Lights, Transmission, Traction...

 

Small fasteners don’t tend to receive much thought, until/unless we drop one and it vanishes under the fridge, or pings off along a dark and lonely road, never to be seen again. Essentially, it’s good to keep a check on them and where possible, hold a few spares, just in case. I had a reminder this week, when the K-Lite Bike Packer Pro’s K LITE BIKEPACKER ULTRA DYNAMO LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) mount screw made a bid for freedom, along a deserted backroad.  

My complacency, NOT a fault with Kerry’s design. Thankfully, I had a Zip Tie handy, so whipped the lamp back in situ and continued. Always good practice to carry a couple, just in case.  

Back at the garage, I had a quick forage in my little fasteners stash and thankfully, found a couple of compatible screws. A timely reminder to buy some more thread lock, too.  My fixed gear winter/trainer’s K-Lite Bikepacker ProV2 Front light K LITE BIKEPACKER PRO V2 FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) had been flickering a little and a diode wasn’t firing on all cylinders.  

Chatting with Kerry State designer and owner suggested some water had possibly found its way inside the box component, damaging the PCB. Hopefully, I’ll acquire a replacement soon, but that might be a bit tricky, given the present combined chaos of COVID and Brexit. I was also gripped by the urge to give the bike a deep clean, switching back to the Halo Fix G Track hub, while the opportunity presented. HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting 

Roads have once again become rivers but thankfully, the Zefal Extra Wet Nano Ceramic Chain lube ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is doing its thing, ditto the SKS Bluemels Shiny Mudguards ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Raw Prismatic Reflective Mudflap RAW PRISMATIC REFLECTIVE MUDFLAPS | cycling, but not usually racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

For a little while, I’d been reflecting on a new, suitable rear mudguard for my fixed gear winter/trainer. Over the last 15 years of ownership, I’ve run some very good, full-length chrome plastics. These offered excellent protection, but the machine has evolved from a road, to gravel configuration.  

Rear clip-ons offer decent rider protection while making wheel removal a touch easier and permitting me to run 35mm tyres in the rear triangle. I've successfully affixed Crud guards to the mono-stay too, using a big rubberised shim- a good setup, for the most part, hence it stayed for a few years.  

I’ve concluded, I wanted something lower-slung, with no risk of fouling bigger luggage-bike packing types being cases in point. A wide section, lower-slung design should subvert wet saddles and buttocks better. I’ll contemplate that while putting the Zefal Adventure R11 Waterproof Saddlebag through its paces-an an ideal opportunity to evaluate just how waterproof it is.  

Big brother to the R5, it features the same single compartment design and semi rigid construction but with some detailing, I really liked about the Passport Cycles Bike packing seatpack PASSPORT CYCLES BIKEPACKING SEAT PACK | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) including the ladder strap LED mounts and cargo net. Both have proved compatible with the Kinkekt2.1 Suspension Seatpost KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and the Redshift Sports Shockstop Suspension Seatpost REDSHIFT SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION SEATPOST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which is good news, given the increasing popularity of suspension posts on gravel/adventure bikes.