Baggage, Bonding & Time Machines

 

Now, short of a huge lottery win (The sort that buys large freehold property with even bigger workshops, welders, and all manner of tooling joy) I won’t be indulging but building Denise and to a lesser extent, Ursula’s upcoming modernisation has brought me back to the spring/summer of 1989 and Specialized’s Rock Combo.(11) Specialized RockCombo Owners | Facebook Many are now heralding it as the first gravel bike-a relatively lightweight go anywhere machine based around a cro-moly frameset. The 19.5-inch version had a 42-inch wheelbase, 17-inch chainstays and of course, four-point carrier fixings, big wide swoopy drops, Turbo saddle, Suntour XCD, thumb shifters and a triple 3x7 range.  

  

I recall it being pitted against tourers in a magazine group test and stock, with the 26x1.5 tyres it would’ve been a perfect off the peg mile muncher for me- had I the money- bearing in mind that I was on the cusp of turning 16 and I recall the Rock Combo being around the £450-500 mark. Bear in mind, I’d bought a used Claud Butler Super Dalesman from a dealer for £250 earlier that year, so there wasn’t the budget (or parental tolerance) for another machine. Time machine? Well, that would be seriously handy, and I would’ve corrected some decisions before they had the sometimes-lasting impact they did… 

  

Again, much as I love the Rock Combo and would give one a loving home, I wouldn’t pay classic, dare I say nostalgic prices for one. Between Denise and Ursula and their mix of retro and contemporary, my dirt riding needs are very well catered for.  

 

There were some great concepts that fell out of fashion, but a lot went extinct for good reason. Front loading stems being prime examples. Sure, they have a place on older builds, but I greatly appreciate the ability to pop the stem face off and slot the bars in place.  

 

No need to go through the rigmarole of removing the bar tape, accessories, brake levers etc.  Talking of retro, though I like Denise’s gear cable run, the Oxford Aqua Evo bar bag had me thinking I may need to reroute to prevent fouling… On balance, the Aqua EVO is possibly a better fit for the fixed gear winter/trainer, since it’s a disc setup, so no cable/hanger fouling hassles. We’ll see. 

  

I’m very fond of the Shimano PD ED 500 Shimano PD ED 500 Pedals | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) but changing the Wellgo MO94B WELLGO MO94B SPD PEDALS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was an inspired choice, the platforms giving greater support, especially off road and Denise’s lofty bottom bracket means no grounding issues, even when cornering aggressively along tightly winding singletrack. They’re staying.   

 

 

 

After some further reflection and light tweaking, the Suntour SE cantilevers and I bonded. Setup is a little more involved than a traditional cantilever but not overly complex. The arms are centred by loosening (one at a time) with a 5mm Allen key and aligning with a 16mm cone spanner. I took this opportunity to tweak the cable tension, pulling it fractionally tighter. There’s a little more travel at the lever than I was familiar with but when the pads bite, fierce, yet controllable power is on tap. 

  

Since I had the Allen keys out, I switched the Ergon All Road for the Madison Flux and then of course, decided the Carradice Carrady was a better bet, given the 600-denier polyester/PVC material was much easier to wipe clean. Of course, a ride the following morning confirmed it was too large and binding on the WTB tyre (!) Back went the SQR Tour. 

  

Now, while I liked the lived-in, long-standing patina, after 23 years, I was also conscious of it needing a deep clean and re-proofing. Ditto the Carradice Super C Rack Bag, which had served for a decade or so. The fabric is best cleaned by brushing residual dirt off and then lightly cleaning with a sponge and warm soapy water. Allow it to dry thoroughly. The reproofing wax only needs a light, sparing application and cured with a hairdryer on a high heat setting. I have every intention of keeping them going for as long as reasonably possible. I love the SQR system’s rigidity and carrying capacity both volume and weight.   

  

Talking of wax, I’ve switched Denise’s KMC chain to Blub Wax. I needed to give the Finish Line Grunge Brush a good testing. True to claims, it will work dry-I simply sprayed some neat degreaser on the bristles, chain and cassette and went to town. Rinsed with warm water, we’d gone from scuzzy to sparkling in a matter of five minutes. 

  

The wax seems to cure in 30 minutes, seems temperature stable and does the typical wax thing, trapping grit and other contaminant before it can do anything destructive, then flaking off, leaving only a clean, filmy lubricant layer behind. Corrosion resistance seems better than traditional blends but the need to replenish if the bike’s not ridden for 48-hours is a little annoying. This sounds as if this is a component in common with its Ceramic stablemate. Ending on a lube note, here’s my review of the Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Lube Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lub | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

No Messing....

  

No sooner had I uttered something about not changing Denise's specification, Oxford Products sent me their Aqua Evo Adventure Daytripper pack. At 3.5 litres, it’s over twice the size of the Cycology and Topeak models I’ve tested recently, which is on some levels, a departure from my minimalist narrative.

At 329g its relatively lightweight and enjoys a maximum 2 kilo payload. It’s made from 400 denier rip-stop TPU. Welded seams and waterproof zippers. Internally, it features a dedicated tool and phone compartment, keeping these silently segregated from each other and other things you might want to dip in for. There’s a cargo net at the front for capturing overspill and the sensibly proportioned zipper tag promises easy access mid-ride too.   

  

As with other models that tether to the head tube, you’ll want to apply some helicopter tape to prevent wear-through (especially when mud and water are thrown into the equation). This goes for any other luggage that rests against the frame. I’m fond of those using Klick-Fix type brackets. On the one hand, they occupy a bit more real estate, but they also hold the bag out further, so they won’t foul head tubes, cables etc. Topeak’s Compact Bar Bag and Tour Bag are good examples.  

 

The compact version is most likely to appeal to photographers looking to carry a compact system camera, or SLR on tour, or day trip.  The bigger, 5 litre model will swallow a camera body two lenses and a fair bit more.  I always carry a 20mpxl super zoom compact camera in a jacket, or jersey pocket to capture things mid ride, but CSC are superior options if you’re looking for optimal resolution.  

 

Talking of jerseys, here’s my review of the Castelli Espresso Castelli Espresso Jersey | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) However, CSC and SLR need proper storage. Never pop cameras or sensitive electricals in a rack top bag, even the generously padded type, such as this Topeak MTXTopeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) since low-level vibration will prove ruinous. 

  

Elsewhere, the weather had been decidedly wet and mucky, which have been a little tedious in some respects. It was so wet that I’d gone from the FLR mountain bike shoes to the Shimano MW501 Dry Shield SPD MTB Shoes Shimano MW501 Dry Shield SPD MTB Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) a lightweight, packable jacket such as this Leatt Jacket MTB Endurance Leatt Jacket MTB Endurance 2.0 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and over to the Madison Roam 2.5 Layer Waterproof Jacket Madison Roam 2.5 Layer Waterproof Jacket | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which, some small points aside, is a nice fit for gravel, mtb and commuting duties thanks to the hood, hip pockets and tasteful colours. Waterproofing and breathability are 10,000mm apiece, so not quite on par with more expensive models, but pretty good, in the everyday sense.   

  

Having checked the Tiagra’s maximum capacity, I’ve decided I’ll take Denise the 11-28 cassette route, when the chain wears out, giving a rough range of 31-79 inches. The SS is designed for 2x10, whereas the GS is intended for triple setups, in case anyone wasn’t aware, or were simply curious.  

 

Talking curious, I’ve decided to switch Denise’s Wellgo MO94B pedals WELLGO MO94B SPD PEDALS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) in favour of the Shimano PD ED 500 Shimano PD ED 500 Pedals | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Not the most obvious choice and given the frame’s heritage, the first generation of SPD would’ve been aesthetically a more obvious, period sensitive fit. I may well go this route later down the line.  

 

Grateful for having options. I decided now was time to replace the rear inner brake cable, since I was convinced a kink, or similar was impairing the Suntour SE cantilevers’ function slightly- I needed to re-wrap the T-One bar tape in any case, since it had slipped a bit over the first few weeks.  

 

I made some time to remove Ursula’s Stronglight Aheadset and Van Nicholas VNT Ceramic Bottom Bracket, giving Ursula a good, deep clean ready to be boxed up and sent to Winston Vaz in July. The latter was liberally greased, so released effortlessly and the Stronglight’s cups popped out with a few deft taps of a mallet and my Kinesis fork steerer tube drift.  

Aside from some minor flaking of the cream powder coat, the frame is generally in good shape. Another little job off the list. I’ll treat the headset, bottom bracket, and drivetrain components to a tour de parts washer in due course. I also took the plunge and invested in a “proper” cup removal tool, since one was going for £20.  

The Kinesis fork steerer is a much safer drift than the long flat bladed screwdriver bodge, especially with aluminium alloy cups, but not ideal. I’ve also been thinking in terms of acquiring workshop-quality chain rivet pliers, mainly for breaking and rejoining track chains. These days I buy derailleur chains pre-cut and, in the instances, where I may need to prune one, this Topeak, or indeed, a multi-tool model will suffice.