Brave New Velo is a journal documenting the progress of building a new Soma Smoothie bicycle and the experience of such an endeavor for the first time. Thoughts, discoveries, trials and tribulations will be shared.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Something Askew: Shimano Dura Ace Skewers

Am I the only one who would spend weeks searching for just the right skewers? I guess most would just take the first acceptable option. But since I have the time to be picky, I will. My reasoning is as simple as I just wanted something classic looking. And as with all the other parts I've selected for the Soma Smoothie I didn't want to end up with a choice with which I wasn't absolutely satisfied. There are many nice skewers on the market designed to be pretty, practical and functional, but nothing really captured my longing for old-school-ish aesthetic than the Shimano Dura-Ace with its updated version of the skewers that your daddy and grand-daddy had on their wheels. They're sleek, shiny and understated. The problem I came up against was they are one of the more expensive products of their kind. With a little patience though I was able to secure a rear skewer and then a couple of weeks later completed the set with a front companion, both new, and both on eBay for half the retail price. Done deal and I'm very satisfied with the result.

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