After several attempts with
Southern scrappies, I managed to persuade a Midlands based vehicle dismantler
to let me photograph his yard in action. Arriving with steel toes, hi-viz
jacket and assurances I would take only my images met with surprisingly little
resistance.
Fiats, Alfa Romeo, Vauxhall
and even the odd X type Jaguar sat in neat piles, their empty bodies squashed
like discarded soft drinks cans. Teenage lads peered inside elderly Nissan
Micras (not the most obvious Yoof wagons!); while I pondered the lives of three
mk1 Ka stacked nearby and pressed the shutter at desired intervals.
Rediscovery of my Cyclo tyre
removal and fitting tool’s replacement head has spelt an end to tyre torment
and prompted the resurrection of these26x2.1 Kenda Small block eight for some
off the beaten track fun with the Geonaute.
As their name suggests, the
small block 8 are a closely spaced knobbly designed for optimal speed and
control across hard surfaces with operating range between 30 and 80psi. They’ll
quickly clog and become slicks in gloopy mud but this was academic given
full-length mudguards preclude anything trickier than dry woodland trails.
Said tubby tourer’s
drivetrain has also developed a phantom squeak. Crank arms are tight, chain properly
dressed (in Muc-Off Hydrodynamic lube, which has evolved into a seemingly
hygienic wet potion these past 120 mixed terrain miles). Definitely not those
Time ATAC pedals but rotating the
cranks suggests the fit n’ forget UN55 bottom bracket might be culpable.
Not obvious sources of
grief, since these (and their UN52/54 predecessors) enjoy legendary
reliability-10,000
miles or more in some cases). Faulty seals/bearings are
possible, albeit unlikely since I avoid jet washing like the plague. Will monitor
for now and may even plump for an FSA or Stronglight next time round.
Things they say; happen for
a reason and while wrestling with the anaconda that is writer’s block, I sought
solace in my austere, though practical concrete plot known affectionately as
the Soviet block and began testing the degreasant claims of some bike wash
formulas. Experience leads me to conclude that concentrates harness best-of
both worlds performance, though require careful alchemy.
Pre-mixed blends are
generally bang on for speedy cleaning of non/organic stuff thrown up from the
roads and trails but their neutrality to all frame materials and finishes means
they can’t cut through the sort of congealed claggy grot harboured by
winter/fixed/cross and mountain bikes fed tenacious ceramic or even, old school
wet lubes.
Common sense dictates
starting with the bike’s transmission; otherwise you’ll just coat the rear
triangle in mucky spatter and smear it over the frame. Therefore, I decided to
whip out the Ilpompino’s rear wheel for minimal faff. Good thing I did –closer
inspection of the 32mm Kenda Kwicker Bitumen revealed the iron cap casing was
riddled with flints that could induce puncture of epic, tube-binning
proportions!
Murphy’s Law reasons this
would strike several miles from home on a wet and windy night. The casing is reparable
and I will fashion two boots from offcuts of scrap tyre at a more convenient
moment.Generally speaking, 32mm is
the limit with full length mudguards but being a slick, a 35mm Vittoria Voyager
Hyper fits without touching anything-just, we are talking tighter than a
hipster’s trousers.
Some WD40 drivetrain
degreaser had arrived during the week and having achieved predictably
lacklustre results using two generic bike washes; I shook, aimed and fired in
two short blasts. Several months’ congealed gunk ran like mascara from the
stainless steel track sprockets. Breathtakingly quick, though cautions suggest
minimising contact with seals and similar rubberised/plastics.
Then of course, after
several years’ faithful service, the pressure gauge on my Revolution floor pump
is singing its swan-song and this rather likeable Axiom multi-tool literally
blew its guts while slumbering in my rack bag. Again, I’ll attempt
reconstructive surgery shortly but thankfully, Axiom offers original purchasers
a lifetime warrantee against manufacturing defect.
Integral gauges tend to be
the Achilles’ heel of budget track pumps, which generally soldier on for
several years before heading up to that great bike shop in the sky. Standalone
gauges are more reliable in any case.
Spring may have brought
longer evenings but the advent of some much needed temping means tweaking one’s
ride schedule. Time to resurrect the big guns for spirited back road blasting
methinks…
