Gearing Up (& Fresh Grease) for a New Season

 

Ursula’s drivetrain purged with the NZero Bike DegreaserNZero Bike Degreaser | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), new chain and other parts set aside, I’m awaiting a 100g (about 3.53 oz) tub of Oxford Mint Assembly grease ahead of the rebuild. Oxford describe it as “a high-performance red grease with pressure additives to provide excellent lubrication and dirt repellent properties”. The base is solvent refined mineral oil with a lithium complex thickener.   

In this instance, Oxford recommends it for low-speed applications, such as bicycle bearings and pivot points, which need low friction, while being highly resistant to the elements.  Synthetic blends are best for modern bikes where carbon and other composites are typical. Traditional lithium pastes are very stoical on old school cup and cone hubs, unsealed headsets etc.  

However, they will do very nasty things to rubberised components, including seals and encourage galvanic corrosion (where ferrous and non-ferrous components, such as aluminium alloy seat posts in steel frames get chemically welded to their hosts). If you’re only going to have one blend on the shelf, I’d go synthetic. Purpose specific blends are the way forward if you’re looking for the last word in performance.  

Assembly greases for contact points, bearing grease for hubs, headsets and pivot points. Ultra-low friction blends, such as Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are particularly good for competition riding, or summer bikes. Contexts where you really want to blast along and get every last benefit from that top drawer groupset.  

The speed Grease has also proven surprisingly stoical, clinging on through winter, although I’d still be inclined to strip and replenish every six months or so. Ok, so the darker months aren’t here just yet, but preparing for them makings riding more fun and breakdowns infrequent. Thus far, the Shutter Precision SL9 hub still sems in good health but I’m contemplating taking another direction before it does.  

Experience suggests it’s the sealed bearings that get the grumbles given 20,000miles or so and I’m edging towards that. The most obvious, dare I say cost effective solution is to have the SL9HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) overhauled via Ison Distribution (their UK Importer) and have the silver anodised Shimano unit presently in hibernation, built into the existing Halo rim and have that as a dedicated front wheel for Denise...Waste not, want not, use what you got and er, rationalise the spares bin.    

Talking of which, I was eager to find a longer shim for Ursula’s Kinekt 2.1 seat postKINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), since a longer unit should offer greater support to the post and ultimately, prove kinder to the frame. A cursory rummage through my small parts bin confirmed I had a Cane Creek unit, so another thing off my mental list and though always a worthy investment, I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, since insignificant amounts can quickly add up.   

Days are slipping towards autumn, which as I’ve said many times, remains a favourite season but also a reminder of how precious time is.  

Once the preserve of aspiration and optimism (embarking on a university degree and moving to London’s East End, meeting a woman who would ultimately come with me through thick n’ thin, hell and high water-seemingly unlimited horizons) The last fifteen years, autumn has been a reminder of how much I need to achieve. Never put off tomorrow what can be done today.  

This in mind, I’ve switched to racking up the miles wearing the Madison Flux mitts. They’re a little on the snug side, so I’d recommend paying particular, not cursory attention to their sizing chart. That aside, they’re proving competent, comfortable options-on and indeed, off road.        

I’ve also been contemplating cables ahead of Ursula’s rebuild and decided that, given we’re creeping toward the darker, wetter months I’d go for a sealed system, at least for the brakes. Extra UK has sent me Jagwire’s Road Elite. In common with other “sealed” systems, it employs a continuous, factory lubricated liner.  

This runs from the lever to calliper offers much greater protection from grit, grime and other performance robbing contaminant. The inner wires are also polymer coated for. However, these 2.4mm liners may not be universally compatible with frames and/or components. We shall see...  I’ll leave you with my review of Ergon SR All Road Core Comp Saddle Ergon SR All Road Core Comp Saddle Men | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

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)