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.
