Horses For Courses

 

April is renowned for showery, changeable weather and the past couple of weeks have been no exception. I’m sticking with wet lubes, since they’ll stay put in these contexts. That said, it’s crucial to give the side plates, derailleur jockey wheels, and cages a weekly wipe, ideally with a rag dipped in solvent.  

The Zefal Extra Wet Nano Ceramic ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Motovede PTFE Chain Lube Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are particularly stoical, although the latter requires 12 hours to cure properly.  

Shimano has recently announced a switch to cartridge bearings. This gave me cause to contemplate Ursula’s XT, which is still using the original balls. Now, bearing types are, unfortunately, not cross-compatible. I.e., a hub designed for balls cannot use cartridges and vice versa.  

If they were, I’d be going the cartridge route. I’ve bought the best quality (grade 10) balls and will introduce these to coincide with a grease test.  Basic bearings can be as low as 100 grade, which denotes something generic- functional but less accurately machined and more prone to wear, pitting and other corrosion.  

Synthetic greases are my preference, especially when it comes to contact points and threaded components. Bottom brackets, derailleurs, freewheels, bottle cage, mudguard, and carrier mounts. Hubs and headsets with seals, too. Same goes for anything with metals of different parentage.  

Fluted aluminium alloy seat posts and Quill stems/adaptors in steel frames were notorious for galvanic seizure. Sure, ahead stems have long been the dominant system. However, there are plenty of people wanting to retain a beloved classic's originality and the odd new retro build with a threaded setup.  

Similarly, the humble quill to Ahead converter enables older bikes to run contemporary bars and stems- without forgoing the original fork. MTB to gravel or touring lorry conversions being obvious candidates.  

Mudguards, no matter how solid eventually warp and fail, 4 years and close to 40,000 miles later, the Blumels Shiny are beginning to show some obvious signs of wear. The rubberised components that dampen vibration have perished and earlier this week, my sensibilities were offended by a low-level rattling.  

I pulled over and found a rivet securing guard and stays had failed. I was only a few miles from home, so rode back and decided the best route would be to clean and dry the affected area, then bond them together with superglue, clamping them in situ to cure. Glues may set within 10 minutes, at least in ideal conditions but I like to leave things overnight, longer if possible.  

Ultimately, the repair didn’t take. Replacing the rivet was another option but I decided this would be unnecessarily invasive, so went for a beefy zip tie instead. This also failed, revealing further deterioration, so after some deliberation, I decided to retire both and contemplate the way forward. I will obviously fit good quality guards (fenders) of some genre, they may not be traditional chrome plastics... 

I also discovered the Sigma BC 9.16 ATS Computer SIGMA BC9.16 ATS WIRELESS CYCLE COMPUTER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) sensor battery had died, sop time to replace that. I should point out this is not the original, rather a third-party unit, so three months, or so’s daily service for a “pound shop” special isn’t bad going.  Then of course, the fixed’s VDO head unit came out in sympathy, so I replaced that, too.        

By far the most solid full-length mudguards I have ever used are Tortec Reflector. These lasted ten years before fatigue finally claimed the chrome plastics at key areas. Four seasons-snow, ice, bitter cold, hell and frequently high water. Tortec made some equally solid racks, too.  

All this presented the ideal opportunity to get some miles in on the fixed gear winter/trainer, which saw less winter action, courtesy of the persistently icy conditions. Contexts demanding spikes, hence my defaulting to Ursula. Talking of upgrades, I’ve concluded that while the existing KMC are very cheerful, I’m better served by a higher-end model, such as the Z1X (which has returned 3,000 miles in very harsh conditions).  

By the same token, I still have a couple of S1 in stock, and they perform well enough, so I’ll use those before considering said upgrade. Icy crosswinds and bracing headwinds reminded me why I don’t go steeper than 76inches- quick enough for cruising on the flat, doesn’t see me spinning into the next dimension on the descents and I’m not busting my knees on the climbs. 

Talking of favourites, I’ve gone back to the Shimano RX600 Shimano SH RX600 Gravel Cycling Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) shoes and their vastly superior power transfer. Much closer to a traditional road shoe, just with a little more compliance and a very grippy sole. It shouldn’t be inferred that Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are also rans-far from. I remain a big fan.  

Rather, it's horses-for-courses- they’re a better bet for bike packing and more traditional touring/commuting. Contexts where you might want a sole with some extra give. FLR Rexston Active Touring/trail Shoe are another solid choice, if you’re on a tighter budget FLR REXSTON ACTIVE TOURING/TRAIL SHOE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Bosses, BIg Tyres & Brainstorming

 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the low-rider mounts on my fixed’s replacement fork blades. I have no use for a low-rider, least of all on carbon blades, so will ponder what (if anything) other purposes they might serve. Feel free to comment.  

For the time being, while I await a few things and battle Sabre Tooth Man-Flu, I’m sticking with the Kinesis DC7 and see no sense in creating more work for its own sake. I’m still putting the CST Pika and Xpedium pairing through their paces and am generally impressed by their blend of dependability, relatively low rolling resistance and surprisingly compliant ride. Particularly when I’ve introduced a TPU tube, such as this Pirelli PIRELLI CENTURATO REINFORCED SMART TUBE (sevendaycyclist.com) .  

Admittedly, most of us would stick to bog standard butyl, especially with the Xpedium but it’s worth noting that a TPU tube brought a livelier persona-most obviously when accelerating and climbing.  These can be patched but it's not something you’d want to chance by the roadside, so bring a couple of butyl spares along, just in case.  

Staying with tyres for now, having tracked the weather forecast for an extended period, I am satisfied now thundersnow, or similarly extreme weather is coming for the foreseeable. Therefore, I’ve switched Ursula to the Maxxis Overdrive Excel, which has a tread pattern reminiscent, but different to the CST Xpedium.  

They're a similar weight too- the 26x2.0 tip my scales at 720g apiece, while the 700x35c CST Xpedium are 715g. However, Overdrive Excel boasts a dual compound for reliability and grip, the Xpedium a single, supposedly for longevity.

Both seem rugged and dependable and will entertain “gravel” type excursions quite convincingly. The last thing I want along a pitch-black road where it’s raining dogs and blowing a gale is a puncture, or similar mechanical.   

Riders something slightly quicker for their winter road bike, might be interested in these Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR Reflective tyre Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR Reflective Ty | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Steve’s been suitably impressed but it’s worth noting they’re a good deal dearer than the CST. 

Even seemingly belt n’ braces models such as Schwalbe’s mighty Marathon GT 365TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) can succumb to a nasty sharp. Ursula’s rear had a flint cut through to the puncture-repelling India rubber- their last line of defence. Thankfully, this didn’t result in a flat and I was able to plug the hole with a decent quality superglue, for workable, lasting repair.   

Back to the Maxxis... 

Since I had the rear wheel out, it seemed the ideal opportunity to get the drivetrain surgically clean. I delivered some Green Oil Clean Chain Degreaser Jelly GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY (sevendaycyclist.com) to the KMC chain, ring and jockey wheels, then blasted the cassette with the Motoverde Drivetrain Cleaner Motoverde Drivetrain Cleaner | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) since this was almost spent. After agitating this lot with a stiff brush, I chased the residual, filmy layer away with a quick drop of Green Oil Agent Apple Extreme Immersion Degreaser TESTED: GREE OIL AGENT APPLE EXTREME IMMERSION DEGREASER (sevendaycyclist.com) and rinsed with fresh, tepid water. 

Drivetrain dried and everything reinstated, I treated the rear triangle to some Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax to seal the shine and keep the elements out.  Muc Off All Weather Chain Lube arrived over Christmas, so was the obvious candidate. This is marketed as a race ready synthetic lubricant, designed to resist water and fling. The four-hour curing time is less convenient than some, but isn’t particularly outlandish, either. I left ours overnight, since circumstances allowed.  

Curiously, for an all-weather blend supposedly capable of standing up “to even the toughest rides”, it's recommended you clean and reapply after riding in wet conditions. Only time and real-world mileage will give proper insight. Winter is sneaky and while components may remain in rude health, given proper care, fasteners can turn furry at the first hint of a puddle. Ursula’s six bolt disc rotor mount and calliper mount hardware was showing signs of orange taint. A drop of Green Oil Wet lube is great for preventing the taint’s progression and unlike a maintenance spray, won’t contaminate rotor, or pads. Finally, for this post, here's my review of the Shimano RX6 Gravel Shoes. Definitely one of my favourite shoes of all time Shimano SH RX600 Gravel Cycling Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)