Grabbing life By the Bars

 

Bar tapes (grips too) are very personal matters. Testing aside, my preference has changed over the years from the Bike Ribbon glossies and Grab-On foam touring pieces to polymers and more recently silicones. Some riders change seasonally, although this is often within racing circles, coinciding with cable switches and similar prep.

Makes good sense, given the demands of racing and ultimately the need to have everything bang-on. Arguably tapes should be more frequently on bikes regularly ridden on indoor trainers, since sweat can seep in and, ultimately, induce corrosion related damage.

 As I'm always saying, contact points are very personal things, but tape ranges from inexpensive to decidedly steep, depending on preference. I've been sent some Cinelli Classic Road Bar Tape, which retails at an uncharacteristically wallet-friendly £12. I recall a time-my early teens, specifically, where the only Cinelli I could afford was an Italian made water bottle emblazoned with the Cinelli logo. Ironically enough, this was 1987, the year Cinelli introduced their cork tape employing EVA for damping.

Corks offer warm, natural, wicking properties.  This is black, which arguably compliments, or contrasts pretty much any existing colourway, although there are eight alternatives.  It’s described as a medium thickness and at 2.5mm, I’m inclined to agree. At 250cm long, in theory there’s ample for most bars, including the big curly gravel types with generous amounts of overlap, or indeed gel underlays, which would be the route I’d go, if venturing off road.

 I returned from a ride on Denise, decided I’d “just” switch the Maxxis Ravager rear that was serving as a control (while I was gaining familiarity and comparison with the Continental Terra). However, this led to one of those infamous fettling orgies. Having switched the tyre, I found the rear mech’s inner wire was fraying, so replaced that and the final section of outer cable. Predictably, this cured some intermittent phantom shifting, led to a sudsy bucket wash and ultimately, me stripping and regreasing the Hollowtech II axle. Credit to the Zefal Pro II Grease, it was holding out well.

However, I wanted to see how effective the Muc-Off wax Chain Cleaner was on other, stubborn lubricant.  Surprisingly so, although warm water, stiff bristled brush and a couple of rinses were needed to strip the Zefal Pro II Grease Zefal Pro II Grease | cycling-not-racing.   dressing the Holdsworth’s bars in the Cinelli, adding two Garmin-type mounts since I was in the flow. One for the Coospo CS600 Coospo CS600 GPS | cycling-not-racing, the other for a compact light- Magicshine’s Allty 400 in this instance, since it has a very effective daylight flash.

The sun was shining and now was the time to enjoy my beloved sunny day’s plaything.  I’m arriving at the conclusion that corks have much wider horizons than 80’s road bikes with pencil thin stays. They’re very relevant for daily drivers, winter bikes, cyclo cross rigs and indeed, touring lorries. Nonetheless, they fit best with traditional drops with uniform diameters. Getting the Cinelli logos to line up on the Holdsworth’s Carbon Coefficient Wave Handlebar COEFFICIENT WAVE HANDLEBAR | cycling-not-racing which has plenty of curves and varying diameters proved a little challenging. Thankfully, the adhesive backing is tacky, rather than sticky, so very tolerant of being re-wound.

Cork responds best to a firm, uniform pressure, it also gives decent feedback before it comes close to tearing.  I had plenty left over, so used some to dress this Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing. The aim was to provide a grippy, secure host for action cameras and lamp mounts.

100psi apiece in the tyres, out on the Holdsworth, I’ve found the tape provides excellent grip and reasonable damping from low level vibration over washboard surfaces. Brilliant for charging hills and enjoying the bike’s spirited side, while improving comfort on rides exceeding three hours or so.

Given the bars unusual profiles, I’ve erred towards silicones, which can give a slightly chunkier look but offer phenomenal grip and damping.  The frameset is made from plain gauge 531 and coupled with the 28mm tyres, carbon bars and titanium stem suggest a sprightly, yet compliant ride. Broadly true, although tempered by the deep section rims and large flange hubs. These accelerate quickly but can also feel quite direct, given three hours or so.

Thus far, the pairing is proving a good fit, but we’ll see how the weeks and miles pass.  I also took the decision to introduce a Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing since I wanted a sleeker aesthetic. The 70mm “perch” was also wrapped in some leftover Cinelli Cork for grip. I stand by my statement regarding length, but have managed to mount the Allty 400 and ORP Smarthorn TESTED: ORP SMART HORN together and without issue.

I’d received an 18 tooth Halo fixed sprocket, so decided to whip Muffin’s wheel out and check how well the Zefal pro II Grease was faring after some very soggy, wintry months. Using the Feedback Sports Cassette Pliers Feeback Sports Cassette Pliers | cycling-not-racing both 16 and 17 tooth fixed sprockets released readily. Ample grease remained on the threads. A fresh lick of grease on the threads and I spun the 18 and 17 tooth sprockets fully home. This also presented the opportunity to give Muffin a deep clean. Yes, including beneath the Mudhugger Gravel Hugger Mudguard MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing and rear triangle.

Dried, I applied a quick dab of primer to two stone chips, reinstated the wheel and set the chain tension. Not done there, I noted the front brake needed a quick tweak and was suddenly gripped by the urge to substitute the 287 V for an Evo V. Before I knew it, the tape was off, cable disconnected, 287 on the bench. Ten minutes later, Evo V and new cable in situ. Modulation and feel were good with the 287 but seemingly superior with the Evo.  I’ve switched to this Genetic Hi-Grip Black tape, since it arrived on my test bench.  For time being, I’ll stick to enjoying some seriously spring-like weather on the Holdsworth.  I'll close here with my review of the Muc-Off Wax Chain Cleaner Muc-Off Chain Wax Cleaner 500ml | cycling-not-racing and Steve's review of the Castelli Espresso 2 Jersey Castelli Espresso2 Jersey | cycling-not-racing   

White Witches, Wrenching & Other Intrigue

The Genesis Croix de fer 2.0 has certainly cast a playful, engaging and dependable spell upon me. 180 mixed terrain miles and counting.  There’s no space for another machine and in any case, simple, squeezed economics preclude such indulgence. However, swooping through the S bends or enjoying its punchy climbing prowess conjures thoughts of building a frameset along similar lines.

I’m thinking rear facing track ends, two sets of bottle bosses, disc mounts and spacing for Alfine/similar hub transmission. This would give the option of running it fixed (packing the hub with spacers), single speed freewheel, or geared.

Cyclo cross bikes were a well-kept secret for countless years, until renewed interest in the discipline saw larger names cotton on, producing “civilian” ranges with wider gearing, mudguard/carrier eyelets, several sets of bottle bosses and similar refinements.

In many respects, the Croix de fer is a prime example of this species. Said Chimera is to cross what road path was to track-capable in competition, yet faithful weekday donkeys that will tour equally convincingly. Steel blades have been largely eclipsed in sporting terms by carbon/composites but remain extremely practical and arguably better suited to this design brief.

Short in the torso, I’m finding reach a little stretched-not painfully so and steering could never be described as barge like. Nonetheless, I’m going to see what difference a 9cm extension makes.

The past 140 miles have coincided with seasonally appropriate temperatures and challenges; though there’s been no hint of going “rubber up” due in part to the super supple 35mm Continental cyclo cross speed tyres. Designed for hard/dry courses, they’ve been surprisingly competent in soggy, churned bridle path and through leafy forest trails.

Proof that dual purpose isn’t synonymous with woefully lacking, they roll quickly over tarmac at 80psi and contribute to the “magic carpet” ride quality. I’d consider a set of these for the Ilpompino but being an earlier incarnation, its rear triangle shuts the door to anything bigger than 32mm with mudguards. 

Conversely, the Croix de fer will entertain 38mm spiked snow/ice rubber with breathing space, though playing it safe, I’d err on something 35mm like Kenda’s Klondike skinny.

Sticking with tyres in a broader context and reverting to the 90s when I lived in the capital, I found myself bitten by the “frankenbike” hybrid concept. This involved dressing an older/new old stock, upper mid-range Cro-moly XC mtb frameset in a hotchpotch of aesthetically agreeable goodies that made it stop, go and handle in decent proportion.

44/46cm Drop bars were easily acquired-cheap as chips too but patterns were decidedly conservative and a bit whippy when pushed hard.  Given  ‘Cross racing’s such a short season on these shores, many riders entered on MTBs, which were welcomed, or at least superficially most people seemed live n’ let live about things. 

Hutchinson even produced a 26x1.4 ‘cross specific model for this market. Capable, it was also decidedly niche and priced accordingly. Prior to their discovery, I also had surprisingly good results in dry to moderate conditions with WTB 26x1.5 All Terrainasaurus (£6pr NOS back in 2001).

The Univega is an extension of this concept and originally conceived for long and short haul rough stuff touring. Having upgraded its computer, subsequent test runs confirmed the head unit’s location was incompatible.

Further bin diving couldn’t retrieve a compatible bar mount, so I modified the stem-fit using Sugru putty impregnated with a powerful button magnet.  This tethers securely to the stem’s preload bolt and is effortlessly removed when performing headset strips/servicing or just locking up in the street.             

Coinciding with a bar wrap group test at Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.co.uk, its tainted, though extremely agreeable Lizard Skins DSP (Dura Soft Polymer) tape has been superseded by Cinelli “Chubby Ribbon”.

Claimed 30% thicker than traditional corks, there’s plenty of it, although greater density meant several revisions before pleasing, uniform effect was achieved. By contrast, this equally fetching M-part tape (M-part is Madison cycles in house brand) breezed aboard in fifteen minutes flat.

Fashioned from leather look polyurethane, its reckoned to deliver in all weathers, thus “particularly suited to daily commuters and winter bikes”. Initial impressions suggest so but in common with a few other titles, we test things for at least several weeks and a good few hundred miles before arriving at any firm, conclusive opinion. Let’s see what another 300 miles through wet, cold and fairly mucky February roads reveal….

Finally, let’s talk torque wrenches. Like track pumps, they’re not essential in the literal sense-most of us will snug something tight, guess tyre pressure when recovering from a roadside flat (though most of us carry Co2 cartridges and/or some form of gauge too). Emergencies aside, incorrect assembly tension has the very real potential to threaten life and limb via ruin components, frames and voids warrantees.  

Thankfully as prices for space age materials tumble, consumer tooling follows suit. £50 buys something like this M-Part, which comes complete with protective carry case and compliment of popular bits. Regardless of type; these are very sensitive to everyday wear n’ tear, let alone abuse, so should always be stored in their protective cases at the lowest settings.

“Click” models such as this are the most common variety. These employ a factory calibrated clutch mechanism with a pivoted head indicating when desired pressure has been achieved.  

STOP AT THE FIRST CLICK, beyond this places additional strain on the component/fastener, enticing fatigue and the risk of tool destruction (though you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise, watching some automotive fitters!!).

A consistent, mechanically sensitive technique is equally imperative. Components such as four bolt stem faces demand following a diagonal pattern to prevent stress points or stripped threads. You did introduce that lick of grease/bonding agent….