I'm On the Map!

Ok world, big news in the world of bubblewrap bartape. Recently, not only did three different people tell me that they had read my blog, but one of them even critiqued it! I'll get to the critique in just a moment, but first let me say that I think the "traffic sources" function on blogs is pretty funny. Just look at my top-4 sources of Google traffic this month.

(Jamie, stop googling yourself and go take a nap.)

I'm proud to say that people searching for my blog marginally outnumber people looking for actual bubble wrap.

Okay, on to the critique. Avid readers may remember that back in February, I posted a little post about a TT I did down in Oregon. In it, I mentioned that Tom Broderick's tubular gluing advice gave me such confidence in my tires that I dove into a corner faster than I should have and ended up getting slapped with a 30-second penalty for crossing some cones set up by the officials. Well, when I was talking to Tom the other day, he called me out for giving him and his employer bad press! I had two reactions. 1) "Oh snap! The joke was that it wasn't his advice, but my illegal cornering tendencies, that were the problem," and 2) "Oh SNAPPZ!!!! Tom Broderick reads my blog and thinks that it could influence customers! YEEEAAAH!!!! I'VE HIT THE BIG TIME!!!"

I tried to contain my bulging pride at the second realization, and promised a redaction if further review merited it. After all, I appreciate that Tom wants to maintain his reputation as a stone cold human-bicycle interface:

And not something less confidence-inspiring:

(photos courtesy of facebook.com)

Well, even if it isn't really funny, I'm leaving the original post up, but here's a clarification: Tom Broderick isn't a bad mechanic. He isn't a mediocre mechanic. He's a pretty effing good mechanic.

For instance, I once brought Tom my busted up Zipp Predator track disc wheel made in 1990, and he fixed the hub using strange, arcane techniques after he got an email from Zipp basically telling him to forget about it.

Another example: did you know that he has a small metal plaque declaring that he is Shimano Di2 certified? It is proudly displayed under the glass next to some track hubs, so that when you ask if it's for sale, (I assume) he can kick back in an armchair, cross his hands behind his head, and say, "Son, that's not something you buy, it's something you earn," eliciting a sort of sudden awe and respect not unlike this:

(obviously, I'm Coop and Tom is Gene)

As an oft-penniless racer, I'm always searching for clever ways of getting more out of my equipment to save money, and when I've got a puzzler, and I've exhausted Sheldon Brown's website, Tom is the first person I'll bother with my issues. So Tom, thank you.