Filth Fighters & Other F Words

 

 

Cleaning and maintaining bikes is an integral part of riding. Some folks see it as a chore, but doing so greatly reduces the likelihood of problems developing mid-ride, possibly miles from home. It’s also the time to check things like chain and brake pad wear, tyres for shards of glass, cuts etc.

Did I mention cables, housings, loose mounting bolts, sloppy bearings…Winter aside (where I will typically rinse bikes with fresh cold water to dismiss road salt, grit and similarly corrosive, or abrasive nasties, I default to a good quality car wash n’ wax formula, since this will clean surfaces and leave a waxy, protective layer behind.

During the warmer months, there are waterless bike shampoos and washes that will remove light to moderate grime. Some, including this Moto Verde Waterless Wax Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax | cycling-not-racing will leave a high quality wax barrier behind. However, while they’re suitable for gloss surfaces-including plated, polished, carbon and anodising, you’ll need to look elsewhere for matts.  

There’s still a place for bike washes, although, outside of a testing context, I err toward the concentrates since these can serve as degreasers when purging dirty drivetrains and diluted “to taste” depending on whether I want something faster acting on really heavily soiled gravel, cross, or mountain bikes. People seem to like visually foamy formulas, seemingly of the belief they are doing more, whereas those that cling to the surfaces are actually breaking down the grime.

Against this backdrop, I’ve received this Stans Bio Based Bike wash 1litre. It’s a stock blend and like many others, makes a point of saying its biodegradable.

Biodegradable is one of those terms that’s a little vague and can just mean “it will eventually break down”. By the same token, it’s also worth saying that because something is made from natural ingredients, doesn’t mean to say its necessarily kind to user and finishes alike. Citrus is very acidic and while an incredibly effective lube stripper, requires careful deployment.   

The Stans contains Lauryl Glucoside Citrate, an alcohol derived from coconut, or palm. It’s a surfactant, meaning it allows water to mix with oil and grime, breaking the latter down and ultimately, making the surface easier to clean. On the plus side, it’s very gentle on skin (hence its use in baby shampoos, body washes), breaks down very quickly in water and produces a very rich, stable foam that clings convincingly to the host surface, thus gobbling the grime more effectively. 

However, these can also have a high PH level, some people with particularly sensitive skins can develop contact dermatitis. Like most products, avoid getting any in your eyes. If you do, rinse your eyes in clean water for a while and seek medical attention.  In common with hair shampoos and indeed, some other bike washes, its designed to be delivered over a wet bike, worked into a lather and rinsed with fresh water.

I remain impressed by the NZero Bike Degreaser NZero Bike Degreaser | cycling-not-racing  . It’s not the fastest acting, or the most visually exciting, but very effective and so long as you’re not too gung-ho a little goes surprisingly far. It can be diluted and used as a bike wash, or even used neat on heavily soiled bikes-just have buckets, brushes, sponges and similar cleaning implements handy and don’t leave longer than 60 seconds before doing the scrubbing and rinsing thing. There are other homely remedies for stripping drivetrains, from the highly flammable and therefore potentially dangerous, to the passable in a pinch.

Some folks advocate dishwashers but that to me has little benefit aside from damaging seals and other precious components. I would generally avoid washing up liquids (dish detergents) since these contain salts, which are corrosive and can dull lacquers and other finishes. That said, it’s also very effective at stripping lubes and grime from cassettes, chains and indeed, rings.  

Talking of which, in my excitement at finding a bargain, I discovered I’d bought a boost version of the Deore crankset, designed for a 73mm bottom bracket shell, whereas Denise is a 68mm. This wasn’t obvious, in the way it was with Ursula and the Zee but crept in over time, when I noted some exposed axle on the non-drive side, two hundred mixed terrain miles hence. Sorted now but note to self… All that glitters is not necessarily the correct length.  I’ll leave it here with my review of the Park TW5 2.0 Ratcheting Click Type Torque wrench Park Tool TW5 2.0 Torque Wrench | cycling-not-racing

 

 

Knowing The Score

Returning from some mixed terrain escapes on Ursula, I took the opportunity to check the fleet’s tyre pressures and other little “while I’m here” once-overs. Spinning my fixed gear winter/trainer’s front wheel revealed a warped disc rotor. It was also showing some tell-tale signs of scoring, resultant from unchecked pad wear. Wet, gritty conditions can chomp through seemingly serviceable pads with ruthless efficiency. Keep a spare set handy and re-order when you switch to those.    

Thankfully, I had a replacement rotor in stock. Laying both flat on the workbench confirmed the old Clarkes Rotor was showing some small but definite warping. I switched the two and instantly, the issue resolved. The old rotor was consigned to the recycling. I also confirmed that I had a replacement set of pads waiting in the wings.  

Tyre pressures checked and wheel(s) repatriated, I turned my attention to Ursula’s drivetrain, which was looking decidedly scuzzy, given a couple of weeks spent navigating wet, singletrack lanes and bridle path. Perfect for testing some more degreaser sprays. Waxy-type lubes, rather like other waxy products can become quite congealed, thus unexpectedly tenacious.  

Aside from the chain’s side plates, it usually collects around the front ring(s) derailleur cages and jockey wheels. This is where cassette claws (and similarly invasive scrubbers) come in handy- combing out the lion’s share of gunk, so your chosen de-greaser strips with greatest efficiency. Blends such as this Motorex, Muc-Off, and Weldtite Jet Blast Degreaser will all induce rapid melting and are time savers but won’t shift this in a single hit. 

Elsewhere, my fixed gear winter/trainer’s cockpit reshuffle has proven a winner all round for me. Time well spent, although I had to stop and snug the Campark V40 waterproof housing hardware down Facebook. I’ve also decided to switch lamps over i.e., the Bikepacker Ultra to Ursula and its new, low drag counterpart over to my fixed gear winter/trainer.  

A couple of weeks down the line, the K-Lite low drag dynamo has proven this latter quality and I want to see just how much difference, the benefits and indeed, any limitations of this version. Not that drag has ever been an issue with the K-Lite family and I’ve lived with them for many thousands of miles. However, this drop in resistance seems to result in even greater, palpable reward. Over a familiar 12-mile loop, I’ve maintained 20mph, as distinct from a very respectable 18.6 with the sibling units switched on.    

While switching things around, I decided to look more closely at the new K-lite mounts and I plumped for a Go-Pro pattern for Ursula’s Velo Orange Handlebar Accessory Mount VELO ORANGE HANDLEBAR ACCESSORY MOUNT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and once again, re-thought my fixed gear winter trainer’s set up. This time, I’ve moved the switch to the Genetic accessory mount, besides the VDO computer-checking to ensure it didn’t interfere with the wireless signal. No issues so out came the cable ties, and everything was tethered firmly in situ.  

I’d toyed (and investigated) mounting the switch atop the Redshift Sports Shockstop Suspension Stem TEST & REVIEW REDSHIFT SPORTS SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION STEM (sevendaycyclist.com) but the flat profile precluded pleasing effect. The idea to switch to another stem was extinguished, just as soon as it arrived. Anyhow, said brain fart aside, I’m pleased with the result and will resume testing.  Now the weather has finally become aligned with early summer, I’ve been enjoying the Teenage Dream’s charms, in the Sunday best sense1991 ROAD BIKE REVAMP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Ursula and fixed gear winter/trainer are still doing the daily driver mileage. I’m still running the Bat Wax Lube on the fixed but when it comes to Ursula, can’t seem to settle on a wet, dry, or wax type, given the still changeable weather.    

 

As Easy as One, Two Zee...Well, not quite ...

Braking up to scratch and headset buttery smooth, the UN55 bottom bracket was showing the early signs of slop. Nothing serious but seeing as I already had a UN300 on standby and time allowed, rude not to replace. All was going to plan until I put a shot of lube on the tool threads and coupled it with the cranks.  

I was rather shocked to discover them flaking away.  Thankfully, popping them from the tapers wasn’t a hardship and no surprise the bottom bracket spun free with comparable ease, thanks to my policy of liberally greasing threads and of course, oceans of frame preserve... Time to investigate my transmission box...  

Enter the Shimano Zee and 36 tooth ring, compatible bottom bracket, Acor tools and some of the Corrosion Block grease, since it was to hand. Now, I’d bought the Zee blind. Other than acknowledging that it was new, unused, and priced to sell, I didn’t think to check the axle length... It’s not the most obvious choice perhaps, given it's intended for freeride and downhill audiences. However, it's solid and in my view, quite pretty.  

Hollow Tech II basically works to the same compression principle as Aheadset. Set the bearing preload hand tight, test for play and good movement, then gently snug the pinch bolts down to 14nms (alternating between them, to ensure equal loading and avoid damage caused by over-stressed components).  

Being as the cranks provide the compression, if I was going to run the system successfully (without the bearings constantly coming loose) I needed to plug this. One-inch Aheadset spacers seemed the obvious solution. Rummaging through my small parts toolbox proved fruitful.  

While there’s a lot to like about the Shimano Hollowtech II bottom bracket (and their bottom brackets, per se), I wasn’t taken with the plastic sleeve, so found myself upgrading to a titanium Van Nicholas VNT Ceramic Bottom Bracket. This has a titanium, rather than composite sleeve, so engaged very precisely within the frame shell.  

Essentially everything came together beautifully, although I was quick to apply a liberal helping of suitable grease to the threads, shaft and bearings. Always a good policy but there was no way I was going to run the galvanic gauntlet for the sake of a couple of minutes. Having exhausted the Corrosion Block, I went for the Green Oil Eco GreaseTWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com). It might lack the outright stoicism of Park and similar but nonetheless, it’s a solid middleweight performer.  

Being several degrees below zero, it emerged from the spout in a more solid state than some petrochemicals but malleable. Thus far, this present configuration is proving very satisfactory. Chain line is bang on and I’m not pedaling like John Wayne. Just as well since pandemic and Brexit is beginning to bite in terms of acquiring suitable replacements e.g. Deore and at sensible prices.  The UK is a third country now, so importing from Europe would incur punitive import costs. In essence, I will stick with the present configuration and evaluate other options, should limitations with the setup materialise.   

 

While rummaging through my spares boxes like a possessed spirit, I also happened upon the trail version of K-Lite's Bike Packer Ultra. K LITE BIKEPACKER ULTRA DYNAMO LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Suspicious that the V2 issues may boil down to the lamp, rather than the “box”, I performed the switch... On the one hand, being the same family, I would expect the switch and connectors to play nicely, but that shouldn’t be taken as a given. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the lamp came to life, so I tethered it to the Soma Condor 2 Shallow Drop bars SOMA CONDOR 2 SHALLOW DROP BARS | (sevendaycyclist.com)  and am back to swooping through the empty lanes, which are now largely free of anything slippery, thanks to a sudden hike in temperature. However, there’s a fair bit of standing water, so sans guards, bikes get mucky. Nothing a decent bike wash won’t shift. Steve’s been quite impressed by the Pure PURE BIKE WASH | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Larger bike packing luggage, including this Zefal Z Aventure R11 do a decent job of doubling as a rear guard, protecting rider and saddle from the watery worst.