Feeling the heat

Midsummer, in the tarmac melting sense has lingered longer than many naysayers predicted. I tend to ride during the cooler parts of the day/evening- a great opportunity to combine keyboard breaks and kit testing.

Given my late father was ex-services, protecting oneself from the elements, sun in particular was ingrained in me from a very young age.

Hence I tend to cover up. Long sleeves aren’t the most obvious choice perhaps but offer good defence. Especially when we’re talking coastal rides, where the mix of salt and wind can dry the skin, leaving the sun to induce some very unpleasant burns.

Merino wool keeps things more temperate than polyester/polyamide. Jerseys are increasingly featuring weaves with SPF50 protection, which is a definite plus.

Theory goes that the SPF numbers refer to the number of times longer you can be exposed before showing signs of redness/burning. So, at its simplest, if you could withstand 20 minutes without protection, factor 15 would extend this to around five hours.

Hmm, a sweeping statement and like most blanket generalisations, extremely dangerous. This doesn’t take into account skin type and other genetic influences, including susceptibility to skin cancer, lifestyle choices etc. There is some evidence to suggest, that a factor 50+ cream offers little advantage over a standard 50. Look for both UVA and UVB protection and reapply on a two-hourly basis.

Funny how these things from early childhood stick, I usually take a buff-type garment to protect the nape of my neck, decent quality sun glasses and plenty of water.  Whether it’s the classic two 750ml trade bottles, or one on the frame, another in a jersey pocket. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/the-back-bottle-water-bottle

Hydration packs certainly have their place and permit effortless sipping. They’re also a lot more hygienic off road. Provided of course, you regularly sterilise the bladder with Milton fluid (or a teaspoon of bleach) and don’t forget to clean the bite valve after use.

Remember to air them thoroughly too, otherwise mould and similar gut wrenching bacteria can bloom in between. Aftermarket bladders can be quite a step up in terms of quality. Something I discovered when an OEM reservoir failed at the seam, drenching me in really, sticky, wasp enticing energy drink… 

1.5 litre PET type cages are another brilliant idea for touring or longer group rides- especially with children. Run out of water? Stop at a supermarket/ off licence, grab a big bottle and slip into the cage. Paying for it (and anything else), first obviously!

Though one of my favourite cage designs, they do have a few, minor disadvantages.

Size is a double edged sword, especially on smaller semi/compact geometry framesets, where they can rule out a second, seat tube mounted cage. Minoura and Topeak’s Modula XL https://issuu.com/vortexcreative/docs/sdc_3_rev?e=0%2520%2F14991123  are popular designs, although their rubberised straps, though extremely secure, eventually perish/or fatigue. By that point you will have had your money’s worth and replacements are fairly easy to acquire, or even make.

BBB offers the fuel tank XL, seen here adorning my Univega’s down tube bosses. The 1.5 litre design employs a hinged, metal clamp, which is arguably the most rugged solution. We’ve a long term test coming up in Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com

After a few months on the backburner, the first in a series of children’s stories is finally taking shape and will be released just as soon as the illustrations are finished. 
 




Right, I’m off to rack up some miles wearing these in Ribble Cycles Nuovo bib shorts and short sleeve jersey.

The teenage dream also sports these dual sided HT Leopard 878 pedals. I’ve resurrected these Scott twin bolt shoes (a) because the HT use their own, specific cleat system and (b) the Scott sport happen to be  very well ventilated.  

     

Easter Beatings & Blessings

 

In recent weeks, I could go ten miles on (controlled) rage alone. Perhaps it’s time I revisited time-trialling, channel these emotions competitively and with tangible result... That was my original intention for the Holdsworth, once I’d deviated from the fully dressed road path brief, afterall.  

Hydration is important full stop, even on short distance events and though rider mounted bladder systems enjoyed a small following outside of mtb circles, the humble bottle still dominates.

Hosts may have become sleeker, single piece composites (carbon or otherwise) titanium and stainless steel gentrifying the bosses, where 6061 aluminium once ruled. However, I’m wondering if the humble cage will be phased out, not all together but in favour of something sleeker.

Over the last twenty years or so, semi-compact geometry frames have made life so much easier for smaller riders, overcoming the need to go bespoke in some instances. That said and this goes for smaller mtb framesets too; getting two cages to harmoniously co-exist along seat and down tubes can prove challenging.

Adjustable systems, such as Topeak Shuttle engineer some useful, faff-free leeway into the equation and this week, the Univega’s has been joined by the fidlock bottle-twist system that arrived in a box of test goodies.

The bottle-twist is an integrated system of bottle and mount. The latter attaches to the frame’s bosses in the conventional way but this and the bottle mate via two suitably potent magnets-the pull took me by surprise during the fitting stage-no danger of losing screws to the flower bed, ditto multi-tools.

Being a 41cm frame, the Univega hasn’t been a particularly tricky customer on the bottle front but this affords a little extra wriggle room. From an aesthetic perspective, this also compliments said machine’s black and cream theme.  Far too early to say whether I’m about to become a devotee but the fidlock is certainly growing on me. 

These Altura Peloton 2 pro gel mitts were also among the stash, timely since I was hankering after something a little more sophisticated than the otherwise cheap but cheery Ozzo.

In stark contrast to the retro crochet and faux leather palm, these are a very snug fitting Lycra backed design boasting fast wicking, breathable backs, 3D design and those strategically positioned gel inserts.

So far, I’ve only clocked up 40miles. By my reckoning, 400 is the point where you can say something conclusive but I’m certainly warming to their snug fit and low profile padding. By snug, I mean very. I’ve fairly long fingers and can usually get away with medium but in this instance, struck lucky with large.

Easter is notoriously unsettled-I’ve known it to snow at certain points through the holidays and I’m not harking back to my childhood and time spent in Utah, where the mountains were topped with a thick carpeting of snow and cars sported snow-chains until mid-April, sometimes beyond.

I’m alternating between tights and 3/4lengths, sometimes a gilet, others a jersey, neck-warmer, long sleeve base layer and micro-shell jacket peeking out from a jersey pocket.

Swapping between lenses can be a pain, so I’ve tended to stick with reactive lenses, which lack the outright defence from intense sunlight but cope pretty well in changing conditions. That said; skies can be pretty dull, grey and overcast and in this context, I’ll go the amber route-sharper focus and bolstered mood.

I’d talked in terms of stripping my cross inspired fixer’s KMC chain of Weldite TF2 in favour of something lighter, then backtracked, then decided I’d use up some of the nearly empty bottles of lube-stock rotation principle. Perfect candidate being this Finish line ceramic wax, so, on it went. These take a while to cure and will need a second coat to complete the bond

That said; though the UK has a reputation for damp, I managed to go a whole summer-June to October on a single helping of wet lube. Admittedly, this was on a road bike and I’d opt for something more condition-specific on a mountain or cross derivative that ventured beyond tarmac.

The dry spell also presented an ideal opportunity to apply liberal helpings of my home brewed corrosion busting preserve to the KA’s underside and chassis components.

Though messy, it’s very effective and extremely cheap-less than £10 all told. Ingredients essentially boil down to 10w/40 and semi synthetic motor oil, offcuts of candlewax and turpentine. This punnet load has lasted almost four years, treated five framesets and been applied twice yearly to my MK1 KAs and periodically to an older Nissan Micra.  

So what else is new? Well, Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com has lots of goodies coming our way from various sources, domestic and international. Meantime, I’ll leave you with our take on the “Bespoked” handmade bike show in Bristol https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/bespoked-bespeaking