Chain Reactions

Stoicism, the correct kit and sensible preparation are what gets us through the depths of winter. Yet another example of how cycling, is a metaphor for wider life and freelancing, in particular.

By mid January, New Year hype and best intentions seem to flat line. January tends to be a very quiet month, economically, so needs careful management. Secure as much work as possible, during November/early December. Always have a couple of private projects planned. The latter will boost morale, should a lull strike.  

Aside from racking up the miles and testing products, I set myself the target of finishing some short fiction. Deadline, end of January. A different project to reignite creative sparks and crucially, distinguish 2020, from 2019 etc. 

I'm nearly done with the first draft. Once that's finished, I will leave it marinating for a few days, whereupon the baggier bits and minor holes will be obvious.

Elsewhere, the Sugru didn't completely cure the Bandit bracket's minor rattle. Some intermittent, low-level chatter remained, when tackling washboard tarmac.  Rides usually boost mood and inspiration. At 23mph round a sweeping bend....Zip Ties!

I always carry a couple with me, but wanting to keep those for emergencies, such urges were arrested until I returned home. Funny how these little victories can bring so much joy.  

Staying with tooling a moment, there's a lot to be said for custom, machine specific tool kits. That said; some generic tooling is always sensible. I always carry a comprehensive multi-tool, patch kit and spare chain links. 

I even carry a few 9 and 10  speed chain links along with a few for the fixed. This way, I can help someone else, if they're in a jam. A small dropper bottle of pour n' go lube, on longer rides, just in case. 

The drier, cooler spell has presented an opportunity to assess the Juice Lubes Ceramic Juice. This version seems to attract less grime than its predecessor, while still offering decent lubrication. I decided to check my fixed gear winter/trainer's chain. 

Plenty of Viking Juice still present. While scrutinising the chain, I discovered the Halo Fix-G Track Hub https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/halo-fixed  bearings were slightly loose. Nothing serious but nipped snug, there and then, with a 15mm wrench. One thing led to another...I stripped the Genetic Tibia Track Crankset's https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-tibia-track-cranks-ring bolts, which freed with reassuring ease. The Mighty UN55 bottom bracket remains in rude health, although I always keep one handy, in case the grumbles strike.

Oh hell, since I'm here....Bike washed, chain stripped and fed four helpings of Juice Lubes Chain wax. Not the most obvious choice, but I was curious to see how it copes in colder weather.  

Unlike summer (where wax melts into the chain and where relevant, cassette), theoretically, wax will simply flake off, taking the contaminant while leaving a thin lubricant layer, behind. 

From here, simply top-up. No cleaning, no drama. At least that was the plan. Then along came Storm Brendan. 50mph crosswinds and plenty of standing water. https://www.facebook.com/sevenday.cyclist/videos/vb.100008574185706/2220873604875091/?type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed&notif_id=1579097264815732

Lube literally licked clean in 58 miles. I've gone for White Lightning Wet Ride Extreme Conditions Heavy Lube for now. I'll probably revert to the Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-performance-all-weathe or possibly Rock n' Roll Extreme LV https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/rock-n-roll-extreme-lv-chain-lube?

fbclid=IwAR0PMV6Wpug4USjedaGu2FuqnR6ShaOEEQm_AvBNs1eYGdJq2XGMKqgkIIE when the chain's looking thirsty. 

Part of me is temped to brew my own wax-based chain lubes, using a mix of candle wax, turpentine and Xylene. Watch this space. For the moment, think I'll run through my stock of "off the shelf" blends. 

I've switched the D-Riser 16 bars https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-d-riser-bars  for their D-Riser 4 siblings. The latter have been developed for road biased riders, who found the 16 degree flare excessive. However, it still offers 17mm to the overall width, so theoretically our 440mm are in fact 457mm. 

Something to bear in mind, if you commute/ride in congested traffic. The Driser16 remain my favourite riser-type drop bars for a road/cyclo cross bike. 70mm reach would be fine for my Univega. However, 125mm drop way too deep. I won't be switching its Soma Condor https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/soma

 I also needed to snug the Univega's guards https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/sks-blumels-shiny-mudguards and Gusset Uni-head by a quarter turn.  I've also discovered the rear guard's serrated section, is designed to be easily removed, should the guard foul, or impair a front mech. A moot point with my Univega, and other 1x drive trains, but good to know.  

Rings & Ratios

My Univega’s gearing has always been something of a compromise, since 2017’s new paint and 1X9 makeover. A 34-tooth ring and 11-30 cassette would’ve been too low.

The 44x11-28 gives a range between 103 and 40.5 inches, which is generally practical for road duties, although, I’ve missed the additional torque offered by the 30- tooth sprocket. Especially when climbing a 1 in 7 and battling a headwind. Plenty of the latter, this past fortnight, or so.

Having just replaced the chain and cassette, buying another would’ve been silly, so I turned my attention to the front ring. 94 BCD…Nothing suitable “in stock” but a witching hour wander round the web, unearthed a black 42 tooth Talon for £9.99.  Apparently, these had been purchased from the distributor, in huge quantities and originally retailed at £35 apiece.

I was relieved to discover the old Shimano ring’s mounting hardware released with minimal effort. Moreover, though most patterns are accurate these days, I was pleased by the Talon’s fit. Anti-seize on the crank bolts, snug tight with a long 5mm Allen key-sorted.

Gearing now ranges from 98.3 and 38.6 inches without major jumps (38.6, 45.1,51.5, 60.1,67.6,77.3, 83.2,90.1, 98.3).

Arguably a 40 would’ve been better still, offering a 36.8-inch bottom gear. However, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it and will probably switch to a 11-30 cassette, next time round.

Continuing this theme, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some lovely Genetic Tibia track cranks (and Tibia 7075 T6 ring). The cranks are JIS (Japanese Industry Standard) rather than ISO. Indeed, to my knowledge, this is comparatively rare. Though not overly problematic in the general sense, its worth noting that ISO tapers are slightly longer than JIS. This means you will need to buy another bottom bracket, to achieve correct chainline.

I was sent the 165mm arms. 5mm shorter than the System EX Track https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/system-ex-crankset , I suspect these were selected because of the road bike designation. My working fixed has a relatively tall bottom bracket, so less problematic (The original build had 175mm arms) but shorter arms provide additional cornering clearance on a conversion. I simply raised the saddle by 5mm to compensate.

Shimano’s UN55 is ideal (read all you need) for these duties. Inexpensive, the sealed cartridge bearings have been known to reach 10,000 miles, before slop sets in. The existing unit is still in rude health.

However, rude, agricultural language followed when I tried to remove the long standing, and very likable System EX. Self Extracting crank bolts are an absolute godsend. Univega and working fixed do not feature these, but their cranks are seldom removed.

Save for bottom bracket replacement, and periodic re-greasing of the bolts. On this occasion, after 29 years, my Sugino crank extractor finally died. Stripped tool threads meant it couldn’t divorce arms from tapers.

Enter this cheap, but cheerful X tools replacement, which arrived the very next day. Credit where due, it did the job handsomely. Nonetheless, prising those cranks from their tapers, still required copious amounts of penetrant spray, a very long 8mm Allen key and the sort of primal grunting more commonly associated with a labour ward.

Now, I don’t grease tapers but the bolts themselves were given a liberal helping of Park PPL-1. Ditto the reinstated ISSI pedals. The 44 tooth Genetic ring keeps gearing at 78.3 inches.

Taller than text book perhaps but avoids knee trouble, yet tall enough to dodge comical, warp-speed spin out along 1in7s. The new setup weighs 717g (48g heavier than the System EX) but I’m suspecting there will be other, tangible benefits…