Oh well, might as well…I was
compelled to adjust Ursula’s rear brake. The cable had stretched slightly,
which also saw me realigning the calliper. This phase was a little more perfectionist-
some might say obsessive. Having pulled the inner wire through a little further
and snugged tight, I slackened the calliper mount, then used a rubber O-ring to
bring the brake lever fully home. Theoretically, aligning the calliper, while I
tightened it evenly. A technique that ultimately proved successful. No
tickling, or rub, just smooth, progressive stopping. Yay!
I’m a big fan of Topeak’s Uni
Super Tourist 2.0 DX Rear Rack. Being a two-tier design, there’s no issues
combining panniers and rack bags, whether their MTX Trunk Bag Topeak MTX
Trunk Dry Bag | cycling-not-racing, or something more universal, such as my
long serving Carradice. You can still pair these on a single tier design but
whipping them on and off is more convoluted.
The rack is highly
adjustable-great for various frame sizes and designs, regardless of whether
they run discs, or not. 25 kilo maximum payload caters for most contexts, and
the factory powder-coated finish is generally hardy.
My one minor niggle (aside from
electroplated fasteners) is the rack’s design can hinder access to disc brake
calliper mounts. A moot point tackled with a workshop, ball-end type but
potentially tricky with some multi-tools. Singular L-type 5mm keys, or slender tools,
such as this Oxford Torque R10 Mini Ratchet Set Oxford
Torque RT10 Mini Ratchet Set | cycling-not-racing seem the best fits.
250 mixed terrain miles on and
the All-Mountain Style Miami Glide Chain Wax is also performing very well-
clean and yet seemingly resilient. I’ve concluded that letting it cure for 7-8
hours reaps best reward-I sensed I was chancing it at three hours but was keen
to take Ursula for a shakedown ride and it’s the sort of thing we’ve all done
now and then. Much the same story with
Muffin’s KMC chain.
One thing led to another while I was contemplating the world and my place within it. Curious to see how compatible (or otherwise) Slick Juice was with titanium; I switched the super plush Sumo for this Torus. This also presented opportunity to top up Muffin’s frame preserve and having torqued everything correctly, I gave the post a polish and applied some protectant. Given the grease’s composition, I’m not expecting any issues with galvanic corrosion, but there’s only one way to find out.
As the miles rack up, I’m increasingly impressed by the All-Mountain Sports Miani Glide Chain Was. Specifically its lubrication and temperature stability. It seems to penetrate and coat the chain’s pins and rollers, resulting in silent, crisp shifting, doesn’t attract grime and runs cleaner. In fairness, several waxes I’ve tested over the last year or two haven’t become a gooey mess when the mercury’s creeping beyond 23 degrees but some are definitely better than others. It's also proving quite effective on cables, cleat mechanisms and other metal-on-metal interfaces that we might want to lube “while we think of it”.
Leatt have graciously sent me
some shoes and shades to play with. Now, I've defaulted to twin bolt gravel
shoes for the past five years or so, on and off road since they strike an excellent balance of power transfer and walkability. Grippy soles offering excellent
traction off the bike-even if it's just dis/mounting on an icy morning. Prior
to this, cross country mountain bike and sportier touring
shoes were my go-tos. I'm still a big fan of these Quoc Pham, which are still going strong
after thirteen years. Leather uppers are easy to care for and resist the
elements very well-wipe clean with a damp cloth and treat with hide food, or
shoe polish to keep them supple.
Back to the Leatt. These are the Trail 6.0, a trail shoe, which features a longer cleat channel, offering greater adjustment. Forward, for a more aggressive, dare we say, racy stance, further back for trail, all mountain and endurance genres. A little different. Synthetic uppers seem rugged, although means mesh panelling. Once upon a time, this meant very soggy feet when the heavens opened. However, the slightly wider fit means they are readily paired with thinner waterproof socks, such as these Muc-Off, which are firm favourites of mine.
Leatt also sent me their Ride Viz Sierra Sunglasses. These employ "Biopolymer" frames with stainless steel temples. Polycarbonate lenses employing polarising technology, promising to eliminate glare and therefore, eye strain are something we've come to expect. Their casual, slightly classic design looks less aggressively technical, so theoretically a good fit off the bike. The Rebound employ carbon fibre frames and arms, keeping the weight low and rubberised grippers offering tactile tenure.
Technical kit doesn't have to look overtly technical. Some brands still offer more relaxed "touring" shirts and shorts, although this is a smaller market, which seemed to almost reach a point of extinction, but made a quiet comeback thanks to gravel's rise in popularity. Prior to that, messenger subculture had a fleeting influence between 2005 and 2009. I'm still fond of "messenger knickers" which were nicely cut, looked stylish off the bike-perfect when meeting friends for lunch and similar social contexts.
Looser fit mountain bike
clothing is similarly practical. Endura Humvee remain popular (justly so, in my
view) and cross, trail, touring and gravel genres very capably. Pockets and
stash points means they're also ultra practical, won't look out of place on a
mountain bike, tourer, gravel, or road bike. Great for everyday riding
where Lycra is inappropriate or frowned upon. Hmm...Might that be
why the Shetlands are shunning me ... I'll close here with my long term review of the Topeak Uni Super Tourist DX Rack Disc Topeak
Uni Super Tourist DX Rack Disc | cycling-not-racing
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