I’d been casually looking out for
a second skewer/hitch for my long serving Revolution Cargo Trailer. It’s been
out of production for a good while, so spares were a little elusive-at least at
reasonable, cost-effective prices. I tried TW Bents, the Taiwanese
manufacturer, but nothing.
Someone offered me a replacement
for £60, which I gently declined. Indulging in some curiosity surfing unearthed
this M-Wave unit. The trailer’s swing arm looked a dead ringer, so for £15
including postage, I figured it was worth a punt. I wanted the convenience of
just porting the trailer between Ursula and Denise without faffing about with
skewer switches.
A bit of grease on the skewer and
everything slotted in nicely and the hitch is a reliable fit with the trailer-a
calculated gamble that paid off. No excuse for not putting the Lomo Dry Sack
through its paces, although save for the odd isolated thunderstorm, it’s been
decidedly arid in these parts. A great opportunity to drag some favourite
jerseys from the summer wardrobe too. This rather fetching Castelli Espresso Castelli
Espresso Jersey | cycling-not-racing being a prime example. Lightweight,
fast wicking and snug with generous pockets too. Steve’s been suitably
impressed by its successor, too Castelli Espresso2 Jersey |
cycling-not-racing.
Ursula’s chain was also skipping
under load, so I switched to a new cassette since the chain was within .25. I
also took the opportunity to strip, inspect, and deliver some more Juice Lubes
Bearing Juice to Muffin’s FSA headset bearings, since it had been 12 months. It
hadn’t been completely consumed and was still doing its thing. However, a
generous dollop from my fingers to the races and bearings turned steering satisfyingly
slick. Lubricated and protected for another 9-12 months.
Stem reinstated, preload and
pinch bolts treated to a lick Zefal Pro II Zefal Pro II Grease
| cycling-not-racingI noticed the brake’s inner wire had frayed. New inner
wire, TRP Spyre SLC calliper dialled in, I adjusted the front Mud Hugger Gravel
Hugger MUD
HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing and concluded the day’s
fettling by switching the silver bottle cages for these black Elite Cruissi,
homages.
The following day, I tackled
Denise’s quill stem adaptor and Stronglight A9 ST headset. Similar story. Again
the lower bearing boot is very effective at keeping grease in and the elements
out.
This time round I was better prepared with the headset spanners- trusty 35-year-old Campagnolo and nickel-plated BBB resurrected while I was searching for my Shimano pattern cassette tool. Component specific greases have their place-especially when tackling sensitive components. Suspension and seals, or contexts where galvanic seizures can strike (aluminium alloy seat posts in steel frames, for example).
When it comes to bearings, more damage can result from a lack of
grease or not cleaning bearing races of ingrained dirt and grease before.
Everything came apart with consummate ease and as before, there was a moderate
layer of Juice Lubes Bearing Juice clinging to the races and bearings. I’d come
that far, so cleaned dipped a rag in solvent and cleaned the cups, bearings and
races.
Bearing Juice and Pro II Greases
to hand, I decided to apply the former liberally to the bottom race. The flow
rate is beautiful in temperatures around 23 degrees, making it very easy to
apply. Given these qualities, it would’ve been the obvious choice for the upper
set. However, I cleaned components with solvent, dried and then decided upon
the Zefal.
The mix n’ match approach might
seem odd. However, the upper bearing takes less of a battering from wet, gritty
roads and general loading. Then of course, there’s the convenience factor. The
Pro II was already attached to a grease gun, so quicker and easier to deliver.
Cable hanger reinstated, I applied a bead around the lockring threads and
snugged down.
Quill converter treated to a
top-up, front end back together. Couldn’t resist the urge to strip and
re-grease the front cantilever posts- then was the time. Front wheel
reinstated, cantilever straddle wire reconnected, I popped Denise from the
stand. Engaging the front brake back and forth revealed no slop.
Turning the bars back and forth rewarded
with satisfying smoothness-bearing tension bang on. Headset spanners engaged,
locknut snugged down, it was just a matter of wiping away any excess grease
with clean rag. Ok, I gave localised areas of frame a quick squirt of silicone
infused bike spray and buffed to a shine.
Intuitively, I raised the bars by
another few millimetres, so theoretically that’s reach and height optimised.
Bike fits have taken a lot of trial and error from component choices, lengths,
alignment etc, but sometimes it boils down to long, steady miles and subtle
adjustments.
Substituting the auction site Garmin
stem mount screws for a shorter pairing means I can fit the Coospo CS600 Coospo CS600 GPS |
cycling-not-racing atop and the Gaciron XAIOMAN 1000 front light beneath. It
also presented ideal opportunity to whip out the torque wrench and check stem,
rack and other fasteners. No issues, save for the stem face and pinch bolts,
which needed nipping tight before slippage could sneak in. I’ll close
here with my long term review of the Juice Lubes Bearing Juice The Juice Lubes Bearing Juice Long Term | cycling-not-racing
