Stems n' Scorched Grass

Sometimes it seems, doing less actually achieves more and I’ve had a few days recently where fruit has materialised with little; or no tree shaking on my part. 

More detailed measurement/calculations confirmed the Salsa stem would’ve been fractionally too long n’ low for comfort-hence attempting transplant surgery would’ve been a frustrating fools’ mission. Salvation materialised in the guise of this 35degree, 70mm long 6061 One23 unit. Standards of finish and machining seem pretty good throughout and four bolt face designs offer a vice like grip, although it’s imperative that all fasteners are tightened to identical tolerances to prevent bars succumbing to potential stress fracture over time.

Wider bars offer excellent control on or indeed sans asphalt and increased leverage should prove a boon when hauling trailers along wintery roads, enhanced further by a more upright stance. On the flip side, this will mute traffic jamming prowess but hardly a concern since said four seasons’ workhorse earns its keep on open roads, rural backwaters and green lanes.

I had toyed with the idea of passing these 25.4 On-One Midge and corresponding stem on via ebay but decided they’d prove handy revisions for my cross inspired mtb hybrid. This might also present a few challenges shifter wise.

Top mounting seems like a good idea, yet demands splaying the clamp to accommodate road bars larger overall (not just bulge) diameter and precludes shifting when hunkered low on the drops; hence I will opt for mounting another STX 8spd pod inboard of the end. Shorter cable runs are also conduits for crisp, snappy changes. An 11-19 straight through block sounds an odd choice too but adequate (when paired to a 32 tooth ring) for tackling moderate woodland/green lanes to around 17mph without spinning out on the road.

Joshua has been testing boundaries in a positive sense, expressing renewed interest in longer road outings with yours truly-something I’m obviously keen to encourage. Rides of this duration are best tackled on his 14/24 mountain bike, shod with slick, or higher end dual purpose rubber-a machine he’s fought shy of thus far and should fit him nicely by now.

Talking of gearing, resistance seems attributable to derailleurs-while competent with the Frog 62’s 7 speed revoshift, he’s never completely embraced them and a triple served only to accentuate this. Maybe this wanderlust will nurture acceptance by stealth…

Now, pretty much all bike washes/degreasers are touted as being biodegradable, bunny loving etc. these days. However, I recall mechanics saying some eat seals in their parts washers and despite liberal rinsing with garden hose, a very effective, highly tuneable concentrate that really impressed me recently hasn’t shown my lawn much compassion. Thankfully frame and component finishes remain in rude health but illustrates why standing times shouldn’t be exceeded.

Elsewhere, invitation to an Indian wedding in the midlands presented ideal opportunity to extend my photographic horizons-I’ve been particularly keen to find a foothold and built positive repute within this genre for several years now.

Everyone is a wedding photographer these days; some are extremely capable, imaginative professionals, others anything but. Look through any trade journal/website and you’ll find copious lament about “weekend warriors” damaging the trade’s repute and there’s much to agree with.

Urban myth suggests photographic skill only existed in the days of darkrooms. The advent of digital removed any skill-point, shoot and hey presto (and acquiring a mortgage means owning a house outright!!!). Counter argument suggests knowing one’s market, carving a niche and leaving others to theirs. Street corners are littered with folks offering to perform oil changes for a fiver, of course they’ll have public liability cover and decades of workshop experience under their belts should something go wrong…