Puncture season has well and truly
struck and Tuesday’s night’s wet n’ windy lane-side pit-stop saw my
endless gratitude for this helmet mounted BBB Scout light. 200 lumens doesn’t
sound much these days but the really pure crisp arc of light made locating spare tube(s), tyre levers and Cool tool (not to
mention the job itself) that bit easier.
It also ensured I didn’t lose anything,
or litter the verge when bunging everything back in. Talking of lights, while
there are some minor compromises, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Xeccon
Zeta 1300r Wireless Front light http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/xeccon-1300-wireless-front-light
This was the second flat in two
successive evenings, so has me questioning whether unbranded tube bundles are
little more than false-economy. Fine for getting back on the road and other
contingencies, but not as everyday staples; neither puncture seemed the result
of a sharp piercing the Clement USH casings. Both rim tapes are pristine too.
Graciously the supplier is sending me a
replacement bundle, in case these are a rogue batch.I’m likely to revert to a
thicker gauge butyl, possibly a Kenda thorn resistant on the rear, store
branded goo-filled model up front.
Having reviewed the contents of my
wedge pack, I retrieved a CO2 inflator and spare cartridge to further minimise
roadside indignity on a wet and blustery night. That said; I never ride
anywhere without a decent pump riding shot gun on the bottle mounts, or in a
jersey pocket.
Research suggests the brain is in fact,
phenomenally active when we are consciously resting. Talking of customisation,
I awoke on Wednesday morning with the idea of a tyre swap. A 35mm Vittoria
Voyager hyper at the rear and a 42mm Maxxis Roamer 2ply up front…Hmm, well best
laid plans…
Despite the MkII Ilpomopino’s rear triangle supposedly swallowing 35mm
sections (sans guards), the voyager hyper was tickling the chainstays at their
narrowest point, so I reinstated the 35mm Continental.
I suspect, given their portly profiles, the Voyager’s 32mm counterparts
would still be in fag paper territory clearance-wise. Shame, since they’re a
really, nice compliant tyre with magic-carpet ride quality. We reviewed them in
issue 7 when Seven Day Cyclist was a monthly, downloadable PDF publication. http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/pdf-reader
The 42mm Maxxis and Kinesis fork proved
a much happier marriage.
Grotty roads, oily finger prints and
similar caked-on spatter also presented opportune moments for further testing
of The Pro Green MX triple pack. Having sprayed the drivetrain degreaser on the
ring and sprocket, before working it into their inner side and then into the
links using an old brush.
Most bike cleaners are marketed as
kind; or at least safe on plastic, composites and rubberised components.
Experience leads me to conclude, some are kinder than others so I took this
opportunity to give the tyres a really good scrub too.
Though a big fan Green Oil’s bicycle
brush this Oxford tyre scrub continues to grow on me. The rubberised
contoured handle sits naturally in the palm and allows really efficient
cleaning. Sculpted nylon bristle plot is angled perfectly for lifting impacted
gloop and sharps from the casings, restoring the aesthetic and greatly reducing
the likelihood of punctures and other damage.
Generally designed for mud and other
organic contaminant, the relatively gentle cleaner continues to impress,
shifting oily finger marks and even some internal frame preserve that oozed out
from the bottom bracket shell.
The drivetrain degreaser has also
shifted more sophisticated petrochemical chain lubes and caked on residual
stuff clinging to the cranks inner spider. Having dried and re-lubricated the
chain, it was time to give everything (bar contact points, disc and rotor
components a misty blow-over with their all-over shine formula.
I could easily lose 30minutes to
polishing-often it’s a therapeutic, reflective exercise. However, applied in a
gentle mist, this formula cures to a really jewelled like effect within
thirty minutes. A gentle breeze certainly helps but isn’t essential. So far,
judging by my Univega, it isn’t attracting a dirty patina in the usual places-fork
crowns, bottom bracket shell and rear
triangle.
