Alas after a particularly spirited
coastal ride atop my handlebars, an untimely, slow-speed spill saw my cutesy
little camcorder friend choke seemingly to death, having ingested seawater.
Despite concerted resuscitation efforts at the scene, he hasn’t so much as
flickered since.
Now, I am culpable on two counts (sob)
(a) having left his airtight polycarbonate house at home since I wasn’t
planning on getting near the water’s edge or indeed anything more challenging
than smooth singletrack. (b) I opened the casing in an attempt to avert
disaster. Arguably the most effective means of voiding warranties perhaps but
nonetheless I approached Delkin Europe, volunteering this information with a
view to repair (at cost to yours truly).
Cynics will be rolling their eyes but
in my experience, shaggy dog stories quickly become apparent and their
purveyors treated with palpable contempt…Hmm yes, TIG welded 4130 mountain bike
framesets failing catastrophically while “Just riding along”, rear mechs that
suddenly fail after a fortnight. So that ten-foot drop-off hadn’t a hand in
things…Bottom line, pros of any description aren’t silly, quickly spot tell-tale signs of abuse/neglect/tampering and are justly unappreciative of having their
intelligence insulted.
A few polite emails later reveals these
units are literally factory fit n’ forget, thus cannot be repaired in the event
of impact or water damage. Ultimately, we couldn’t reach a mutually agreeable
arrangement regarding a replacement so with no hard feelings, I’ll put it
down to experience and keep my eyes peeled for a comparable alternative. By
contrast, that VDO X1DW literally hasn’t missed a beat these past few weeks
and is much easier to install/calibrate than the plethora of cable ties might
suggest. Solid, reliable technology and eleven functions provide plenty of
useful data for generic training without feeling overly complex.
While busy, the display stops short of
overcrowded-it took several outings before I noticed the little pacer arrow
that sets an encouraging as removed from nagging tone. Unlike speed sensors,
wireless cadence units still tend to be reliable by varying degrees, reliant
upon magnets passing a hair’s breadth from their metaphorical mother ship.
Attaching the former to differing profiles of crank arm seems to be another
chore since zip ties show a tendency for slippage with subsequent loses of
connectivity. Fear not, the VDO is very quick to announce this fact courtesy of
a flashing zero tucked adjacent to current speed, though thankfully this
vanishes after ninety seconds or so, thus not distracting rider attention, or
spoiling an otherwise satisfying ride.
Creature of the night, I consider
backlights invaluable and its omission a slightly disappointing oversight but one
I’m prepared to overlook when build quality and asking price are factored into
the equation. Elsewhere, the book venture has been gathering further
momentum-managed to fit in another 3,000 words, which doesn’t sound
particularly notable but little and often is markedly better than bouts of
sporadic intensity.
A pronounced silence from traditional publishers draws me
ever closer to the world of electronic e-book type, something of a dent to my fragile
male ego perhaps but having it languishing in hard drives and memory sticks
isn’t an option. I laid down a personal challenge to get a book to publishable
state before hitting forty-a milestone thing that would draw a positive line
under the previous decade. Talking of which, having left theatre following corrective
surgery to my crushed digit, a woman working in a quasi-nursing/patient liaison
role blundered into the side room where I was decanting gowns in favour of
street togs and seemed determined to probe. Like most people, I have some minor
insecurity body-wise - scarring from welding and others acquired from
cycling/motorcycling specifically.
For the most part I don’t give them a
second thought, though she seemed oblivious to the verbal cues indicating that
I wanted a few moments privacy to button my shirt. Had she asked if it were
permissible to converse with me while I finished dressing, I could’ve gently
asked her to leave but instead she continued to pry, focusing upon my age, what
I was planning to do for my fortieth birthday etc. I’m also a little sensitive
about my age these days but only in relation to attainment. Introspection of
this kind was extremely unwelcome, however well-intentioned…
Long steady evening saunters on the
fixer have resumed, restoring my confidence accordingly. Much to my surprise,
Purple Harry dry lube is also proving pretty competitive, returning 160 miles
from a single helping. Unlike the Finish Line Ceramic Wax, it employs a plant
based ethylene thickener, which remains pretty flammable, though has lesser
environmental impact than boron nitride and similar petrochemical agents.
Assuming you’ve introduced as per instructions, left curing for sixty minutes
or so before heading off; staying power is surprisingly good. In common with
other emulsion types a slightly grimy patina proliferates the links given
thirty miles, whereupon it steadily flakes away, leaving behind a seemingly
invisible PTFE coating yet no hint of that familiar metallic tinkling.
Contrary to some other markedly similar
formulas it also works wonders on other interfaces, namely cleats, jockey
wheels and even control cables without recourse to unexpected water displacer
surgery on account of them gumming up given a week or so. Soggier conditions
take their toll on outright longevity, dipping to sixty-five miles between
top-ups when negotiating soft singletrack but reapplications in most other
contexts can be direct sans chain bath/ scrubbing. These attributes shouldn’t
be overlooked in a touring context either, though be prepared to reapply more
frequently in damp and indeed humid conditions. Speaking of touring, you’ll
have to excuse me; this here Raleigh Sojourn’s a calling…
