Got the Horn!

 

Bells are one of those annoying adornments fitted to new bikes, sold here in the UK. Beyond this particular legislative compulsions, they have little practical use. Inflamed tonsils aside, a well timed greeting, or yell works better (especially in dense, urban traffic) weighs and costs nothing.

A few manufacturers have developed horns, with varying degrees of success. Power, at least in the decibel sense was never a problem but even if the horn component didn’t consume much handlebar, it often gobbled a bottle cage.

Some also proved borderline aggressive-not what’s needed when you want to gently alert pedestrians of your approach, say along a forest trail, or designated shared use path.  Oregon based ORP https://orpland.com/ have kindly sent Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com the latest version of their little horn, which combines a 5 mode LED light, capable of delivering 140 lumens and two mode horn.  

This blue version is for illustrative purposes only, since ours seem to have been “intercepted” by someone in the postal service. It’s tracked and apparently signed for but not by me, or a representative of.  I digress..

The cube shaped design, encased in a big silicone blanket, is, dimensions-wise, a blinkey on cortisone, so compact enough, even for my Holdsworth’s cockpit. The horn component has two decibel levels commanded by the “whale tail” switch. 76 for polite “I’m approaching” 96 for letting rip on the streets.

There’s an optional "Remorp" bar mounted extension cable, similar to that employed on some lights. The Moon Meteor Storm Pro https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light and Moon LX760 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-lx760-front-light being cases in point. For cleanest aesthetic, arguably these should be run beneath the bar wrap.

I’m inclined to go this route, say with super sticky silicones, which don’t feature an adhesive backing, or alternatively, if you change bar wraps seasonally, along with control cables.

There’s a sound rationale’ for doing so, especially if you rack up big mileages. This practice isn’t simply about boosting morale during the darker months, or indeed a desire to buy new stuff. Rather, it could be considered a discipline, presenting the ideal opportunity to inspect contact points for early signs of fatigue.

Elsewhere, I’ve solved the phantom flatting problem with my MK2 Ilpompino build’s rear wheel-the one so meticulously crafted by John Moss a few weeks back. Revisiting with fresh eyes, it seems the rim-tape I’d used had shifted and with realignment, literally disintegrated. Some fresh Schwalbe in situ, new tube and Schwalbe Marathon 365 remounted, pressure’s holding nicely.

I was hoping to run it in, over the next couple of weeks but some other, project management (building works) is making access to my beloved working fixed tricky. Talking of which, I would be interested in trying the V4, which aside from disbanding the wish bone rear triangle, has reputedly adopted a more aggressive geometry-without losing its all weather versatility. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPOMPKOJV4/on-one-pompino-v4-drop-bar-urban-bike

Aside from some rather fetching wet spray colours, they’re also offering a raw version with a clear coat finish, which also intrigues me. I’d be interested to see how tough it was, compared with its 2pac counterparts; especially subjected to salty, winter roads.

I’ve had 7005 and 6061 aluminium alloy framesets hold up pretty well in these contexts, although ultimately stone chips allow moisture and condensation to build up beneath the lacquer, causing it to flake and in some cases, minor corrosion en route.    

Access issues and the arrival of the TF2 ultra dry wax has presented the opportunity to get the miles in on my Univega. Some would argue-not without grounds, that dry lubes are not meant for wet weather. I wouldn’t advocate their use during the depths of winter but it’s fair to say that summers are not always arid.

We’d expect a few wet rides and most lubes to remain in situ-especially during the summer months. In common with the Pure dry lube, it seems to be one of those which just attracts less dirt, rather than a self cleaning emulsion type that flakes off, taking contaminant en route. So far I’m impressed with its cleanliness and low friction. Be interesting to see how tenacious it is during a sustained period of changeable weather.