” and “antique brown” we have assumed they were produced with Brooks saddles in mind. (Fizik and Brooks are siblings in the Selle Royal family)

Turns out they are made for Brooks if you are somewhere besides the U.S.  The tape doesn’t meet the California lead standards!

Lead in bar tape? Who knew?

So, I guess if you want the dangerous, but nicely color-coordinated, bar tape you will need to do your shopping on the other side of the Atlantic.

Tags: bartape banned

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans might be ‘hedonism.’ Or maybe ‘self indulgence.’ Mardi Gras is, after all, preparation for the season of sacrifice. But we’ve learned there is a bigger purpose to all the hoopla. There’s a reason. We received an e-mail yesterday that put it all in perspective:

Dear Wallbike: I got some Mardi Gras beads last Spring in an order you sent me. I wore them to the bar tonight in support of the Saints. I was taking the family home at halftime and a woman at the table next to me said she loved my beads and would like to buy them. I told her that she could have them but all I asked was that she rooted for the Saints (the rest of her table was rooting Colts). By the time I got back to my house and got the kids in bed, I came down to see Peyton Manning throw the clinching interception touchdown. I cannot help but believe that your beads were directly responsible for the Saints’ win. Thank you for providing me with mojo to help the Saints win. CF

So it’s clear that the beads we caught at a Mardi Gras parade  were directly responsible for the event that unified and lifted an entire city. And that’s why we go to parades. We will continue to collect these tokens of mojo so we can send a few to each of you who place an order through Mardi Gras day (2/16). Thank you all for helping us to make the world a better place.