Frustration & Dynamism

I was born, one day I will die...No, not that track by Soft Cell/Marc Almond (although, being a middle-aged man, it’s arguably fitting) I am referring to our old friend, supply problems. I’ve also been struggling to remove the Shutter Precision SL9’s centre lock rotor.

  

A sudden flash of inspiration led me to buying a small portable vice and some rubber “engineer’s” strips allowing me to clamp the hub in situ, without risking any damage.  

I’m incredibly fond of the Shutter Precision hubs but the need to strip the hub and send it away every few years isn’t something I’ve needed to do with Shimano units- even the Nexus unit (now 22 years old) is still turning away nicely.  

The Ultegra is in similarly rude health and has done a much bigger mileage than the once hardworking Nexus. This had led me to me pondering the acquisition of another Alfine, or ideally, something that is more readily serviced in the field. 

 

Kasai offer some “field repairable” models, which as their name suggests are more readily serviced and repaired-without going through the palaver of stripping the wheel, packaging up the hub and building everything again.  

This might be perfectly valid on a bike in hard service running rim brakes. Since the rim’s sidewalls can wear through, demanding a rebuild by default. Ideally, I’ll get hold of a Kasai, or failing that, another Alfine (since the latter is reliable and crucially, partially user serviceable) and hold onto the SL9 as a spare. Watch this space...    

Back to the SL9...I'd been toying with the idea of a portable vise, for some time. Bench mounted ones had also fired my imagination, but portable models are arguably a better fit for me.  

Enter this auction site special, which arrived over the holiday weekend. Given the budget price, I was surprised by how relatively sturdy it felt. I popped some of the dead butyl from the previous week into the jaws and gently locked the Shutter Precision Hub body in situ.  

A quick blast of penetrant spray to get things underway before I introduced my long-serving Cyclo cassette remover tool. With a brief primal grunt, and modest effort, the lockring released, revealing a light but serviceable coating of grease clinging to the threads.  

If only I’d whipped the rotor off before stripping the wheel... However, main thing the hub’s now with the UK importers and will be winging its way to Taiwan for overhaul. Another little job off my doing list. Next came my front dental crown, which fell into the sink with an audible “plink” while I was busy with the electric toothbrush.  

Conversation with my dentists suggests I couldn’t get an appointment for a month, but my best bet would be to ring them on the mornings when I’m free to see if they could slot me in that day. Main thing is the remnants of tooth are still firmly within the gum, which is something. Receptionists suggested the crown could simply be re-bonded but much as I suspected, the tooth, not the crown itself failed. I've discussed cosmetic and structural options with my dentist and paid for treatment to shore up a booking, while this was still available.  

As autumn slowly advances, I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the Green Oil Dry Chain Wax Green Oil Dry Chain Wax | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) which I’m quite fond of and will run, until the roads get consistently wetter. I’ll stick with something dry for Ursula and for the time-being, the Green Oil Wet GREEN OIL WET CHAIN LUBE (sevendaycyclist.com) on the fixed. 

  

I am also toying with a saddle swap- The Spa Cycles Aire ported over to Ursula and the Selle San Marco Concor Supercorsa over to the fixed. Both are a tan brown so complement their existing colour schemes and the former is also right royally moulded to my butt after many thousands of miles. The Concor Supercorsa is a late 70s classic, with lines from that era.  

Not to everyone’s tastes but at 265x140mm, fits my proportions very nicely. The main prompt for this switch? Well, I’ve concluded, despite Ursula’s more upright positioning that I am still served by narrower saddles-140-143mm seems optimal (indeed, regardless of machine). The Aire is,148mm wide but if it's comfy on the fixed, I’m confident this narrative will continue.

 

Midwinter Retrospective

Christmas is always a tricky time for me, and for many, my desire to hunker down and reflect peacefully can be quite perturbing. Those close to me know there’s nothing to worry about and generally leave me to emerge, in my own time.  

Christmas morning and the child-like wonder gripped me. Time for the first outing with Ursula’s newly built dyno hub wheel. Due in part, to the Schwalbe Landcruiser being a few hundred grams lighter than the ultra-dependable Schwalbe Marathon 365, acceleration was refreshingly brisk, despite the wind.  

There had been little relent in the rainfall for a few nights and overspill from the fields had formed small lakes along the lanes, resulting in the gentle swoosh as the Landshark and Mondial pairing cut through the greasy, mucky broth. No such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong kit I mused, as rain rolled from the Oxford Venture jacket. 

The FLR defender booties and waterproof socks and a slightly lower gear kept blood flow and feet comfortable.  

Engaging the front Tektro based “franken canti” revealed all was well on the toe-in front. No squeal, judder or nastiness, just serene, progressive stopping. Formative impressions of the SD8 hub suggests characteristics are very similar to its SL9 sibling HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com)  in the sense output can dip a little at the lower speeds but I’ve had no issues at 14mph plus.  

I need to take this time to inspect the old Rigida Snyper rim for wear and pension off, as appropriate. The Snyper were a solid, cheerful touring hoop and mine has been super dependable over ten years and countless thousand miles down the line. If it is heading for the Great Bike Shop in the Sky, I think I’ll have the 13-year-old Shimano hub built into another Ryde Andra 40...  

But then, do I acquire a modern, disc brake hub as well, to “futureproof things” ...Hmm, best park that thought for now, there’s plenty going on.  I’ve been doing a little re-touch of the Project 2 fork-applied a thin coat of phosphate primer and several thin coats of gloss black paint, leaving several hours between them. I also applied a thin helping of hide food to leather saddles to keep them protected and nourished. This is something II generally do every six weeks with traditional leather saddles, although some brands recommend longer intervals, which I observe. CARING FOR LEATHER SADDLES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)   

As we weaved around the twisting bends, up ahead a family of red deer crossed the road and an Oxford/BMW Mini lay stricken in a ditch. Stopping confirmed it had been abandoned- no one was trapped inside, so I continued our otherwise silent and uninterrupted loop. Inexperience, too much Christmas spirit, who knows. Crucially no one appears hurt as a result.    

Looking back on the year and Ursula’s continual evolutions, I was surprised by just how many changes I’ve made over the past 12 months. Most of the drivetrain components were replaced due to wear and tear. Aside from chains and cassettes, the long-serving Shimano Deore LX cranks were beginning to lose their threads, prompting the upgrade to Hollowtech II.  

A couple of months later, I upgraded the rear wheel, since the rim was beginning to deteriorate- it was a cheap but very cheerful example, which had served faithfully for five harsh winters, so didn’t owe us anything. Deore hubs are reliable enough, but if I was going to replace, I may as well upgrade. An XT laced to a Rigida Sputnik was too good to pass up. Then of course, there was the Kinekt 2.1 post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which was another refinement that had completed my original vision of an otherwise rigid, all-terrain, go-anywhere, four seasons’ build. A concept that originally lit my fuse during an English class in March 87. A Muddy Fox Trailblazer, spotted in Bicycle Magazine, for the curious. A couple of years later, Specialized's Rock Combo just turned things up a notch.  

I switched the Sun Race Brifters for Micro Shift Bar end and Tektro levers, which was another good move, and since I was there, the Soma Condor 2 SOMA CONDOR 2 SHALLOW DROP BARS | (sevendaycyclist.com). The original Condor was a great bar, seemingly perfect for the design brief and the only reason I switched was because the Condor 2 was doing something close to nothing. If I was going to experiment, then was the time. 

Finally, the Sun Race Driven NRX rear mech imploded, replaced by a Tiagra. In many respects, close to a complete rebuild, but aside from some refinements/indulgences, and the mech’s untimely demise, components owed me and the “old girl” nothing. Ah, now my fixed gear winter trainer’s brake has got the sulks-a frayed inner wire. No time like the present...Maybe it got jealous...