Hollow Thoughts

 250 miles in, I’m arriving at the conclusion my shim experiment wasn’t the success I’d initially thought. However, I’m glad I went this experimental route. It didn’t cost me anything, since I already had the components and wanted to see how much difference a Hollowtech system would make to my Univega’s drivetrain.  

My fixed gear winter/trainer ran a Truvativ external cup system for a while and I’ve tested machines with external cup groupsets. There’s a big difference between living with a system for a few hundred miles and a machine that you ride year-round and have exceeded 100,000 on. 

Anyhow, I’ve decided to stick with Hollowtech and acquired a Deore unit, which aside from being the right fit, and will save some weight. Afterall, Zee is designed for downhill duties, so overbuilt for a mixed terrain, rough stuff tourer cum daily driver. 

 

Replacement crankset in question comes with 32 tooth, 96BCD ring, which gives rise to reviewing gearing. Might need to switch the cassette to something more closely spaced to compensate and avoid warp speed spin-out on the road/unevenly wearing certain sprockets.    

For the time being, I’m getting the miles in on the fixed, which is no hardship, especially since I dialed in the chain line. The Acros Silicone Wrap Handlebar Tape LONG-TERM TEST: ACROS SILICONE BAR WRAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)    

Is still going very strong but looking a little grubby, so the arrival of this T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape, sent to me by Greyville Enterprises Greyville.com - T-ONE Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape: Orange is also 100% silicone and promises to be extremely durable. 

For example, UV resistance is reckoned between –40 and +260 degrees. Uncut, it carries a 24g weight penalty over the Acros and over double that of Genetic Flare Silicone Bar Wrap GENETIC FLARE SILICONE BAR TAPE (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Being a naturally grippy fabric, silicone tapes require no adhesive backing, so bar swaps, cable changes etc don’t spell the tape’s end and make the other tasks that little bit quicker/easier. Talking of which, it’s quite relaxing to fit, requiring nominal pressure-closer to the Genetic Flare, in this respect.    

Oh, and lighter colours, such as fluros keep their looks longer since you can pop it on the washing machine at 30 degrees. Talking of which, it will be interesting to see whether the smooth texture means it stays cleaner/is easier to clean, compared with the Acros’s embossed finish.  

Formative impressions are favourable- the aesthetic is less chunky than the Acros but still does a capable job of damping low level vibration. I’d also toyed with porting the K-Lite Bike Packer Ultra over to the Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) but ultimately thought better of it. 

More pressing was a sudden loss of braking-pads again. Thankfully, I had replacements in stock but it’s amazing how quickly these get consumed in bad weather. This also presented an opportune moment to switch from the Schwalbe Winter Plus to this Continental Contact plus TESTED: CONTINENTAL CONTACT PLUS TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Back to the drivetrains...Well, I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the Muc-Off e-Bike Wet Weather Ceramic Chain lube MUC-OFF E-BIKE WET WEATHER CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Weldtite Ceramic Chain Lube is also making a generally positive impression. In terms of consistency and friction, it’s quite close in characteristics and staying prowess to Juice Lubes Ceramic Chain Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

I’ve noticed a tendency for it to migrate away from the rollers in very wet conditions, although residual stuff seems to get reclaimed from the cassette. In fairness, The Juice and Weldtite Ceramics are designed for fair, rather than foul weather but it’s interesting to see how they behave in wetter conditions.  

Given the forecast these coming weeks, I may be reaching for the Muc-Off –50 MUC-OFF -50C CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  again. For the time being, I’m enjoying the lower friction, which is particularly apparent, riding fixed. Steve’s also been impressed by this Rohloff blend ROHLOFF SPECIAL BIKE CHAIN LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Too Much Pressure?

There’s been no relent in the wet weather. Thankfully, my Univega’s dressed for foul conditions and mixed terrain service. Besides, I needed to test the mud-shedding prowess of these Wellgo MO94B pedals https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/wellgo-m094 and cast my own, personalised imprint in the Cycles Berthound Solour leather saddle. 

After 85 miles, the latter and I were in friendly acquaintance territory, 150 miles in and the friendship is blossoming. Regular feeding of the hide, using Proofide, or a similar quality leather preserve also helps accelerate this process. Once forming is complete, feeding need only be done every 6 weeks or so.  

Existing gearing was low enough to winch myself through the thick, boggy mud. However, I’ve concluded a 38 (rather than 40) tooth ring would strike the elusive sweet spot. Enough zoom for the flat and descents, just a little more grunt on the climbs.  

Production 5 arm 94 BCD rings are getting harder to source (although I am advised that Stronglight still list them). I’m not prepared to pay “classic” prices for NOS (New Old Stock) rings either. However, the existing Talon ring is in rude health and if something suitable comes along, brilliant, if not the gearing is, in the main, perfectly serviceable. 

While I’m delighted that high quality, small scale manufacturing/engineering is very much alive, sourcing products from Europe and indeed, elsewhere could become fraught with difficulty, come 2021.  

Unfortunately, highly skilled engineering and similar vocational education is (and has long been) regarded as a poor second to academic learning. A long-standing snobbery, which is neither accurate nor desirable.  

I graduated 25 years ago, during a recession. During this period, I was also keen on pursuing a new life in the Netherlands. I had a girlfriend studying there. Catching her aside her housemate (who had a 1st class honours degree), seemingly ingesting his enviable intellect saw any love for her evaporate, replaced by a strengthening bond to the Dutch.  

One thing led to another and I decided to check out the cross-country mountain bike scene there. I met an ex-pat and former banker who had relocated from the UK and retrained as a skilled machinist. Decent salary and standard of living, too. He’d never looked back. 

For the uninitiated, a skilled machinist operates machine tools to manufacture and repair precision equipment. It requires a solid understanding and application of mechanics, metals, layout and machining procedures. Apprentice trained engineers are life-lomg learners by nature and continuously develop their knowledge/skillset.  

The same is not necessarily true of University graduates, regardless of specialism-at least, here in the UK.  In the late 90’s, the UK administration introduced life-long learning accounts. A system, which was well-intentioned and originally aimed at people made redundant, when traditional industries collapsed.  

Unfortunately, this didn’t reach the intended/target audience, so it was quietly disbanded. It was recently resurrected as part of the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto, and once again, been consigned to the vaults of history.  

Observing the patterns, I do not feel we will reach a point of total automation, where human labour/skills are made redundant but the skills required (and to some extent, legal/insurance implications) will need to change and it is quite possible that many people will be unable to make these transitions.   

These will not replace important “soft” skills, such as emotional intelligence, which are also incredibly important, in any role requiring human interaction. For example, a heating engineer who communicates well and problem solves on this level, is also likely to have more customers than one who is technically very competent but lacking in inter-personal abilities.   

I’ve been chatting a lot about handlebars in recent entries, specifically Soma Condor and Genetic’s D-Riser family. These are riser drops and some would argue, more specialist than required by some road-biased riders. Arguably, components on complete bikes should be proportional to frame size e.g. stem length, bar width etc.  

Similarly, there is a perfectly reasonable argument for making substitutions/upgrades at the point of sale. Tyre and saddles are two prime examples. This has changed slightly, given modern retailing- the switch to online, rather than physical shop consultations and purchases.  

However, unless something is obviously the wrong width/pattern/size, there’s an argument for running stuff a little while, then upgrading/replacing at a later stage.  At £30, Steve reckons the Genetic STV Road Handlebars are a great starting point for generic, road-biased riding.     https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-stv-road-handlebars 

Continuing my theme, some inexpensive but cheerful “Lifeline” branded tooling arrived, including this digital tyre gauge. Even though those fitted to most track pumps have much closer affinity to reality, getting pressures spot on gets the best from tyres and ride quality. Capable of registering 160psi, the digital is a little small, compared with a  Topeak Smartguage I had some 15 years back.   

However, in common with this premium quality SKS unit (that’s been loyal to me for a decade, or so), it features a useful backlight. Another similarity is the dual (rather than “smart”) valve head. There’s no denying the “Smart” type, which automatically morph to fit Schrader/Presta heads are super convenient.  

However, in my experience, the sprung mechanism is their Achille's heel, eventually going the self-destruct route. It also features a bleed valve, for quick tweaks and runs from the ubiquitous CR2032 button battery.  

Giving change from £10, it doesn’t feel fragile but it will be interesting to see how accurate and durable it proves. The backlight and valve light and similar features suggest it’s intended to be taken along for the ride.  

Given the price point, if it did take a bad knock, then cheap enough to replace. Nonetheless, I’m more inclined to carry an analogue model, such as this Revolution, since there’s no risk of accidental, battery draining engagement.         

There is a perception among some, that tough tyres “suck the joy out of riding”. However, this needn’t be the case. The Schwalbe Marathon GT https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt-tyres are relatively portly but still deliver a very smooth and relatively quick ride.  

I’ve had a couple of flats over the past few years and countless thousand miles. 800 odd grams is pretty much as portly as I’d want to go. Nonetheless, I’d prefer a few additional grams and reclaim riding time, over tending punctures on dark, rainy nights.