Sticky Fingers

A few weeks back, I established the Soma Condor https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/soma  swap was the icing on my Univega’s cake. No change in several hundred miles, since. However, the reclaimed Lizard Skins DSP bar tape https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/lizard-skins-dsp  was beginning to look slightly tired in places. Time was when a cable change meant the bar wrap (especially budget) was also bin fodder. Most bar tapes seem tolerant of being re/wound, even after they’ve weathered a bit.

Shot peened or sand blasted handlebars also seem to assist adhesion. However, the former process is generally employed to subvert potential stress fractures. The progressive availability of naturally sticky silicone wraps, including the Acros Silicone Wrap Handlebar Tape https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/acros-silicone-wrap-handlebar-tape?03991cc70fae5915&1a5858d9151d7237&455dde74ef8b80c5&4f3abceb41656d72&632cba28282213  and Genetic https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-silicone-bar-wrap  are easily rewound and reapplied following cable changes and are otherwise durable, too.

As an anecdotal average, I seem to get three cable changes from a mid to upper end adhesive backed bar tape. Around three thousand miles before the material begins looking jaded; loses its specialist properties; or shows more serious signs of fatigue. Leather is more durable (and usually with a consummate price tag).

With periodic use of hide food (which keeps the leather nourished and supple) I’ve had three years and six cable changes before contemplating replacement. Obviously not an option for vegan riders and often slippery to start with. Silicone and sophisticated polymer wrap also requires more care when cleaning.

Strong solvents and stiff brushes with often strip their coatings, or age them prematurely. I’ve found this Oxford Tyre Scrub https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/oxford-products-tyre-scrub  and Duck Smart The Black Stuff Chain Cleaner an excellent combination, for lifting ingrained grime. That said; we are talking a gentle, sustained pressure here.

Extra UK www.extrauk.co.uk  have kindly sent me this Fizik Vento Microtex Tacky Tape to test. According to Fizik, the Vento family are “Race bred tapes for ultimate control and reduced weight”. Apparently “The tacky film surface with raised texture facilitates grip in every condition”.

Its 2mm (compared with the Lizard Skins DSP’s 2.5mm) so the comparison will be interesting. Fizik also suggest the smaller density benefits riders with smaller hands. I have long willowy digits, so the latter benefit may be lost on me. However, on paper it’s a tangible benefit.  

There’s a definite knack to achieving graceful flowing lines. Bind carefully, patiently and when free of distraction. Unless of course, you’re a pro mechanic. Now pedants will say black and white are shades, not colours. 

I wasn’t sure whether the white would blend successfully with the Univega’s cream and black two-tone theme. However, by my reckoning, with the SPD pedals, Orp smart horn https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/orp-smart-horn and mudguard detailing, it works a treat. Some minor points aside, I’ve also reached my conclusions regarding the Prendas Ciclismo  Lisboa Waterproof Cycling Cap https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/prendas-ciclismo-lisboa-waterproof-

Continuing this waste not, want not narrative, I’ve decided to run the Weldtite TF2 All Weather Performance Lubricant for the time being, see how many miles I can accumulate, before switching to the Juice Lubes Ceramic. The former is a mix of ISO oils, additives and PTFE, which keeps friction remarkably low.

Presumably it’s the additives keeping it stable in all temperatures. A Canadian rider reckons it’s the first lube he’s used, capable of remaining effective at minus 32 degrees. Viscosity also lends it very nicely to cleat/locking mechanisms, as a corrosion inhibitor for electroplated fasteners and even frame-ends.

PTFE is both friend and foe. The ubiquitous slippery compound is dirt cheap and very effective, in the friction busting stakes. Its also relatively toxic, hence I minimise my own exposure. Latex examination gloves are donned when applying greases and often when stripping lubes. Where possible, I avoid using PTFE based chain lubes in contexts where I’m riding close to rivers and similar waterways.   

Lighting permitting, I’ve always found myself riding faster at night and I’ve concluded it’s psychological. Gradients become smaller because you cannot perceive their size, in the same fashion you would, during daylight. Focus is upon maintaining a decent tempo. Dark roads also inspire a more reflective mood.

A means of processing complex thoughts and ideas. I usually return from a ride feeling energised and with a new sense of perspective. Copy I’ve been struggling with, often seems to write itself. I have recently been coming to terms with my elderly farm cat’s demise. Kidney and cardiovascular failure forced the issue.  All we can ask for is a fulfilling life and a merciful end. He had both.  

I’m also an introvert. A much maligned and misunderstood personality type. Contrary to popular misconception, introverts are not shy, or socially awkward. People intrigue me and I consider myself adept at reading people and their motivations. Engaged, loquacious and emotionally intelligent, in professional contexts, I also need time to retreat and recharge. Long steady night rides are an obvious conduit.

Festival fun & (Yet more) Flats...

Well, the adventure travel film festival came round just at the right time; giving digits and keyboard a welcome break from each other. Having loaded up the KA and headed along the M1 to Mill Hill, we went the hotel, rather than tent route, although the weather was perfect for the late evening outdoor cinema showings.

Austin Vince was an extremely welcoming host, making time to speak with people on a personal level, adding to the collective ambience. Now in its fourth year, the event still attracts more motorcyclists that cyclists but that is changing.

Slowly cultivating a strange and irrational interest in contemporary Ural and sidecar combos, I was slightly disappointed not to catch a couple in the flesh. Nonetheless, I found myself babbling excitedly to Sharon about two pre Aprillia Moto Guzzi and we met Miles from Cycle Miles (www.cyclemiles.co.uk) at his stall.

Sharon loved the creative gifts and kit, while I found myself ogling his fetching grey polo bike, which was in trailer tug mode (!) Having made my excuses for not bringing his T2 touring trailer along (Won’t fit in the KA, even with seats down) we then discussed his fixer’s spec in greater details while our better halves compared notes on how many bikes constitute too many... Most notable features of his polo steed are this two ring FSA crankset and the single Tektro lever that commands front and rear V brakes.

Elsewhere, Michael Murphy has devised the latest characters for our series of children’s stories and I have been struck by the most aggressive puncture plague in 25 years-literally depleting my stock of 700x25 and 35-43 tubes in the space of a month!

Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to put an order in last week, so despite receding rim tapes, embedded sharps and the odd faulty sidewall, we’ve kept rolling.

Some of us flat more than others, I fall into the thousands of trouble free miles, then six in a row. We’ve all got used to cheap tube bundles now and for the most part, they work just fine, although tend to be bin fodder- premium brands lend themselves better to patching.

Tubeless is certainly here to stay and I suspect, will become the dominant system over the next few years, though I'm fairly confident tubular and butyl will still enjoy a relatively strong following.

Most of us carry a couple of spare tubes; whip in the spare and where possible, patch the injured party at the next rest stop, or comfort of home. In common with exhausts, two patches are my limit. Afterwards, I’ll recycle them as top tube/chain stay protectors, boots for headsets and seat collars.

CO2 inflators have become the go-to’s for roadside resuscitation- not just for racing/catching up with riding companions. They certainly take the insult out of injury on those cold, rainy winter evenings, when you’re weary and want to be home, thawing out under a hot shower and supping a brew.

Nonetheless, being single use products, they still work out quite pricey and mini pumps should always be on standby, should the worst happen.

These have also improved greatly since the days of high volume mtb types that would leave you light headed once you’d eventually hit 40psi. Around the £25 mark buys a CNC machined aluminium unit capable of delivering a genuine 100psi plus into a 700x25 in around 440 strokes and 5 minutes.

Infinitely preferable to the long walk home (or being stranded) this is well within the operating range of most high pressure road tyres. Small enough to hide unobtrusively on the bottle bosses, or slip into a jersey pocket, mini track pump or high pressure frame fits are my preferred options when it comes to bigger section tyres and/or touring contexts.

Talking of which, those Maxxis Roamer are continuing to delight with their blend of low rolling resistance and plush ride quality. True, the Kevlar belt is less comprehensive than some, hence some vulnerability at the shoulders, although so long as these channels are purged of mud and similar detritus, sharps don’t get chance to work inside the tyre casing.

The 42mm section are non starters for my MK2 Ilpompino’s rear triangle, 32mm with full length guards and 35 without, is tops. Nonetheless, their bigger 26x1.65 siblings look perfect for the Univega. I’ve been suitably impressed by the Guee wrap, which has a lower density and less rubbery texture than the Genetic flare, although lends itself better to road biased, rather than mixed terrain riding.    http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-silicone-bar-wrap

Where There's A Will...

This week we’ve been looking at trailers for touring and commuting http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/tug-jobs.  Hopefully we’ll have some samples of Dani Foffa’s new urban clothing range in for testing very shortly. In the meantime, these 42mm Maxxis Roamer tyres arrived from another title and our Revolution ‘Cross test bike seemed the ideal candidate.

The Roamer is a wallet-friendly family of e-bike rated urban rubber, supposedly designed to cope with everything from commuting to touring. 60tpi semi slick casings, maximum 75psi operating pressure and a Kevlar breaker strip certainly indicate so.

Giving the ‘cross a visual once-over, I reckoned the roamer wouldn’t present any concerns clearance-wise and those portly, supple casings also implied a compliant, easy-to mount set...  welcome antidotes to the Bontrager several weeks’ back.

Well, I was nearly caught out on both fronts.

The first 65% slipped aboard the rims effortlessly and sans tools but it wasn’t long before I was close to agricultural language and guttural groaning more commonly associated with hospital labour wards. “Oooooh! Go-on, go-on!!!! You will! You will, you will!” probably wasn’t the sort of tea-time entertainment my neighbours hard bargained for either.

Order was restored with the retrieval of my magic tyre wand that had mysteriously escaped its hook and was hiding behind the chest freezer. Having dialed the Spyre’s barrel adjusters in to provide some slack, wheels were repatriated.

Clearance up front was good-pretty much what you’d expect on a modern disc braked ‘cross/adventure biased build but at the rear, you’d be lucky to slip the proverbial fag paper between casing and chain-stay bridge.

To my amazement, it didn’t clog following a ride or two on the wild side but something to check, especially on frames with vertical ends where there’s no leeway. Lighter than the OEM kenda, these have been delivering a magic carpet ride over the lumpy lanes and increasingly battle scarred main roads.

They’ve given the ‘Cross2 a perkier persona and rolling resistance is much les than I was expecting from rubber weighing over 700g apiece, although thanks in part to the widely spaced gearing, ride/handling still feels closer to that of a middleweight tourer than ‘crosser per se.

The other objective that evening was to continue getting it as filthy as possible since this fetching blue Zefal bike wash had also been sent my way…Bike washes provoke quite a bit of debate and most work to broadly similar science with comparable results.

Most solutions (aside from citrus based versions) are alkaline and employ non-ionic surfactants. These basically break down the grime on a molecular level; ensuring non/organic grot is easily flushed away and does not reattach itself during the washing/rinsing phases.  Aside from distinctive blue colouring, Zefal reckon theirs imparts a protective, dirt and dust repelling glossy film...Time and testing will reveal whether there’s any substance to these claims.

Working on the basis most knobblies become slicks when feed sufficient gloop, I decided it was time to revisit the bridle path featured on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Sevendaycyclistmagazine/videos to see how they’d behave.

Despite some initial skepticism, the Roamer’s comparatively supple casings literally glided through the gloop, taking thorns, flints in its stride. However, while the strip is comprehensive, its thinner at the shoulders... Given another seven miles or so, a sharp hard infiltrated the recessed, traction boosting, water channelling grooves. Just as I’d pulled up outside the house, its rear tyre let rip with a hearty hiss. Ruptured tube seam, so new tube and back to testing…

Elsewhere, the Univega now sports this Guee silicone bar wrap. Despite materials in common it’s proving quite different from the venerable Genetic flare http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-silicone-bar-wrap   in many respects, though most obviously, texture.

Price is a stumbling block for some people but compared with space age polymers commanding similar cash, the rubber’s natural tenacity means these don’t require backing adhesives, so aside from introducing fresh UPVC (electrical tape) they can be repeatedly rewound.

The Guee benefits from a little extra pre-stretch (especially when feeding the first few centimetres inside the bar end). Thankfully, it’s less susceptible to stretch marks/discoloration under tension, which is helpful since it’s less generous than the flare. (I had sufficient left over for the Holdsworth’s pursuit bars) Only time and miles will tell whether performance justifies the £7 price differential...