Up Front

No sooner had I switched Ursula to the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, I acquired another sharp, which infiltrated the casing and nicked the tube. Another very slow flat and I was suspicious about the barely discernible spitting that seemed to strike when I was speeding through lanes, seemingly paved with acres of slippery bovine dung.  

Tube patched, I switched to the spare and decided I’d leave the rear Marathon Mondial and run the Schwalbe Marathon GT365 up front. TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) At 1048g apiece, they are very portly but the aesthetic blends with the Mondial and will resist pretty much hell and high water. Given as the gearings’ right, overcoming the increased rolling resistance hasn’t been overly taxing. 

As their name implies, the GT365 are a heavy-duty tyre, prioritising reliability, in every sense. Whether you are commuting through winter’s worst, need something for the child/trailer tug (where a puncture can turn a chill outing from stimulating to distressing- for all parties, but protégés in particular)  

For the record, I’m yet to flat with the 365, so I expect to sit back and enjoy the lanes, while I await the arrival of the new rear-wheel and contemplate which rubber route, I will take next. I will also replenish tube stocks, since it’s always good to have a few in reserve.  

I generally pension tubes, past the third patch but may keep one, as an emergency spare, should I, or indeed another rider find themselves in crisis. There is a fine line between the principles of self-reliance and being tone-deaf. Having the emotional intelligence to realise the best prepared machines and riders can run into difficulties is equally important. 

For the time being, I’ve done away with the Topeak Midloader frame Bag TOPEAK MIDLOADER FRAME BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and redistributed its contents between the Zefal R5 ZEFAL ADVENTURE R5 WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and See Sense Handlebar Bag SEE SENSE HANDLEBAR BAG | cycling,-but-not-usually-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

One thing led to another and I turned my attentions to my fixed gear winter trainer. Justin Burls had kindly sent me a Ti track sprocket, which prompted me to attempt removing the existing 16tooth Cro-Moly unit from the traditional, threaded side of the Halo Fix-G Track hub HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting . Thankfully, though it had weathered a little over the past year or so, I’d greased the threads liberally.  

 

A liberal blast of GT85, a gentle tap of the Pedros Vice whip using an engineer’s mallet and-bing! the sprocket released. Sometimes, a liberal blast of solvent rich sprays, including disc brake cleaners DIRT WASH DISC BRAKE CLEANER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) can make passable penetrants, shifting moderately stuck components.   

A moderate helping of Park grease to both hub and sprocket threads to avoid almost certain galvanic seizure later down the line, then I spun it home. Huzzah!  I also fitted a Bontrager AW 3 hard Case Lite Reflective Road tyre, since opportunity presented.  

I’m increasingly warming to the AW3 Hard-Case Lite and its quick, supple ride characteristics, which have made my fixed gear winter/trainer even more fun to ride. That being said; I am wondering if it’s Hard Case sibling with an aramid sub layer and bead to bead anti-cut casing, is a better bet for year-round/winter duties where punctures can be a miserable experience. 

Sadly, Control Tech no longer produce their Silicone High Performance Handlebar tape.  

Though tricky to wrap, the combination of superb grip, damping and durability means it’ll be adorning the Univega for some time to come. Talking of silicone, several weeks later and I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar tape, which comes in other colours, if orange isn’t your flavour T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

 

Knowing The Drill

 After the frenzied pre-Christmas preparations, the corridor linking Christmas and New Year can be perfect for catching up with friends and small jobs. Aside from ignition tumbler woes striking my KA, my fixed gear winter/trainer's seat post binder bolt needed replacing. 

Since it was secure and I didn't need to adjust the post height, I left it a couple of months. All the same, I wanted to avoid the expensive, titanium post/Cro-moly frame galvanic union.  One last try, with Torx bits confirmed drilling-out was the only option. 

Cordless drill charged, and bits found... 

I also harvested a compatible replacement bolt and collar, in case the 14 year old On-One also decided to give up the ghost. Knew they'd come in handy... Bike in the workstand, It took a few minutes cautious drilling before the once 5mm Allen head disintegrated. Thankfully the threaded section also required little coaxing. 

Much as I suspected, the On-One collar had succumbed to fatigue, so that was substituted for an Atomic22. Though not unexpected, it was still a relief to discover the post was also very mobile. I eased that free, removed the remaining greasy film and introduced a liberal helping of ceramic prep. 

While harvesting bolts, I also discovered two packet fresh 26x1.75 inner tubes. Timely, since my Univega's supplies were dwindling and I'd patched a few to their limit recently. I took this opportunity to carve another section from a dead 26x2.0 and make a seat collar boot for my fixed. 

Post reinstated, fasteners greased and snugged tight, I slid the boot so it obscured the frame's collar slot. 

In some respects I could've cut it longer, overlapping the post for optimal protection. 

However, this would've been as pain, should I need to re-tighten the collar bolt mid-ride. I also replaced the VDO computer head unit's battery.Mercifully, it has a memory function, which saves time and minor hassle. 

Those Raw flaps have made a huge difference to the amount of spray thrown over the bike, shoes and other riders. I've swapped the Topeak Shuttle for the Zefal Pulse Z2 to see how it performs on a small, compact geometry frameset. Oh, another opportunity to re-grease some small, easily overlooked fasteners too. 

Little jobs off the list, I've dedicated time to reflection, testing, day riding and a few projects I want finished, before 2020.  The holidays should always involve doing something different. Otherwise, life can feel like the stripped thread. Turning monotonously, without achievement. 

Gave myself a New Year deadline, for finishing a short story (at least in draft form) and have some other irons in the fire. Sleep-walking into a new year (let alone decade) invariably leads to disappointment, and is likely to accentuate any hint of the mid-winter blues.