Not in the Mad Max post-apocalyptic
sense, although global events and the political climate have certainly left me
imagining some very dark scenarios. Growing up in the 1980s, I recall the very
real threat of nuclear war and societal collapse and frankly, we seem closer to
both scenarios, now…
After ten years, I was compelled
by the urge to strip and inspect the Blackburn Piston 4. Would a good clean and
regrease of the gasket and piston (plunger, if you prefer) restore its slick,
refined efficiency? The hose and chuck were al in good shape and it was still
very functional, delivering the desired pressures but the piston action and
airflow weren’t optimal.
Undoing two little Philip screws,
everything separated smoothly and in one piece. Gasket and plunger were
sporting a gungy beard, but essentially sound. Degreasers can be a little
harsh, so I gave both parts a light rinse with tepid water and then treated
both to a few blasts of Juice Lubes Bike Wash.
Now, I’d generally steer people toward
solvent based aerosol cleaners, or industrial alcohol when cleaning the
barrel’s inner sanctum. However, I blasted some Motoverde Drivetrain Degreaser
inside and left it doing its thing for five minutes, turning my attention to
the gasket and piston. A gentle tickling with this Green Oil Bike Brush GREEN OIL BIKE
BRUSH REVIEW and some tepid water cut through the grot.
Rinse, dry and reach for grease.
Swerve anything lithium, or PTFE-based. When it comes to Silca, only use their dedicated preps. Otherwise, silicone formulas are a good default,
but I’ve gone for the Juice Lubes Slick Juice. Liberal around the gasket,
sparingly along the piston’s lower section. That done, I returned to the Piston
4’s barrel. I dried this in two stages. Some old, scrap towel doing the lion’s
share, judicious deployment of a hairdryer on medium heat removing any residual,
mischievous dampness.
On a roll, I took the same route
with my SKS Air-X-Plorer Digi Floor Pump SKS
Air-X-Plorer Digi Floor Pump | cycling-not-racing. This is stereotypically
Teutonic in terms of build quality. Same MO, save for the collar screws being
M25 Torx. Piston, spring and gasket were particularly solid. This time, I
cleaned these with bike wash but exorcised the barrel using an aerosol solvent
cleaner. Everything slid back together beautifully, any faint stiction well and
truly banished.
Well and truly in the zone, I
popped Muffin in the work stand and decided to remove the Genetic Tibia crank,
clean and inspect the ring and give the frame a good waxing while I was about
it. Be rude not too… I’ve gone for self-extracting bolts and was initially
disconcerted by their reticence. Gentle persistence with the 8mm Allen key
secured the drive side’s release.
A tag team of Motoverde
Drivetrain Cleaner Motoverde
Drivetrain Cleaner | cycling-not-racing and Muc-Off Chain Wax Cleaner Muc-Off
Chain Wax Cleaner 500ml | cycling-not-racing consumed the slightly gungy residue clinging
to the teeth, making inspection and assessment viable. The ring is still in
good shape, so stays for now. I’ll review come November and at that point, will
take a view and chain replacement may be all that’s called for.
I turned my attentions to the TRP
Spyre SLC, giving the pads and disc a cat-lick, ensuring the piston movement
was optimal. An easy, preventative tweak. Muffin back in the workshop, I turned
my attention to Denise. I was keen to see whether the Magicshine Ray3000 would
sit securely atop the auction site Garmin Mount.
Given the light’s girth, I needed
to relocate the Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC
NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing outboard, necessitating a quick
dip into the shim bag. While on that particular mission, I found another Magicshine
handlebar mount, which is an improvement on that supplied with the Coospo Real
Road CS600 GPS Bike Computer Coospo CS600 GPS |
cycling-not-racing . Sure the bars feel
a little busier, which might bring the clutter-phobic out in hives. However,
there was a bigger, unwelcome surprise in store. During our first outing, the
out-front mount ejected the Ray3000. Testament to its build quality, not so
much as a scratch.
Closer inspection revealed the
plastic Garmin pattern mount had deformed and fractured at one point. I
switched the light to the resin Magicshine mount and popped the Coospo CS600 in
my jersey pocket for the remaining five miles. Diagnostics done, I arrived
home, had a rummage in the spare munts bag and found a replacement. I also took
the opportunity to exchange the Gaciron Cetus 1700 Gaciron
Cetus 1700 Underneath Bike Light | cycling-not-racing mount for the
Magicshine Hori 1300 Magicshine
HORI 1300 Front Light | cycling-not-racing for those times when I’m testing
the Ray 3000 on another machine and I want more lumens than the Exposure Revo
dynamo lamp can muster.
