[Sportsandrec] Alberto and Lance are still teammates

[Thornbury, Kelly]

Ron, 

Pick on me anytime you want, its okay, and beneficial to all when you provide your opinions. 

I only recommend the changing of chainrings when I come across a rusty chain. Surface rust on the cogs ruins the chain from inside the links, and its useless to change a rusty chain without paying attention to the cogs. 
I've had a number of brake pads fail on me over the years. I've never worn a set out, but over time they do dry out, crack, and disintegrate. I had a pad fail after only being a year old when I lived in the California desert. Brake cables and housings I tend to change if I notice any corrosion on the cable, and always in sets (both the cable and the housing). This is an old habit from my sighted riding days. I had many bikes where I used brake booster pulleys, and many cables are not designed for the sharp corner and extra stress from a pulley. In fact, for many years component companies (Shimano in particular) wouldn't warranty their brake components when used in conjunction with a pulley because of cable failure. 
I've always used Look clipless pedals, and have never pulled a set out of the box that were tight. The pedals are just another thing to look at if you find rust on the chains and rims. 
So, do you think if Armstrong rode on Campy components for seven years, the results would have been different? If I'm not mistaken, Campy was first to mass-produce the rear derailleur, and it was actually banned from the Tour for several years. I also think Look pedals were the first mass production clipless pedals used in the Tour, thanks Lemond. 
I "grew up" Shimano...it was what our teams used (our mechanics being Shimano certified), and you tend to "stick with what you know." I loved that my Ultegra and Dura-Ace cassettes were interchangeable with my XT/XTRs, or my 105s and LX cogs. I also have a Dura-Ace rear derailleur that works on a 28-tooth cassette, so putting on those mountain gears was a simple 5 minute cassette swap, and I didn't need to adjust the derailleur or worry about the shift spacing. Microsoft convenience. 
I may try putting the shifters on the stoker on my next ride. I'm actually a big fan of bar-end shifters, but everyone seems to hate them, but if I had the shifters...Hmmm. Its too bad I can't mount my Profile aero bars with the shifters mounted at the tips (they would end up right in the captain's back), reminiscent of my TT bike days. Also, in a race, if you wanted to attack, you wouldn't want to announce it first by asking for a gear change. 
Your tandem experience, and recent mechanical experience, is far greater than mine, and we all look to your expertise...disagree with me anytime. I'm frugal in that I do [almost] all my own work, but from my distance touring days, I'm anal about having everything in top shape, even if that means changing parts more often. My ego is too big to suffer an on the road breakdown that I could have avoided through maintenance. 

Kelly