“Hope the chip shop isn’t closed, ‘Cos their pies are really nice. I’ll
eat it in the taxi queue; standing in someone else’s spew. Wish I had lipstick
on my shirt, instead of piss-stains on my shoes. I go out on
Friday night and I come home on Saturday morning”…Terry Hall
(The Specials)
Looking for gigs down seedy back alleys, has life become that desperate?
Well, perhaps not, although joining the Hare Krishna movement as they sashayed
joyfully through the lower shopping precinct proved intensely compelling- for
all of thirty seconds.
Mirth aside, the sense of urgency is becoming increasingly apparent.
Lateral, pragmatic thought and a cool, rational head, coupled with steely
determination and self-belief are imperative. The Reliant (?) based trike has
not rematerialized, so I’ve been unable to glean anymore spec, or owner-wise.
While not a subscriber to the suggestion that machines are extensions of
personality, I’m always fascinated by the human interest stories behind the
spec-sheet. Nonetheless and along these lines, it also inspired another
photographic project, which is presently being broadcast on Stenning
photographic’s Facebook page.
On the test bench, mucky lanes and grotty spring weather have revealed
some minor, though not unexpected weaknesses in those BBB slimguard fenders.
Subjectively, good quality fittings and materials have ensured good, silent
tenure to the Teenage dream and they do look pretty sharp. However, overall
performance is good, rather than ground-breaking.
30mm tyres are pretty optimistic by my reckoning, since 25mm will still
result in some residual spray decorating the stay and top section (though I’ve
never succumbed to a soggy backside). Even allowing that 5mm gap, accumulated mulch
lodged between rear tyre and mudguard. This was predictable given fag paper
clearances and hasn’t caused more serious binding to
date.
Rear triangle and bottom bracket still get a liberal spattering, ditto
feet, so pack overshoes and/or waterproof socks are imperative on longer/really
wet rides. Cannibalising an old set of clip-on race blades for their mud-flaps
has certainly improved matters without tainting the aesthetic.
In stock guise, riding companions don’t get a face-full, so you won’t
get dirty looks, or the silent treatment-for this at least. Aside from going
the bespoke route, an option if you sought the last word in customisation,
these are probably the closest I’ll come to proper-full length guards on this
build, without spending a bundle, so am relatively accepting of compromise.
Besides, it’s presented an ideal opportunity to assess another batch of
bike washes, polishes and anti/lubes…Traditional all-purpose lubricants have
tended to be based around vegetable oils, which in the long-term causes hinges
and sprung mechanisms to gum up uselessly requiring healthy blasts of water
displacer.
So far, Green Oil’s latest challenger seems pretty good. It’s relatively
thin and broadly comparable with three-seasons ISO/PTFE chain preps. I’ve
drizzled some into the Teenage Dream’s elderly 6 speed Regina freewheel
mechanism, locks and arthritic door hinges to good effect. Simon Nash is so
confident of its safety; he’s been guzzling some here. https://www.facebook.com/BicycleOil
.
Other brands have produced similar demos with theirs. Personally, I
avoid ingesting chemicals wherever possible but we get the idea! Seven Day Cyclist (www.sevendaycyclist.com) has just received their new eco
grease, which has not only been refined for this season but soon to grease gun
compatible, which makes it that bit easier and cleaner when applying to bearing
races, fasteners and other threaded components.
Talking with Justin Burls, suggested that any high quality grease should
be fine when mating titanium surfaces together, ditto steel and titanium. My
preference has always erred in favour of high spec petrochemical ceramic
products on anything space-age, so it will be interesting to see how this bio
formula holds up on contact points, cleat bolts and similar quick-seize
fasteners.
