Saturday, 22 October 2016

Whoppers


Puncture season has well and truly struck and Tuesday’s night’s wet n’ windy lane-side pit-stop saw my endless gratitude for this helmet mounted BBB Scout light. 200 lumens doesn’t sound much these days but the really pure crisp arc of light made locating spare tube(s), tyre levers and Cool tool (not to mention the job itself) that bit easier.

It also ensured I didn’t lose anything, or litter the verge when bunging everything back in. Talking of lights, while there are some minor compromises, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Xeccon Zeta 1300r Wireless Front light http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/xeccon-1300-wireless-front-light

This was the second flat in two successive evenings, so has me questioning whether unbranded tube bundles are little more than false-economy. Fine for getting back on the road and other contingencies, but not as everyday staples; neither puncture seemed the result of a sharp piercing the Clement USH casings. Both rim tapes are pristine too.

Graciously the supplier is sending me a replacement bundle, in case these are a rogue batch.I’m likely to revert to a thicker gauge butyl, possibly a Kenda thorn resistant on the rear, store branded goo-filled model up front.

Having reviewed the contents of my wedge pack, I retrieved a CO2 inflator and spare cartridge to further minimise roadside indignity on a wet and blustery night. That said; I never ride anywhere without a decent pump riding shot gun on the bottle mounts, or in a jersey pocket.

Research suggests the brain is in fact, phenomenally active when we are consciously resting. Talking of customisation, I awoke on Wednesday morning with the idea of a tyre swap. A 35mm Vittoria Voyager hyper at the rear and a 42mm Maxxis Roamer 2ply up front…Hmm, well best laid plans…

Despite the MkII Ilpomopino’s rear triangle supposedly swallowing 35mm sections (sans guards), the voyager hyper was tickling the chainstays at their narrowest point, so I reinstated the 35mm Continental.

I suspect, given their portly profiles, the Voyager’s 32mm counterparts would still be in fag paper territory clearance-wise. Shame, since they’re a really, nice compliant tyre with magic-carpet ride quality. We reviewed them in issue 7 when Seven Day Cyclist was a monthly, downloadable PDF publication. http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/pdf-reader  
 
The 42mm Maxxis and Kinesis fork proved a much happier marriage.

Grotty roads, oily finger prints and similar caked-on spatter also presented opportune moments for further testing of The Pro Green MX triple pack. Having sprayed the drivetrain degreaser on the ring and sprocket, before working it into their inner side and then into the links using an old brush.

Most bike cleaners are marketed as kind; or at least safe on plastic, composites and rubberised components. Experience leads me to conclude, some are kinder than others so I took this opportunity to give the tyres a really good scrub too. 

Though a big fan Green Oil’s bicycle brush this Oxford tyre scrub continues to grow on me.  The rubberised contoured handle sits naturally in the palm and allows really efficient cleaning. Sculpted nylon bristle plot is angled perfectly for lifting impacted gloop and sharps from the casings, restoring the aesthetic and greatly reducing the likelihood of punctures and other damage. 

Generally designed for mud and other organic contaminant, the relatively gentle cleaner continues to impress, shifting oily finger marks and even some internal frame preserve that oozed out from the bottom bracket shell.

The drivetrain degreaser has also shifted more sophisticated petrochemical chain lubes and caked on residual stuff clinging to the cranks inner spider. Having dried and re-lubricated the chain, it was time to give everything (bar contact points, disc and rotor components a misty blow-over with their all-over shine formula.

I could easily lose 30minutes to polishing-often it’s a therapeutic, reflective exercise. However, applied in a gentle mist, this formula cures to a really jewelled like effect within thirty minutes. A gentle breeze certainly helps but isn’t essential. So far, judging by my Univega, it isn’t attracting a dirty patina in the usual places-fork crowns, bottom bracket shell and rear triangle.       













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