a Buddi update

Buddi's still in the shop, still crankless, but now a crank is on the way. Matsunaga-san had to track down what seemed like the last Sugino Cospea 172.5mm silver crank in all of Japan. His three main suppliers were sold out and Sugino had retired the model (it's an octalink BB and they've replaced it with crank that uses the new Shimano-style (read: butt-ugly) system.) One place had a single black unit in stock, but I didn't think it would fit the classic look of my bike, so I was just about ready to go with the Sram Rival crank when Matsunaga-san finally found a Cospea. Let's hope it really does exist. If all goes well I'll be able to ride again by the end of next week.

Choosing a crank was an embarrasingly difficult proposition. We're presented with so much choice in modern society that it can be paralyzing. Do I want aluminum or carbon, black or silver, 170mm or 172.5mm (or even 175mm) crank arms, 48/34 or 50/36? Is it worth paying more for a crank made in Italy or Japan than a crank made in Malaysia? What bottom bracket system do I want to use? How much am I willing to spend? And the biggest question of all: does any of it matter?

In the end I chose the Cospea for a simple reason: I liked the way it looked. I just have a feeling that when I'm riding I'm not going to be able to tell much of a difference. All of my choices would have performed equally well. So I figured the biggest difference was aesthetic. Have I learned a lesson? Will my famous over-analysis be absent from my next shopping adventure? I'd like to say yes, but don't count on it.