Bags & Bright Sides

 

The arrival of this Craft Cadence Handlebar Bag brought a bit contemplation-Ursula, or fixed gear winter/trainer... The good news is this 3.5 litre model would sit nicely between the Soma Condor 2SOMA CONDOR 2 SHALLOW DROP BARS | (sevendaycyclist.com) bars, with a healthy amount of clearance between bag and mudguard. (Fenders for US/Canadian readers). However, it would require a more comprehensive re-jigging of the cockpit. Hence, I plumped for the fixed’s Genetic D Riser 4 GENETIC DRISER 4 HANDLEBARS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

I still needed to slide the Genetic Neuron Accessory BarGENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) along, and switch the ORP Smart hornTESTED: ORP SMART HORN (sevendaycyclist.com) and action camera mount/housing. Another blessing in disguise by my reckoning, neater still. Bag in situ, I’ve decided to remove the Apidura Racing Bolt-On Top Tube Pack for a cleaner, less cluttered aesthetic.  

Talking of which, I prefer my handlebar bags to be less prescriptive, dare I say, less orderly. The big open plan compartment has a mesh pocket to capture valuables such as phones, wallets etc in a central, easily accessible place. Otherwise, there’s plenty of scope for bunging in spare tubes, micro jackets/gilets, gloves, arm/leg warmers, caps, tools, food, and compact camera.  

The straps are more like a belt buckle, and rather interesting, in the most positive sense. Less prescriptive than those featuring the otherwise very likeable and reliable Klick Fix type and offering greater stability than Velcro. The stem strap IS Velcro and stable, although, as with bike packing luggage, I would place some “helicopter tape” where it makes contact with paintwork, to avoid “tan lines” and other, easily avoidable calling cards.  

Made from micro welded Tarpaulin, the main bag meets IPX5, which isn’t waterproof in the submersible sense but coupled with the clam type closure is very reassuring. (I’ve had no issues to date, in some unexpected and intense showers.) That being said (and it’s not a reflection of the Craft Cadence) I would be inclined to line with a dry sack, if carrying cameras, or similarly sensitive electrical goodies.  

All good, in the main. Save that is, for a fatigued seat collar, resulting in a very pedestrian sinking of the Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G4. These small components eventually fail and worst-case scenario, a new collar and bolt are easy and relatively cheap to replace. I bought a couple of Selcoff units, complete for £1.99 apiece. Obviously, I had a good route around the small spares' trays first for a suitable alternative. Nothing doing and splaying smaller clamps is asking for trouble.  

Components are designed to be a precise fit and work to very tight tolerances. Hung safely back in the garage, I found myself fettling Ursula again. It started innocently enough, dialing some stiffness into the Kinekt 2.1 seatpost KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Then (almost predictably) I thought I’d check the shifting...For some reason, it was out of step. Not wildly so but merited investigation.  

After 15 minutes, I had a eureka moment, whipped off the Sun Race SP570 Rear Derailleur Hanger Extender SUNRACE REAR DERAILLEUR EXTENDER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and threaded the NRX derailleur straight into the frame’s hanger (adding a quick lick of Peaty’s Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  while I was there. Minor cable tensioning later and it moved sequentially, without hesitation across the block. I repeated this six times before satisfied all was well and that the derailleur wasn’t going too far in either direction.  

I completed the session by fitting this freshly charged Brightside Side Light to the downtube. Designed here in the UK, it’s a tertiary form of lighting intended to improve peripheral presence, say at roundabouts and junctions.  

Build quality is reassuringly good and waterproofing similarly impressive. It can also be mounted to other tubes, including the head tube (although this may not be practical, say with some bar bags). This, coupled with its topside (helmet-mounted front and rear combo light) counterpart look particularly effective, for boosting the presence of riders towing trailers and tagalongs.   

Chain Strain

I’ve found it difficult to get inexpensive, yet durable track chains these days. After 1500 miles, the 1/2link KMC is heading on up to the Great Bike Shop in the Sky. I’ve gone for two, another KMC-a Z510 and a Z1X hopefully, it’ll be as faithful, albeit potentially less durable than the Z1 X Inox SEVEN DAY CYCLIST'S 3000 MILE TEST OF A KMC INOX CHAIN The one minor niggle with the latter concerned the inox finish being too slippery, encouraging lubes to migrate from the rollers and to the side plates.  

Tension is a hotly debated topic and for some reason, I’ve found it trickier to get it just-so with ½ link models. I don’t tend to deviate from a 42x15 (ring and sprocket) configuration.  

The Z1X is a traditional single link design, so I had a wander around the web and discovered a chain-link calculator that promised to generate the correct (rounded up) length. (based upon chainstay length, ring, and sprocket size) ...Using said system, the chain for my set up should be 48 links long, which seems ridiculously short.  

Took a guess, using the dead ½ link, pruned and popped aboard. Tension adjusted and track nuts snugged tight, ready for the road again.  Roads are perpetually filthy but thankfully, the gritting lorries have been conspicuous by their absence. 

Post-ride examination of the drivetrain confirmed some minor but tangible play in its UN55 cartridge bottom bracket. I took this opportunity to replace it with a UN300, since the UN55 is seemingly discontinued. 

There’s one waiting in the wings for the Univega, once it’s existing gets the grumbles and a UN26 somewhere, just in case. 

However, while the latter units are solid enough, I’m not particularly taken with the plastic cup. Otherwise, this family is ultra-reliable, fit n’ forget units. So much so, Murphy’s law dictates they will expire when the bike shop’s closed.   

Elsewhere, I decided to add some more lubricant to the Kinekt stem spring and elastomer, using Slip. Slip is vegetable-based, contains no solvent, and therefore, leaves more, composite-friendly lubricant behind.  

Feedback from Kinket’s engineering team suggests this should be the cure for any squeaking/creaking.  I’ve always found elastomer-based systems are low maintenance but run happiest with a moderate helping of synthetic (rubber-friendly) grease. I also found the medium spring can lead to bottoming out on longer road climbs, especially on the fixed (where I’m out of the saddle and placing most of my weight on the bars and pedals). Replacing springs is straightforward but getting the upper spring guide aligned proved trickier with the firmer option. 

   

I’m keeping their seat post clean and protected via larger wedge packs and have switched to an Axiom Grand Fondo, which aside from being super convenient size-wise, offers precisely the surface area to protect the moving components from wet stuff thrown up by the rear wheel.  

I will switch to the dedicated Kinekt model at some point, over Christmas. However, I am interested in testing compatibility with other brands, shapes, and sizes, including bike packing luggage. (Especially given it’s a design that’s also marketed at gravel audiences).  

In common with other suspension posts, including Cane Creek Thudbuster TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com)  there’s an aftermarket boot option to shield moving parts from the elements.  Elsewhere, while unpacking and investigating the storage boxes, I hit the helmet light jackpot, courtesy of this 550lumen Silva Pave’ Front light hailing from 2015. The lightweight, fossil shaped light gives a much purer arc of light than 550 lumens would suggest.