250 miles in, I’m arriving at the conclusion my shim experiment wasn’t the success I’d initially thought. However, I’m glad I went this experimental route. It didn’t cost me anything, since I already had the components and wanted to see how much difference a Hollowtech system would make to my Univega’s drivetrain.
My fixed gear winter/trainer ran a Truvativ external cup system for a while and I’ve tested machines with external cup groupsets. There’s a big difference between living with a system for a few hundred miles and a machine that you ride year-round and have exceeded 100,000 on.
Anyhow, I’ve decided to stick with Hollowtech and acquired a Deore unit, which aside from being the right fit, and will save some weight. Afterall, Zee is designed for downhill duties, so overbuilt for a mixed terrain, rough stuff tourer cum daily driver.
Replacement crankset in question comes with 32 tooth, 96BCD ring, which gives rise to reviewing gearing. Might need to switch the cassette to something more closely spaced to compensate and avoid warp speed spin-out on the road/unevenly wearing certain sprockets.
For the time being, I’m getting the miles in on the fixed, which is no hardship, especially since I dialed in the chain line. The Acros Silicone Wrap Handlebar Tape LONG-TERM TEST: ACROS SILICONE BAR WRAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
Is still going very strong but looking a little grubby, so the arrival of this T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape, sent to me by Greyville Enterprises Greyville.com - T-ONE Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape: Orange is also 100% silicone and promises to be extremely durable.
For example, UV resistance is reckoned between –40 and +260 degrees. Uncut, it carries a 24g weight penalty over the Acros and over double that of Genetic Flare Silicone Bar Wrap GENETIC FLARE SILICONE BAR TAPE (sevendaycyclist.com)
Being a naturally grippy fabric, silicone tapes require no adhesive backing, so bar swaps, cable changes etc don’t spell the tape’s end and make the other tasks that little bit quicker/easier. Talking of which, it’s quite relaxing to fit, requiring nominal pressure-closer to the Genetic Flare, in this respect.
Oh, and lighter colours, such as fluros keep their looks longer since you can pop it on the washing machine at 30 degrees. Talking of which, it will be interesting to see whether the smooth texture means it stays cleaner/is easier to clean, compared with the Acros’s embossed finish.
Formative impressions are favourable- the aesthetic is less chunky than the Acros but still does a capable job of damping low level vibration. I’d also toyed with porting the K-Lite Bike Packer Ultra over to the Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) but ultimately thought better of it.
More pressing was a sudden loss of braking-pads again. Thankfully, I had replacements in stock but it’s amazing how quickly these get consumed in bad weather. This also presented an opportune moment to switch from the Schwalbe Winter Plus to this Continental Contact plus TESTED: CONTINENTAL CONTACT PLUS TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)
Back to the drivetrains...Well, I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the Muc-Off e-Bike Wet Weather Ceramic Chain lube MUC-OFF E-BIKE WET WEATHER CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Weldtite Ceramic Chain Lube is also making a generally positive impression. In terms of consistency and friction, it’s quite close in characteristics and staying prowess to Juice Lubes Ceramic Chain Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
I’ve noticed a tendency for it to migrate away from the rollers in very wet conditions, although residual stuff seems to get reclaimed from the cassette. In fairness, The Juice and Weldtite Ceramics are designed for fair, rather than foul weather but it’s interesting to see how they behave in wetter conditions.
Given the forecast these coming weeks, I may be reaching for the Muc-Off –50 MUC-OFF -50C CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) again. For the time being, I’m enjoying the lower friction, which is particularly apparent, riding fixed. Steve’s also been impressed by this Rohloff blend ROHLOFF SPECIAL BIKE CHAIN LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
