Warmth & Waxes

 250 miles in, and I’m warming to the Momum Mic Wax. Several things have stood out. Waxes tend to be less temperature stable than other lubricants but ours is still running very clean. I’m told its best described as a Tribolubricant.  

It contains natural waxes that come from the palm Copernicia and offers high resistance to wear and has a melting point at 85 degrees c. The latter is much higher than traditional waxes, which tend to assume a mushy state and would account for the Momum’s cleanliness thus far.  

Presently we’re experiencing temperatures around 70 degrees, so perhaps not surprising but certainly reassuring.  The blend penetrates deep within the chain’s inner sanctum, so the transmission feels refined, while shifting remains snappy and crisp. No thunderstorms to date, but plenty of wet roads, which are failing to make tangible impression on its integrity.  

Will be interesting to see how many miles I get from a single application...I’m also wondering how well it serves on cleat mechanisms and other metal to metal interfaces.  No sooner had this thought entered my head, Madison Cycles (Shimano’s UK importer) sent me two sets of pedals. Shimano PDM8100 (XT by another name) which almost require no introduction and these PD ED500, which are a slightly more intriguing design.  

Featuring generously proportioned aluminium alloy bodies, these are dual-sided for easy entry, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn, have cartridge bearings. Cro-moly axles aren’t the lightest options but should be ultra-dependable.  Shimano seems reticent to pigeon-hole them but suggest they’re perfect for road touring. Given those strong axles and sealed bearings, I’d wager they’re a good bet for mixed-terrain touring, gravel and indeed commuting, too.  Time and miles will tell...

A bit like these SH-MT701GX shoes, which are built for “all weather mountain touring, bike packing or commuting”. They feature synthetic leather uppers, a Gore Tex  breathable, waterproof liner for dry feet, a Boa L6 dial, for quick and precise adjustment, a toe cap for additional protection and a chunky sole for comfort on and off the bike. 

About soles and stiffness, these are 4 on Shimano’s off-road scale, which goes all the way to 11. Road, to 12 but while I’m fond of mixing things up, I’ve never gone the Look ARC, or KEO route when venturing beyond asphalt. Did run these on Ursula during periods of extended road riding. Primarily since I was curious, and the confused double takes from some road riders always amused me.  

Gravel is arguably an offshoot and “logical evolution” of cyclo cross and mountain biking and to some extent a genre with obvious appeal to yours truly- drop bars, knobbly tyres, wide ratio gearing and the ability to escape the seemingly ever maddening crowd.  

I’m less of a pioneer than I’d like to think, judging by the wealth of photos depicting mountain bikes ridden in competitive contexts, with drop bars. John Tomac was famous for it, during the late 80’s Ross Schafer, too.  However, go further back in the days of quill stems and 25.4 diameters, it wasn’t just Specialized and Muddy Fox who were colluding in this sorcery.  

The Vittoria Evolution Road Bike Tyres are also proving very competent on wet, greasy roads. Particularly welcome since it had been a few weeks since any tangible rain. This means diesel, oil and other slippery contaminant gets flushed from verges and into the road’s surface.  

The next obvious move was to take a detour and see how they’d behave along some varied bridle path. Spoiler alert, if you want to hoss along at warp speed, or tour primarily unmade roads, I’d suggest spending a good bit more and looking toward Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Double Defense TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)   

That said, the Evolution are still quite agile and relatively composed in these contexts to around 17mph. Spirited enough to give a sense of freedom, or to engage young protégé's cruising behind in their trailers or contributing on tagalongs. Still miss Vittoria’s Randonneur Trail though... 

Dawns have become sufficiently balmy that I’ve switched from my default 3/4lengths to these Funkier Bib shorts, which have a decent pad and some nice features.  

I initially found the Lycra a little slippery atop traditional leather saddles, such as the Spa Cycles Aire Titanium and Cycles Berthoud Solour CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). However, no annoying, power-robbing surf. Moot point with the Teenage Dream’s long-serving and seemingly discontinued Selle SMP Strike Plus.