Wrapping up for Winter

 

So, after some deliberation, I plumped for this very fetching honey coloured Bobbin bar wrap to replace the venerable Mpart. Arguably, black would’ve been more obvious given the Ilpompino’s new colour scheme but I’m rather taken with the warm, tan contrast.

Cursory inspection of the end plugs suggested it was a rebranded shop variant and one that had served me well. However, the hide seems superior-much thicker, though still very supple, so sharp effects are achievable with minimal effort and the absence of lever strips posed no problems.

Despite the strong adhesive, correction is similarly effortless, which was welcomed when doubling up at personalised points. While the end plugs looked pretty, tenure proved poor and prompted swift substitution for a set of plastic Cinelli-sorted.

Initial thoughts are of a luxurious, grippy and fatigue reducing covering that should weather reasonably well; nourished with Nikwax or similarly good quality leather proofing on a quarterly basis. On our second outing, I was convinced the tube gremlin had struck again.

A very low but persistent hiss tore through my serenity, a mere 700 metres from home. Psyching myself up for another tube swap, I was elated on discovering it was merely the sound of carbonated drink escaping my bottle valve. However, I wasted no time in plugging a small but significant nick in the Vittoria’s casing with superglue.  

There’s no such thing as too many when it comes to spare tubes, patch kits or Co2 cartridges and Murphy’s Law guarantees they’re never to hand when you need them.

More than two patches and butyl gets recycled as seat collar/headset boots, shims for lighting brackets/similar accessories. 175-2.1 inch MTB sizes are much easier to slide into place but bigger 30-38mm road sections also work reasonably well.

Confounded by the mysterious disappearance of those bought during my last decathlon dash, fastidious foraging unearthed a fully loaded repair kit, so the wounded tube has been sorted and relegated to the serviceable spares stash. I also rediscovered this handy folding stand. Lacking the outright stability of the PRO types, it’s much neater than improvising with a Perspex jug when photographing bikes.

Knog’s biggest Blinder Arc-the 640, continues to impress, with its combination of versatility and output that frankly outshines many budget models claiming much bigger numbers.

This goes to substantiate the point, that reflector, diode and lens are pivotal when talking useable light. Weather resistant to IPX6, (everything bar full blown submersion in layman’s terms), ours haven’t missed a beat when subjected to my five minute hose-pipe torture test.

This isn’t an act of vandalism, I’m not seeking to destroy these, or any other lighting system. Rather, when manufacturers claim something is waterproof, then I pursue accordingly but within reason, obviously.  

Elsewhere, wedding season here in the UK supposedly fizzled out with September’s swansong but I’m delighted to be covering some Indian ceremonies in Bedfordshire before October’s through. This month will be the last real opportunity to get some serious miles in on the “teenage dream” too; so I’ll be taking full advantage.  

 

My mother’s car port commission has also generated a steady stream of interest.

Prices start at £250 for my stock, rural scenes blown up on 5x3ft weatherproof canvasses. Bespoke works and other sizes are also welcomed-just contact me by email with your requirements and we’ll take things from there.

Continuing the photographic theme, I’m still hunting a suitable replacement Sony Alpha (Minolta pattern) body and at Seven Day Cyclist magazine, we’re recruiting interns to assist with production and marketing.