In recent weeks, I could go
ten miles on (controlled) rage alone. Perhaps it’s time I revisited
time-trialling, channel these emotions competitively and with tangible result...
That was my original intention for the Holdsworth, once I’d deviated from the
fully dressed road path brief, afterall.
Hydration is important full
stop, even on short distance events and though rider mounted bladder systems
enjoyed a small following outside of mtb circles, the humble bottle still
dominates.
Hosts may have become sleeker,
single piece composites (carbon or otherwise) titanium and stainless steel
gentrifying the bosses, where 6061 aluminium once ruled. However, I’m wondering
if the humble cage will be phased out, not all together but in favour of something
sleeker.
Over the last twenty years or
so, semi-compact geometry frames have made life so much easier for smaller
riders, overcoming the need to go bespoke in some instances. That said and this
goes for smaller mtb framesets too; getting two cages to harmoniously co-exist along
seat and down tubes can prove challenging.
Adjustable systems, such as
Topeak Shuttle engineer some useful, faff-free leeway into the equation and
this week, the Univega’s has been joined by the fidlock bottle-twist system
that arrived in a box of test goodies.
The bottle-twist is an
integrated system of bottle and mount. The latter attaches to the frame’s
bosses in the conventional way but this and the bottle mate via two suitably
potent magnets-the pull took me by surprise during the fitting stage-no danger
of losing screws to the flower bed, ditto multi-tools.
Being a 41cm frame, the
Univega hasn’t been a particularly tricky customer on the bottle front but this
affords a little extra wriggle room. From an aesthetic perspective, this also
compliments said machine’s black and cream theme. Far too early to say whether I’m about to
become a devotee but the fidlock is certainly growing on me.
These Altura Peloton 2 pro gel
mitts were also among the stash, timely since I was hankering after something a
little more sophisticated than the otherwise cheap but cheery Ozzo.
In stark contrast to the retro
crochet and faux leather palm, these are a very snug fitting Lycra backed
design boasting fast wicking, breathable backs, 3D design and those
strategically positioned gel inserts.
So far, I’ve only clocked up
40miles. By my reckoning, 400 is the point where you can say something
conclusive but I’m certainly warming to their snug fit and low profile padding.
By snug, I mean very. I’ve fairly long fingers and can usually get away with
medium but in this instance, struck lucky with large.
Easter is notoriously
unsettled-I’ve known it to snow at certain points through the holidays and I’m
not harking back to my childhood and time spent in Utah, where the mountains
were topped with a thick carpeting of snow and cars sported snow-chains until
mid-April, sometimes beyond.
I’m alternating between tights
and 3/4lengths, sometimes a gilet, others a jersey, neck-warmer, long sleeve
base layer and micro-shell jacket peeking out from a jersey pocket.
Swapping between lenses can be
a pain, so I’ve tended to stick with reactive lenses, which lack the outright
defence from intense sunlight but cope pretty well in changing conditions. That
said; skies can be pretty dull, grey and overcast and in this context, I’ll go
the amber route-sharper focus and bolstered mood.
I’d talked in terms of
stripping my cross inspired fixer’s KMC chain of Weldite TF2 in favour of
something lighter, then backtracked, then decided I’d use up some of the nearly
empty bottles of lube-stock rotation principle. Perfect candidate being this
Finish line ceramic wax, so, on it went. These take a while to cure and will
need a second coat to complete the bond
That said; though the UK has a
reputation for damp, I managed to go a whole summer-June to October on a single
helping of wet lube. Admittedly, this was on a road bike and I’d opt for something
more condition-specific on a mountain or cross derivative that ventured beyond
tarmac.
The dry spell also presented
an ideal opportunity to apply liberal helpings of my home brewed corrosion
busting preserve to the KA’s underside and chassis components.
Though messy, it’s very
effective and extremely cheap-less than £10 all told. Ingredients essentially
boil down to 10w/40 and semi synthetic motor oil, offcuts of candlewax and
turpentine. This punnet load has lasted almost four years, treated five
framesets and been applied twice yearly to my MK1 KAs and periodically to an
older Nissan Micra.
So what else is new? Well,
Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com
has lots of goodies coming our way from various sources, domestic and
international. Meantime, I’ll leave you with our take on the “Bespoked”
handmade bike show in Bristol https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/bespoked-bespeaking
