»Pedal steel

For the first time in months, I rode a derailleur bicycle to work. The exhilaration of speed -- of being able to go quickly up hills! -- of racing down hills without have to and brake with my knees! -- wore off as I heard all the clanking and mechanical motion of the gears shifting, of the jockey wheels spinning, the chain slapping, the rear axle breaking. Oh yeah, as I was turning at speed from 24th on to Valencia, the wheel slid forward in the drops and the chain slipped off the gears as the plastic end-cap of the skewer cracked. The washer underneath didn't come off, but without the knurled cap to hold it in place it wouldn't stay tight.
I've never trusted those wheels -- I was saying as much to jimg just yesterday. Well then! Time to find a new 130mm 8speed wheel.