Swerving the Pause

Dynohub wheel components safely in the hands of John Moss, I awoke at 6am on Monday morning…Decided then was the moment to replace my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Aheadset. Gathered headset, Czech made headset press, cyclo crown race setter and X tools’ removal tool. The former, though used infrequently, make replacement surgery a breeze.

Convenience aside, they also ensure delicate alloys and head tubes aren’t ruined. With care, it is possible to improvise using blocks of wood and a hammer…If money’s tight, I’d buy the press and crown race remover and employ a scrap length of 1/18^th down-tube to set the new one.  

Everything came apart effortlessly and the FSA Orbit XLII in place at 7.30bc (before coffee). Cartridge bearings are impregnated with grease at the factory. Nonetheless, greasing races is advised, to keep the elements, corrosion and ultimately, minimise wear.

I plumped for some Finish line ceramic around the lower bearing and Park PL1 around the upper. Forgot the butyl boot, mind but opted to quit while the going was indeed, good. Grease aside, the XL II is buttery smooth, confirmed by massive inner smile following the morning’s celebratory 20mile blast.

The following evening, I decided another helping of grease was in order. Clearly under the influence of Rocket fuel, one lead to another and said machine now sports a slightly more aggressive cockpit and Torus TI stem https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/torus-titanium-stem .  Titanium can form an extremely stubborn bond, so don’t forget good quality assembly paste to contact points. Or you might find them inseparable a few months down the line…  

The same applies to other metals of mixed parentage-aluminium posts in steel frames, not to mention bottom bracket threads, which perfectly positioned for lashings of dodgy water. A decent glob of high quality synthetic grease prevents grief and copious amounts of penetrant spray later on.

That done, I turned my attentions to the Univega. Full length guards can extend maintenance intervals quite considerably, especially when it comes to headsets; bottom brackets and seatposts. Sealed cable systems, so long as they’ve been installed correctly are very much fit n’ forget. Worth it, if you’re doing big miles in foul weather.

Somehow, I managed to snag one, where it routed into the rear derailleur. Replacing it with Jagwire pro shift has sorted shifting gremlins. As I’d hope, the stainless steel inner with pre-lubricated liner is super slick. Whether they’re truly fit n’ forget remains to be seen.

Though fun is a big part of winter riding, reliability is an equally significant buzzword. Wheels and tyres being cases in point. I’m sticking with the Kenda small block8 and Schwalbe Marathon 365 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt365-tyre  pairing. Spoke tension was a little on the slack side, some minor wobble needed ironing out too.

Nowhere near Samba dancing territory but a few minutes on the jig, saves a heap of hassle, not to mention money later on. The rear was an off the peg, machine built affair. These have become much more reliable but still tend to loose truth and tension faster, compared with hand built hoops.

A good wheel builder knows exactly how much to re-tension, whereas a machine can only work to programmed settings. Nothing a wheelsmith can’t sort later on and wouldn’t trouble me, on a lightly laden commuter, or training bike. The last thing I’d want on a heavily laden tourer, tandem, or similarly specialised build.

Sans wheels, time to give the frameset really thorough clean. This enables any damage to be spotted and remedial measures taken. Ritual (at least in my republic) dictates that the undersides of mudguards are also given a thorough scrub too. Minor stone chips around the “school chair fork” were treated to a drop of high build marine primer, left curing for 24 hours.

Finally I applied “helicopter tape” where cables brush against the frame tubes and gave the entire bike a liberal helping of Crankalicious crisp frame hybrid wax.

Pleasing to administer and seemingly offering a durable, glossy barrier, I’ll hold judgement until November’s close. This will give a much better indicator of its true performance, compared with a more traditional hard-paste car type.

For the earlier part and, depending on what comes in for testing I’ll be sticking with lighter, cleaner chain lubes. As a genre, they lack the tenacity of wet blends but are generally lower friction and attract less dirt.