Stems & Other Pleasant Surprises

This Vecnum freeQuence Suspension Stem arrived to distract me from the UK’s unbraked descent into terrifying in chaos. It’s a spring/elastomer parallelogram design, intended for riders between 50 and 120 kilos (110 to 264 lbs). There’s more than passing similarity to the Kinekt Suspension Stem KINEKT SUSPENSION STEM | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) that Steve and I remain fond of, too.  

However, at 285g a fair bit lighter, and adjusting the tension doesn’t require opening the stem or swapping springs (not that this could ever be described as a hardship with the Kinekt). Simply introduce an Allen key and gently turn clockwise to increase tension, checking as you go.  

Convenience aside, this does away with the need for “lock-out” and similar engineering to overcome unwelcome travel. Vecnum list the unit as self-lubricating, which is arguably another bonus. However, it employs fit and forget bearings, which will ultimately require professional servicing/refurbishment once worn.  

Vencum also recommends applying gripper paste (the stuff typically employed when fitting carbon components) to the fork steerer. Good practice for this genre of stem generally I’m thinking, although I’ve never had any issues with the Kinekt or Redshift Sports TEST & REVIEW REDSHIFT SPORTS SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION STEM (sevendaycyclist.com) Shock stop Suspension Stems.  

30mm (about 1.18 in) travel is 20mm (about 0.79 in) positive, 10-degree negative, rather akin to a suspension fork. Again, in common with the Kinekt, it’s designed to be progressive and not affect the bike’s geometry. Regardless of bar height, or positioning- whether you ride on the hoods, tops, or drops. It's beautifully machined, extruding that industrial beauty that I’m deeply drawn to. Formative impressions are very favourable but we’re in the honeymoon phase at present. Only time and real-world mileage will tell.  

I’d recently switched the fixed gear winter/trainer’s Cane Creek Thudbuster G4 for its G3 predecessor TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com) when I opted to return to this Pro Turnix Gel saddle, which continues the weight saving without sacrifice narrative. I went for the Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and took this opportunity to replace the seat post collar boot- made from scrap mtb inner tube.  

I’m deeply endeared to both generations of the Thudbuster ST, but I must admit, I’m not overly keen on the G4’s single-bolt saddle clamp design. Not that I’ve had any real-world issues these past two years or so. However, this seems a curious design for one intended to support riders weighing up to 150kilos.  

 

For those unfamiliar with the Thudbusters, upon hitting a bump these work downward and reward, so force is absorbed at the same rate. This prevents the saddle from bouncing around and robbing rider power. Aside from Mtb and gravel audiences, in my view, they have a lot to offer tandem stokers who don’t always get warning of the lumpier stuff until they’re experiencing it first-hand.  

I also remain a big fan of Redshift Sports Shockstop Suspension Seat post REDSHIFT SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION SEATPOST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), although not everyone is sold on the industrial aesthetic and length means its best suited to road biased, rather than semi/compact mtb builds-Ursula being a case in point. There’s not much between them weight-wise either. Something may not be to my tastes but that certainly doesn’t make it inferior, just not the right fit.  I’d noticed some unexpected judder under heavy braking with the new rotor and pads.  

Closer inspection revealed the obvious culprit- a soiled rotor. A simple cure with some Green Oil Clean Chain Degreaser Jelly GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY (sevendaycyclist.com) and some vigorous scrubbing with their Bike Brush. Clean, but not sterile is a rotor’s preferred state. I’d confirmed this by switching back to the SL9 wheel and Swiss Stop Catalyst Pro Disc Rotor  Swiss Stop Catalyst Disc Rotor | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) I’d also discovered a pinch flat and since one thing always leads to another, I’ve switched to Specialized’s Road Sport Tyre and now that roads are getting wetter, I’ve reverted to Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube on the fixed Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) For now, I’ll stay with something dry/waxy to keep Ursula’s drivetrain clean and wear pedestrian. I'll close with Steve's review of the Ravemen LR1200 front light Ravemen LR1200 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Stoppage... AKA Urgent Refurbs

Some lovely rotors and pads arrived from Disco Brakes DiscoBrakes.Com :: Shop :: DiscoBrakes Shop . I wasted no time in removing the long serving and dependable TRP rotor and popping the 160mm Vibe in situ. Cursory inspection suggested my fixed gear winter/trainer’s TRP SLC callipers' organic pads were still passable, so SP PD8 HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) wheel back in situ. Much to my dismay the next morning, stopping prowess had all but vanished...  

Returning home, closer examination revealed muck and accumulated grime were giving a false impression of ample pad material. These had been in situ for 10 months and judging by their condition, should’ve been replaced after 6, maybe 7. The generally accepted rule is replace once the pad has 1.5mm (about 0.03 in) material left. A quick word about pad material, while I’m here. Organic pads (sometimes referred to as resin pads) have a lot in their favour.  

Commonly made from a blend of Kevlar, Rubber, and Silica with a resin bonding, they are quiet, offer sharper braking, and bed in easily. The compound offers excellent insulation against heat build-up, too, although on the flip side, are more predisposed to fade. A minor, if not moot point on a lightweight bike and rider. However, a definite consideration on a touring tandem, or recumbent for example. They also wear relatively quickly in harsh, or mucky conditions, so might not be the best options for winter riding, especially off-road.  

Now, I had a couple of organic Spyre SLC pads in stock, but Disco Brakes were gracious enough to send me some sintered and semi-metallic pads for testing.  Sintered, sometimes referred to as metallic pads are made from bonded metal particles.  In theory, these will last longer than their organic counterparts, especially in wet, muddy, and gritty contexts. They are less prone to fade, so will work better on those long descents.  

However, compared with organic types they need to “warm up” before reaching optimal “bite”, take longer to bed in, and can be noisier. Now, though not relevant on a cable-operated setup, such as mine, the metal components will transfer greater heat to hydraulic fluids, than an organic variant.  

Then again, they’re much less prone to glazing over and last longer. I’ve gone the semi-sintered route. On paper, these should be the best of both worlds, hence my decision. As the name might imply, these are a mix of organic and metal, so take less time to reach performance, shouldn’t fade on long descents, and last better than organic pads in grotty contexts. I’ve never had any problems with pad glaze, but this can be an issue with organic and semi-metallic models, so we’ll see.  

I stripped and cleaned the calipers since these were coated in oily contaminant and the inner cable was fraying. Having stripped back the Souma leather bar tape Souma Leather Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), to get better access to the outer cable and thus route the inner wire through more effectively, I noticed a lot of slop in the Cane Creek SC5 V Brake Lever CANE CREEK V BRAKE DROP BAR LEVERS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), and its internal resin cable tunneling was also showing signs of wear.

I’d come this far... I exchanged the Cane Creek SC5 for this silver Tektro RL520, which is also designed with V and cable-operated discs in mind. (I’d originally earmarked it for Ursula’s disc brake upgrade but discovered the RL340 would work just fine.)  

Next came a fresh stainless steel inner wire (the last in my stock, prompting a further order).

Cables, pads, and chains are all things likely to fail at the least convenient moment, so well worth having a couple in hand. Overhaul complete and braking is better than ever. It also prompted a more thorough Inspection of Ursula’s SLC caliper and pads.  

No such issues but a reminder for more regular investigation and pad replacement. I’ve fitted the other six-bolt Disco Brakes Rotor to the SD8 HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) wheel though since it was superior to the serviceable auction site special. Chain and other drivetrain components were also in very rude health, which is a welcome surprise. I’m up to 1600miles on the KMC and on this trajectory, reckon I’ll get to 2,200 before replacements’ prudent. Mick Madgett finished re-building my SL9 HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) wheel too, so looking set for the winter, now.