Tweaks

Sometimes it’s those little victories…I’ve been doing some very small-scale tweaks to the Univega. Closer scrutiny suggested the chain was fractionally longer than ideal, so I pruned a couple of links. I also added another helping of Squirt Clean Long Lasting Chain Lube, since this was waning, after 280 odd, mixed terrain miles.

I also raised the Selcof post by a few millimetres and dialled the rear brake’s barrel adjuster, a couple of turns. A subsequent blast along the backroads confirmed my intuition was right. I was stunned to discover the front Schwalbe Marathon Mondial https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-mondial-tyres  flat as the proverbial, when I went to ride the following morning.

Given I was testing some clothing, I switched to my fixed gear winter/trainer. Inner smile restored; subsequent investigation revealed the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial had succumbed to a tiny cut. However, the casing wasn’t harbouring any sharps, so I fed a fresh tube, then patched the original.

This also presented an ideal opportunity to give my mile munching, four seasons’ friend a good wash. I’ve recently reached my conclusions re Velo 21 Dirty Weekend Bike Pre Wash https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/velo-21-dirty-weekend-bike-pre-wash and I’ve treated the frameset to their Blueberry Glaze Wax. There are plenty of boutique waxes around, all promising to outshine and outlast everyone else’s.

This is the first designed to work with gloss AND matt finishes. Will be interesting to see how it compares with Crankalicious Crisp Frame Wax, in terms of durability. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/crankalicious-crisp-frame-wax  

Since we’re on the subject, bikes should be given at least two thorough, hard paste waxings, yearly. Doing so nourishes the paintwork, and protects finishes from salt, UV light, petrochemical spatter, oxidisation etc. The slippery barrier means dirt doesn’t stick so easily and so; bikes are easier to wash.

During the winter months, rinse dirty bikes down with cold water first, especially if you’ve been racking up the miles along heavily gritted roads. Warm water at this stage will simply accelerate that reactive, corrosive process.  

Car type wash n’ wax formulas are dirt cheap and super convenient. Much as I love tending to my two wheeled fleet, time is also at a premium and not to be squandered. Like common or garden bike washes. the surfactant properties loosen the grime, which vanishes during the rinsing phase.

A thin waxy barrier remains afterward. Beeswax furniture polish is another useful hack, during the drier months. The solvent properties consume light/filmy grime, the polish leaves a very glossy, protective barrier. A trick I picked up, working in moto/cycle dealerships

April is finally feeling more spring-like, here in the UK. I’m still favouring ¾ lengths but I’ve switched to liner gloves beneath mitts, short-sleeve base layers and jerseys (albeit with sleeves). I’ve also switched to a two tone (black & white) theme, due in part to the arrival of Prendas Ciclismo Bordeaux-Paris kit https://www.prendas.co.uk/collections/the-forgotten-races . I’ve also resurrected this Giant Strive Mips Aero Road Helmet, which has some nice touches, including an LED light that latches on, via magnets.  Twelve vents seem meagre, but the inlet and exhaust system rams in, and expels air at a consistent and moreover, decent rate.

There are some who demand that cyclists, motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users should be compelled to wear acres of day glow. I have no issue with day glow, where the cloud is low, and visibility hampered. However, I’ve lost count of the SMIDSYs (Sorry Mate, I didn’t See You”) experienced, when I’ve been lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree on acid.

Indeed, twenty years later, I still suffer from injuries sustained in a motorcycle “accident”. I was stationary at the lights, which were red. A young woman ploughed her car into me, from behind, claiming she “didn’t see me”, or it would seem, the red light…

I have a quiet suspicion the driving force, campaigning compulsory day glow, arises from an imminent roll-out, of autonomous (driverless) vehicles. These may employ sensors, which identify fluorescent colours as a hazard, and a course plotted round them.

Then of course, there has been a subtle, insidious slide to victim blaming, which appears to have run in parallel with a wider, right-wing, popularist narrative. One that insists someone “deserved it”, based upon the length of their skirt/underwear/choice of activity/mode of transport.