Rode to two LBSes tonight. Not very impressed by the range or pricing
of local bartape options, but I did by a nice bottlecage. It's by
Minoura, and is made from "proprietary Japanese Duraluminium for light
weight and extrme durability". I'm glad I found somebody stocking
these, can you imagine the sort of disaster you would be courting
trying to contain a plastic bottle of water with standard Western
alloys of aluminium?! Marketing nonsense aside, it's a nice simple,
clean, brushed-metal looking cage that I think suits the look of the
bike very well.
On the way home, the bike developed a very audible creaking sound when
I pedalled. I checked the left crank immediately and it felt totally
solid, but by the time I got home it was, again, loose. It lasted
roughly 3 hours of riding after I fixed it this time. I'm starting to
worry this is going to turn into a major headache...
