Sunday, 4 May 2014

Greases, Gloves & the Perils of Parabens









Been working on a piece about lubricants, which logically led to a paragraph or two’s discussion of de-greasing, health n’ safety and hand washes. Parabens might not be the first thought entering our heads when scooping up some dirt purging gloop but their widespread prevalence in cosmetics, toiletries, personal (read sexual if you must) gels is cause for thought and for me at least concern, afterall, ubiquitous doesn’t necessarily mean harmless.

Used as a preservative/biocide, extending a products shelf-life, there’s an increasingly convincing body of research linking para-hydroxybenzoic acids with cancers, hormonal abnormalities, immune, neurological and reproductive toxicity.  

Indeed, there appears an increased presence of these oestrogen mimicking particles within the tissues of breast cancer patients, nearest the underarm region. Playing Devil’s advocate, it may be (like Aspartame, the somewhat controversial artificial sweetener) that there are safe limits within which such complications do not arise…

Bottom line, I’m in favour of minimising contact with anything potentially carcinogenic, whether used motor-oils, contaminated greases, even the supposedly super clean space-age polymers. Thin, washable gloves seem infinitely preferable to absorbing further, potential toxins through my skin. Elsewhere, those nice folk at Moore Large (www.todayscyclist.co.uk) have sent me a stainless steel KMC Z1 (inox).

Nudging 442g, it’s something of a behemoth but seemingly bombproof and positively serene. Now, stainless seem an obvious candidate for winter bikes and daily drivers but nonetheless, low should never be interpreted as zero maintenance, thus I’ve a hunch the pins might succumb to some red freckling.

Admittedly there’s no substitute for long miles, along wet, salty roads but in their seasonal absence I’m trying a similar experiment, leaving a discarded section marinating in a tub of fresh water laced with table salt and left drying in coastal climes.

Ours remains dressed in the factory drizzle, which appears pretty corrosion repellent but in any case, only a minority of us will be whizzing round on truly parched chains for any period. Not that this should be a problem given my present arsenal has been joined by some store brand “wet weather” and “Teflon based” lubricants passed my way for critical evaluation.

Superficially it’s tempting to say they’re dead ringers for a wealth of similar formulas, which will lead doubting Thomas/Theresa’s suggesting this illustrates the prevalence of badge-engineering. Healthy scepticism is essential but so is keeping an open mind. Two products can look decidedly similar and in some instances comprise of identical ingredients.

However, that’s not to say tracks one and two were putting different labels on the same products-weights and measures can vary, hence why some marques will stay put longer, attract more/less contaminant, or in the bad old days, leave a streaky finish, do nasty things to rubberised components and indeed, beneath our skin.

Elsewhere, in the name of frugality, gracious donation of this elderly but worthy tower means I have a reliable desktop once more and my collaboration continues to gallop towards the tangible entity we’d envisaged but near, yet so far springs to mind.

Several weeks on and those Btwin Automatic (SPDR) homages continue to delight, even on the fixed thanks to a subtle weighting that allows easy location/flipping when trickling along. As expected, their softer aluminium bodies sport more battle scars than premium fare but nothing outlandish and I love the convenience of being able to walk gracefully without ravaging best linoleum. Whisper it but I’m not regretting the Ilpompino’s regression to square tapers either; though a stiffer ring would be welcomed…






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