Calculated Gambles & Headset Care

 

I’d been casually looking out for a second skewer/hitch for my long serving Revolution Cargo Trailer. It’s been out of production for a good while, so spares were a little elusive-at least at reasonable, cost-effective prices. I tried TW Bents, the Taiwanese manufacturer, but nothing.

Someone offered me a replacement for £60, which I gently declined. Indulging in some curiosity surfing unearthed this M-Wave unit. The trailer’s swing arm looked a dead ringer, so for £15 including postage, I figured it was worth a punt. I wanted the convenience of just porting the trailer between Ursula and Denise without faffing about with skewer switches.   

A bit of grease on the skewer and everything slotted in nicely and the hitch is a reliable fit with the trailer-a calculated gamble that paid off. No excuse for not putting the Lomo Dry Sack through its paces, although save for the odd isolated thunderstorm, it’s been decidedly arid in these parts. A great opportunity to drag some favourite jerseys from the summer wardrobe too. This rather fetching Castelli Espresso Castelli Espresso Jersey | cycling-not-racing being a prime example. Lightweight, fast wicking and snug with generous pockets too. Steve’s been suitably impressed by its successor, too Castelli Espresso2 Jersey | cycling-not-racing.

Ursula’s chain was also skipping under load, so I switched to a new cassette since the chain was within .25. I also took the opportunity to strip, inspect, and deliver some more Juice Lubes Bearing Juice to Muffin’s FSA headset bearings, since it had been 12 months. It hadn’t been completely consumed and was still doing its thing. However, a generous dollop from my fingers to the races and bearings turned steering satisfyingly slick. Lubricated and protected for another 9-12 months.

Stem reinstated, preload and pinch bolts treated to a lick Zefal Pro II Zefal Pro II Grease | cycling-not-racingI noticed the brake’s inner wire had frayed. New inner wire, TRP Spyre SLC calliper dialled in, I adjusted the front Mud Hugger Gravel Hugger MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing and concluded the day’s fettling by switching the silver bottle cages for these black Elite Cruissi, homages.   

The following day, I tackled Denise’s quill stem adaptor and Stronglight A9 ST headset. Similar story. Again the lower bearing boot is very effective at keeping grease in and the elements out.

This time round I was better prepared with the headset spanners- trusty 35-year-old Campagnolo and nickel-plated BBB resurrected while I was searching for my Shimano pattern cassette tool. Component specific greases have their place-especially when tackling sensitive components. Suspension and seals, or contexts where galvanic seizures can strike (aluminium alloy seat posts in steel frames, for example). 

When it comes to bearings, more damage can result from a lack of grease or not cleaning bearing races of ingrained dirt and grease before. Everything came apart with consummate ease and as before, there was a moderate layer of Juice Lubes Bearing Juice clinging to the races and bearings. I’d come that far, so cleaned dipped a rag in solvent and cleaned the cups, bearings and races.

Bearing Juice and Pro II Greases to hand, I decided to apply the former liberally to the bottom race. The flow rate is beautiful in temperatures around 23 degrees, making it very easy to apply. Given these qualities, it would’ve been the obvious choice for the upper set. However, I cleaned components with solvent, dried and then decided upon the Zefal.

The mix n’ match approach might seem odd. However, the upper bearing takes less of a battering from wet, gritty roads and general loading. Then of course, there’s the convenience factor. The Pro II was already attached to a grease gun, so quicker and easier to deliver. Cable hanger reinstated, I applied a bead around the lockring threads and snugged down.

Quill converter treated to a top-up, front end back together. Couldn’t resist the urge to strip and re-grease the front cantilever posts- then was the time. Front wheel reinstated, cantilever straddle wire reconnected, I popped Denise from the stand. Engaging the front brake back and forth revealed no slop.

Turning the bars back and forth rewarded with satisfying smoothness-bearing tension bang on. Headset spanners engaged, locknut snugged down, it was just a matter of wiping away any excess grease with clean rag. Ok, I gave localised areas of frame a quick squirt of silicone infused bike spray and buffed to a shine.

Intuitively, I raised the bars by another few millimetres, so theoretically that’s reach and height optimised. Bike fits have taken a lot of trial and error from component choices, lengths, alignment etc, but sometimes it boils down to long, steady miles and subtle adjustments.

Substituting the auction site Garmin stem mount screws for a shorter pairing means I can fit the Coospo CS600 Coospo CS600 GPS | cycling-not-racing atop and the Gaciron XAIOMAN 1000 front light beneath. It also presented ideal opportunity to whip out the torque wrench and check stem, rack and other fasteners. No issues, save for the stem face and pinch bolts, which needed nipping tight before slippage could sneak in.     I’ll close here with my long term review of the Juice Lubes Bearing Juice The Juice Lubes Bearing Juice Long Term | cycling-not-racing