Chilly Charms & Sudden Thaws

 

Conditions became wintrier as January unfolded and I was relieved I'd left the Schwalbe Marathon Winter mounted to Denise's wheels meaning I could just hop on, relax and enjoy the ride, despite the icy stretches. I decided to switch the Selle Royal Respiro for the WTB Rocket WTB Rocket Saddle | cycling-not-racing . The Respiro served me well for the best part of 13 years and I wondered whether the foam matrix was beginning to lose its memory around the rear.  It also heralded the return of these “lobster” gloves, since wind chill had brought the air temperatures considerably lower than minus 6.

Warmth is a definite plus but there’s trade off on the dexterity front, which can dictate their removal when bag rummaging, multi tool wielding and other tasks requiring fine motor skills. These link two fingers together, so allows me sufficient freedom to operate a compact camera, adjust a zipper etc. Better than the mitten type, but still comparatively limited.  For this reason, I also pack a set of liners, or middleweight gravel types, should I need to tackle a flat, or similar.

Considerations aside, they are blissful for otherwise bitterly cold midwinter outings. Blessed with a generous thatch, I tend to default to a water repelling, breathable cap such as this Showers Pass Elite SHOWERS PASS ELITE CYCLING CAP | cycling-not-racing. However, when il fait froid, I reach for another old favourite, the “Belgian” style cycling cap, which has served me well for around twelve winters.

These are characterised by better coverage and protection to the ears and a slightly thicker, sometimes fleecy inner fabric. I reach for mine once the air temperature hovers around zero, or the wind chill drags it into minus figures. Higher and I find the breed a little too toasty for my tastes.  The Sidi Algor Sidi Algor MTB Shoes | cycling-not-racing have proven themselves extremely temperate when the mercury’s dipped to minus 6. Not that I’ve had any issues with Shimano’s mighty MW702 Shimano MW7 (MW702) Gore Tex MTB Shoes | cycling-not-racing in similar contexts, but the Algor are slightly toastier.

The Zefal Shield G50 guards continue to impress with their capacity for keeping crappy stuff off myself and Denise.  Aside from a weekly, judicious check of the Velcro, I've not needed to give them a second thought. I've also been pleased by Ursula's new front mudguard.

Though less elegant than the Mudhugger MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing and similar designs, its simple and offers good coverage to rider and machine without risk of clogging. How it will fare longer term, when the glop, UV light, heat and cold have done their worst, remains to be seen.

Mudguards, though a valuable defence are no substitute for regular cleaning. When the gritters have been out, give bikes regular washes, starting with a cold rinse to flush away the corrosive contaminant (hot will only accelerate the caustic process) before going for the warm sudsy bucket and brushes.  

There’s a lot of discussion around bike washes- in the Marmite sense. Some really like them, other folks loathe them, citing them as money for old rope. I sit somewhere in the middle. Salty season aside, I like those which can applied direct to the bike i.e. without having to get the bike wet first- scrub and rinse.

Otherwise, I default to good quality car wash n’ wax type formulas, which will gobble the grime, while leaving a light wax barrier behind. Obviously, this can’t compare with a decent quality hard paste, or fluid formula, but does offer some defence. Great for when time and daylight are at a premium.  

In a matter of days, ice and snow gave way to flooding, so it made sense to switch to Ursula for a bit, and I was also curious to see how well the new front mudguard performed when it came to waterlogged lanes. Suitably impressed, it made a huge difference to my comfort, although they’re arguably perfect for 1.9 section rubber. Glad I’d donned the Shimano MW702.

Managed to get the Blackburn Atom4 to play nicely with minimal effort. A shot of PTFE free spray on the sensors contacts and decent quality CR2025 cells seem to address the intermittent connectivity issues. The smaller frameset places the head unit and sensor in closer proximity, which probably helps.