Beacons of Hope?

The leaves are rustling, daylight is fading, and the UK is facing the prospect of blackouts during the darkest, coldest days of winter... Well, my blood will certainly boil, and don’t anyone dare throw a romanticised “It’ll be just like the 70s” line my way. Madison www.madison.co.uk sent us these rear lights to test. We’ve the Infini Metis, the Infini Tron, and The Kryptonite Incite XBR Rear Brake Light.  

What’s interesting about these then...Well, they’re all at the same price point (£34.99) and the Metis and Kryptonite feature “braking” functions. Interestingly, and more accurately, Kryptonite describes theirs as an “acceleration sensor”. Unlike some others, they cite the sensor will trigger the designated LED when it detects speed dropping by 3.58 mph (5.76 Kmh). Otherwise, it’s a 7-mode model with memory and run times, cited as between 10 and 36 hours.  

The Metis has 5- two steady, three flashing-including a daytime running flash. In terms of output, we’re talking between 10 and 80 lumens. I’m particularly intrigued by the Flashing 2, which is 40 lumens and reckoned to manage 28 hours from a full charge. We shall see... 

 

I like daytime running modes, especially on overcast autumn and winter mornings. The Infini Tron pumps out a maximum of 40 lumens but also has a 50-lumen day flash.  

The latter sounds a little tame by some standards- 100 and 150lumens are increasingly common.  

Indeed, they’re brilliant for soup-like conditions but there’s some debate as to whether these are otherwise anti-social. It does, however, enjoy a large surface area and employs a 42 chip and 10 SMD LED, so will be interesting to see how these lights compare in real-world conditions.  

I’m an advocate of always carrying a contingency light on long rides-even with disciplined charging, lights can suddenly power down, or fail. Risks are minimised by proper charging and other, basic care but just as the best-maintained bikes can succumb to a mechanical, the unexpected can strike.  

An integrated lithium-ion or lithium Polymer cell can only withstand so many charge cycles before losing some endurance. To illustrate my point, the Kranx Strix 100 came to my rescue when an excellent Magicshine unexpectedly powered down, meaning I was still obvious to other road users from a good distance and for the remaining 10 extremely dark miles.  

During this point, I also noted the Souma Leather handlebar tape Souma Leather Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) had stretched a little, causing it to turn a little baggy just below the brake lever. To be expected after a few thousand miles and easily sorted in five minutes. Unwrap at the tops, just below the hoods. Tension tightly and uniformly while weaving back up. Some fresh electrical tape sealed the deal. The Souma is certainly weathering and wearing well-not that I’d expect any different from a hide of that quality and price point, but reassuring, nonetheless.   

 

One thing, of course, leads to several others. Next thing I knew, I’d stripped the chain and cassette, given the bike a good wash, since I was there. The Green Oil Dry Chain Wax Green Oil Dry Chain Wax | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) for the theoretically more stoical Momum MIC Wax Lube Momum MIC Wax Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) , then of course, I decided the saddle height was a little too lofty, then a fraction too low. The former causes undue and unnecessary strain on the knees, while also hampering efficiency. (Too high, or too low is inefficient and can lead to knee and other joint mischief).  

Then of course, the seat collar sheared-I should stress I had been using the torque wrench, set to the prescribed 5nms. Thankfully, I had a replacement in the small parts drawer, so switched and took this opportunity to blast some spray grease inside the seat tube and apply a light coating to the Kinekt 2.1 Aluminium Suspension Seatpost KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Shim and height checked, I snugged everything down to 5nm and ticked another series of little jobs off my doing list.

I have ordered a couple of 28.6mm BBB, just to keep in stock should another failure strike here, on the fixed gear winter/trainer (Although I have a nice Salsa lip lock somewhere in the spares bin, so will root for that, should need arise.)  

 

Zen and the Art of Peaceful Problem Solving

 

Yes, I am borrowing from Robert M Pirsig’s “Zen and the art of motorcycle Maintenance”, which is a complex, yet engaging text about a middle-aged man and his son’s motorcycle trip together. They are accompanied by an adult couple, and it explores all sorts of deep questions via the journey interwoven with and reference to, motorcycle maintenance... 

I digress...  

They say things come in three. In this instance, cooked hub bearings, punctures and recurring Aheadset play with Ursula’s recently replaced Stronglight ST. A few possibilities sprung to mind. The most obvious that I mixed old and new crown races. Stripping confirmed I had in fact, put the old, worn race on the new fork. I’d cleaned the old race to inspect condition and must’ve placed it too close to the new one. I switched and then closer inspection suggested the Gusset head lock bolt was just a little short too.  

Rummaging through the toolbox unearthed a slightly longer counterpart, so thread lock added. Everything snugged together nicely, and closer inspection revealed the crown race was old and quite well worn, given 8 years use. Used the remaining dregs of the Park Tool Polylube 1000 TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES (sevendaycyclist.com) on the replacement crown race and consigned the spent tube to the bin. Though annoying in some respects, the process of schematically working through, diagnosing and problem-solving is very cathartic. A means of decompressing, of calming the mind and working through other, unrelated things that are troubling me.  

Punctures...Well, no sooner had I become comfortable with the Specialized Road Sport, I succumbed to a series of tube-claiming flats. One thorn had left a small but pronounced cut in the tyre casing (easily fixed with a drop of premium grade super glue). A flint and glass were the next to cause mischief. Cheap (rather than discounted) tubes are always false economy.  

They’re OK as spares-getting you home, should you flat on the road/trail but very much contingencies. However, they’re often so thin, they’re bin fodder-patching is seldom reliable. Since we’re on the subject, decent patch kits are an equally sensible investment. I put my faith in the old-school feather-edged type. Glue-less types are too hit n’ miss for my tastes.  

Leaving tubeless out of the equation, there are alternatives to butyl. Latex and TPU being two I’ve had middling experience with. Latex is noticeably light and relatively strong. However, they typically need inflating every other day and are relatively expensive. TPU, such as these Pirelli PIRELLI CENTURATO REINFORCED SMART TUBE (sevendaycyclist.com) are also relatively expensive but very lightweight and contribute to a compliant ride-palpably so, in my experience. Traditionally these weren’t repairable, but this is changing. As an aside, they’re a bit easier to fit too. Nonetheless, I’d still carry a spare butyl tube, since roadside repair isn’t practical in my experience (patches require a few hours curing time).  

Sealant (typically latex) filled tubes are another option if you’re looking for some added puncture protection. These work by movement and pressure (loss) forcing the sealant to the hole. However, they also rely on the sharp being removed from the tyre casing too. Oh, and a blowout can be extremely messy.  

That said; I tend to go the aftermarket sealant route with Schrader valves and on trailer/tagalongs.  Thorn-resistant tubes are another option. These are the proverbial builder’s hose and hefty-460g for a 700x38 and made using 4.6mm butyl. However, I found them a blessing when Ursula, Joshua, and I were out on cold, bright winter rides-the last thing you want is a flat, 15 miles from home.  

Talking of which, I typically carry a couple of spares-700c and 26inch- old but serviceable (think 3rd and final patch), in case someone is genuinely stuck by the roadside. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I’m no “White Knight” or “Good Samaritan”. However, the spare can fail, ditto the pump- maybe you’ve run out of patches...These things can strike even the best prepared. I’d appreciate someone helping me in these situations-if they could. 

Talking of life’s little frustrations seems that the second, successive consignment of maintenance sprays had been “lost in transit” by the courier. One so notorious for this, they recently had to rebrand...Thankfully, after perseverance and the manufacturer’s strong customer service, a new batch has just materialised. On a different note, I'll leave you with my review of the Kranx Strix 100 USB Rear Light that I've been referring to recently Kranx Strix 100 USB Rear Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)