Cycling has been a central part of my life since May 1986 and I’ve racked up a few hundred thousand miles in that time. In the early days, it was a sense of escape. Escape from bullies, alienation from school and its curriculum, cultivating self-knowledge, character etc. Indeed, cycling (motorcycling too) is a metaphor for life and its challenges.
In my early teens, imagination was fired by the glamour of racing, exploring far-flung lands on lightweight steel-framed mountain bikes. Hero worship mixed with a lust for exotic components, machines, exhilaration and adventure. Pencil thin framesets finished in Rosso red and electroplate, polished Italian groupsets...
At the other extreme, lightweight, go-anywhere machines with Cro-moly framesets, 26-inch wheels, knobbly tyres and Japanese groupsets. These were marketed as “All Terrain Bikes” here in the UK and during this phase, some appeared with drop bars, which is what really fired my imagination.
Something that has come full circle, with older mountain bikes being fed drops and repurposed as “Gravel bikes”. Aside from the Muddy Fox Trailblazer that ignited this passion, back in March 1987, Specialized’s Rock Combo (crudely a drop bar Rock Hopper for purposes of quick reference).
Geometry isn’t that far off contemporary gravel bikes for that matter...Now, it might’ve sent my Lycra ablaze, but it was quickly pulled from production. However, 22 years of development hence, Ursula is incredibly close to bespoke. True, full-length chrome plastic guards limit the off-road potential but fine for dirt roads and incredibly practical for more generic, four seasons’ riding. Tooling + access to components+ imagination are the ingredients to such a build.
Again, arguably the same applies to other branches of life. Lateral thought and perseverance also belong there. Thinking in terms of Panaracer Gravel King 26x2.1, once the Schwalbe Marathon GT365TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) and Marathon Mondial TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) reach a pensionable state.
Both, although particularly the 365, have loads of miles left in them, which is a good thing, given supply lines are unpredictable. Until recently, this had been attributable to the pandemic but superseded by Brexit and the loss of frictionless trade. This phenomenon is also leading to food shortages and insecurity.
The latter refers to people, (specifically those who are more vulnerable, socio-economically) going without due to rising costs. I can see a return to sectarian conflict/civil war in Northern Ireland but I’m less convinced there will be much public outcry, let alone civil unrest in response to food insecurity.
Long, steady miles lend themselves to this kind of soul searching/introspection and I've frequently found creative solutions to all manner of issues/circumstances/situations. “Come back to it” as one elderly carpenter once said, seeing teenage me struggling with a feature. This shouldn’t be confused with, or permit procrastination and deferment but is great advice when employed correctly.
Going back to tyres a moment, returning from one ride, Michelin World Tour popped into my head as a possible alternative for Ursula. Old as the hills, I bought a set from a motor/cycle dealership in Norfolk, mid-tour in 1989. They were to replace a worn set of 27x1/4 Nutrak, which were becoming increasingly puncture prone as a direct consequence. However, no 26 (mtb) option, rules them out.
Vittoria Evolution, which seem to be a development of the Vittoria Randonneur TrailVITTORIA RANDONNEUR TRAIL TYRES LONG TERM TEST (sevendaycyclist.com) that served Ursula and I very well for several years. The Randonneur still exist but are very much a road, rather than mixed terrain tyre. 26 inch is going the way of 27x1/1/4 25 years back. There’s still plenty of reasonable and indeed, decent quality rubber available but choice isn’t as plentiful now 29 and 650b are the new industry standards.
Back to 700c now and Extra UK have kindly sent me these Pirelli Cinturato Reinforced smarTUBE. These are aimed at gravel and endurance audiences and are made from TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). Theoretically the holy grail of tubes, they promise superior puncture resistance, low weight and compact size. 82g on the scales, it’ll be interesting to see how they perform, not only in terms of puncture resistance but pressure retention. In my experience, Latex was exceptionally light and puncture resistant, but required inflating every other day.
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