After my first ride, I wanted to try a shorter handlebar stem to get off the bars a bit and cut some of the road shock to my hands. (Plus, as mentioned before I am old and fat and I need to sit upright.) Mountain Equipment Co-op had a nice stubby stem for $18.
It is kind of ugly, with an obnoxious MEC logo on it, but at least it's a change from the NORCO logo that is plastered on every other fricking component.
I did manage to de-logo the wheels. They had obnoxious stickers that probably weren't supposed to come off, but they did. I managed to get the sticker glue off one side of one wheel after scrubbing with gasoline for ten minutes, but the other three sides are going to have to wait. Probably forever.
I've been thinking about those NORCO logos. They are as tacky as an all-caps email, but their dorkishness goes deeper than that. They have a bottom-rung, department store feel about them, like plastering a brand name, any brand name, on every part of the bike reassures you that it hasn't been made of wood. "Oh, the seatpost has NORCO written on it - that must be good. I guess. Front forks written on too? I suppose they must also be real."
It is kind of ugly, with an obnoxious MEC logo on it, but at least it's a change from the NORCO logo that is plastered on every other fricking component.
I've been thinking about those NORCO logos. They are as tacky as an all-caps email, but their dorkishness goes deeper than that. They have a bottom-rung, department store feel about them, like plastering a brand name, any brand name, on every part of the bike reassures you that it hasn't been made of wood. "Oh, the seatpost has NORCO written on it - that must be good. I guess. Front forks written on too? I suppose they must also be real."
And I suppose all caps italic seems strong and fast to the aesthetically challenged. Not convinced? I said ALL CAPS ITALICS SEEMS STRONG AND FAST. Surely now you believe me!
Somehow the branding on this bike looks French-Canadian to me, in the worse possible way. (Sorry Quebec.)
Somehow the branding on this bike looks French-Canadian to me, in the worse possible way. (Sorry Quebec.)
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