After my visit to the optometrist, from where I was poked and prodded, puffed and dropped I knew exactly where I needed to go.  Three years ago, about a week after buying my current pair of eyeglass frames, I was walking West on Solano Avenue, just enjoying the day.  I resist describing this action as walking “down” Solano Avenue, as this seems to convey some sense of South, which is inaccurate and untrue.  Regardless of the felt direction, I walked past an optometrists office and in the display of eyeglass frames window there they were, the glasses I really wanted, the frames that my Nike “the eyes lead the body” style were imitating.  They were legit, old school, horn-rimmed glasses with the signature Malcolm X rivets.  I was filled with an immediate sense of the betrayal happening on my face.  Oh well I thought, I suppose I’ll just have to wait to get those for my next pair.

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A quick scan through the Dedacciai geometry tables suggest that some of their nice carbon frames are available from a certain Lancastrian bike shop, named after their nearest river - for a good few hundred quid cheaper than the Dedacciai-branded... Never thought I'd see a Spinal Tap reference on a bike frame. 'Style' - whatever that is - and engineering quality are not mutually exclusive as plenty of brilliant but bankrupt engineers who made pug-ugly products will testify. OK - the paintwork isn't as flashy, but when did you last see a bad review of a bike from that particular shop. Whether you like it or not the new Pearson style is certainly attention-grabbing but it has no bearing whatsoever on the quality of the unfinished product. But show me a bike shop that doesn't do that nowdays - esp. for the Carbon frames.

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