Small House Inspiration

There’s no getting away from the fact that flashes of inspiration often strike on the toilet. Well, my bathroom toilet, not the infamous festival Dav Lavs, or those few remaining public facilities, which though welcome are of variable quality and clientele. Spacer choice and height are not something easily focused upon when the person in the next cubicle announces they’ve missed a vein or is about to give birth... I digress... 

Having replaced Ursula’s spacers, mid-ride, I was musing about going the Star Fangled Nut route and holding the Blumels mudguard in situ with a compression plug- I had two bouncing around in the small parts drawer. However, I quickly dismissed this idea. No sense in over-complicating matters unnecessarily. As I’ve said before, the Gusset Headlock system gives some added security, should a fork/steerer crisis strike and while the SFN and plug trick might save a few grams, any benefits are otherwise negligible. 

 

That said; I may revisit, next time I strip and re-grease, or indeed, replace the Stronglight O’lite Aheadset. I spotted another, from a reputable supplier and at the right price, so bought, while I still could and before BREXIT’s “benefits” really bite. Otherwise, I’m pleased with the carbon fork switch-compliance remains the biggest plus and when I say compliant, I don’t mean whippy.  

Lateral stiffness is reassuringly good too. I’ve gone for the version with V/canti posts, since it’s nice to have options, although in practice, disc is my default. Having run it with the weightier Alfine hub wheel, I’ve switched to the Shutter Precision SD8 SHUTTER PRECISION SD8 HUB DYNAMO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which saves 213g, so will be interesting to see if there’s any discernible difference.   

I’ve regularly wondered about titanium forks- not necessarily for Ursula (my fixed gear winter/trainer being another obvious candidate).  

Justin Burls and his Torus range of ti components TORUS TITANIUM STEM (sevendaycyclist.com) are particularly well made. A Guide To Seatposts | Seven Day Cyclist However, others crop up periodically. Where these are concerned. I’d want a much closer look at the welds, threads etc since the devil is very much in the detail. Otherwise, Ti could well and truly outlast me- by some margin. I’d contemplate having them painted too. Corrosion’s a moot point but could draw the wrong kind of attention.  

As August rolls out, I’ve been doing some further “while I’m at it” tweaking and prepping. Removed the Fixed gear winter/trainer’s seat post, shot a blast of oily grease into the seat tube and applied some Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) to the post and raised it by a few milimetres.  

Dawn is arriving later, and the nights are subtly drawing in, meaning I’m using “proper” lighting more regularly. By proper lighting, I’m referring to the K-Lite dynamo systems and Magicshine Ray 2600 Smart Remote Bike Light on the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream. Not in the navigational sense per se (although that need is very slowly creeping closer, but more presence).  

The Orp Smart Horn’sTESTED: ORP SMART HORN (sevendaycyclist.com) 150 lumen flashing modes are OK in these contexts, but I prefer greater punch. Ravemen LR 500s RAVEMEN LR500S FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is another particularly useful compact light for these contexts-especially for extended evening play times on the best bike. Talking of which, the Green Oil Dry Chain Wax is performing well, given the very arid conditions. I’ve gone well past the 120-mile mark., with no hint of waning.  

Not that impressive, compared with some petrochemical, or hybrid blends I hear you cry. However, it's cited as 80 miles per application, transfer to hands, legs and indeed, trousers is minimal and unlike some, curing times are also very quick-so practical for impromptu rides, touring, or commuting. Gear changes are light, frisky-just the way I like them, and continuing the clean theme, it attracts minimal dust, dirt, or similar contaminant. Right, that it for this week, I'll leave you with my review of the Souma Leather Handlebar Tape Souma Leather Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

 

Yay! New Wheel Day

A couple of days after dropping the rim and Shutter Precision SD8 hub with Mick Madgett, he’d built the wheel! Much whooping and cheering (to coincide with The KA’s service and MOT pass) followed and I arranged to collect at my earliest, practical opportunity. Not least since I needed to put the hub through its paces.  

No sense spending good money on wheel(s) than skimping on rim tapes and inner tubes either, so I got some fresh Schwalbe and bought in three tubes, but the second Schwalbe Marathon GT365 TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) eluded me. Not the lightest by any means but extremely durable and dependable on and off-road. 

I’ve sent the PD8 over to the UK importer so they can organise servicing and once that’s back, I’ll get it built into the White Line rim and it’ll serve as the second/spare front wheel for my fixed gear winter/trainer.  

Now, one of the minor things about the Shutter Precision hubs is that they come sans skewer. Not sure what I’d done with the Shimano quick release, since I had defaulted to the Kryptonite Wheel Boltz security skewers, which though not impenetrable, offer decent defence from casual tea leaves- say when parking up for short periods- bladder, or colon smoothie stop anyone?  

I poached the gold  Halo, since that wheel was doing something close to nothing and I couldn’t find that belonging to the Nexus. I still have a soft spot for the humble commuter hub, it’s just the resistance and specification aren’t of the sort, conducive to the K-Lite lamps, or indeed the 800lumen Exposure unit that preceded them.  

The Nexus in question is a 6V 2.4-watt model. Sanyo and Shimano both produce 1.5-volt units and they’re very affordable, but again, inadequate for my riding needs. Staying with hubs, John Moss did indeed have an Alfine unit, but I’ve metaphorically missed the boat- he'd had a clear out, donated it and his tyre mountain to a cycling charity. Wasn’t meant to be.  

Another time, another place maybe a suitable hub will materialise. For now, I’ll enjoy the a ’la carte mix of Sputnik rim, XT hub, 11-25 cassette and Tiagra rear mech.  

Dynamos aren’t everyone’s bag, nor are they suitable for all contexts. I’m still very interested in powerful, rechargeable units, especially on pared to the essential's road bikes.  

Steve’s been racking up the miles with Sigma’s smaller Buster- the 700, which I also have a fondness for, although primarily as a helmet-mounted companion. The sensible range of modes and high-quality optics also caters for town and suburban work, with enough bite for letting off some steam along semi-rural escapes. SIGMA BUSTER 700 FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Up the rear, I’m still fond of the German marques’ Blaze SIGMA BLAZE REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Infinity SIGMA INFINITY REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)rear light, which are bright and in the latter context, very frugal, especially for a single, constant mode.   

Trail Distribution has kindly sent me some Bike Medicine Purple Extreme Chain Lube. It’s a synthetic blend, originally conceived for oil rigs and similarly harsh conditions. It's claimed to perform in temperatures between +400-100 degrees Fahrenheit, so the average British winter shouldn’t tax it. In common with some others, you can scoot off but ideally, leave curing overnight. 

Bike Medicine claim it will extend the life of older components, while enhancing the performance of packet fresh drivetrains, without attracting dirt and contaminant. Will be interesting to see how it holds up against some wallet-friendly favourites, including Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant TF2 PERFORMANCE ALL WEATHER LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)          

There is a school of thought which says dry lubes for spring/summer and wet for winter. Makes sense on some levels and keeps things simple. However, these things are nuanced. I err towards stay put synthetics on daily drivers and working bikes. Price aside, I’m impressed by Muc Off Ludicrous AF and have returned 700miles from a single application. The Peaty’s Link Lube Premium All Weather Chain Lubricant PEATY'S LINK LUBE PREMIUM ALL WEATHER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is another decent default, ditto Rock N’ Roll Gold LV ROCK 'N' ROLL GOLD LV CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which is also incredibly clean running-welcome any time, but especially winter.  

Ursula is the beneficiary for now. The chain is also in surprisingly good shape- at present rate, I’ve probably got 500miles before it’ll need pensioning off. I’ll wait until the Christmas break for the wheel- will likely coincide with other little, mid-point maintenance jobs. Gives me chance to get some spare cables and straddle wires in. Nothing worse than getting immersed only to be thwarted by a frayed/damaged cable, especially when you can’t just nip out and buy a new one.  

Cable-wise, I’ve gone for some Transfil, a brand supplying cabling to the French automotive industry and producing some decent, virtually maintenance-free cable sets. A great option for bikes in hard service. The outers are quite abrasive though, so be sure to apply some helicopter tape where they touch the frame/forks.