During the dying embers of 1979, I recall a Z-list comedian letting a balloon roar flatulently into the crowd, quipping “That’s what Mrs. Thatcher needs...Deflation!!” Fast forward 43 years, prices of food and other essentials are rocketing. Inflation is at a sobering 9%…
Moments from home I was struck by another, all-too-familiar sinking, and squirming, as I engaged Ursula’s front brake. Yup, the Vittoria Evolution had succumbed to a sharp flint that had lodged within its chevrons and burrowed into the casing.
Blowouts are rare.
Most punctures follow this narrative and this one had the grace to hold off until I was parallel to home. Being 5.55 am, I simply switched the Ryde/Alfine Shimano Alfine UR700 Hub Dynamo | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) for the Ryde/Shutter Precision SD8 SHUTTER PRECISION SD8 HUB DYNAMO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) shod with a Schwalbe Land Cruiser, which employs a similar level of puncture resistance to the Vittoria and broadly on par, price-wise.
My first flat in 750 miles, too. Inspecting the tube revealed a tiny pinprick, which was easily patched. I left it hung up and inflated while replenishing the patches in my two kits, while on my mind.
I had some business in the midlands and made arrangements to leave my car at John Moss’s house. LOVE RESURRECTION: JOHN AND JANE MOSS'S TANDEM TRICYCLE (sevendaycyclist.com)
Transpired he and Jane are doing some “Swedish Death Cleaning” so very kindly gifted me a batch of new, unused tubes (700x32 and a 26x1.5) which was very welcome and extremely kind on their part. Ironically, I returned to discover two 25mm Eclipse Road inner Tubes and this Kask Protone Icon Helmet awaiting me.
The Tubes are TPU and reckoned not only to be lighter but reduce rolling resistance while being more resistant to flats. These feature a welded valve stem, which is also reckoned to be superior to bonded and glued types.
The Eclipse are also reckoned repairable, although dedicated patches require a decent curing time-overnight, ideally. So, I’d be inclined to carry a butyl spare, or two just in case. These are earmarked for the Teenage Dream, which frankly, is the most obvious candidate, save perhaps for the Holdsworth...
Weather conditions have presented opportunity to go out and enjoy my beloved road bike and given its presently sporting the now discontinued A520 pedals, I’ve clicked in and racked up some miles with the Shimano MT701 shoes.
Took me a few rides before this incarnation of the Boa lacing system became truly intuitive. Well, release was the issue. I’d gone into Child-at-Christmas mode, without reading the instructions and couldn’t work out how to slacken the laces. This is just a matter of pulling the Boa wheel upwards. The MT701 are increasingly becoming my go-tos for general riding.
That said; think I’ll stick to the Quoc Pham Tourer when it comes to the Teenage Dream since the soles are that bit stiffer. As for the PD ED 500 pedals, no surprise to learn I’m warming to their charms as the miles rack up. A good bet for touring and indeed, light, dry trail work. Dare I say the G word...
I managed to lose a spoke magnet on Ursula’s Ryde/Alfine wheel but thankfully, I had a couple of generic, auction site specials in stock. I was also slightly surprised to find the Cat Eye Viz 100 LED light had lost its USB plug. Porting it beneath the saddle, thus sheltering it from rain and spray, was the obvious move.
Talking of which, I’ve concluded the Teenage Dream’s saddle height was just a fraction too low, so raised it by a few milimetres- now perfect. Must’ve been when I re-greased the Thompson post, using the Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
