How about Japan? I haven't had a dropped chain or missed shift yet on my Shimano Ultegra gearing. It's flawless. I'm counting my distance with a 5 year old Cateye cycler computer that I've beaten around for 5 seasons on two different mountain bikes, and all I've ever done to it was change the battery once. This is what I expect from poducts, rather unlike my two Powertaps, which I've owned for a cumulative total of probably 18 months for the two of them, yet am probably just crossing the 12 month of uptime barrier. I think I'm gonna try an SRM.
How about France?
Half the planes I took here were Airbus, and I'm riding a set of Mavic Open pro rims that seem completely unfazed by the 50lbs of gear I'm carrying. I wouldn't buy a fruity little French car, but Mavic rims have earned trust world the world round. Just gotta figure out if a Look bike suits me...
How about the United States?
The Strong cyclocross frame I'm riding feels awesome so far. Mellow over the gravel vibrations and stiff enough under load. Americans are great at inventing and commercializing technology. Nothing less than aerospace grade titanium will do for self powered transport I guess (my Airborne Paka-wallup is low grade Chinese ti and it's surprisingly... noticeable). Or how about my Easton carbon fork? Is it not enough that carbon fibre is multiple times the strength of steel for a given mass? Nope, it needs reinforcing a the molecular scale with carbon nanotube technology in the epoxy to again increase it's strength.
How about the Germans?
The German quality mindset rules. American's have "price points" as an excuse for selling cheap junk, German's sell quality at whatever price it takes. The German settler influenced construction down here stands the test of time and is worth maintaining. Mercedes trucks from 1970's models to recent ones are rolling up and down the roads, helping stuff get done (none have rust).
I'm riding some Continental TravelContact tires that rule so far. Why? Because Germans get some ungodly amount of yearly vacation, like 6 weeks. They travel around a lot, and some of them do it on well engineered bicycles. The label on my tires claimed these were long lasting and puncture resistant. Tori had 6 flats today on some tires that have been pushed well past their intended use (70k of gravel) and I had none, despite carrying more of our collective weight to try to help the situation. On top of that, the little hair threads from the injection mold aren't even worn off on the center strip of my tires after 125k of mixed surface riding with a 25lb bike, 50lbs of gear, and 170lbs of me!! That's what they mean by "durable compound". Continental tire engineers get docked pay if they come back from vacation and recommend ways to make a less expensive tire. They get promoted if they make a tire strong enough to put on a 747's landing gear, but still light enough for use on a bike.
When I started looking around for paniers, I read up on the ones carried at MEC. Then I read a few web reviews about what was recommended. "Get Ortlieb, it's German for waterproof. Well actually it's not, but it might as well be.". I ask Tori what she thought of her paniers. "They rule.". Tori usually can find a way to wreck, misuse or ruin just about anything without any malicious intent. So I go for the mega-bucks Ortlieb ones over items with a lower initial price point (not to be confused with the concept of "total cost"). As I load up my bike in front of Arvid the Austrian/German hostelier, he notices the paniers. In a thick German accent he says "Ahh, Ortlieb. Those are the best ones."
And lastly, how about Canada?
Well, Canadians are just so practical and nice. That's why I can have paniers full of trendy colored, functional and cost effective (different from cheap!) outdoor clothing for all weather circumstances. Ethically sourced of course! Also, with all the Chileans walking around with alpaca sweaters and Gore-tex jackets on due to the unseasonally cool weather, I can ride around in my shorts and Deadgoat jersey, all thanks to Canada!
Chile shows the benefits of having a sensible economy with trade and an industrial base. It isn't one of the Latin American crap countries where drugs, corrupt and confused politics, and excessive masses of uneducated populace overwhelm. Three cheers for running an economy that is better for all citizens in the long run, instead of misplaced, short sighted social programs.
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