Since my mountain bike is temporarily out of commission I decided to fix up my road bike with an all new drivetrain, cables and handlebar tape. I had this extra gear kicking around for quite a while because I wanted to eek out every last mile of my previous drivetrain. This morning I took it out along the ocean's edge to work out any kinks.
I went with Ultegra chainrings (9-speed), a new XTR/Dura-ace chain and cassette. As for bar tape I opt for black Cinelli cork. It's amazing the difference it makes when putting on new components, especially a drivetrain. Everything is running smooth, quiet and quick. Like new.