Puncture Plagues, Torrential Rains & Perpetual Cleaning

I awoke at 4am to a chill 1 degree. On with the Belgian cap, bib tights, Pearson jersey and waterproof technical jacket and out to the garage. A quick, cursory check of Ursula’s Maxxis Overdrive Excel tyre Maxxis Overdrive Excel Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) revealed the front was pancake flat.  

I switched to the fixed-an ideal opportunity to test the Sanmarie GT saddle to see whether it was the saddle or machine that were incompatible with me... Seems the latter-having ridden with various bib tights and pad styles. This switch also presented the opportunity to touch up Ursula’s Ritchey dropout with some matching Humbrol enamel paint and giving it sufficient time to cure between coats.  

Back to the Maxxis, I returned and fixed the flat. This was caused by a small stone that had slowly burrowed into the casing, beyond the puncture-repelling belt and nicking the wafer-thin butyl tube.  

Said tube already sported one patch, so I scrapped it- two patches is my general limit on mid-higher-end butyl. I might patch a budget offering once but it’s not worth the false sense of security as a spare- the risk of failure’s too great. I inflated the tyre and filled the casing with a drop of superglue. I tossed another spare in the Axiom Monsoon Ocean Wave City+ Sea Bag AXIOM OCEANWAVE CITY+ SEAT BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  and thought I’d be fine.  

Fast forward three days and, yes...the dreaded hiss. Rear this time and another that had the good grace to hold off until I was stripping the scuzz from another week’s riding through monsoon conditions. Two spares (wafer-thin) proved faulty and were similarly dispatched to the bin. I couldn’t find any foreign objects or minor holes within the rear Maxxis on this occasion. Time to order another batch of new, better-quality butyl-added to cart very promptly, especially at the price offered.  Oh, and here’s my review of the Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

The STX front mech has now settled down to the point I can confidently slide the Microshift bar-end shifter without fear it might travel too far in either direction. Particularly welcome on sharp, dark climbs.  

I’m pleased with these upgrades and plan to just ride, clean and enjoy the old girl for a while. I haven’t decided which machine will sport the TRP HYRD calliper. Assuming Ursula isn’t the beneficiary, I’ll replace the Disco Brakes semi-metallic pads Disco Disc Brake Pads and Wavey Rotors | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) with another set, come the close of May. Wear has been pedestrian so far, but it has been very wet as with chains, cables and other consumables, managed replacement rather than waiting until they’re wossnamed.  

Another 280 wet miles licked the Muc Off Wet Lube clean- not a reflection of the lube’s quality, or performance but an indicator of just how wet and filthy the roads and lanes have been recently. Perfect conditions for testing lubes, greases and protectant formulas though. Oh, clothing too, obviously. Here’s my review of the Showers Pass Elite Cycling Cap SHOWERS PASS ELITE CYCLING CAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Concentrates are my preferred choice when it comes to bike washes and degreasers. Primarily, since they can be brewed to suit different applications- watered down 10:1 for a standard, like for like bike wash, 15-20:1 for a potent blitzer- in contexts where organic and petrochemical stuff (spent chain lube, diesel and other oils thrown up from the road) has become caked on.  

Neat for degreasing drivetrains, hubs, headsets etc. When it comes to deep cleaning, I brush degreaser into the chain, rings, derailleur(s) etc and sometimes along the down tube, bottom bracket and chainstays. Then I apply bike wash liberally over the bike, starting at the bars and working along.  

Remember, gravity is your friend. Leave that nibbling away at the ingrained grime and give the drivetrain a tickling with a medium stiff brush-firmer pressure to the chain, cassette and rings-being mindful not to catch the arms and other surfaces.  

Agitate those subtle bubbles clinging to the frameset with a soft brush and once you’ve got the grime stripped, rinse with a bucket of Lukewarm water. Rinse again with cold, if needed.  

Dry and lightly relubricate chains, give cables a quick shot of maintenance spray (GT85 GT85 ALL PURPOSE LUBRICANT (sevendaycyclist.com) Motorex Joker 440 Motorex Joker 440 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  and of course, WD40. Staying with lubes a moment, I’ve reached for Zefal Extra wet Nano Ceramic ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), just to see how well the Muc Off Wet Lube compares with some old favourites in comparable conditions.   

Zen and the Art of Peaceful Problem Solving

 

Yes, I am borrowing from Robert M Pirsig’s “Zen and the art of motorcycle Maintenance”, which is a complex, yet engaging text about a middle-aged man and his son’s motorcycle trip together. They are accompanied by an adult couple, and it explores all sorts of deep questions via the journey interwoven with and reference to, motorcycle maintenance... 

I digress...  

They say things come in three. In this instance, cooked hub bearings, punctures and recurring Aheadset play with Ursula’s recently replaced Stronglight ST. A few possibilities sprung to mind. The most obvious that I mixed old and new crown races. Stripping confirmed I had in fact, put the old, worn race on the new fork. I’d cleaned the old race to inspect condition and must’ve placed it too close to the new one. I switched and then closer inspection suggested the Gusset head lock bolt was just a little short too.  

Rummaging through the toolbox unearthed a slightly longer counterpart, so thread lock added. Everything snugged together nicely, and closer inspection revealed the crown race was old and quite well worn, given 8 years use. Used the remaining dregs of the Park Tool Polylube 1000 TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES (sevendaycyclist.com) on the replacement crown race and consigned the spent tube to the bin. Though annoying in some respects, the process of schematically working through, diagnosing and problem-solving is very cathartic. A means of decompressing, of calming the mind and working through other, unrelated things that are troubling me.  

Punctures...Well, no sooner had I become comfortable with the Specialized Road Sport, I succumbed to a series of tube-claiming flats. One thorn had left a small but pronounced cut in the tyre casing (easily fixed with a drop of premium grade super glue). A flint and glass were the next to cause mischief. Cheap (rather than discounted) tubes are always false economy.  

They’re OK as spares-getting you home, should you flat on the road/trail but very much contingencies. However, they’re often so thin, they’re bin fodder-patching is seldom reliable. Since we’re on the subject, decent patch kits are an equally sensible investment. I put my faith in the old-school feather-edged type. Glue-less types are too hit n’ miss for my tastes.  

Leaving tubeless out of the equation, there are alternatives to butyl. Latex and TPU being two I’ve had middling experience with. Latex is noticeably light and relatively strong. However, they typically need inflating every other day and are relatively expensive. TPU, such as these Pirelli PIRELLI CENTURATO REINFORCED SMART TUBE (sevendaycyclist.com) are also relatively expensive but very lightweight and contribute to a compliant ride-palpably so, in my experience. Traditionally these weren’t repairable, but this is changing. As an aside, they’re a bit easier to fit too. Nonetheless, I’d still carry a spare butyl tube, since roadside repair isn’t practical in my experience (patches require a few hours curing time).  

Sealant (typically latex) filled tubes are another option if you’re looking for some added puncture protection. These work by movement and pressure (loss) forcing the sealant to the hole. However, they also rely on the sharp being removed from the tyre casing too. Oh, and a blowout can be extremely messy.  

That said; I tend to go the aftermarket sealant route with Schrader valves and on trailer/tagalongs.  Thorn-resistant tubes are another option. These are the proverbial builder’s hose and hefty-460g for a 700x38 and made using 4.6mm butyl. However, I found them a blessing when Ursula, Joshua, and I were out on cold, bright winter rides-the last thing you want is a flat, 15 miles from home.  

Talking of which, I typically carry a couple of spares-700c and 26inch- old but serviceable (think 3rd and final patch), in case someone is genuinely stuck by the roadside. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I’m no “White Knight” or “Good Samaritan”. However, the spare can fail, ditto the pump- maybe you’ve run out of patches...These things can strike even the best prepared. I’d appreciate someone helping me in these situations-if they could. 

Talking of life’s little frustrations seems that the second, successive consignment of maintenance sprays had been “lost in transit” by the courier. One so notorious for this, they recently had to rebrand...Thankfully, after perseverance and the manufacturer’s strong customer service, a new batch has just materialised. On a different note, I'll leave you with my review of the Kranx Strix 100 USB Rear Light that I've been referring to recently Kranx Strix 100 USB Rear Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)