Another Year Almost Done....

 

On the cusp of 2026, I’ve been reflecting on 2025.  Many miles in the saddle, there have been lots of subtle tweaks and changes across the board. Ursula’s frame modifications have proved their worth. I’ve switched the rear quick release for the electroplated trailer model. I’ve experienced some occasional disc rub-easily addressed using some simple adjustments.  

Thru axles are the best pairings on the stiffness fronts, which may be a consideration for those taking the modernisation route. Talking of which, many frame builders will shy away from retrofitting disc mounts to older, thinner tubed framesets. By all means ask them and to explain their reservations but (this goes for any other profession, or trade) never try cajoling someone into doing something they are not comfortable doing. There’s usually a very sound reasoning behind that reticence.  

Before concerning yourself with calliper alignment and more involved diagnostics, start with some simple stuff. With the bike set down, undo the quick release and check the wheel is properly set in the dropouts and centred. Next, with the quick release open, pull the brake lever fully home, while simultaneously closing the quick release.

Pump the lever ten times and roll the bike or spin the wheel to test for any binding.  I was happy with the Spyre SLC’s alignment, so felt no need to meddle and on this occasion, all sorted. This had coincided with yet another sudsy bucket clean, since Ursula needed it, after a week belting along greasy, muddy lanes. I also wanted to  strip what remained of the Weldtite All Weather Lube Weldtite All Weather Lube | cycling-not-racing and introduce some Muc Off C3 Ceramic All Weather Chain Lube Muc-Off C3 All Weather Chain Lube | cycling-not-racing- just fancied a change to be honest.

Several months and many miles down the line, the Leatt Endurance 6.0 Clip in Pedals  Leatt Endurance 6.0 Clip in Pedals | cycling-not-racing  which are understated and just get on with the job- no flex, creaking and while mud shedding doesn’t rival Time’s mighty ATAC, they’ll shift boggy clay soil with reassuring ease.

Switching to the Ergon All Road Core Comp SaddleErgon SR All Road Core Comp Saddle Men | cycling-not-racing has proved music to my derriere, and I’m pleased to report the right hand Microshift bar end shifter is behaving properly, so all told, I’ve refined the contact points to personal perfection. Long term use has me concluding CST Patrol CST Patrol Folding EPS Tyres | cycling-not-racing are a better fit for me and my riding style than the Continental Cross King Protection Black Chili Tyres Continental Cross King Protection Black | cycling-not-racing

Phantom squeaks strike now and again- can be something and nothing. Muffin’s creak wasn’t the D-riser 4 bars, rather the Cane Creek dummy/stoker lever needing a quick turn of the 5mm Allen key. I’ve had these for many years and found their ergonomics incredibly comfortable for cruising and climbing.  Obviously tandems are their primary audience, but they make a lot of sense on a fixed gear build, or indeed, a trike, or something similarly specialist employing a 2-in1, linked brake. I’m considering revisiting the 146mm wide Cycles Berthoud Soulor CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing  or The titanium railed Spa Cycles Aire for a while.  I’ve decided to whip the Aire atop Muffin’s USE post, since I needed to strip and regrease some of the hardware.

In fairness, there was a reasonably stoical, thin layer of Oxford Mint Assembly Grease Oxford Mint Assembly Grease | cycling-not-racing . However, prevention is always better than cure and since I was switching saddles, then was the time. I’ve reached for the Zefal Pro II Grease Zefal Pro II Grease | cycling-not-racing   

The Soulor is 7mm broader than the Ergon SR All Road Saddle Ergon SR All Road Men’s Saddle | cycling-not-racing and a bit heavier too. I’m curious to see how good a fit it is with Muffin.

Dimensions wise, its identical to the iconic 80’s Selle Italia Turbo, which I got along with just fine for several years. I had two versions, the suede and a leather covered gel version c. 1993-96. Staying with the late 80s, I had a Selle San Marco Concor Super Corsa homage- wore the suede smooth and ultimately sold it to a fellow student for £8 in 1994.  

Winter is hard on stuff as I’m always saying and cables are no exception. I wasn’t surprised to discover a frayed inner still commanding Ursula’s front Suntour mech-one of those routine jobs that saves a lot of hassle later down the line. Another illustration of why its important to wash and inspect bikes regularly during the darker months.   

The muddy, slippery season has also presented opportunity to put the Zefal G50 Gravel Mudguards to the test and as I’d expected, they offer a decent amount of coverage-at least to the rider, without fouling when things get gooey.

 Longer term, I’m contemplating a hybrid setup for Denise- leaving the rear G50 I situ and running a Mud Hugger Gravel Hugger up front. We’ll see, this is more of an aesthetic, rather than performance thing. The great thing about the G50 is their compatibility with cantilever brakes, lending them to older ‘cross, hybrid and gravel builds. I like disc brakes and for a wealth of applications, they’re great, but cantilevers and other rim brakes still have genuine advantages and perform very well. Particularly with higher end cables and pads.

 

Bolts & More Boing

 For some reason, Ursula’s Cycles Berthoud Soulor Leather Saddle CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is disagreeing with me- shouldn't given the miles we’ve been doing over the past two years. However, I've never got along with Brooks iconic B17 either. Might be a short/pad incompatibility. Either way, I decided I’d switch in favour of this old-school Sell San Marco Concor Super Corsa Saddle. The Super Corsa was originally introduced in 1978 and arguably a more obvious choice for a retro road build. I’ve contemplated fitting it to the Teenage Dream 1991 ROAD BIKE REVAMP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) on a few occasions but I’m strongly wedded to its Selle SMP Strike Plus.  

The Concor is surprisingly narrow too. 265 long and140mm (about 5.51 in) at the widest point, so we’ll see how we fare in the next few hundred miles. The hide’s colour is also a good fit with the Souma Leather bar tape. This also presented an ideal opportunity to re-grease the Kinekt 2.1KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) cradle hardware.  Since we're talking contact points, here's my review of the Funkier Apiza Gents Elite Bib Shorts Funkier Apiza Gents Elite Bib Shorts | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Given the heatwave, it was time to get some more miles in on the Holdsworth. The stem bolts I’d turned to as contingencies (having switched to the Star Fangled Nut and re-greased the Saturn Aheadset a few weeks back) were also extracted and replaced. The heads were completely chewed-I'd only snugged them to 5nm with a torque wrench and decent quality tool bit, which says something about their quality.  

Replacements seem fine, but then, they’re the same as fitted to the fixed gear winter/trainer’s Redshift Sports Suspension Stem.  Several pre-dawn rides confirm everything is bang on and I’m making the most of the dry spell, it’ll be autumn and then winter, soon enough.  

 

Maybe the heat was addling my thought processes, but I’d even toyed with the idea of switching the Holdsworth’s Torus Titanium Stem TORUS TITANIUM STEM (sevendaycyclist.com), for the Kinekt Suspension stem KINEKT SUSPENSION STEM | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), but it's out of kilter with the bike’s build and purpose It also adds 150g or so to the build. Not massive and easily countered by switching to lighter inner tubes, possibly a lighter seat post. Arguably, other than experimenting, or possibly proving a point, there’s little to be gained and its time better spent elsewhere.  

After some deliberation, I switched the Kinekt to my fixed gear winter/trainer. Now, I have a soft spot for the Kinekt, having run it through December 2020. It’s very plush and refined, although I would still prefer a stiffer elastomer than those supplied. A moot point when in the cruising stance but aggressive, out of the saddle efforts-say when ascending (which is more common on the fixed), and I found it was a little too active.  

I’ll freely admit to being a fan of the old Girvin Flex stem. I had one of my (long gone) 1990 Kona Lava Dome (“Lotti” in case you wondered). Critics suggested the elastomer system was too whippy, but it curried favour with me. By the same token, suspension stems are considerably lighter and less mechanically complex than suspension forks.  

I’ve run hardtail XC mountain bikes for many years and was similarly fond of the Rock Shox Indy SL with air cartridges. These were a relatively expensive and unintended upgrade, having foolishly followed the “guidance” of someone claiming Castrol Red Rubber Grease was superior to Judy Butter and similar elastomer-specific products.  

Sure, it was cheaper but ruined the elastomers. I was racing at the time, so suspension forks were well worth the investment and added weight (especially since I was also riding plain gauge 7005 aluminium alloy frames between autumn 96 and autumn 99). Ok, so I’ve gone a little further along the suspension trajectory and memory lane than initially intended...    

 

Back on track, there are rumoured to be stems employing air shock technology, reckoned to be around the 300g mark but I haven’t seen any production models, at least on these shores. Anyhow, if anyone has an innovative design, they’d like reviewed, feel free to contact me directly. No sooner had I typed this last paragraph, a postal worker arrived, brandishing some lubes and degreasers from Green Oil. A welcome and unexpected surprise.  

 

Optimal...

The lockdown is showing obvious signs of recession, although outside of certain hours, the roads remain refreshingly silent. Another week, a further 150 miles drumming my shape into the Univega’s saddle, while enjoying the more willing persona and supple ride quality, provided by those aptly named Continental Speed Reflex tyres.  

I’d also set aside some time to dial in the shifting (which wasn’t quite so precise at the lower half the cassette), then craft some custom paint protection using the Zefal Frame Armor. Rubberised cable buffers have greatly reduced the dreaded cable rub and my fleet has very thick, powder-coated finishes.

  

However, grit and oily contaminant can get lodged between the frame and soft polymer cuff, gnawing away at the lacquer and colour coats, albeit at a comparatively pedestrian rate.  

Pre-cut sticker sets have been around for donkeys and the more expensive versions are not only thick but employ strong adhesives. The sort highly resistant to solvents, oils, UV light and frequent washing. High-quality workshop type rolls are the most cost-effective options. They also permit custom shapes. The trade-off being achieving this demands a methodical, unhurried approach.  

Whether you’re applying these, or pre-cut types, give the frameset a sudsy bucket wash, then designated areas a quick rub with an alcohol-based wipe. This will remove anything dirty oily/waxy that would otherwise impair adhesion. 

I’ve also applied a strip to the underside of my fixed gear winter/trainer’s downtube since opportunity presented. Placing a strip here is a good move, even on a mountain bike using a crud catcher style guard, since the zip ties securing them can slip/move gnawing into the frame finish, over time. Especially when wet, gritty mud’s thrown into the equation 

Staying with the fixed, I’ve switched to the 32mm Kenda Kwick Journey KS Plus-wholesale. Much roomier around the rear triangle (Not that 35mm was problematic, per se) and true to their moniker, noticeably livelier, than the otherwise likable and very dependable VEE Tire Co Zilent https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/vee-tire-co-zilent-mark-2-tyres.  

This also brings the gearing down a fraction, to 75.6 inches, which is also more manageable in less fluid traffic and when climbing.  The 5mm thick puncture repelling strip doesn’t run bead to bead, which hasn’t proved problematic thus far and may also account for the friskier persona.  

However, we’ve passed hedge clipping season and wet, slimy winter roads might reveal some vulnerabilities.      Those looking for a budget digital pressure gauge might find this Lifeline Digital Pressure gauge fits the bill https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/lifeline-digital-pressure-gauge 

32mm was once the preserve of traditional touring and off duty ‘cross bikes but allowing for the trend towards bigger sections (I’m more inclined toward a 700x38c for road-biased touring)  it still strikes a good balance between speed and comfort, especially given the UK’s patchwork infrastructure. Talking of which, I’ve just received this latest incarnation of the Cane Creek Thudbuster.  

Specifically, the Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G4. The latter denoting 4th generation. The Thudbuster ST https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/cane-creek-thudbuster-suspensuin-se had a phenomenally long run and still has a lot of merit, especially on older, higher-end cross country mountain bikes. Not least since it's available in more sizes, with shims to bridge the gaps.  

This time around, it's only available in 27.2 or 30.9 and 31.6mm. (There are also two lengths-345mm for 27.2 and 375mm for 30.9 and 31.6mm). However, they’ve updated the linkage design. Elastomers are more easily swapped around, and it theoretically caters for riders up to 350lb.  

I say theoretically since the saddle clamp is a single bolt affair. A moot pint for a 70 old kilo “whippet” but experience suggests riders teetering around the 110-kilo mark might notice some saddle-rail creep. In terms of travel, the G4 has 50mm. 17mm more than the long-serving ST and 15mm more than the Redshift Shock stop Suspension post, presently pride of place on my Holdsworth. I’ve had to forgo the Carradice Carradry SQR bag https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/carradice-carradry 

But thankfully, this Altura Aero Post Pack was doing something close to nothing and capacity aside, the powder-coated aluminium alloy frame keeps it away from the post, thus solving potential compatibility hassles. Of course, you could always go the rider mounted route, for commuting and light trail duties. Oxford Aqua Evo 12 Litre Backpack is a lightweight and genuinely waterproof option. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/oxford-aqua-evo-12-litre-backpack