Warmth & Waxes

 250 miles in, and I’m warming to the Momum Mic Wax. Several things have stood out. Waxes tend to be less temperature stable than other lubricants but ours is still running very clean. I’m told its best described as a Tribolubricant.  

It contains natural waxes that come from the palm Copernicia and offers high resistance to wear and has a melting point at 85 degrees c. The latter is much higher than traditional waxes, which tend to assume a mushy state and would account for the Momum’s cleanliness thus far.  

Presently we’re experiencing temperatures around 70 degrees, so perhaps not surprising but certainly reassuring.  The blend penetrates deep within the chain’s inner sanctum, so the transmission feels refined, while shifting remains snappy and crisp. No thunderstorms to date, but plenty of wet roads, which are failing to make tangible impression on its integrity.  

Will be interesting to see how many miles I get from a single application...I’m also wondering how well it serves on cleat mechanisms and other metal to metal interfaces.  No sooner had this thought entered my head, Madison Cycles (Shimano’s UK importer) sent me two sets of pedals. Shimano PDM8100 (XT by another name) which almost require no introduction and these PD ED500, which are a slightly more intriguing design.  

Featuring generously proportioned aluminium alloy bodies, these are dual-sided for easy entry, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn, have cartridge bearings. Cro-moly axles aren’t the lightest options but should be ultra-dependable.  Shimano seems reticent to pigeon-hole them but suggest they’re perfect for road touring. Given those strong axles and sealed bearings, I’d wager they’re a good bet for mixed-terrain touring, gravel and indeed commuting, too.  Time and miles will tell...

A bit like these SH-MT701GX shoes, which are built for “all weather mountain touring, bike packing or commuting”. They feature synthetic leather uppers, a Gore Tex  breathable, waterproof liner for dry feet, a Boa L6 dial, for quick and precise adjustment, a toe cap for additional protection and a chunky sole for comfort on and off the bike. 

About soles and stiffness, these are 4 on Shimano’s off-road scale, which goes all the way to 11. Road, to 12 but while I’m fond of mixing things up, I’ve never gone the Look ARC, or KEO route when venturing beyond asphalt. Did run these on Ursula during periods of extended road riding. Primarily since I was curious, and the confused double takes from some road riders always amused me.  

Gravel is arguably an offshoot and “logical evolution” of cyclo cross and mountain biking and to some extent a genre with obvious appeal to yours truly- drop bars, knobbly tyres, wide ratio gearing and the ability to escape the seemingly ever maddening crowd.  

I’m less of a pioneer than I’d like to think, judging by the wealth of photos depicting mountain bikes ridden in competitive contexts, with drop bars. John Tomac was famous for it, during the late 80’s Ross Schafer, too.  However, go further back in the days of quill stems and 25.4 diameters, it wasn’t just Specialized and Muddy Fox who were colluding in this sorcery.  

The Vittoria Evolution Road Bike Tyres are also proving very competent on wet, greasy roads. Particularly welcome since it had been a few weeks since any tangible rain. This means diesel, oil and other slippery contaminant gets flushed from verges and into the road’s surface.  

The next obvious move was to take a detour and see how they’d behave along some varied bridle path. Spoiler alert, if you want to hoss along at warp speed, or tour primarily unmade roads, I’d suggest spending a good bit more and looking toward Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Double Defense TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)   

That said, the Evolution are still quite agile and relatively composed in these contexts to around 17mph. Spirited enough to give a sense of freedom, or to engage young protégé's cruising behind in their trailers or contributing on tagalongs. Still miss Vittoria’s Randonneur Trail though... 

Dawns have become sufficiently balmy that I’ve switched from my default 3/4lengths to these Funkier Bib shorts, which have a decent pad and some nice features.  

I initially found the Lycra a little slippery atop traditional leather saddles, such as the Spa Cycles Aire Titanium and Cycles Berthoud Solour CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). However, no annoying, power-robbing surf. Moot point with the Teenage Dream’s long-serving and seemingly discontinued Selle SMP Strike Plus.   

Front Loaded

 I was hoping to find the other Schwalbe 365 and whip that on the new dyno hub wheel but no sign of it in the rafters. I was in the throes of switching to a Schwalbe Marathon Mondial but discovered the casing was rather weathered, permitting flints and other sharps inside. 26-inch mountain bike wheels have now lost their dominance, meaning supply is less plentiful. I was still seeking something rugged, so got quite excited by Schwalbe Land Cruiser (26x2.0)  

Being an active line model, it’s a wire bead and puncture resistance isn’t on par with the Marathon range, but we’ll see. Better a slightly lower spec than top drawer rubber past its puncture repelling prime. The other options were   Continental Ride Tour (26x1.75), which on paper offers a similar tread pattern but superior puncture resistance. Then of course, there’s Kenda Kwick Journey KS Plus KENDA KWICK JOURNEY TYRES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which also comes in a 26x1.95 and in my experience, super dependable. One of these might replace the rear Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Dual Defense TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Several months down the line, I’m seriously impressed with how well the Peaty’s Speed Grease has stood up to the wet, greasy, and sometimes freezing conditions. I’d still stick with its Assembly Grease counterpart, when it comes to contact points, bottom bracket and pedal threads, hubs, and headsets-at least on winter, or working bikes. 

Nonetheless, a few months and a few thousand miles down the line, there’s plenty clinging to the Deore crankset’s splines and it’s also proving a great option for cantilever posts and of course, hybrid sprung/elastomer seat posts, including the Kinekt 2.1KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which I retain a very soft spot for.  

Other than Cane Creek Thud Buster ST 3.0 TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com), it’s one of the only serious performance options for an older mountain bike frameset. Back to the grease, it hasn’t been dissolved by sudsy bucket washes and citrus type cleaners and degreasers, which I’ve used to strip caked-on slurry from the bottom bracket shell, strip chains.  

Bearings are another component easily overlooked.   

I am particularly fond of headsets with needle roller, or annular/cartridge bearings. Thus far, with regular regreasing and full-length guards, Ursula’s Stronglight O’Light LX Aheadset is still in good health, over six years later. However, these parts can often fail at the least convenient times and lead times are longer courtesy of a pandemic and Brexit. Therefore, I’ve acquired its steel stablemate, which is slightly heavier but theoretically, even more durable. It was also offered at a price I couldn’t resist.  

Easier than registering for a COVID booster shot online, too, although perseverance paid off and I’ve been booked in. The implications for skilled clinicians and related professions already overworked before the pandemic now stretched beyond breaking point is chilling. An unresponsive, indifferent government (One seemingly unable to manage a drinking session in a brewery, let alone a national crisis) is simply exacerbating the situation.    

By contrast, the Purple Extreme is doing its thing and no less than I’d expect from a lube of its genre. 100 miles in, and it's staying put, much like a wet lube in characteristics.  

In common with some other favourites, including Finish Line Cross Country, Bike Medicine also recommends it for cleats, seat post and handlebar hardware, brake and derailleur pivots, spoke nipples when wheel building, and cable housings. Not sure it’d be my first choice for derailleurs or brakes for that matter- a touch too thick by my reckoning but we’ll see. A trace on recessed Allen heads/similar fasteners would be a good bet, though.      

It’s good practice to strip drivetrains surgically clean before introducing any new lube but Purple Extreme is one of those with a solvent content that will cause any residual lube and contaminant to rise to the surface, rather than floating away, or consuming them. Will be interesting to see whether the Purple Extreme will extend the chain’s life, longer than the 1100miles I get from a typical 10speed KMC.