I awoke at 4am to a chill 1 degree. On with the Belgian cap, bib tights, Pearson jersey and waterproof technical jacket and out to the garage. A quick, cursory check of Ursula’s Maxxis Overdrive Excel tyre Maxxis Overdrive Excel Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) revealed the front was pancake flat.
I switched to the fixed-an ideal opportunity to test the Sanmarie GT saddle to see whether it was the saddle or machine that were incompatible with me... Seems the latter-having ridden with various bib tights and pad styles. This switch also presented the opportunity to touch up Ursula’s Ritchey dropout with some matching Humbrol enamel paint and giving it sufficient time to cure between coats.
Back to the Maxxis, I returned and fixed the flat. This was caused by a small stone that had slowly burrowed into the casing, beyond the puncture-repelling belt and nicking the wafer-thin butyl tube.
Said tube already sported one patch, so I scrapped it- two patches is my general limit on mid-higher-end butyl. I might patch a budget offering once but it’s not worth the false sense of security as a spare- the risk of failure’s too great. I inflated the tyre and filled the casing with a drop of superglue. I tossed another spare in the Axiom Monsoon Ocean Wave City+ Sea Bag AXIOM OCEANWAVE CITY+ SEAT BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and thought I’d be fine.
Fast forward three days and, yes...the dreaded hiss. Rear this time and another that had the good grace to hold off until I was stripping the scuzz from another week’s riding through monsoon conditions. Two spares (wafer-thin) proved faulty and were similarly dispatched to the bin. I couldn’t find any foreign objects or minor holes within the rear Maxxis on this occasion. Time to order another batch of new, better-quality butyl-added to cart very promptly, especially at the price offered. Oh, and here’s my review of the Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
The STX front mech has now settled down to the point I can confidently slide the Microshift bar-end shifter without fear it might travel too far in either direction. Particularly welcome on sharp, dark climbs.
I’m pleased with these upgrades and plan to just ride, clean and enjoy the old girl for a while. I haven’t decided which machine will sport the TRP HYRD calliper. Assuming Ursula isn’t the beneficiary, I’ll replace the Disco Brakes semi-metallic pads Disco Disc Brake Pads and Wavey Rotors | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) with another set, come the close of May. Wear has been pedestrian so far, but it has been very wet as with chains, cables and other consumables, managed replacement rather than waiting until they’re wossnamed.
Another 280 wet miles licked the Muc Off Wet Lube clean- not a reflection of the lube’s quality, or performance but an indicator of just how wet and filthy the roads and lanes have been recently. Perfect conditions for testing lubes, greases and protectant formulas though. Oh, clothing too, obviously. Here’s my review of the Showers Pass Elite Cycling Cap SHOWERS PASS ELITE CYCLING CAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)
Concentrates are my preferred choice when it comes to bike washes and degreasers. Primarily, since they can be brewed to suit different applications- watered down 10:1 for a standard, like for like bike wash, 15-20:1 for a potent blitzer- in contexts where organic and petrochemical stuff (spent chain lube, diesel and other oils thrown up from the road) has become caked on.
Neat for degreasing drivetrains, hubs, headsets etc. When it comes to deep cleaning, I brush degreaser into the chain, rings, derailleur(s) etc and sometimes along the down tube, bottom bracket and chainstays. Then I apply bike wash liberally over the bike, starting at the bars and working along.
Remember, gravity is your friend. Leave that nibbling away at the ingrained grime and give the drivetrain a tickling with a medium stiff brush-firmer pressure to the chain, cassette and rings-being mindful not to catch the arms and other surfaces.
Agitate those subtle bubbles clinging to the frameset with a soft brush and once you’ve got the grime stripped, rinse with a bucket of Lukewarm water. Rinse again with cold, if needed.
Dry and lightly relubricate chains, give cables a quick shot of maintenance spray (GT85 GT85 ALL PURPOSE LUBRICANT (sevendaycyclist.com) Motorex Joker 440 Motorex Joker 440 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and of course, WD40. Staying with lubes a moment, I’ve reached for Zefal Extra wet Nano Ceramic ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), just to see how well the Muc Off Wet Lube compares with some old favourites in comparable conditions.
