Pruning, Tuning & Distraction

 

I resisted the cable pruning urge for all of 24 hours. Weary of bum and brain, I shuffled from my office chair and headed to the garage. Cursory inspection and some double-checking later, I’d marked the cut point and removed the front mech's inner wire. Measure twice, cut once; I performed a final check, snipped the outer cable and refitted. Save for pulling the inner wire through trimming, and restricting the front mech’s throw- done in five minutes.

Oh well, might as well…I was compelled to adjust Ursula’s rear brake. The cable had stretched slightly, which also saw me realigning the calliper.  This phase was a little more perfectionist- some might say obsessive. Having pulled the inner wire through a little further and snugged tight, I slackened the calliper mount, then used a rubber O-ring to bring the brake lever fully home. Theoretically, aligning the calliper, while I tightened it evenly. A technique that ultimately proved successful. No tickling, or rub, just smooth, progressive stopping. Yay! 

I’m a big fan of Topeak’s Uni Super Tourist 2.0 DX Rear Rack. Being a two-tier design, there’s no issues combining panniers and rack bags, whether their MTX Trunk Bag Topeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag | cycling-not-racing, or something more universal, such as my long serving Carradice. You can still pair these on a single tier design but whipping them on and off is more convoluted.

The rack is highly adjustable-great for various frame sizes and designs, regardless of whether they run discs, or not. 25 kilo maximum payload caters for most contexts, and the factory powder-coated finish is generally hardy.

My one minor niggle (aside from electroplated fasteners) is the rack’s design can hinder access to disc brake calliper mounts. A moot point tackled with a workshop, ball-end type but potentially tricky with some multi-tools. Singular L-type 5mm keys, or slender tools, such as this Oxford Torque R10 Mini Ratchet Set Oxford Torque RT10 Mini Ratchet Set | cycling-not-racing seem the best fits.   

250 mixed terrain miles on and the All-Mountain Style Miami Glide Chain Wax is also performing very well- clean and yet seemingly resilient. I’ve concluded that letting it cure for 7-8 hours reaps best reward-I sensed I was chancing it at three hours but was keen to take Ursula for a shakedown ride and it’s the sort of thing we’ve all done now and then.  Much the same story with Muffin’s KMC chain.

One thing led to another while I was contemplating the world and my place within it. Curious to see how compatible (or otherwise) Slick Juice was with titanium; I switched the super plush Sumo for this Torus. This also presented opportunity to top up Muffin’s frame preserve and having torqued everything correctly, I gave the post a polish and applied some protectant. Given the grease’s composition, I’m not expecting any issues with galvanic corrosion, but there’s only one way to find out.  

As the miles rack up, I’m increasingly impressed by the All-Mountain Sports Miani Glide Chain Was. Specifically its lubrication and temperature stability. It seems to penetrate and coat the chain’s pins and rollers, resulting in silent, crisp shifting, doesn’t attract grime and runs cleaner. In fairness, several waxes I’ve tested over the last year or two haven’t become a gooey mess when the mercury’s creeping beyond 23 degrees but some are definitely better than others. It's also proving quite effective on cables, cleat mechanisms and other metal-on-metal interfaces that we might want to lube “while we think of it”.

Leatt have graciously sent me some shoes and shades to play with. Now, I've defaulted to twin bolt gravel shoes for the past five years or so, on and off road since they strike an excellent balance of power transfer and walkability. Grippy soles offering excellent traction off the bike-even if it's just dis/mounting on an icy morning. Prior to this,  cross country mountain bike and sportier touring shoes were my go-tos. I'm still a big fan of these Quoc Pham, which are still going strong after thirteen years. Leather uppers are easy to care for and resist the elements very well-wipe clean with a damp cloth and treat with hide food, or shoe polish to keep them supple.

Back to the Leatt. These are the Trail 6.0, a trail shoe, which features a longer cleat channel, offering greater adjustment. Forward, for a more aggressive, dare we say, racy stance, further back for trail, all mountain and endurance genres. A little different. Synthetic uppers seem rugged, although means mesh panelling. Once upon a time, this meant very soggy feet when the heavens opened. However, the slightly wider fit means they are readily paired with thinner waterproof socks, such as these Muc-Off, which are firm favourites of mine. 

Leatt also sent me their  Ride Viz Sierra Sunglasses. These employ "Biopolymer" frames with stainless steel temples. Polycarbonate lenses employing polarising technology, promising to eliminate glare and therefore, eye strain are something we've come to expect. Their casual, slightly classic design looks less aggressively technical, so theoretically a good fit off the bike. The Rebound employ carbon fibre frames and arms, keeping the weight low and rubberised grippers offering tactile tenure. 

Technical kit doesn't have to look overtly technical. Some brands still offer more relaxed "touring" shirts and shorts, although this is a smaller market, which seemed to almost reach a point of extinction, but made a quiet comeback thanks to gravel's rise in popularity. Prior to that, messenger subculture had a fleeting influence between 2005 and 2009. I'm still fond of "messenger knickers" which were nicely cut, looked stylish off the bike-perfect when meeting friends for lunch and similar social contexts. 

Looser fit mountain bike clothing is similarly practical. Endura Humvee remain popular (justly so, in my view) and cross, trail, touring and gravel genres very capably. Pockets and stash points means they're also ultra practical, won't look out of place on a mountain bike, tourer, gravel, or road bike.  Great for everyday riding where Lycra is inappropriate or frowned upon.   Hmm...Might that be why the Shetlands are shunning me ... I'll close here with my long term review of the Topeak Uni Super Tourist DX Rack Disc  Topeak Uni Super Tourist DX Rack Disc | cycling-not-racing

 

 

Baggy Trousers & Blasting Frames

No, nothing to do with Madness, the 80's Ska inspired pop band-we're talking messenger knickers/three quarter lengths (delete as your road/mtb heritage dictates). Lycra remains a firm favourite for fast blasts on the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream but there's much to be said in favour of stylish modesty as my thirties thunder by. The one downside to this genre of respectable leg-wear is the attention it draws to furry pins-hence my endearing love affair with Veet!

Missing teeth aren't particularly fetching either...Despite a varied and reasonably balanced diet, my cola consumption was on par with Dennis Hopper's appetite for liquor during the 1970s. The loss of a prominent and very expensive dental crown has ended a twenty year dependency upon this evil mistress.

Polaris Transition bear remarkable similarity to Protective Washingtons, although they're fashioned from water repellent rip-stop polyester which has a distinctly "technical" feel compared with the German marque's brushed fabric. Pockets are the bog standard hip for change, keys and stuffing the hands when mooching around town while the positively cavernous cargo type gobble everything from larger compact cameras, wallets and smart phones through to road maps- er, that's retro GPS for the uninitiated. Stretch panels minimise bunching even-fully laden and hammering along at ninety-plus rpm while the rip-stop lives up to it's reputation, shrugging at brambles and other feisty foliage. They're as chic, civilian and water resistant as you'll need in the urban jungle, although the Protective have the edge for more formal meets. Sizing is a major consideration though and in their infinite wisdom, Polaris have done something very strange for the men-folk. My thirty-two inch waist, thirty-three leg isn't particularly outlandish and I've always managed a medium...I squeezed into our sample sans unsightly muffin top and given a few longish outings, the fabric relaxes. Measurements seem more consistent for the ladies but nonetheless try before parting with your hard-earned.

Diesel strength coffee and regular visits to Maldon Shotblasting & Powder Coating have been keeping the soda scourge firmly in check. In amongst a flurry of rusty motorcycle frames, panels and tanks sat this weary looking '80s Condor road frameset ready for a "French Blue" rebirth.Construction and attention to detail are to a standard "Johnny come artisan" can only dream of. Note the accuracy of brazing- no runs or drips here (more than can be said for the Teenage Deam-at least around the original fork crown). My inclination would be to reconfigure the top-tube cable routing but then perhaps the owner wants to retain its originality and besides, identikit machines/increasingly identikit people are equally undesirable.

The same is true of dirty/squeaky transmissions and I'm pleased to report we've been returning around two hundred miles from White Lightning's "Clean Ride" through the drier months. Maintenance has been little more than a light drizzle on every link and periodically wiping any sludge from the outer plates. However, I'm edging closer to the bottle's end and must make a decision whether to continue, or substitute for a more tenacious gloopy offering for the darker months that creep nearer.

Elsewhere, Knog's mighty dry dog remains a near permanent feature aboard the Univega's beefy cro-moly rack. Summer cloudburst, river crossings and the general hurdy gurdy of rough-stuff touring have made no impression on the fabric or moreover, contents. Its thirteen inch sibling has the edge when it comes to the cut and thrust of commuting since it slips through gaps that bit easier and doesn't foul the floor when wheeling the bike through tight apartment corridors but bigger brother is bang on for weekend touring.

Right, well a kindly editor has bestowed a lovely box of goodies for testing and the wide blue yonder is calling me.