When Things Go Smoothly...

 I’ve seen a bit of bar con bashing online recently. In common with others who are vocal in their destain for things, much of the comments come from ignorance, so are arguably irrelevant. Some suggesting cables run THROUGH the handlebars. Sure, they’ve fallen from mainstream gaze and lack the light, snappiness of Brifters but they’re also lighter and ultra-dependable. Great for back of beyond touring, beasts of burden, and indeed, daily drivers like Ursula.  

Microshift still makes them (and continues the dependable theme with their Sword and Advent group sets). Hot on the heels of the Spyre SLC, Ursula’s rear Shimano CX50 cantilever pads had gathered some glaze and needed a quick scrub. It also presented the opportunity to strip and lightly grease the posts. The straddle wire was also beginning to look tired, so was also replaced. Consumables are eaten quickly through winter, especially if you do bigger mileages.  

I’d spotted a rear Tiagra mech, pads etc being sold as bankrupt stock and at very enticing prices. Sad, since it’s never good to see, or hear of businesses going to the wall. In the late 80s, it was common for people without business acumen, financial literacy, or experience to open enterprises and often fail catastrophically. However, it's become increasingly prevalent for established and successful traders in post-Brexit Britain.     

Little and often maintenance becomes second nature, extends the life of components, and usually stops trouble before it starts. I’d applied a light helping of Muc-Off HCB1 to Ursula’s chain stay bridge area and the BBB Echelon saddle rails, which were showing some localised corrosion.  

Again, nothing to get excited about at this stage and HCB1 will mothball, stopping surface grot in its tracks. Yes, generic maintenance sprays will certainly help on this front, but need more frequent reapplication and are readily washed away. They’re meant for light lubrication of cables, and pivot points, flushing wet, corrosive stuff out, priming chains removing muck, and grime, loosening sticky/lightly corroded parts.     

Back to the Holdsworth 

Having removed the Woodman Jupiter’s lower cup cum race with a few deft taps of my trusty crown race tool. (It also needed a little chemical assistance, courtesy of some Muc-Off MO 94). I set it carefully on the Holdsworth’s crown and decided there was sufficient Park PPL100 TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES (sevendaycyclist.com) grease dressing its needle roller bearings, so just transplanted.    

 

The Jupiter’s design means it's extremely well-sealed from the elements, so an obvious choice for MTB and XC duties. Ironic perhaps that the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream are fair-weather playthings, but the Woodman’s design and refinement (coupled with the fact decent-quality headsets were becoming harder to source) swung it for me. Forks in, it was simply a matter of stacking up the spacers, refitting the cockpit, connecting the front brake, adjusting pad height, and the usual tweaks.  

 

I like the slight contrast between frame and fork, accentuated by the Knog NERD computer’s blue silicone casing. Had the fork been any darker, it would’ve looked a little too obvious (although could be toned down with a comparable, darker shade of blue bar tape). Anyhow, mission complete.  

 

Elsewhere, the switch to MKS NJS chain tugs subverts the need to detach the Topeak DX rack when accessing track nuts- adjusting the chain tension or removing the wheel-problem sorted.  

 

I decided now was the time to see how well the Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was holding up on Ursula’s Hollowtech II axle, given the flooding and generally adverse conditions of recent months. It also presented an ideal opportunity to give the rings a good scrub. As the photos suggest, a reasonable amount of Peaty’s remained and was still doing its friction-busting, corrosion-stopping thing.  

 

However, I’d come this far and opted to strip and introduce this Wolf Tooth WT-G Grease. It’s a synthetic blend designed primarily for moving parts- hubs, headsets etc but apparently fine for contact points and threaded parts. Its reckoned stable between minus 50 and 180 degrees and promises low friction, longevity and high resistance to water, oxidisation and corrosion.  

 

The crank’s pinch bolts were completely devoid of grease, so were a little reticent to release. Nothing a shot of MO94 couldn’t sort, so I was sure to add a generous lick of the Wolf Tooth grease to them before refitting and torquing down to the recommended 12-14nm. Buttery smooth once more. The headset’s bottom race came next, and I stripped the rear Shimano CX50 brake, greased the canti posts and replaced the straddle wire.   

 

Talking of which, it's much easier to apply than some higher viscosity formulas – Juice Lubes Bearing Juice being a case in point, although the latter is really stubborn and being so thick makes a great host for loose balls. No escapees in the hub shell. However, the Wolf Tooth is supposedly designed for contact points and similar duties too, so I’ll be checking that out in the coming weeks and possibly months.  

 

Having switched the Holdsworth’s Miche Primato calliper for the long-reach Tiagra, I decided now was the time to upgrade the Teenage Dream’s lower end Miche Performance. Plenty of life in the pads, so I gave the callipers a quick clean and polish and bolted everything together. I’m sure I have the rear Primato somewhere in the spares stash. I’ll upgrade the Teenage Dream’s rear Performance unit when I unearth it. I'll close here with Steve's review of the Castelli Entrata Tights https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/castellientratatightsnopad 

 

Planet Bong

Arguably the place where our political elite inhabit much of their waking hours while the greater majority of us employ a pragmatic make do n’ mend philosophy, it’s also a fascinating shop in Leamington Spa. The “usual projects” now includes redrafting of short fiction since I can’t stand essentially robust copy languishing in the hard drive. In this instance the resurrection of “Belgian Mix” http://www.63xc.com/michaels/belgianmix.htm, ring fencing a couple of hours daily with a view to satisfactory completion come September’s swansong. Mastering time management- working efficiently by another name is one of the most rewarding and essential freelancer skills. Close of last week, words and paragraphs had begun merging into a homogeneous, almost unintelligible mass, so I left a few, otherwise decent drafts marinating and headed up country to spend some time behind the lens.

Returning recharged, these and other pieces were drummed into shape and despatched to their intended recipients. Crafting pitches can prove similarly exhausting and responses, affirmative or otherwise can be several weeks hence. Glancing over at my test bench, there’s been a tsunami of enticing goodies including this beautifully crafted titanium from Torus Cycles (Justin Burls & Andy Jones).

Ours was the 27.2, 400m version, though its inline version caters for time trialists and others preferring to be poised directly over the bottom bracket shell. 264g is perhaps heavy by carbon standards but machining is exquisite and the wonder material oozes an unmistakable zing across inclement surfaces without feeling remotely whippy. Similarly £125 is hardly small change but there’s no call for planned retirement since 3AL 2.5v is particularly immune to fatigue (excluding incidence of phenomenal abuse).

Do remember those cursory licks of ti prep where it enters the seat tube, not forgetting cradle hardware. Thundering along the lanes under its spell, my serenity was rudely interrupted by a phantom squeak-something I wrongly attributed to the aluminium bolts until discovering my fixer’s crank bolt had mysteriously worked loose. Snugged tight using a leggy T handled 8mm Allen key, said fiend piped up again five miles hence. Introducing the torque wrench and a few extra nm resolved the issue.

Our climate has turned disarmingly autumnal these past few days, coinciding with the receipt of these similarly space age corrosion- inhibiting Protecht brews. The ultimate formula is an extremely powerful one that cures to a dry, clear and seemingly dirt phobic state. Supposedly acid and salt resistant, said qualities are ideally suited for mothballing decorative electroplate, anodised and polished surfaces either in storage or pretty ferrous winter bikes dripping in the stuff. BG innovations (the marque’s UK importer) are suitably tight lipped when broached about composition but suggest its ultra invasive and withstands operating temperatures of +50 degrees. Logical then that I’ve deployed ours within thin walled steel framesets, trailers, tagalongs and of course, the Ka’s notoriously grot prone regions. Initial impressions are extremely favourable, surprisingly economical too but a harsh winter will be more revealing.

Far from a watered down version, the advanced sibling is slightly waxy and arguably more versatile preserve that remains functional at 650 degrees-unsurprising perhaps given both were initially conceived for automotive audiences. Another excellent internal rust inhibitor, commendable on external plated surfaces so long as you weren’t mortified by the steady cultivation of a thin, grimy layer. Unlike Vaseline, electrical connectivity is accentuated without risking subsequent galvanic corrosion, thus ideal for dynamo connectors, computer/blinky battery terminals and similar gizmos directly in scuzzy water’s firing line. Suffice to say that VDO X1DW cadence sensor hasn’t missed a beat even fully submerged for three consecutive miles.

Maldon Shot blasting and powder coating were keen to show me their new range of powder finishes freshly imported from the states-beautiful but with some bizarre, almost mirth inducing monikers. This SE jump frame being a case in point. I’d call it lime green but Trevor tells me its actually “Shocking Yellow” applied atop a chrome effect base coat. Cost implications are around the £110 mark depending on host material and what nasties’ blasting uncovers. Remember those sound but slightly scabby “school chair” forks I’d earmarked for the Univega’s front end? Well, Trevor generously refinished them in a rich gloss black free of charge-a lovely gesture and very welcome just now.