Feeling The Urge

Project management phase 1 completed and site furniture reclaimed-albeit slowly. The portable toilet was great for Impromptu bike leaning but also enticed an amorous couple in the early hours of Monday morning…

Tempting though it was to sing that immortal verse from “drunken sailor” i.e. “hooray and up she rises!” (Judging by their levels of intoxication, this feat was unlikely). Security light and my reproving silence, saw them slink away into the night.  

I’ve since found time to swap the mighty Halo aerotrak for John Moss’ meticulously crafted Mavic Open Pro build. There’s little margin for error at the MK2 Pompino’s rear triangle, which will just about swallow a 35mm tyre sans (full length) chrome plastics.

This wheel’s been precision tensioned and trued to .1mm-no tyre on chainstay flirtation here. John urged caution during the bedding-in phase but I’m delighted to report unnerving pinging and dinging of spokes under load have remained academic in the past 125 miles.

Hub, though not of the Halo’s calibre, is surprisingly smooth nonetheless. Serendipity…I may switch back to the Halo during the murkier months-purely because of its retina warming charms.

Talking of which and ss August recedes, I’ve been enjoying the longer evenings. Unless I’m doing a dead of night blast along the lanes, a couple of mid-power blinkies and/or a compact front light on standby is optimum.

Until 2100hrs, it’s about being seen, so, up front 200-350 lumens is more than adequate. A system that will dip to 150 round town is better still, conserving reserves until they’re really needed. New season’s lighting is beginning to trickle onto the Seven Day Cyclist test bench and I’ve just taken delivery of Xeccon Mars 30 and Xeccon Mars 60 smart rear lights.

“Intelligent” lighting; units that automatically adjust i.e. becoming more/less intense automatically, according to situations/conditions have been the preserve of higher end models, including See Sense icon plus https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/see-sense-icon-rear-light . Like most technology, elements are starting to creep into the lower price brackets. In this instance, the light supposedly becomes more intense at closer range and under braking.

The 60 is considerably bigger than its 30 lumen sibling and boasts a unique bracket, presumably to cope with the additional size and (relative) weight. To be honest, I’m surprised they haven’t both shared the latter’s bracket, since superficially, it seems a superior design. Time will tell. Both of these employ the increasingly standard, integrated fit n’ forget lithium ion rechargeable cell.

 For general riding and where it’s easy to cadge a charge from mains/laptop/PC these batteries are extremely practical. However, I still firmly believe there’s a place for AA/A fuelled lights. So does Sigma judging by their Stereo model.

This one features two slightly old school 0.5 watt LEDs but is reckoned visible to 400metres. It also comes complete with two rechargeable AAA cells, which can be refuelled in the usual way, or via a more traditional mains charger. Better still, this set up also ensures you can run dry cells; should need arise. On paper, this also means the light isn’t bin fodder, once the OEM cells cash in their chips.

Perfect for touring, or those occasions where you’ve forgotten to charge it. Stop off at your off-licence, supermarket etc, pick up some batteries and you’re back in business. Why not keep a stash handy? That way, you’re fully prepared should the switch cum charge indicator turn red along a dark country lane, 25 miles from home/civilisation.

We’ve also received some Align footwear insoles. https://alignfootwear.uk   Commanding the lion’s share of £50, these are a high end design from Denmark, which uses their patented “Tri-Planar” technology.

This three point support, theoretically aligns the wearer’s foot. Eliminating other, seemingly unrelated pains-knees, hips, shoulder etc. Now, I had a BG (Body Geometry) consultation and fitting by Specialized at their Surrey HQ almost nine years back.

This revealed that my saddle height was 1mm below optimum. While my legs were of identical length, my right femur was longer than the other, resulting in a tendency to lean slightly to the left.

Consequently, shoulder discomfort and other muscular skeletal niggles set in given a few hours. Admittedly, this is exaggerated by other, everyday factors, such as long periods at a laptop and previous knocks sustained during motorcycle and cycling spills.

BG red insoles were prescribed at the time and genuinely improved my riding experience. Will be interesting to see how the Align pan out over the next month, or so. They seem a precision fit in these recently resurrected Scott shoes, which is a good start. I'm genuinely feeling some benefit after 75miles or so but that, could simply be the hawthorn effect at play. Six weeks, 600 miles to go.

Got the Horn!

 

Bells are one of those annoying adornments fitted to new bikes, sold here in the UK. Beyond this particular legislative compulsions, they have little practical use. Inflamed tonsils aside, a well timed greeting, or yell works better (especially in dense, urban traffic) weighs and costs nothing.

A few manufacturers have developed horns, with varying degrees of success. Power, at least in the decibel sense was never a problem but even if the horn component didn’t consume much handlebar, it often gobbled a bottle cage.

Some also proved borderline aggressive-not what’s needed when you want to gently alert pedestrians of your approach, say along a forest trail, or designated shared use path.  Oregon based ORP https://orpland.com/ have kindly sent Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com the latest version of their little horn, which combines a 5 mode LED light, capable of delivering 140 lumens and two mode horn.  

This blue version is for illustrative purposes only, since ours seem to have been “intercepted” by someone in the postal service. It’s tracked and apparently signed for but not by me, or a representative of.  I digress..

The cube shaped design, encased in a big silicone blanket, is, dimensions-wise, a blinkey on cortisone, so compact enough, even for my Holdsworth’s cockpit. The horn component has two decibel levels commanded by the “whale tail” switch. 76 for polite “I’m approaching” 96 for letting rip on the streets.

There’s an optional "Remorp" bar mounted extension cable, similar to that employed on some lights. The Moon Meteor Storm Pro https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light and Moon LX760 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-lx760-front-light being cases in point. For cleanest aesthetic, arguably these should be run beneath the bar wrap.

I’m inclined to go this route, say with super sticky silicones, which don’t feature an adhesive backing, or alternatively, if you change bar wraps seasonally, along with control cables.

There’s a sound rationale’ for doing so, especially if you rack up big mileages. This practice isn’t simply about boosting morale during the darker months, or indeed a desire to buy new stuff. Rather, it could be considered a discipline, presenting the ideal opportunity to inspect contact points for early signs of fatigue.

Elsewhere, I’ve solved the phantom flatting problem with my MK2 Ilpompino build’s rear wheel-the one so meticulously crafted by John Moss a few weeks back. Revisiting with fresh eyes, it seems the rim-tape I’d used had shifted and with realignment, literally disintegrated. Some fresh Schwalbe in situ, new tube and Schwalbe Marathon 365 remounted, pressure’s holding nicely.

I was hoping to run it in, over the next couple of weeks but some other, project management (building works) is making access to my beloved working fixed tricky. Talking of which, I would be interested in trying the V4, which aside from disbanding the wish bone rear triangle, has reputedly adopted a more aggressive geometry-without losing its all weather versatility. http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPOMPKOJV4/on-one-pompino-v4-drop-bar-urban-bike

Aside from some rather fetching wet spray colours, they’re also offering a raw version with a clear coat finish, which also intrigues me. I’d be interested to see how tough it was, compared with its 2pac counterparts; especially subjected to salty, winter roads.

I’ve had 7005 and 6061 aluminium alloy framesets hold up pretty well in these contexts, although ultimately stone chips allow moisture and condensation to build up beneath the lacquer, causing it to flake and in some cases, minor corrosion en route.    

Access issues and the arrival of the TF2 ultra dry wax has presented the opportunity to get the miles in on my Univega. Some would argue-not without grounds, that dry lubes are not meant for wet weather. I wouldn’t advocate their use during the depths of winter but it’s fair to say that summers are not always arid.

We’d expect a few wet rides and most lubes to remain in situ-especially during the summer months. In common with the Pure dry lube, it seems to be one of those which just attracts less dirt, rather than a self cleaning emulsion type that flakes off, taking contaminant en route. So far I’m impressed with its cleanliness and low friction. Be interesting to see how tenacious it is during a sustained period of changeable weather. 

 

Changes

Eurobike and similar trade events signal summer’s slow, simpering swansong. The gradually encroaching curtain of velvety darkness brings with it more interesting colours. Being something of a night owl, the season’s new lighting in particular has me very excited.  

We’re waiting on samples but I was invited over to Moore Large’s Derby headquarters for their “Geared” event. Plenty to see, although I was particularly taken with their Moda range; this included several cross, Audax, road and TT builds.  This Reynolds 953 frameset with clear coated stainless stays, replaceable hanger and carbon fork was all too tempting…

Spec is highly tuneable to suit customer budget and expectation. Adventure bikes remain very popular too on account of their rugged versatility and this 1x11spd Hooklow cross/gravel/do-all also held my attention. 

Single rings with widely spaced cassettes eliminate the chore of keeping front derailleurs happy through the grotty months. It also allows manufacturers to deviate from traditional frame design and where appropriate, use thinner tubing since there’s no danger of it being distorted by band-on clamps.

Like the majority of frames, these are made to a very high standard in the Far East, which includes finishing. Traditionally brands would outsource construction to Taiwan and keep paint and detailing on these shores.

Chatting with their brand manager revealed this is no longer necessary, although I was surprised to discover the worldwide demand for aluminium alloys has resulted in a shortage of factories in the Far East capable of working with Cro-moly steels.     

Then of course, Knog and Pro-Viz. The Australian marque famous for its iconic silicone encased blinkies has upgraded the internals in its Blinder Arc range and introduced some new, decidedly extrovert town lighting. Silicone straps have also been beefed up and redesigned for improved durability.

Pro-Viz has introduced a 360+ line with racier cuts and improved breathability and made a reversible day glow/ grey version of the 360 jacket. We’re yet to play with this one but the concept looks great for general winter riding.  

Speaking of revamps, I’ve been toying with reinventing the Ilpompino’s livery.

Some suggested buying the latest version of the long-running frameset (which has ditched the mono-stay in favour of a more conventional rear triangle). However, more disciplined fleet control would dictate selling my MK2 on.

The MK4 is arguably an improvement, especially if you’re looking at fitting a four point rack for laden commuting or weekend touring. Having upgraded the original steel fork for racier carbon blades, the latest generations more aggressive geometry is a moot point.

Besides, despite its minor limitations, I love the MK2’s distinctive rear triangle and we’ve amassed too many happy miles together.

The existing wet-spray finish remains in very rude health, ten years salty winters hence. However, the binaural voice of temptation had been cooing seductively for too long. Chris and Trevor at Maldon Shot blasting & Powder Coating have agreed to a new and very distinctive effect.Watch this space...

Elsewhere, the Kinesis Tripster Ace has been treated to several healthy helpings of dirt these past few weeks and it handles light to moderate trail duties better than I had any right to expect. 

I found those buxom bars just too broad for tarmac terrorism, or open road cruising. However, their unparalleled leverage really helps bring things back under control when the 35mm dual purpose tyres eventually ingest too much gloop and become slicks…

The eagle eyed among you will note my use of single sided SPDR homage pedals-idiosyncratic perhaps and a decision my testicles nearly regretted on a few occasions but we’ve escaped unscathed and dulcet tones fully intact.

Recent legislation means Co2 cartridges shouldn’t be sent through the post, hence the previous weeks’ trip to the midlands coincided with a quick stop-off at a well-known French sports retailer for some replenishments.

I’m someone who punctures infrequently but then succumbs to several in quick succession. Their convenience on a cold, wet night cannot be under-estimated. Nonetheless, a decent pump should always be riding shotgun on the bottle bosses, or nestling against the seat/top tube just in case.