Spring Cleaning & Present Surprises

 

A post ride flash of inspiration and some quiet saw me fit the Roswheel Lightweight Touring Rack to Denise. Straightforward enough, although I found myself stripping the rack’s fasteners and giving them all a good lick of Oxford Mint Assembly Grease. There are some things I’m not completely sold on, but I’ll reserve judgement until we’ve done some proper miles.

 It’s a slimline, narrow design, especially the top rails and in my view, aesthetically paired to a road biased build-I’m talking Audax and lightweight tourer, through to gravel. 18 kilos maximum payload is a good bit lower than the 25 offered by Topeak Uni Super Tourist 2.0 Non Disc Rack Topeak Uni SuperTourist 2.0 NonDisc Rack | cycling-not-racing but perfectly adequate for general riding, weekend touring, commuting etc.

Given these contexts and the lightweight tag, I was pleased to discover there’s also a three-point mounting option.

I’ve gone the four- point route, since Denise sports these, and it's always been my preference. The grey powder coated finish looks sharp and has an interesting texture, although I noted ours was a little soft along the tops, where the arms rest. Welds are generally neat, albeit with a couple of workman-like, but solid beads at certain points.

As expected, the top mount struggles a little with trunk bags, such as my long serving, 13 litre Carradice, but despite the sides hanging over, it’s been surprisingly secure, even when I’ve been exploring some new bridlepath. Not that Eric the equine was remotely impressed when I stopped by, while dropping some stuff in the post box that evening.  

It also seems a good host to bigger panniers-I’ve the Lomo Zephyr Lomo Zephyr Waterproof Panniers | cycling-not-racing in situ since (a) I really rate them (b) I was keen to see how they’d sit against the rack’s sides, and I’m also running radar lights, which seem most accurate when mounted vertically. One point, and this goes for single-tier designs per se, it's trickier to run panniers and trunk bags together.

 Despite the rack tubing being standard 10mm thick, I’ve not managed to persuade either the Coospo TR70, or the BBB Signal BLS251 to sit securely, which isn’t the case with either the Topeak, or the M Part Summit M Part Summit Rear Rack | cycling-not-racing.  Crucially, both have embraced the rack’s dedicated LED mount.

 Rack testing in motion, I decided I needed to switch Muffin’s composite cages, since these showed a tendency to collect stubborn road film and grot. Black, white, or red would’ve been the most obvious compliments, but I had three silver offerings handy, so took that route.

Then, since the sun was shining, I plucked the Holdsworth from its hook and gave it a good sudsy bucket clean, stripped the congealed Blub Wax Lube Blub Wax Lube | cycling-not-racing and replaced it with the KMC Go.

Next the Cycology 8 days Handlebar Tape was showing signs of wear Cycology 8 days Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing, so presented the ideal opportunity to replace and fit the Dia Compe 138  hand rest to the left side. I redressed its bars in the contrasting orange T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape  T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing .

This was doing something close to nothing, was still in good shape and contrasts very nicely with the two-tone blue. A little job I’d planned to do when replacing Muffin’s bars and bar tape, but circumstances meant postponement.  Sometimes it’s the little things that bring the biggest smiles- an impromptu dusk saunter to the post box and a quick chat with Eric (the equine). being another.   

As for the KMC Go, I’ve been increasingly impressed by the formula’s staying prowess and cleanliness despite a cocktail of wet slippery roads, bridleways etc. As I suspected, it returns cleaner and flakes off in very small quantities, rather than the big flakes.

There’s some light peppering along the chainstays, and I do mean light. I’m 150 mixed terrain miles on the first helping and curious as to how many I can amass before there’s that familiar, faint metal-on-metal tinkling. I’m assured there’s no call to strip it, just remove any loose residual stuff and then top-up. We’ll see…

 

   

 

Baggage, Racks & Resurrections

 

Yes, I’ve plenty of the former apparently. Comes with age and experience but that’s not what I’m on about here, so don’t turn away just yet... Storms and general biblical rains have seen me switch Ursula back to the Carradice Carradry SQR Bag CARRADICE CARRADRY SQR BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) while the arrival of this Topeak Uni Super Tourist DX Disc rack saw the Carradice Super C Rack Bag resurrected from several years’ hibernation. I nearly sold it during the pandemic and so glad I didn’t.   

For the uninitiated, the Topeak Uni Super Tourist DX rack is made from hollow tubular 6061 T6 aluminium alloy, finished in a very fetching black powder coat. Ursula sported a Super Tourist DX for a few years-I was very endeared to it and some of the brands’ integrated MTX luggage. Integrated systems are a double-edged sword and on balance, I err towards luggage with a more universal, transferable fit. 

Talking of which, Uni stands for universal fitting, not just for bikes with disc mounts. According to Topeak, it’s built to entertain mtbs with 24–29-inch wheels and 700c builds. Oodles of clearance for big tyres- a boon if you’re switching between bikes of different genre.  

The beefy 10mm tubing also makes a reliable host to rear lights (assuming you’re not using two panniers) when the aero post insert is employed. This version now adorns the fixed gear winter/trainer’s braze-ons, for several reasons. Not least since I’ve been wanting to keep the Exotic carbon seat post, ruling out the SQR luggage I’m so fond of. 

There’s not much difference weight wise, the Carradry weighs 1390g, whereas the Topeak and Super C 1590g. At 915g for the Topeak is heavier than some tubular steel favourites and some aluminium alloy designs boasting similar, 26 kilo payloads. However, lateral stiffness is excellent. I’d much sooner a few extra grams and a laden bike that tracked and handled in good proportion, than one that felt like a runaway blancmange.

  

6061 racks should not be overloaded, or bikes lain down on their luggage. The former might sound obvious, but the latter also places increased stress on them. Wrapping electrical, or duct tape around the sections where luggage touches is another sensible precaution. I’ve only had two breakages in 38 years, and I’m pleased to report I was able to lash them up and ride home on both occasions. A well-known US brand replaced theirs under warranty-no quibble, no fuss.       

Though not a unique frameset by any means, my fixed gear winter has some quirks- most notably the mono stay rear triangle. I wondered if the Topeak’s disc-specific design would impede access to the track nuts-say when adjusting chain tension, or wheel removal.  

Not when using an open-ended 15mm but the cheap and usually cheerful box type are non-starters. I also needed to drop the rear, curvaceous Mud Hugger Gravel Hugger Mudguards MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) by a few millimetres, allowing me to bolt the rack and arms in situ. 

 

Topeak have gone for 5mm, rather than 4mm Allen heads but stayed with 8mm bolts- remember a standalone ring spanner, or a multi-tool, such as their Alien in case you need to nip things snug by the roadside. As would be expected, the nuts fasteners employ a thin, rubbery insert, minimising the likelihood of them vibrating loose and being ejected into a verge.  

Anyhow, I’m loving the increased carrying capacity- means I can bring changes of gloves, spare glasses, lightweight shell jackets/gilets and shoe covers for changeable conditions. I also like to postcards and similar stuff mid-ride.  

A time management thing-they’re already en route and off my list, before the business day has begun.  I’ve also resurrected this Showers Pass Men’s Elements Jacket. SHOWERS PASS MEN'S ELEMENTS JACKET | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) which is aimed at mountain bike audiences, but in my view, well suited to general riding.  

A little heavier than the Oxford Venture (399g compared with 249g) the Elements is a 2.5-layer hard shell laminate model boasts waterproof and breathability ratings of 15,000 apiece and has plenty of internal pockets. Mine is the Titanium version, which is a neutral grey by day but comes alive under street and vehicle headlights. There’s also a “Night Ride” which I’d describe as a similarly fetching green/grey.   

Talking of which editors have been kind and I’ve just received some Altura All Roads Waterproof Gloves. Essentially these are closer to a waterproof sock, than a traditional cycling glove, which along with their subtle colours extends horizons to other, more generic outdoor activities.   

There's a tactile outer made from a Polyester/Polyamide mix (49 and 44% respectively) coupled with 4% Elastodiene 2% Elastane and 1% metal fibre. Internally 75% acrylic, 18% Polyester, 3% Polyamide, 2% Elastodiene, and yes, 1% metal fibre. Palms have the all-important silicone grippers and tech-friendly digits, while retro-reflective finger and thumb tips stop things being too stealthy. Waterproofing is an impressive 22,000mm, breathability 4,500 g/m2/24hrs.   

Reminiscent of the Q365 Anfibio Winter Rain Cycling Gloves I reviewed last year, and there’s little separating them price-wise. Formative impressions are favourable, but it’ll be interesting to see how they really compare several hundred miles down the line. Steve's been really impressed by these Chiba Bioxcell Winter Warm Line Gloves Chiba Bioxcell Winter Warm-Line Gloves | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)

Talking of which, here’s my review of the Schwalbe Smart Sam Performance Line Folding Tyre Schwalbe Smart Sam Tyres | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)

I’d planned to resurrect the Weldite Extreme Wet Lube but couldn’t find it, so have opted for the SKS Lube Your Chain TESTED: SKS LUBE YOUR CHAIN (sevendaycyclist.com) instead- super durable in some very challenging conditions.