Trips

This Kinesis Tripster Ace arrived at my door last week, so I wasted no time in swinging a leg over the top tube and getting ninety miles in.

Our tester is the 60cm, which is a little on the generous side for yours truly-I’ve a 33 inch inseam, stand 1m81 and would be better served by a 57. ACE is an acronym, meaning “Adventure, Commute, and Explore”; though Upgrade bikes tell me at a penny shy of £800; it’s aimed at the cycle to work audience who want a versatile workhorse cum commuter with a little extra sparkle.  

Two hundred miles hence and I’m rapidly concluding this is a very fair reflection.

Features of note include a 6061 chassis with some obvious mountain bike DNA-just look at those curvy stays, industrial looking ends and beautifully executed TIG welds. Carbon forks follow this narrative, although this standard of detail comes as little surprise. Kinesis built their enviable reputation on high quality, competitively priced aftermarket frames/forks and have only recently entered the complete bike market.

Some people sneer at Sora but lower end groupsets are ideal choices for daily drivers- functional, yet cheap to replace when they finally turn sloppy and don’t scream “steal me” in the same way Tiagra or 105 would. New chains and cassettes are plentiful and can be found online for £15, ideal for keeping running costs low on a bike used in all weathers.  

Tektro Clara hydraulic discs are another lovely (moreover, inexpensive) surprise. Modulation, feel and stopping prowess is impressive-not in the same league as a high end hybrid system perhaps but fade is minimal-even when screaming downhill and towing a trailer’s worth of kit.  Light years ahead of mechanical types in every respect. Lower maintenance is a bonus too, no more adjusting pads and hoses seem reassuringly stout although some may be put off by the need to bleed the system every so often.

The overall package is very subtle though very seductive, so choose location carefully and follow the 10% (of bikes replacement value) rule locks-wise when parking in the street.  Anyhow, I’ll put 400miles on it and you can read my full report in an upcoming edition of "Seven Day Cyclist."

Talking of discs, I was rationalising the spares bin when I resurrected these Cane Creek V brake road levers, which also played very nicely with mechanical discs. Arguably my Ilpompino's existing R200 unit works more than adequately but being a perpetual fettler, I'm consumed by the urge to improve on this when a wet and windy Saturday afternoon presents.  Anything designed for Vs is an absolute no-no for cantilevers on account of the amount of cable pull-grab and handful and you’ll pitch yourself straight into A&;E...

Aside from the KA refusing to start, or idle-suggesting its ignition coil pack (a common mk1 

KA vulnerability) was expiring last Sunday night, Stenning photographic was busy in the midlands. 

This week I was commissioned to capture a 65^th birthday bash in Birmingham and am presently working with some models, seeking out suitable locations to shoot their starter port-folios in September. This will dictate choice of equipment- lenses, filters, lighting and backdrops. An exciting and moreover, very welcome new challenge for me-stay tuned.

Toil n’ Trouble: Eight Inches from Disaster

Having reached the stage in our collaboration, where progress now remains in the hands of a third party, I’ve been immersing myself in testing new, seasonal kit and other distractions. 

Some folks consider full length mudguards (fenders) an affront to their street cred but aside from serving ‘cross or mountain bikes, there’s nothing cool about that filthy racoon stripe along your back (or the bike’s most intricate regions saturated with corrosive silt).

Axiom Road Runner LX reflex enjoy some genuinely innovative features that make installation to less conventional configurations refreshingly easy. Designed with ample coverage for 35-38mm tyres; these will suit the latest generation of civilian cross builds doubling as weekend tourers, trainers/club bikes during the off-season.

Assuming you didn’t want to take the zip-tie route, fitting to framesets with mtb inspired wishbone rear triangles, such as On-One’s earlier Ilpompino and Planet X's Kaffenback series demands drilling the chrome plastics, negating time-saving convenience of pre-fitted stays.

Doing so also voids the lifetime warrantee, although a moot point given their quality and since I also like mounting dynamo/battery lamps here too.   

Other modifications will include 3M reflective stickers given the lack of pin-striping that makes a surprising difference to nocturnal safety-especially combined with reflective tyre walls. However, this is all minor stuff-the guards themselves have lovely profiles and should retain their looks several years’ down the line.

Stainless steel hardware might be expected these days, though quality still varies. These seem similarly top-notch, responding positively to gentle manipulation and shouldn’t succumb to the salt monster’s first lick.   

Autumn and winter calls for different lubes and I’ve been sent plenty of lovely chain lotions in the past few weeks. All seem pretty impressive in terms of economy, drivetrain efficiency, cleanliness and longevity.

However, I’ve found myself particularly endeared to Carbon Pro’s composite friendly, biodegradable range based on highly sophisticated vegetable fats. Admittedly, there’s a price tag differential that some riders may find difficult to swallow, given the astounding value that some mineral oil/ PTFE blends offer.

Less of an issue for tarmac warriors perhaps but the latter aren’t particularly kind to waterways and aquatic life, which is a consideration sans asphalt. “Environmentally friendly” is no longer synonymous with below par performance and thus far, I’m gobsmacked by their cleanliness and staying power compared with petrochemical competition. 

Sustainable sources are an obvious choice for the eco-system but alternatives to fossil based fuels has the potential to diffuse (though not eliminate) the perpetual clamouring and conflicts arising from control/ownership of crude oil reserves.   

After some deliberation, I plumped for mounting the Geonaute atop, rather than to the side, which would leave it more vulnerable to crash damage, especially along slippery carpets of mulched leaves.

This delivers decent, shake-free footage when angled correctly, although makes selecting  functions on the fly a little tricky and explains why Go-Pro have taken the touch screen route on their Hero4 .

Ironically, the Geonaute’s li-on cell depleted just as an elderly woman cut the corner of a junction, on my side of the carriageway…

Everything unfolded in slow motion, I felt a powerless bystander as the silver “A” class Mercedes seemed unable to stop, or change course. Tyres rasped against the wet tarmac and collision averted by a matter of eight inches. Cocooned within shock, I allowed her to pass and was subjected to her indignant rant about “looking where I was going!!!”

Staying with cameras, I took the opportunity to acquire some more equipment during another visit to Britain’s former industrial heartlands. I’d been resisting temptation on the “want, not need” basis despite temping very close to several camera dealerships.

I’d been hunting a Sony Alpha (Minolta) mount wildlife lens for some time, though couldn’t justify the lion’s share of £1,000 for a showroom fresh example. In swept serendipity and this 400mm Tokina.

Contrary to popular misconception, lenses are generally very durable, lasting many years with basic care/sensible storage. Bodies manage eighteen months before collecting their pensions in commercial contexts.

Telephotos of this focal length aren’t an everyday item either, thus buying used makes better business sense. Fancy a favourably priced 55-200mm example for my NEX5 too, expanding its street and sports potential in situations where SLRs are just too intrusive/unwieldy. Then again, this very much hinges on other developments…   

Reportage!

The 32gb Micro SD card’s arrival coincided with my own, somewhat reluctant return from the marvellous midlands…

K-Edge and modified Delkin Brackets seem to be doing their thing handsomely, although given the levels of distortion, I’m now convinced resin handlebar tidies/extension beams aren’t ideal platforms. Thankfully the padded leather bar wrap proves a better host. In any case, I picked up a model specific helmet kit while mooching around Decathlon on Friday evening.

This present spec would bring the total cost to around £150, though includes the biggest card possible, some lateral thought and experimentation. Like the idea of a plug in LCD screen but this is a luxury for another time-if at all.

I

mage and build quality continue to impress and functions are intuitive, allowing easy operation, even when hurtling into hairpin descents. However, I need to resolve low-level vibration before its true potential is realised, or anything serious committed to you tube.

Talking of tubes, the resin end of my uber long workshop tyre fitting wand mysteriously fractured, so I contacted Cyclo’s distributors, seeking to purchase a replacement directly.

Despite being a couple of months outside of warrantee, Weldtite kindly sent me another free of charge along with some other “taster” products. A lovely gesture and means I can resume effortless tyre (or indeed, tire) swapping.  www.weldtite.co.uk

Elsewhere, we’re reaching the penultimate stages in our collaboration, so hopefully herculean effort will translate into tangible reward very, very shortly.