Master Blasters

We’ve been promised a bitterly cold snap, which has me checking spiked tyres, reg-greasing fixed sprockets, contact points and donning full-length tights. Judging by the forecast, I’ll be dusting down my Lake winter booties, earlier than usual.

Might be an idea to check the central heating oil too, before temperatures plummet and in case tensions worsen, with oil producing nations…

On a cheerier note, Oxford Products have sent me their Ugoe 2000 headlight. Big brother to the 1000 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/ugoe-1000-lumen-headlight , it packs a total output of, you guessed it- 2000 lumens. Hopefully enough useable light for 30mph for those beloved backroads. Medium is 1000 lumens, ditto flashing but there’s also a more civilised constant, 500lumen. Arguably more than you’d ever need through the concrete jungle, but not abrasive.

Their F100 and R50 lights are continuing to impress, in every respect.

Sensible modes, incredibly frugal run times and overall build are good by any price point. Run times bear close affinity with their cited reality, which is great news for everyone, although attempting to call their bluff is crucial, from a tester’s perspective.

Thus far, I haven’t found any inconsistencies. Lithium polymer cells certainly help but it’s worth remembering, that run times may vary by a few minutes. Looking after cells by keeping them charged and stored properly makes a world of difference.

Phenomenal at this end of the market. Nonetheless, we’ll see what the next few weeks bring before arriving at any definite conclusions.  Staying with the theme of batteries, John Moss https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/love-resurrection-john-moss-s-tandem has some guidance for looking after/upgrading 18650 lithium ion cells. The sort, such as those employed in Moon Meteor Storm Pro https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light .

He recommends charging them to 4.1 V and recharging once they reach 3.8V. Doing so will extend their useful life-considerably, compared with charging to 4.2 and discharging to 3.6 V. Allowing the cell to discharge further than this, will kill it. I’ve a feeling this My Tiny Sun battery pack met said end.

Tyres are another consideration before winter strikes. There is always some trade-off between performance and dependability, although this gap has been shrinking, in the same fashion as that, between tubular and wired-on (clincher) types.

Personally, durability has my vote, as the nights become darker and the roads, more challenging. There’s a lot to be said for Schwalbe Marathon 365. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt365-tyre  

They are a bomb-proof, go-anywhere design that will cope with pretty much everything, save for snow. This comes with a palpable weight penalty. The kind folks at Schwalbe have just sent me the 26x2.0 version of their Marathon Mondial Evolution DD.

Though 717g apiece is hardly svelte, its lighter than their 35mm Marathon GT https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt-tyres . According to their blurb, these are an expedition model “The ultimate touring tire, made for road, tracks and trails of all continents”. On paper at least, fitting perfectly with my Univega’s all-terrain, working bike persona.

A 20-mile, mixed terrain blast, suggests swift and yet sure-footed rubber. Looking forward to the next few hundred miles. See how they fare, as the days become shorter and conditions, increasingly wintry.