At the close of last week, my
working fixed was struck with an infuriating phantom squeak. Cranks snugged,
tight, stem bolts freshly greased, seat post cradle stripped and lightly greased,
chain still sporting a filmy layer of lubricant…Still, something piped up,
unannounced, and slightly unnerving.
I had wondered whether the
UN55 was beginning to sing its swan song. Some gentle tugging suggested
those single-sided Tiagra, pedals might be to blame. Will strip and re-grease,
when time presents.
Meanwhile another grope around
in the pedal box unearthed two sets of Wellgo RC 713 (Shimano SPDR homages)
which feature buttery smooth, sealed bearings. One for the fixed, the others
spun aboard my Univega’s cranks.
Single sided designs aren’t
the most obvious choices mixed terrain riding and less practical for click n’
go getaways on the fixed. Not that ground clearance is an issue on either
machine but some additional won’t hurt. Could be one of my five-minute wonders…May
even go old school, back to some first generation Shimano SPD from 1990. Watch
this space…
On the testing front… There’s
my test of the Vee Tire Co Baldy https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/vee-tire-co-baldy-tyres while I rack up the miles on their Zilent
cousins and of course, the Soma Supple Vitesse.
150 miles, or so in, and I’m
warming to their swift, yet very compliant charms. The ride quality is very reminiscent
of tubulars, gripping the tarmac liker a leach, while soaking up those light,
washboard type imperfections, majestically. All without the gluing and
stitching drama, associated with tubs.
The unrelenting soggy spell
consumed the finish line 1-step in 160miles, which isn’t bad for lube at the
lighter end of the middleweight scale. Given the bike was grotty, I took the
opportunity to strip the remainder using some neat Crankalicious Pineapple
Express.
I’m revisiting Smoove
Universal chain lube to see how it performs in less taxing conditions https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/smoove-universal-chain-lube . We
were also very pleasantly surprised by Crankalicious Science Friction ceramic
chain lube. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/crankalicious-science-friction-cera
The frameset’s accumulated
filth, easily dismissed with a dilute, though custom variant.
I hold the belief (and, some
would say, an almost religious observance) that cleaning is part of riding. To
be done regularly and providing surfaces sport a decent quality, protective wax,
we’re talking 20-25 minutes start-to finish, no drama.
Although fighting the compulsion to fettle and
tweak, often sees this task expand, to fit the time available...
A few months back, I was
looking for an IRO Rob Roy frameset for a single-speed cross project but drew a
complete blank. More recently my urges tugged me in the direction of Genesis
Day One.
However, these are not available as a frameset option. So I’ve decided
On-One’s Pompetamine, complete with disc mounts, is the next best thing. These
had a fairly short production run. Bottom line, I’m looking for a sound, if
cosmetically tatty example, at the right price. So, feel free to get in touch
if you’ve a large, in need of a good home.
For those of you who’d rather
be out riding, Seven Day Cyclist has teamed up with route you https://www.routeyou.com/en-gb/route/view/5046397/recreational-cycle-route/to-tan-hill-and-over-the-stang
A sudden shift to summary
weather presented my first opportunity to pluck the Holdsworth from hibernation,
for some serious skinny tubed, skinny-tyred fun.
Swapping hats a moment, models
continue to come to me for port-folio building/development. Jersey Jones booked
me for a glamour/boudoir session, with a bit of fashion mixed in last week.
Krystal J got in touch to
refresh her port-folio. Another really pleasant, 3 hour shoot. With the wedding season just around the
corner, I’m also getting approached in the context of Punjabi and other South
Asian events. Contact me (Stenningphotographic@gmail.com) if
you’re a model, or bride and want to discuss your requirements.
