Its now been a month since I launched the Meh-roica Pageant:Sponsored by Dumonde Tech, the worlds greatest lubricant:**[for your bike. I cannot officially sanction any off-label useespecially for, shall we say, intimate purposes.]Anyway, the deadline passed on October 16th, and since then Ive been doing a lot of soul-searching. Well, Im pleased to report Ive finally come to a decision, and here it is:No, I will not be putting leather bar tape on my Roadini:Not only is it too much work, but someone pointed out it gets funky in the rain, plus what happens if I decide to change the saddle again?No, I will hold onto the leather bar tape and maybe use it when I freshen up the Platypus and get rid of the double-grip situation Ive got going on:Wait, whats that? You say you dont care?You say you want to know who won the goddamn contest?!?Yeah, I know, right? Tell me about it!Anyway, as I previously mentioned, I sold my records not too long ago, which Im still a little sad about, even though it was an extremely shrewd business decision. Well, okay, it wasnt that shrewd, since if back in the 1980s Id put that money in the S&P 500 instead of buying records with it Id now have about 1,200% more than what I ended getting for them at the Greenwich Village record store. This is yet another reminder that instead of hating corporations in my youth I should have been investing in themor just doing both, as you eventually learn to do as an adult.Nevertheless, one thing I used to really enjoy doing as a teenager was blowing off any schoolwork I might have had and instead taking hours-long deep dives into my own record collection. This would often involve choosing a band and listening to all their albums one after another, starting with their early work when they couldnt play their instruments at all, and then moving all the way through their catalog to the present, when they could kind of almost sort of play them a little.So why is this relevant? Well, for one thing, the fact that I spent all my time doing this instead of homework is why Im a former semi-professional bike blogger instead of a successful person. Its also pertinent because as I became an adult my bikes replaced my records, and Im just as unproductive, except now I just take deep dives into my bike collection instead. Currently Im on something of a Rivendell jag, and I always do my best to match my bike to the landscape:Note that I took the bold and controversial step of putting clipless pedals on the Roaduno:I am a Time ATAC user and have been for many years. See, in the old days they were much better at shedding mud than SPDs, so That Was Just What You Used, especially if you raced the cylcocross. However, I had a pair of Shimano pedals sitting around from the Bargain Basement Bike (which is also where that saddle bag came from, notice how I use every part of the buffalo), and I also came across a pair of old SPD cleats, so I figured Id throw em on there and try them out, even though it stresses me out to have bikes using different pedal systems. (As for mud-shedding, I think Shimano has probably caught up in that regard, but my days of riding in mud are well behind me and I really dont care.)I like flat pedals, and the Roaduno was great with them. However, I do think clipless pedals bring out something a little extra in a singlespeed bicycle:Specifically, with the bike geared so that Im not spinning out on flat terrain, climbing requires me to get out of the saddle and really work for it, which is easier to do when Im locked into the pedals. Also, its easier to pick both wheels up, which makes the bike feel a little more playful when Im hopping over roots and other obstacles on the ol hobo trail. So while the clipless pedals may be somewhat at odds with the whole Rivendell ethos, I like how they give the bike a little bit of an edge, like putting a splash of whiskey in your Coca-Cola. Also, if it makes you feel any better, Im not wearing the latest in gravel-specific footwear; instead, Im wearing a pair of cheap shoes I got many years ago on closeout that refuse to die and are about 40% Gorilla Glue:Speaking of the Bargain Basement Bike, and Meh-Roica Bikes (which the Bargain Basement Bike Qualifies as), some time ago (though Ill be darned if I can find the post) I mentioned a New York City-specific bicycle classified site called bikedrawer.com after the person who built it reached out to me:As someone who needs to move a bike along every once in awhile I really liked the idea. For example, lets say I were to get a new Farbman:[No idea where this came from. AI maybe?]Please note I didnt say I was getting a new Farbman. I said IF I GOT IT:[No idea where this came from. AI maybe?]This guy knows what Im talking about:I love you too, Nordberg.By the way, it wouldnt have to be a Farbman. It could be a recumbent or something:[No idea where this came from. AI maybe? Actually Im lying. Grant Petersen took this photo. Its called kompromat. Why do you think Im always espousing the virtues of his bicycles? I really wish I was riding a Factor Otso VAM instead of a Rivendell. Also, someone asked about the Inspector Gadget Jacket recently, which Im wearing in that photo. It needs to be cleaned and it needs a new lining. I should really get that done because it would go great with the PashMo.]The point is, lets say I had to make room for a Farbman or a recumbent. If so, the bike Id move along first would be the Bargain Basement Bikenot because I dont like it, but because I already have several road bikes and would observe a Last one hired, first one fired policy. All of this is to say that I figured I might as well try out the bikedrawer.com site to test the waters, and the Bargain Basement Bike is on there now if anyone is interested:There have been no nibbles as of yet, which doesnt surprise me in the least since not only are we in an unprecedented Meh-roica buyers market, but nobody has heard of a Chris Huber. Also, I thought my bike was priced to sell, but then I saw this:Still has the pie plate and everything!Seems worth it for the Ultegree alone.Not sure why its upside down, but maybe its a metaphor for the state of the world.