Frankensets

 

I’d continued to build Ursula in short, little and often bursts. I’d instated the Microshift bar con, replaced a tube in the rear Ryde XT wheel and inflated the Continental Cross Kings to 55psi and then began contemplating Ursula’s bar tape. Change for changes sake, a new era? I didn’t want to say goodbye to the Cycology 8 days Cycology 8 days Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) just yet, but fate (and the elements) had other ideas. I’ve gone for the Acros Silicone Bar Wrap LONG-TERM TEST: ACROS SILICONE BAR WRAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) the orange rather than blue, given winter’s looming. It's easily wrapped and naturally sticky, so no need for a backing adhesive, which makes cable swaps that bit easier.   

While I pondered this, my place in the Universe etc., I decided to install a fresh set of Microshift bar cons. There was nothing wrong with the original left shifter, but I decided since I needed to fit the rear bar con, I may as well go for uniformity at this stage. I want the rebuild right, from the off. Jagwire Road Elite sealed cables (173g complete and uncut) were also installed but fatigue left me convinced I’d a full set of derailleur cables. I had several inners but only one outer and one complete set of ferrules. I left everything snug but not pruned and decided to quit while ahead.   

The following day, I managed to whip the rear wheel in, set up the rear brake calliper and fitted a KMC chain, using the sleeping hub to hold everything in alignment. I’ll dial in the rear mech another time, probably when the front mech cable arrives. Meantime, I’ve popped the Acros tape (left side) into the wash.  All was going well until I tried the headset. Having stripped the Stronglight unit, I discovered it wasn’t all it seemed- a frankenset, made from bits of headsets. I had another, a cartridge model bought a while back and yep, despite being in a sealed envelope, was also missing parts. Bottom line, I was weary of wasting any more time, removed the Stronglight and bought an FSA, consigning the former to the bin.   

Elsewhere, the ORP Smart HornTESTED: ORP SMART HORN (sevendaycyclist.com) has returned to my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Genetic D-Riser 4 bars GENETIC DRISER 4 HANDLEBARS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) The two-tone powder coat finish is enjoying its 9th birthday and is still in great shape. Though wet has been the primary narrative of the past fortnight, I found time to give the bike a seriously good clean, removed the seat post and blasted some of the waxy corrosion inhibitor inside.  I hung it up for a few days, switching to Denise for some fun along the lanes, allowing the fixed’s corrosion inhibitor to cure thoroughly.   

More lights have been coming our way-as you’d expect, given we’re entering the darker season. Magicshine See Mee 100AD Rear Light, which can produce, you guessed it, 100lumens. AD stands for Auto Detect, referring to the sensor system, which produces a more intense flashing light when it senses another vehicle approaching. It can also be synced with other compatible taillights for heightened presence.  

Not forgetting the Alty 800 V2.0/1200/1200U front lights. IPX6 for weatherproofing seems increasingly to be the default, which is good news for most consumers. It’s not waterproof in the submersible sense, but will certainly fend off very heavy rain, standing water, mud too, in my experience.  

I’ve not had too much issue with lights confirming to the lowlier IPX4 over the years- at least for road biased duties. However, there have been occasions when I’ve needed to flush a drowned unit out with a few liberal blasts of water displacer.  

Formative impressions suggest the See Mee 100AD sensor is very accurate and the flash deployed remarkably effective at grabbing and holding attention. Theoretically, this should mean being able to run a lower setting, conserving power and letting the intelligent technology do its thing when other vehicles approach.  

This doesn’t come naturally to me. Surrendering to tech’s mercy isn’t something that sits naturally with me but in the interests of testing. I’ll give it a go. The relatively flat lens design also aroused some minor concerns around peripheral presence, say when crossing junctions etc. but the projected light seems to counter this.  

Another nice feature is mount compatibility with others in the SeeMee family, so I can just switch places with the See Mee 50Mag, or indeed, the SeeMee100 and SeeMee 200 V2 without any issues. Super convenient and very welcome. It also makes sense from the vantage point of manufacturing economics.