When Things Go Smoothly...

 I’ve seen a bit of bar con bashing online recently. In common with others who are vocal in their destain for things, much of the comments come from ignorance, so are arguably irrelevant. Some suggesting cables run THROUGH the handlebars. Sure, they’ve fallen from mainstream gaze and lack the light, snappiness of Brifters but they’re also lighter and ultra-dependable. Great for back of beyond touring, beasts of burden, and indeed, daily drivers like Ursula.  

Microshift still makes them (and continues the dependable theme with their Sword and Advent group sets). Hot on the heels of the Spyre SLC, Ursula’s rear Shimano CX50 cantilever pads had gathered some glaze and needed a quick scrub. It also presented the opportunity to strip and lightly grease the posts. The straddle wire was also beginning to look tired, so was also replaced. Consumables are eaten quickly through winter, especially if you do bigger mileages.  

I’d spotted a rear Tiagra mech, pads etc being sold as bankrupt stock and at very enticing prices. Sad, since it’s never good to see, or hear of businesses going to the wall. In the late 80s, it was common for people without business acumen, financial literacy, or experience to open enterprises and often fail catastrophically. However, it's become increasingly prevalent for established and successful traders in post-Brexit Britain.     

Little and often maintenance becomes second nature, extends the life of components, and usually stops trouble before it starts. I’d applied a light helping of Muc-Off HCB1 to Ursula’s chain stay bridge area and the BBB Echelon saddle rails, which were showing some localised corrosion.  

Again, nothing to get excited about at this stage and HCB1 will mothball, stopping surface grot in its tracks. Yes, generic maintenance sprays will certainly help on this front, but need more frequent reapplication and are readily washed away. They’re meant for light lubrication of cables, and pivot points, flushing wet, corrosive stuff out, priming chains removing muck, and grime, loosening sticky/lightly corroded parts.     

Back to the Holdsworth 

Having removed the Woodman Jupiter’s lower cup cum race with a few deft taps of my trusty crown race tool. (It also needed a little chemical assistance, courtesy of some Muc-Off MO 94). I set it carefully on the Holdsworth’s crown and decided there was sufficient Park PPL100 TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES (sevendaycyclist.com) grease dressing its needle roller bearings, so just transplanted.    

 

The Jupiter’s design means it's extremely well-sealed from the elements, so an obvious choice for MTB and XC duties. Ironic perhaps that the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream are fair-weather playthings, but the Woodman’s design and refinement (coupled with the fact decent-quality headsets were becoming harder to source) swung it for me. Forks in, it was simply a matter of stacking up the spacers, refitting the cockpit, connecting the front brake, adjusting pad height, and the usual tweaks.  

 

I like the slight contrast between frame and fork, accentuated by the Knog NERD computer’s blue silicone casing. Had the fork been any darker, it would’ve looked a little too obvious (although could be toned down with a comparable, darker shade of blue bar tape). Anyhow, mission complete.  

 

Elsewhere, the switch to MKS NJS chain tugs subverts the need to detach the Topeak DX rack when accessing track nuts- adjusting the chain tension or removing the wheel-problem sorted.  

 

I decided now was the time to see how well the Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was holding up on Ursula’s Hollowtech II axle, given the flooding and generally adverse conditions of recent months. It also presented an ideal opportunity to give the rings a good scrub. As the photos suggest, a reasonable amount of Peaty’s remained and was still doing its friction-busting, corrosion-stopping thing.  

 

However, I’d come this far and opted to strip and introduce this Wolf Tooth WT-G Grease. It’s a synthetic blend designed primarily for moving parts- hubs, headsets etc but apparently fine for contact points and threaded parts. Its reckoned stable between minus 50 and 180 degrees and promises low friction, longevity and high resistance to water, oxidisation and corrosion.  

 

The crank’s pinch bolts were completely devoid of grease, so were a little reticent to release. Nothing a shot of MO94 couldn’t sort, so I was sure to add a generous lick of the Wolf Tooth grease to them before refitting and torquing down to the recommended 12-14nm. Buttery smooth once more. The headset’s bottom race came next, and I stripped the rear Shimano CX50 brake, greased the canti posts and replaced the straddle wire.   

 

Talking of which, it's much easier to apply than some higher viscosity formulas – Juice Lubes Bearing Juice being a case in point, although the latter is really stubborn and being so thick makes a great host for loose balls. No escapees in the hub shell. However, the Wolf Tooth is supposedly designed for contact points and similar duties too, so I’ll be checking that out in the coming weeks and possibly months.  

 

Having switched the Holdsworth’s Miche Primato calliper for the long-reach Tiagra, I decided now was the time to upgrade the Teenage Dream’s lower end Miche Performance. Plenty of life in the pads, so I gave the callipers a quick clean and polish and bolted everything together. I’m sure I have the rear Primato somewhere in the spares stash. I’ll upgrade the Teenage Dream’s rear Performance unit when I unearth it. I'll close here with Steve's review of the Castelli Entrata Tights https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/castellientratatightsnopad 

 

Holdsworth...The Photo Love-Story Concludes

Having meandered back from the midlands, I spent two days contemplating life, the universe and subsequent moves from the Ilpompino’s recently moulded leather perch. Persistent, near vertical climbs also had me pondering the wisdom of an 81 inch gear. Hardly certifiable but something between 72 and 76 is nearer the mark for tarmac, 63 sans asphalt-not that I’ve taken this route on said beast for several years.

Sharing obvious similarities with IRO’s now seemingly defunct “Rob Roy”; describing these as “cross mounts with track ends” is a bit over simplistic, since their loftier centres of gravity require nimbler reflexes through more technical sections compared with a standard, geared mount. Not that plummeting temperatures haven’t presented their own challenges, potholes breeding at an alarming rate and many lanes under a thick, frosty blanket, dotted with black ice.

Fixed is ideal for these contexts, since it allows the rider to hold off against the cranks, slowing the rear wheel by very subtle increments, especially in situations where engaging one’s front brake would induce a skid and subsequent painful face-plant or broken collar bone. 

Muc-off’s CF3 dry lube continues to impress with its serene tenacity and relative cleanliness, making wheel swaps and puncture purging less socially awkward. Miles per application remains a consistent 175, even through soggy stuff, although enduro’s old guard are better served by wet ceramics and cleat mechanisms seem happier with heavy-duty Teflon/PTFE sprays.

Back in the comfort of my kitchen with warmth, running water and hot beverages in seamless supply, I commenced the final stages of the Holdsworth’s reincarnation. Contrary and unpredictable aren’t adjectives usually applied to yours truly but once again, the script changed on account of the front Halo hoop’s powder coated sidewalls being inappropriate braking surfaces.

Six layers of budget electrical tape later those Miche Xpress were dressed in 23mm Specialized rubber, axles treated to a precautionary lick of crystal grease to prevent unnecessary chafing of frame ends. Diagnostics and planning complete, even the most minimal builds can present unexpected challenges. Exit stage left my trusty workshop chain splitter, choosing this crucial moment to shoot its drive pin uselessly across the tiled floor and into oblivion!

Luckily, my Axiom compact multi tool exceeded all expectations, joining ends in matrimony with incredible finesse, leaving me to drizzle some CF3 dry into its parched links before taking right magnesium Keo homage in hand and cranking things over. Awestruck at the transmissions’ refinement, I repeated this several times before introducing a quick squirt of heavy duty Teflon prep to cleat and dual pivot brake mechanisms. Cable pruning complete, I sealed its end with superglue and tweaked Tri-Bars for more ergonomic effect.

Earlier foraging unearthed this colour coordinated, albeit elementary KNOG NERD computer and pattern spoke magnet. The head unit was calibrated to 700x35, demanding twenty minutes and an online memory jog. Ordinarily, chain tugs are derigueur, the fixed equivalent of cuff-links but these otherwise exquisite NJS stamped MKS offerings were redundant since chain length dictated the wheel slotted fully home. Project complete, he can resume hibernation until spring, leaving me to focus on commissions, deadlines and related matters. 

Home-brew kits are evocative of 1970’s middle-aged suburban men with dubious taste in jumpers and facial hair. Ironic then that one’s sibling felt this nostalgic staple a fitting yuletide gift.  Recalling one or two unfortunate, shag pile ruining detonations (induced, we think by over-zealous mixing/fermentation misadventure) I commenced proceedings from the safety of my bath tub, observing measures with religious precision. 

Decanting everything sequentially, stirring as instructed, I resumed interludes of pronounced creativity/inspiration. This serenity was rudely interrupted two hours hence by a sudden, unnerving hiss. Dashing to the bathroom, I was confronted by a torrent of partially fermented brown fluid spurting uncontrollably from the exploded valve tap.

Keen to avert that notorious scene from “The Shining” where water cascades uncontrollably through the hotel’s corridors, I grasped numerous PET bottles and averted certain “cascading through the ceiling” disaster. Said receptacles can remain safely ensconced in a quiet corner, while I pursue some business leads and steal a march on 2014.