shoe succumbs to rule 5

The Old Guys were going to lunch at the house of a guy I don't know, and I had a gazillion chores to do, and whatever... in any case, I didn't ride wit the old guys today. Instead, I tried to do my usual short route.

This ride was hexed from the beginning. I had a creak in the wheel which needed attention (I think it's fixed...), so I got a late start. And about six miles in, I noticed that my right shoe felt funny. I looked down, and saw the strap was broken.

You can see it in the picture above. On the lower (left) shoe, the grey strap piece connects to the black plastic extension that goes into the buckle. On the upper (right) shoe, they appear to be about to pass like the proverbial ships in the night.

It seems even shoes are subject to the whims of the infamous rule 5.

(Rule 5, for those of you who don't know and won't click on the link, is probably the most famous of the Rules of the Velominati. Most of their rules are about piffle like looking good. But rule 5 says simply "Harden The Firetruck Up." The third word is not "firetruck" in the original, but it is a word that follows the same rules of initial and terminal orthography. And don't give me grief about my vocabulary; I've provided an elucidating link, for heaven's sake.)

I suppose I could repair them, but I got 'em cheap, and I'd never trust 'em again. And I've worn 'em for over 10,000 miles - do you really think they owe me anything?

In other news, I'm in the market for a new pair of bike shoes. But I have some leads on some inexpensive replacements.