Gripping Stuff

Inevitably, this everyday posting business is becoming a chore. My life just isn't that interesting, its days spent bumbling along in blah-de-blah activities that don't necessarily merit reportage. And even when the activities are entirely fascinating, they still might not be when converted into prose and/or pictures; or I may not be willing to expend the effort to make them so.

Which brings us to today, which was really a pretty fine one all round, but somewhat lacking in event. What is there to say about it, really? Shall I attempt to describe another day in the lab? Or a quiet night of domesticity? No, I bloody well shan't. Perhaps it'll come to that, but here's something else entirely.

After a nice lunch with Handsome Jack, I found myself outside Evans and finally remembered to buy some new grips for my bike. The old ones have been in a bad way for awhile, quite worn through in places and generally slick to the touch:

These were the ones that came with the bike in the first place, and were of the old rubber type that attach themselves to your handlebars by virtue of their own tackiness. I've changed such grips before, and they're an incredible pain in the arse to get off and -- especially -- on. They're specifically designed to cling tightly, and so manhandling the little bastards over the bars is not merely difficult but increasingly so: the further you get them on, the more immovable they become. I actually bought a new pair in this style prior to the Isle of Wight trip, but I couldn't face fitting them and so they have remained on the shelf gathering dust.

At some point in the last few years a new kind of "locking" grip got invented, and it was a pair of these that I finally acquired today. Unlike the old kind, they attach not by their rubberiness, but via some screw-tightened clips. Consequently, they're an absolute breeze to fit, and they look rather stylish too:

I can now take to the streets without fear of my hands slipping all over the handlebars, and grind out another blog entry to boot. I can't imagine just how fascinating this must be for you. Tomorrow we can discuss laundry or cooking or -- I know! -- drying paint.
Posted by matt at July 14, 2008 10:15 PM