Worn cleats and frayed inner cables
were unwelcome but easily sorted. Evasive entry tipped me off about the cleats
and a tyre-tickling straddle wire-noted when I was pulling the Carradice’s
Velcro strap snug post-ride. I also found myself stripping some more pedals-
these nickel-plated SPD/Keo Exustar, which hadn’t been touched, let alone
re-greased in twenty years.
The lockring was decidedly
stubborn, and though there was still some grease inside, it was clear how frugal
some factories are on the lube front. Not quite at the stage where I’m
stripping and repacking new pairs before fitting but certainly has me wondering
if I should, as a matter of course.
After countless miles and a particularly
memorable tumble with terra firma one icy January morning, the otherwise rugged,
low -maintenance and very comfy Wolf Tooth Supple Bar tape is beginning to show
some subtle signs of wear and weathering, mercifully around the tops, where it
can be protected beneath electrical tape. 5mm thick it certainly absorbs road
and trail buzz incredibly well, although getting neat, flowing lines took me a
few attempts first time round.
I have other options, the most
obvious contender being The Acros
Silicone Bar Wrap LONG-TERM
TEST: ACROS SILICONE BAR WRAP | cycling-not-racing which is also rugged, grippy and provides
excellent damping. The embossed pattern tends to hold dirt- think oily fingerprints
and similar transfer, which can be frustrating, especially during winter when
you’ve touched the bars following a deep bike clean/drivetrain exorcism!
Or for that matter, if the front
mech’s dropped the chain too far, and you’ve needed to scoop it back aboard. This
happened at the crest of a long climb, when I decided it was big ring time…Oh, and then of course, an approaching Land Rover pilot decided they didn’t fancy
changing course.
Mercifully, they seemed to begrudgingly
sweep past at the crucial point. I digress. Saddleback has sent me this Silca Nastro
Piloti, which boasts “unrivalled durability”, asymmetric texture for high and
moderate grip and relatively slimline at 1.85mm (equivalent to 2.5mm when
cushioning is factored into the equation).
Theoretically, this means good
cushioning without a chunky effect, which is obviously what you’d want on a
road bike, although arguably less significant on a gravel, cross, or beast of
burden build. Black is one of those ultra practical colours (shades, if we’re
being proper, dare I say pedantic) colours and arguably the obvious choice for
Denise.
There are quite a few considerations when choosing bar tape aside from colour and damping. Given the quiet but growing popularity for wider, flared drops, tape needs to be long enough to provide a consistent, flattering overlap. Traditionally, corks were the default, and it’s not difficult to see why. It dampens vibration well and is hardwearing.
Darker colours are more
practical for winter/training and daily drivers. Following on from this, corks
and other “simpler” materials respond well to being scrubbed with a moderately stiff brush, whereas those with polymer coatings require a much gentler
approach to avoid stripping their properties.
One thing led to another, along came some red bottle cages, which would complement Muffin's existing livery, ruling out colour clashes, or similar faux pas. The Lezyne flow SL was ported over to Ursula. These Wolf Tooth Morse Cages were fitted to Denise. Made from hand-bent hollow stainless steel. The base is drilled not for weight reduction, rather to ensure easy adjustment and ultimately, compatibility with most contemporary framesets. Aside from small compact geometry models, it's also intended for use with bikes using frame fit luggage, such as this Topeak Midloader TOPEAK MIDLOADER FRAME BAG | cycling-not-racing
Aesthetics aside, bar tape should
be pensioned off fairly regularly. Frequency is a hotly debated topic and
depends on who you speak to. Abrasion, loss of damping, fading, failing backing
adhesive. Seasonally on cross and similar competitions machines, or those doing
regular service on indoor trainers.
Bar tape on bikes doing regular
turbo trainer service are typically contaminated by sweat, salt, energy drinks.
A corrosive cocktail that can result in bar failure. No, not an urban
myth.
Staying with bars, Magishine has
sent me their Hori 1300 front light. Magicshine’s build quality and overall
performance continues to improve and ultimately impress, especially given the
asking price. The Hori features a CNC machined anodised aluminium alloy casing
compliant with IPX6 for weatherproofing, pumps out a maximum of 1300 lumens, dipping
to 900, 400 and 200, which caters for most road biased contacts.
I should also point out; the lens
uses the increasingly common car-type cut off beam to project the light
downward and without dazzling oncoming traffic. There are two powerful day and
night flashing modes -800 lumen day and 200-1000lumen night, a wireless rechargeable
remote.
There’s a very versatile range of
mount designed to stack accessories for a really clean aesthetic- a Garmin
computer up top, light in the middle, GoPro camera at the bottom, saving
considerable real estate. However, those with busier cockpits can always go for
the extended mount, positioning the light out front, clearing cables, smaller
handlebar bags etc. Right now, I’m in child at Christmas mode but time and
mileage will tell.
