New bike parts?  Yep.  I was fortunate enough to receive a very nice Mavic Crossmax XL ceramic front wheel.  (Thanks!) My old wheel started leaving large amounts of aluminum in my brake pads, and the braking surface was getting a little thin.  So, new wheel and some new brakes and pads to finish it off.  I went with the Avid Single Digit 7 brakes and a pair of Rim Wrangler 2 ceramic pads on the front.

Why rim brakes?  Well, I considered a disc brake, but I couldn’t see much performance advantage, they are heavier, more expensive, require more maintenance, and I’d have to refer to the M2 as a mullet.   I’ve only ridden the new wheel once, but it was quite a bit stiffer than the old wheel, and the braking was impressive.  We had our first snow here in beautiful muddy suburban DC, so it may be a while until I’m back on the trails.   Until things dry out, I’ll probably spend my time tearing down the M2 and getting it cleaned up for the spring…

What do I like buying more than bike parts?  Tires.  The Accord, having reached 40,000 miles and four year of age, just got some new tires.  I decided to go with some Bridgestone Potenza G009 H-rated pseudo-performance tires.  Surprisingly, I found these tires cheaper in town than from Tirerack.  Mr. Tire, with a buy three and get one free special (can’t we just call it 25% off???), was open today and had the correct size in stock.

You get what you pay for.  Mr. Tire installed the tires without damaging anything, but left a lot to be desired.  First, the tech didn’t torque the lug nuts to the correct (or even consistent) torque.   I loosened and re-torqued the lug nuts when I got home.  No big deal, but improperly torqued lug nuts could have warped the brake rotors (especially on Hondas with paper-thin vented rotors).  Second, the tires were under inflated.  I checked the pressures hot, and all four tires were 3-4 psi under the recommend cold inflation pressures.  75¢ at the gas station fixed that, but it was annoying, and not to mention unsafe.  If you care, I’ve been keeping the tires inflated to 40/38 psi (F/R) instead of the 32/30 psi recommended pressures.  Third problem:  The salesman charged me $65 for road hazard coverage that I didn’t want or ask for.  I got my money back for that one.   On the bright side, the free coffee was acceptable and the couch in the waiting room was comfortable.  Nevertheless, I think I’ll look elsewhere the next time I need tires.

I cross-shopped the Bridgestone G009s and the Yokohama Avid V4/H4s.  Ultimately, I chose the G009s because in the 205/60R16 size they have a 1″ wider tread than the Yokohamas.  Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but the Accord had serious traction problems putting 240hp through the relatively skinny Michelins.  I considered 225/55R16 tires, but that is probably overkill.  The G009s seem to perform well, and are an improvement over the well worn OE Michelin MXV4s.  Having only put 15 miles on the tires, I cannot comment too much, but I think they will work out fine.  Now to kill the crappy RE92s on the Subaru… 

No more Apple-related posts, back to the bikes.  I’ve been riding the Gunnar (past week or so) at Schaeffer, and the M2 at Gambrill State Par earlier today:

Schaeffer on Halloween.

  Earlier today.  Pointy rocks and deep leaves are fun.  (though no flats)  

  I made a small modification to the Yakima rack on the Impreza.   The factory rack sits pretty far back on the roof, and the Yakima trays were mounted further forward than they should have been so the hatch could open.  This wasn’t a big deal with the M2, but the Gunnar didn’t really fit and the rear wheel was almost off the end of the tray.  So, I added a 3/4″ lift to the rear mount.  I used 3/4″ aluminum square tubing (5 1/2″ per side), some plastic end caps (to make it look classy), and some rubberized undercoating (to make it match).  With the raised rear mount, the trays can be moved back a couple inches, and the Gunnar fits without any issues.  Here is the result: