Built, checked and tweaked, it was time to
take “Muffin” the Mulo for a quick 15mile shakedown ride. I’d erred on the side
of less chain tension with a view to dialling it in, rather than
too tight.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my
switch to 40mm tyres, the ride quality was much smoother, though it wasn’t
difficult to coax “Muffin” up to speed and keep on the boil- 41cm chainstays
certainly help. The front end also feels more responsive, without being twitchy,
and the frame’s lateral stiffness is also an improvement over the otherwise
very loveable V2.
Predictably, I needed to tweak
the Aheadset bearing tension and found myself switching the TRP Spyre for its
loftier SLC stablemate, having given the calliper a good clean and replaced the
pads. Three rides in and I detected the ring bolts needed snugging down
slightly. A small, insignificant job…
However, my Park pattern tool
that holds the collar still while you tighten the 5mm/T30 Torx bolt wasn’t
arresting the collar properly. This prompted purchase of a T handle design from
a well-known London bike dealership that I frequented regularly when living in
the capital.
Given it was a bank holiday
weekend, I had to wait a day or two, which presented an ideal opportunity to
hop aboard Ursula and get some miles in on the Continental Cross Kings. Having
enjoyed a frolic through the forests, I found myself being chased by an
incredibly determined goose. Mercifully, I was able to outpace-either that, or
the goose recognised I wasn’t a threat.
550 miles racked up with The CST
Patrol, I’m generally impressed by their capabilities as wallet-friendly
all-rounders, although I’ve noted the Continental Cross King Black Chili
require less effort to coax up to speed in comparable contexts/conditions.
Puncture resistance, specifically vulnerability to hedge clippings and similar
sharps was an issue I’d had with earlier incarnations of the Cross Kings, so it
will be interesting to see how influential the Black Chili compound is. While
testing the CST Patrol’s prowess, I happened upon a completely deserted stretch
of unmade and sometimes quite technical gravel road.
I’d had a quick exploratory hoss
along the bridleway on previous occasions but was deterred of further
exploration due to farm traffic and general agricultural activity. The Patrol
coped handsomely, offering excellent traction, control and indeed cushioning
over the lumpy, bumpy and sometimes pot holed route, which ran for a mile or
two.
I’d also switched from the
Motorex Wax Lube to Peaty’s Link Lube All Weather courtesy of Dynamic Bio
Drivetrain Detox. The Link Lube All Weather is best thought of as a bridge lube
for those conditions where you want something more substantial than a wax, or
dry formula but with a friskier shifting and feel than traditional middleweights.
Wax chain lubes may be less
stoical than other types, but in my experience, they can congeal quite
stubbornly, particularly on rings and cassettes. While the Dynamic was visually
engaging and crucially stripped the rings and cassette clean with nominal
effort, it was slower acting than some degreaser stocks I’ve evaluated over the
years.
Water must be applied to the
hosts beforehand and The Drivetrain Bio Drivetrain Detox left to marinate for
two to three minutes, so one of those formulas seemingly best suited to
holistic bike cleans, rather than situations where the bike’s fundamentally clean,
but you just want to change lube. It’s
also reckoned sufficiently potent to strip waterproof greases, so we’ll
see.
Back to “Muffin” Chain ring tool
in hand, I whipped out the Park Tool Wrench, dialled it up to 10nm, introduced
the crank bolt tool-Huzzah! Another little job done. Talking of torque
Wrenches, here’s my mini budget model group test Three Budget
Torque Wrench Test | cycling-not-racing
