Beast From The East

Swooshing along the snowy backroads, I bit into a somewhat al-dente chocolate bar, broke my tooth and promptly swallowed it, complete with crown! There isn’t much tooth remaining, which presented my dentist with a dilemma.

Mercifully, its salvageable. He’s proposing to use a series of metal pins to provide a framework for a replacement crown. I also need a filling but frankly, I’m just relieved any damage done is fully repairable.  

Aside from mourning my lost smile, the remainder of this week’s riding was pleasantly uneventful.

Tuesday’s conditions threatened to be more adverse, so I switched over to the 118 spike Schwalbe https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-winter-spiked-tyre . The carbide spikes are showing signs of wear, not enough that I’m worried about going rubber-up. Nonetheless, I’ll invest in a new kit, before we hit skid city.

Weather forecasts, here in the UK at least tend to overplay any incoming front. Anecdotally, I suspect this stems from Michael Fish’s failure to predict the storm of October 1987. However, the “Beast from the East” arrived with a vengeance, bringing considerable snowfall. The sort that Land Rover defenders take in their stride but sees SUVs spinning their wheels, and drifting.

The Schwalbe active winter may be their baseline, spiked model but there’s nothing low-rent about their performance. Bustling along the backroads at 18mph, while their chevron tread sweeps away the deep, virgin snow along completely deserted lanes. Spikes biting into the ice beneath, providing traction and inspiring confidence.

Tainted smile hidden behind my North Wave balaclava and hands toasty in BTwin 700 cold weather gloves https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/btwin-700-cold-weather-gloves  , I was certainly grinning, despite the mercury struggling to hit minus 2. Monday was colder, thanks to the ruthless wind-chill, which in real term translated as minus 6. Its been a good deal colder overnight.  

Over the past few rides, the SKS lube has turned a sticky black but seems relatively tenacious, clinging on very convincingly to the links, despite these very wintry conditions. Other observations include its readiness transfer to hands, something I’d expect from a wet blend… Anyhow, 130 miles, as set by the Smoove Universal chain lube https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/smoove-universal-chain-lube  is the number to beat.

Talking of dry types, the Weldtite TF2 ultra dry clocked up 105 before being completely stripped by the elements. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/tf2  Once the SKS (and the present climate) starts receding, I’ll switch to Finish line 1-step cleaner and lubricant and for the fixed, Finish Line Ceramic Wet.

There’s an old belief that winter bikes need better prep, since they’ll get less maintenance. I see the argument for stiffer greases and lubes, since bikes get exposed to harsher conditions. I had toyed with stripping and re-greasing the Univega’s bottom (headset) race.

Chickened out-on account of the cold, its sporting full-length guards and I delivered a healthy dollop of ceramic stuff during its revamp last January. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/after-the-gritters-went-home  Pencilled this surgery in for next week, when things thaw out a little.  I’m firmly of the opinion that bikes should get washed regularly, to rinse away corrosive salts, grime etc.

Debate rages about the most appropriate sorts and seems polarised between those who like bike specific washes and those erring towards household detergents. I’m not fond of the latter but sudsy car wash n’ wax formulas are a useful default, since they impart a layer of protective wax, which also saves time.

Some bike washes are designed to react with water i.e. on contact with a wet frame. In my experience, this isn’t necessarily any better or worse, in the grime shifting stakes. There’s also an argument that visually foaming formulas give the impression of working faster, when in fact, less lively potions bite into and, dissolve the grime more efficiently.  

Either way; rinsing bikes with cold water first strips anything caustic. Using hot simply accelerates the corrosive nastiness. I’ve been sent Guy Martins’ Proper Cleaner for review in another publication. Too early to comment on its performance, relative to others, but the subtle formula has shifted  the week’s accumulated spatter, with minimal user effort.