Huh?

During one of many busy days last week at the touring center, a guy I should recognize came up to the backshop entrance to say hello.

"What do you think? Is everybody going to be using the new Campy Ergleblurgle next year?"

The what? I gathered it was something that must be getting a buzz in the cycling media, but I had no idea what he was talking about. Not only have I been trying to keep up with the Nordic ski industry's own Shimano-like ADD, it was Christmas Week and I had already gone about nine long days without a break.

Cross-country ski season used to be a relaxing break from the frantic pseudo-innovation of the mountain bike industry in the mid 1990s. Now Nordic has its own avalanches of poorly-thought-out equipment solutions to attitude problems. And more people come into a ski shop hacking and dripping snot than in a bike shop. Vacation weeks are hell. It's as if you earned your meager annual income by letting several motorcycle gangs and a couple of sketchy fraternities use your house and yard to party for ten days.

In a while I'll start to think about bikes again. If the weather turns warm it will be sooner. If the snow sticks around it will be later. Right now I have enough to do, starting with disinfecting the counter top where the last customer dripped on it.