Originally Posted by
burnthesheep
With cross comes some fun, but also sadness. It really means after the series, typical meetup season is over. Our weeknight worlds I usually do once a month due to driving distance closes shop. Nobody really does it at all. Cross will close up shop until the usual mini-series in true winter.
With the constant disappointments of the Covid era trying to mentally prepare and decide what I'll do this year. It's already getting dark sooner. Despite being hot as **** outside.
The in-town weeknight ride continues with fewer folks through all year. But the intensity is generally a bit passé. Which is fine. Maybe I'll just have to show up early and do some workout sets, then roll.
But.........for now cross is here. Signed up for all 4 in the series. Two on home turf, two a 25min drive.
We switch our Tuesday night road hammerfest ride to a night path ride. We have enough path system in the area it ends up being about 34 miles on mixed materials (pavement, gravel, dirt). We make the change because the light disappears or is setting while we ride West on really busy roads - making us invisible. I had a friend die that way so I don't want to ride that way. We ride with lights and it has moments of spiciness and times for recovery and handling. It keeps a good base going through the cross season and in the longest section we take turns attacking each other and countering.
For us around Chicago it becomes some of the best riding all year. Night riding is just plain fun. The paths are nearly empty. Soon the leaves will change and we will get the occasional sprinkle or snow that will turn the whole thing into a deeply meditative ride that just centers the week. We started it last night for this season and it was the best ride we have done all year. Such a blast.
Good luck with the cross stuff. It's this area's favorite time of year. Our official series here has cancelled but all of us races except for one is still planning on happening. Between us and Wisconsin we will have a very busy schedule. Nationals in December is in town as well. Our path ride goes within a couple miles of the nationals venue.
Originally Posted by
topflightpro
One shop I go by regularly told me they have had no issue getting frames, but they cannot get the parts to build frames. Even when they order complete bikes, they sometimes arrive with just frames, wheels, bars... The component groups are on backorder.
...and they will be for quite some time. Honestly almost all component delivery dates in Shimano's current system show October and November of next year. Thing is those are open for backorder so any order placed now counts off that inventory...meaning if you (as a shop) don't know if you are going to need a pile of rotors next October now then byt the time you realize you want them you will be ordering the rotors that will be showing up in April 2023.
I am not kidding. It really is this bad. Honestly I see this almost harkening in the push back to rim brakes and resurgence of 10 speed. Time for the retro road movement to awaken.