Fast Tangos & Old Faithfuls

 I wanted to get a few last rides in on the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream. Having played around with spacers, I found myself giving the bike a thorough washing and hard paste waxing. This led to me switching its tired looking Guee Silicone bar wrap for the T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Given my 5am riding schedule, I had rummage around the lighting box and found this Cat-Eye Volt 1700.  

The full 1700 is arguably overkill, even for these backroads (although nice to have, especially when things turn misty) and I would’ve preferred a 1100lumen setting to staircase down to. However, it goes from 1700 to 500lumen, which is too steep a drop for navigating.  

Up the rear, I’ve gone for this Moon Shield Rear Light, which is another very potent model and one that I’m genuinely very fond of. During the cleaning phase, I stripped the existing wax lube and though tempted to go the Muc Off Ludicrous AF route, opted for a light helping of Peaty’s Link Lube Premium All-Weather PEATY'S LINK LUBE PREMIUM ALL WEATHER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

After some deliberation, rather than switch the Cat-Eye between bikes, I decided to partner the Ravemen CR600 to its LR500S RAVEMEN LR500S FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) cousin, generating 1100 lumens all told. 

The latter’s beam quality is far mightier than the 500lumens might imply, too.  To my surprise, Ursula’s shifting had gone off the boil again, particularly midway across the cassette. Despite close, methodical scrutiny and the root cause elusive but pruning the chain by two links and replacing the shift cable proved the cure.  

Disappointing given I’d only had eight weeks from that inner cable. I ordered a few replacements since these are staples and though there’s never a good time for failure, it usually strikes at the least opportune moment.  

Keeping them clean and lightly lubed with GT85GT85 ALL PURPOSE LUBRICANT (sevendaycyclist.com), or similar maintenance spray certainly helps-particularly through winter but the gritty, grotty weather will still shorten their life. Heavy duty PTFE sprays have their merits but if you must go this route, apply once. Repeated applications will slowly result in a PTFE “fatberg”.   

Inner wires are cheap to replace, so change a daily driver’s seasonally and buy stainless where you can. 

It’s now palpably colder and darker in the mornings- its struggling to double figures, so I’ve switched to the ¾ length bibs and long sleeve jerseys. Middleweight fare for now, and I’m still defaulting to the cheap but very cheerful Passport Crochet Back Cycling MittsTEST & REVIEW: PASSPORT CROCHET BACK CYCLING MITTS (sevendaycyclist.com) That said; stronger winds and falling leaves are nudging me to dig out lightweight full-finger gloves, such as these Specialized, or the Oxford North Shore Gloves OXFORD NORTH SHORE GLOVES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Not to mention a thicker, water-resistant cap, I’m still a fan of Prendas Ciclismo  Lisboa Waterproof Cycling Cap PRENDAS CICLISMO LISBOA WATERPROOF CAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

While rooting through some light boxes, trying to locate a high-power compact light for the Teenage Dream, I unearthed this now discontinued Xeccon Mars 60 COB Rear Light TESTED: XECCON MARS 60 COB REAR LIGHT (sevendaycyclist.com) A light that might be a little quirky but one I’m still very endeared to .

Nite Rider Solas 30 Rear Light is another rear light falling into this category and mine’s still going strong over five years later.    Talking of which, we’re big fans of E-bikes. To clarify, they may not be my passion, let alone my area of expertise but there’s a lot to like. Contemporary machines making cycling accessible to new audiences.  

Electric-assist cargo bikes are increasingly a viable alternative to small vans, especially in congested town and city centres. Commuting on an e-bike can be more practical than a traditional bicycle, dressed in formal office, or more casual threads, running utility and bike-as-car errands.  

E-assist also ensures older, or more vulnerable riders can enjoy longer distance rides, with a little assistance, as and if required. Steve and his family has enjoyed their time with this model FREEDOM BY DESIGN | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)   

  

The Case for Compact Lights

 

Generally riding in the arse end of beyond, high power dynamos are my default form of bike lighting, especially during the darker months. Switching Ursula’s superb K-Lite Bike packer UltraK LITE BIKEPACKER ULTRA DYNAMO LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) for its Bikepacker Pro V2K LITE BIKEPACKER PRO V2 FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) cousin was something of an inspired decision. I am totally smitten with the K-lite family of dynamo lights. The Bikepacker Ultra is the most potent but the Pro V2’s bijous profile has freed up a surprising amount of useable handlebar space, without a tangible loss of performance.  

Nonetheless, compact, mid power lights certainly have their place.  

Clutter-phobic best/sunny day’s machines are the most obvious. These might not see dark, greasy, salty wet roads but often enjoy late summer playtimes, where dusk can sneak up on us. Blinkies are the obvious weapons of choice but dusk and beyond calls for something more potent. The sort that can be navigated by.  

This Ravemen CR600 is a case in point, hence why it’s now adorning the Teenage Dream’s bars (although photographed on my fixed gear winter trainer). As the name implies, it pumps out a maximum of 600lumens and tapers down to 300, 150 and 50lumens, with two flashing modes for good measure. Now, in keeping with this genre of light, run times in the highest settings. 1hour 20 minutes or so, in this instance.  

However, Ravemen lights have some particularly nice, innovative touches, including the ability to plug “power bank” type auxiliary supply to buy some more time, should the integral battery tank. Ravemen also offers a wired “remote” button for easy mode changes on the fly.  

Even along pitch black lanes, 600 lumens provide decent presence but if your training run/commute involves navigating longer sections of unlit roads, 1000lumens would be my benchmark. Lumens are only part of the story though- lens and reflector quality are equally important. Ravemen LR500S Front Light is a prime example of this RAVEMEN LR500S FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) . 

Compact lights can also make good companions and backups for dynamo systems. Even with the K-Lite units, I like to have a blinky on the go and though problems with high-end, high-power dynamo systems are rare, should something unexpected happen, you’ve got backup. Besides, a little torch type model is useful for tackling punctures, diagnosing strange noises, rummaging through luggage etc. Models, such as Moon Meteor Vortex are less compact but have replaceable batteries . 

This has two advantages, the most obvious being that the light isn’t necessarily bin fodder when the battery is. However, it also means you can carry a couple of fully charged spares and slip them in, to extend ride times. Prior to the Ravemen, I had been running the Moon Meteor.  

A very discrete unit delivering 400 lumens in top but with a, attention-grabbing 500 lumen daylight flash. 400 lumens are more than adequate for those afternoons, or early mornings when dusk and dawn are en route and presence is called for. Talking of presence, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Brightside Bright, Amber & Sideways BRIGHTSIDE BRIGHT, AMBER & SIDEWAYS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Look closely and you’ll notice I’ve pensioned off the Teenage Dream’s tri bar wrap in  favour of the remnants of Velo Orange Rubbery bar Tape. Knew I’d find a use for it and in this instance, it was literally made to measure.  

The Ritchey wrap had served faithfully for several years but was starting to look tired in places and I knew the Velo Orange would upgrade damping and grip. Not that I ride on the Tri Bars for extended distances and, but these Cinelli Mini Sub 8 Aero Extensions are suitably unobtrusive, while still offering decent shelter from the wind.  

Talking of the Teenage Dream, it’s now 31 years since the original build and It marked my transition to adulthood, and mirroring myself, has evolved progressively since.  

Aside from some fond memories of tractor racing and philosophising with friends on balmy summer rides (talking about women, essentially), I don’t reflect fondly on this period of my life, or the 90s, generally. 

There were definite, tangible achievements, some lessons learned, and significant people met but equally, some very dark and austere times. There is nothing to be gained from living in the past. Learn from it, take only those of genuine significance and continue forward along the winding road.