The puncture season has resumed with vengeful blisters thanks to some otherwise superlative Specialized training rubber that goes like the clappers and feels notably narrower than their 23mm profiles suggest but proved the proverbial pig to persuade aboard common or garden Mavic MA2s without exploding thumbs and snapped tyre levers. Further upgrades include the much-revered Thomson post.
A Saturday afternoon characterised by deeply debilitating heavy showers in dispersed with high winds led me to contemplate my powers of persuasion, removing the necessary point two of a millimetre. Thirty minutes concentrated sanding and periodic checking and a lick of this Juice Lubes Bearing grease saw it slide perfectly inside the seat-tube with no evidence of stomach sinking slippage over the past thirty miles. My only regret is not seizing the opportunity before. 
The product in question is formulated specifically for bearings, subjected to a completely different set of stresses compared with their automotive counterparts-hence why in many contexts, automotive greases are unsuitable for hubs, bottom bracket and headsets. The ingredients are something of a mystery, giving little indication of its compatibility with carbon/composite components but experience suggests a polymer base, equally suited to preventing galvanic and other corrosion between non/ferrous interfaces.
Quietly smug, the Altura rack bag and resurrected Pro-Lite saddle assumed their rightful places The Thomson’s forward facing curvature is perfect for smaller/riders seeking to place themselves over the bottom bracket shell for increased power and in this context it has also corrected the handlebar reach, greatly improving comfort over prolonged periods-particularly when hunkering low on the drops.
Juice ceramic lube seems a good bet for smooth transmissions too. It’s made from a blend of high quality base oils with baron nitride-a synthetic compound similar in properties to graphite. Marketed as a summer-lube it doesn’t overly attract dirt and resists seasonal showers without demanding reapplication but be sure to wipe the outer link plates on a weekly basis. Unlike traditional wet lubes, it doesn’t overly attract grime and means that pretty blue/pink/tricolour track chain will retain its looks-so long as the “Little and often” principle is maintained. Performance seems better than expected off-road- just so long as conditions fall between Death Valley arid and Mumbai monsoon.
Not so many moons ago, torque wrenches were very much the preserve of the professional workshop but as carbon and other composites have become commonplace, the notion of setting components by feel is rapidly becoming as archaic as simple rope tests to ascertain frame alignment.
Unlike space-age materials, the trickle down factor hasn’t reached tooling but this little CNC machined beauty from Effetto may well be the alchemist in this sea change. It measures a mere 16.5cm long and costs a whopping £ but this pales into insignificance when dealing with top-flight components-wrecking a full carbon frameset for the sake of a couple of hundred quid is false economy an good tools always repay their investment… So long as you don’t lend them out (!)
Most manufacturers, especially the major players have carbon sussed and modern manufacturing techniques mean its unlikely to break but nipping an alloy cradle too tight could well result in a nasty fracture- is it really worth the risk, much less the expense on a saddle consuming the lion’s share of £120?
So, back to this elegant piece of Italian engineering…Accurate to 0.5nm the price includes a wealth of attachments fit for tackling most components aside from more traditional 8mm crank bolts-we’ve got 2,2.5,3,4,5 and 6mm Allen keys, T20, T25 Torx and an assortment of flat and Philips head screwdrivers). These simply plug into the magnetised head. Turn the knurled sphere anti/clockwise to adjust torque-cross reference with the laser etched settings integral to the handle and happy fettling!
Now to some software. Remember those Altura Summit I introduced in my last entry, well turns out they’re really very, very proficient for general riding thinks to superlative ventilation, low weight and hardy materials.
Taking the scenic route, involving deserted houses and bridle path long since reclaimed by nature, they’ve laughed at ferocious foliage, wash and dry beautifully. Being primarily an MTB garment they’re nice for touring and general riding but offerings from the like of Endura translate better to urban fixer applications thanks to closer cut, better insert and pocket configuration. Their relatively thin insert feels very comfortable-at least in terms of padding but the silicone leg-grippers could be more tenacious, allowing the garment to bunch up painfully around the crotch. Mercifully, other brands fit perfectly, thus resolving the problem. 
Despite globalisation and the fluidity of cultural exchange facilitated through the Internet, it is interesting to note alley cat events haven’t caught on to the same degree here in the UK. There’s been frisson of activity time and again and Bob Jackson offers a 631 Fixer frameset with this moniker.
Retro has been debated many, many times both here and other column inches. Personally, I like the opportunities it presents to obtain products-or should we say reproductions long since banished to obscurity but it has to be said there’s an underlying sense that we, as a nation-possibly as a global village are being consumed by the desire to hark back to a mythical, romanticised construct of the past or bygone era. 
I recently happened upon this road path bike while walking through a seaside town. The owner advises it’s a 50’s Ephgrave that was bought during his national service and later re-sprayed a pink by himself courtesy of a homemade compressor. Look closely and there’s some obvious distortion (crash damage?) of the head tube, chrome has long since left the GB stem while teeth are notable by their absence on the chain-ring but that aside, it remains an interesting machine and one the owner had an extremely fond bond with. Tales of track racing, long training runs from London to Norfolk, home-made stainless steel toe-clips and other fascinating details-he’d even used the final drive chain from a Honda 90 motorcycle in place of an inch pitch or 1/8th track offering!
The omnipresent spectre of scandal surrounding European racing from the Giros to the Tour De France have petty much eroded any interest beyond vocational in the professional scene. Without being overly simplistic, the hug amounts of money involved is conducive to institutionalised doping but the authorities appear to have made it their life’s work to conclusively prove Armstrong and more recently Floyd Landis as persona non-grata. Armstrong is understandably distancing himself from Landis who is widely regarded as a bitter, disgraced drugs cheat but some are saying (with some conviction) should the allegations have any foundation, Armstrong’s achievements are then tantamount not to the greatest show on earth but arguably the greatest fraud in sporting history. Armstrong is a very shrewd, self-aware businessman first and foremost-he just happens to ride a bike and will protect his interests at all costs. 
Similarly, I’ve no idea whether the bike-doping revelations with motors in the bottom bracket shells (supposedly) providing additional assistance on the climbs are little more than a rumour or elaborate hoax but it wouldn’t overly surprise me. Jacques Anquetil once laughed at the suggestion the tour was won on Evian. Equally, cycling is giving other sports from cricket through to athletics a convenient smokescreen to hide behind.
A Saturday afternoon characterised by deeply debilitating heavy showers in dispersed with high winds led me to contemplate my powers of persuasion, removing the necessary point two of a millimetre. Thirty minutes concentrated sanding and periodic checking and a lick of this Juice Lubes Bearing grease saw it slide perfectly inside the seat-tube with no evidence of stomach sinking slippage over the past thirty miles. My only regret is not seizing the opportunity before. The product in question is formulated specifically for bearings, subjected to a completely different set of stresses compared with their automotive counterparts-hence why in many contexts, automotive greases are unsuitable for hubs, bottom bracket and headsets. The ingredients are something of a mystery, giving little indication of its compatibility with carbon/composite components but experience suggests a polymer base, equally suited to preventing galvanic and other corrosion between non/ferrous interfaces.Quietly smug, the Altura rack bag and resurrected Pro-Lite saddle assumed their rightful places The Thomson’s forward facing curvature is perfect for smaller/riders seeking to place themselves over the bottom bracket shell for increased power and in this context it has also corrected the handlebar reach, greatly improving comfort over prolonged periods-particularly when hunkering low on the drops.
Juice ceramic lube seems a good bet for smooth transmissions too. It’s made from a blend of high quality base oils with baron nitride-a synthetic compound similar in properties to graphite. Marketed as a summer-lube it doesn’t overly attract dirt and resists seasonal showers without demanding reapplication but be sure to wipe the outer link plates on a weekly basis. Unlike traditional wet lubes, it doesn’t overly attract grime and means that pretty blue/pink/tricolour track chain will retain its looks-so long as the “Little and often” principle is maintained. Performance seems better than expected off-road- just so long as conditions fall between Death Valley arid and Mumbai monsoon.Not so many moons ago, torque wrenches were very much the preserve of the professional workshop but as carbon and other composites have become commonplace, the notion of setting components by feel is rapidly becoming as archaic as simple rope tests to ascertain frame alignment.
Unlike space-age materials, the trickle down factor hasn’t reached tooling but this little CNC machined beauty from Effetto may well be the alchemist in this sea change. It measures a mere 16.5cm long and costs a whopping £ but this pales into insignificance when dealing with top-flight components-wrecking a full carbon frameset for the sake of a couple of hundred quid is false economy an good tools always repay their investment… So long as you don’t lend them out (!)Most manufacturers, especially the major players have carbon sussed and modern manufacturing techniques mean its unlikely to break but nipping an alloy cradle too tight could well result in a nasty fracture- is it really worth the risk, much less the expense on a saddle consuming the lion’s share of £120?
So, back to this elegant piece of Italian engineering…Accurate to 0.5nm the price includes a wealth of attachments fit for tackling most components aside from more traditional 8mm crank bolts-we’ve got 2,2.5,3,4,5 and 6mm Allen keys, T20, T25 Torx and an assortment of flat and Philips head screwdrivers). These simply plug into the magnetised head. Turn the knurled sphere anti/clockwise to adjust torque-cross reference with the laser etched settings integral to the handle and happy fettling!Now to some software. Remember those Altura Summit I introduced in my last entry, well turns out they’re really very, very proficient for general riding thinks to superlative ventilation, low weight and hardy materials.
Taking the scenic route, involving deserted houses and bridle path long since reclaimed by nature, they’ve laughed at ferocious foliage, wash and dry beautifully. Being primarily an MTB garment they’re nice for touring and general riding but offerings from the like of Endura translate better to urban fixer applications thanks to closer cut, better insert and pocket configuration. Their relatively thin insert feels very comfortable-at least in terms of padding but the silicone leg-grippers could be more tenacious, allowing the garment to bunch up painfully around the crotch. Mercifully, other brands fit perfectly, thus resolving the problem. Despite globalisation and the fluidity of cultural exchange facilitated through the Internet, it is interesting to note alley cat events haven’t caught on to the same degree here in the UK. There’s been frisson of activity time and again and Bob Jackson offers a 631 Fixer frameset with this moniker.Retro has been debated many, many times both here and other column inches. Personally, I like the opportunities it presents to obtain products-or should we say reproductions long since banished to obscurity but it has to be said there’s an underlying sense that we, as a nation-possibly as a global village are being consumed by the desire to hark back to a mythical, romanticised construct of the past or bygone era. I recently happened upon this road path bike while walking through a seaside town. The owner advises it’s a 50’s Ephgrave that was bought during his national service and later re-sprayed a pink by himself courtesy of a homemade compressor. Look closely and there’s some obvious distortion (crash damage?) of the head tube, chrome has long since left the GB stem while teeth are notable by their absence on the chain-ring but that aside, it remains an interesting machine and one the owner had an extremely fond bond with. Tales of track racing, long training runs from London to Norfolk, home-made stainless steel toe-clips and other fascinating details-he’d even used the final drive chain from a Honda 90 motorcycle in place of an inch pitch or 1/8th track offering!The omnipresent spectre of scandal surrounding European racing from the Giros to the Tour De France have petty much eroded any interest beyond vocational in the professional scene. Without being overly simplistic, the hug amounts of money involved is conducive to institutionalised doping but the authorities appear to have made it their life’s work to conclusively prove Armstrong and more recently Floyd Landis as persona non-grata. Armstrong is understandably distancing himself from Landis who is widely regarded as a bitter, disgraced drugs cheat but some are saying (with some conviction) should the allegations have any foundation, Armstrong’s achievements are then tantamount not to the greatest show on earth but arguably the greatest fraud in sporting history. Armstrong is a very shrewd, self-aware businessman first and foremost-he just happens to ride a bike and will protect his interests at all costs. Similarly, I’ve no idea whether the bike-doping revelations with motors in the bottom bracket shells (supposedly) providing additional assistance on the climbs are little more than a rumour or elaborate hoax but it wouldn’t overly surprise me. Jacques Anquetil once laughed at the suggestion the tour was won on Evian. Equally, cycling is giving other sports from cricket through to athletics a convenient smokescreen to hide behind. 