Swerving the Pause

Dynohub wheel components safely in the hands of John Moss, I awoke at 6am on Monday morning…Decided then was the moment to replace my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Aheadset. Gathered headset, Czech made headset press, cyclo crown race setter and X tools’ removal tool. The former, though used infrequently, make replacement surgery a breeze.

Convenience aside, they also ensure delicate alloys and head tubes aren’t ruined. With care, it is possible to improvise using blocks of wood and a hammer…If money’s tight, I’d buy the press and crown race remover and employ a scrap length of 1/18^th down-tube to set the new one.  

Everything came apart effortlessly and the FSA Orbit XLII in place at 7.30bc (before coffee). Cartridge bearings are impregnated with grease at the factory. Nonetheless, greasing races is advised, to keep the elements, corrosion and ultimately, minimise wear.

I plumped for some Finish line ceramic around the lower bearing and Park PL1 around the upper. Forgot the butyl boot, mind but opted to quit while the going was indeed, good. Grease aside, the XL II is buttery smooth, confirmed by massive inner smile following the morning’s celebratory 20mile blast.

The following evening, I decided another helping of grease was in order. Clearly under the influence of Rocket fuel, one lead to another and said machine now sports a slightly more aggressive cockpit and Torus TI stem https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/torus-titanium-stem .  Titanium can form an extremely stubborn bond, so don’t forget good quality assembly paste to contact points. Or you might find them inseparable a few months down the line…  

The same applies to other metals of mixed parentage-aluminium posts in steel frames, not to mention bottom bracket threads, which perfectly positioned for lashings of dodgy water. A decent glob of high quality synthetic grease prevents grief and copious amounts of penetrant spray later on.

That done, I turned my attentions to the Univega. Full length guards can extend maintenance intervals quite considerably, especially when it comes to headsets; bottom brackets and seatposts. Sealed cable systems, so long as they’ve been installed correctly are very much fit n’ forget. Worth it, if you’re doing big miles in foul weather.

Somehow, I managed to snag one, where it routed into the rear derailleur. Replacing it with Jagwire pro shift has sorted shifting gremlins. As I’d hope, the stainless steel inner with pre-lubricated liner is super slick. Whether they’re truly fit n’ forget remains to be seen.

Though fun is a big part of winter riding, reliability is an equally significant buzzword. Wheels and tyres being cases in point. I’m sticking with the Kenda small block8 and Schwalbe Marathon 365 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt365-tyre  pairing. Spoke tension was a little on the slack side, some minor wobble needed ironing out too.

Nowhere near Samba dancing territory but a few minutes on the jig, saves a heap of hassle, not to mention money later on. The rear was an off the peg, machine built affair. These have become much more reliable but still tend to loose truth and tension faster, compared with hand built hoops.

A good wheel builder knows exactly how much to re-tension, whereas a machine can only work to programmed settings. Nothing a wheelsmith can’t sort later on and wouldn’t trouble me, on a lightly laden commuter, or training bike. The last thing I’d want on a heavily laden tourer, tandem, or similarly specialised build.

Sans wheels, time to give the frameset really thorough clean. This enables any damage to be spotted and remedial measures taken. Ritual (at least in my republic) dictates that the undersides of mudguards are also given a thorough scrub too. Minor stone chips around the “school chair fork” were treated to a drop of high build marine primer, left curing for 24 hours.

Finally I applied “helicopter tape” where cables brush against the frame tubes and gave the entire bike a liberal helping of Crankalicious crisp frame hybrid wax.

Pleasing to administer and seemingly offering a durable, glossy barrier, I’ll hold judgement until November’s close. This will give a much better indicator of its true performance, compared with a more traditional hard-paste car type.

For the earlier part and, depending on what comes in for testing I’ll be sticking with lighter, cleaner chain lubes. As a genre, they lack the tenacity of wet blends but are generally lower friction and attract less dirt.  

Midwinter Makeovers & Tales of The Unexpected

Having decided my beloved Univega was going the 1x9 route; I stripped the LX cranks and gave them a seriously good clean. Despite regular cold water rinsing and hard paste waxing, the salt monster had left his pock marked calling card in the anodised finish.   

To make matters worse, after almost twenty years, the flamboyant red enamel was starting to chip all too easily along the chainstays. Up until now, this recession had been held back with decent quality nail varnish but now demanded more remedial action.

 Maldon Shot Blasting & Powder Coating www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk replied to my SOS email, confirming they’d be happy to sort.

Tuesday afternoon, I needed a break from the keyboard, so stripped the frameset bare and attempted to chase years of waxy home brewed frame preserve from its inner sanctum. This would, theoretically minimise the amount of prep the team had to perform before blasting and ultimately painting. 

Since we’re on the subject, be sure to tell your frame builder/spray shop there is Waxoyl, or similar preserve sloshing around inside. Otherwise, with the introduction of heat, it will become molten, race from the tubes and potentially scald them!

What lies beneath.....

Graham and Chris were taking no chances. When the industrial degreaser didn’t do the business, my frame was immersed in their methyl chloride tank for a few minutes...As the honey coloured gloop dissolved, racing to the surface in a raft of brown bubbles, those relatively thin enamel and primer coats followed suit. 

Much to our surprise, the Alpina 506’s tubes were also sporting a layer of corrosion busting nickel.

Though less of a slippery customer and kinder process than Chrome, chances are the factory enamellers had to use acid etch primers to persuade the paint to stick. It would also explain why, despite high, hell and high water mileages, seemingly bare metal hadn’t succumbed to the elements.

This was easily dismissed in the Iron oxide cabinet before the surface was treated to an even finer polymer bead... Next came that zinc rich epoxy powder primer. I’d plumped for cream this time round, classic and understated. Would coordinate with the bike’s existing kit perfectly too.

The zinc was cured at 150 degrees for 15minutes; cooler than text book and forum lore would suggest. I’m told the lower temperature achieves optimal fusion between the primer and colour coat. 

Higher temperatures would result in a more brittle finish, prone to chipping.

I’d gone for poly gloss buttermilk, which requires particular care. Though the flow rate ensures even coverage, flawless results are difficult given its tendency to drip and run during oven curing. This is also goes for other paints with low pigment.

Even when stored correctly, powder paints eventually “go-off”. This can result in a lumpy; or flawed final effect. Some tell-tale shadowy dimpling had struck along the down tube. Job-lot finishers would probably pass this but Graham was having none of it. Imperfect areas sanded, he disappeared in search of a match and returned with a small tub of “Interpon 610 cream”. 

Initial inspection suggested a peachy pigment but testing on some scrap proved otherwise. A full account is coming up in Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com  but for now, I’ll leave you with this photo-love story.  Fancy something similar? A single, standard colour, such as this cream including blasting and zinc based primer start at £65. What’s next? Those refurbished cranks, of course.

Baring All aka “The Baboon”

Here now comes the cautionary tale of becoming overly attached to aging Lycra- you know, those old faithfuls plucked from a shop’s sales bin for £10 or less that have soldiered on stoically for a decade or so. Slowly but surely the buttock region has become progressively thinner, there’s some obvious tell-tale fraying around the insert but otherwise, they’re socially acceptable...

Crashes aside, the humble polyester/elastane mix has few natural enemies and literally recedes by stealth. Thundering along the lanes late one night, headful of ideas turning me every which way but loose, I was suddenly conscious of an unusually ambient air coursing around the buttock region. Far from uncomfortable, this agreeable cooling sensation coincided with traffic gliding past serenely at a greater distance than usual for this locale.

Catching sight of one’s derriere’, the reason for this newfound curiosity became brutally apparent- those fibres had worn perilously thin, leaving little to the imagination. Mercifully, bricklaying gangs had left their lintels earlier; otherwise the procession of hoots, jeers and Dagenham smiles would’ve made matters all the more difficult to ignore. Conversely, I was disappointed not to encounter “Colnago man”; a relatively local rider who refuses to acknowledge others, even by way of a discrete nod. 

While relatively courteous, I’m not the most welcoming of figures and don’t generally appreciate folk cruising alongside uninvited for a chat but wilfully ignoring someone who has bid you good morning/afternoon/evening is pretty ignorant. 

The politics of pleasantries have become increasingly complex too if forums are any barometer. Some folks taking great offence (an affront to their masculinity perhaps) at being overtaken by a faster rider unleashing a cheery “Hello”; Personally, I’m only mildly irked if someone has cut me up, or done so to make a point/for effect. Often I’ll whizz past on the following climbs, or laugh hard as a tandem blows them into those proverbial weeds, showing clean heels n’ chrome plastics. 

More changeable conditions i.e. pelted with hail stones the size of sugar cubes ricocheting from my Ilpompino’s top tube certainly brings waterproof jackets to the fore. However, until recently and with the exception of some eVent models, choice was between three seasons’ training models or the classic “Condom” cape synonymous with late 80’s massed start road racing. Admittedly these offered some protection from biblical stuff but left one feeling decidedly boiled-in the-bag after twenty minutes or so.

Micro types which fold much smaller and whose technical fibres facilitate a reasonably comfortable, hygienic inner climate have become increasingly affordable. Dhb Cosmo is a case in point. Subtle (rather than dull or wall-flowerish) colour schemes, gender specific cuts and rugged, “racing snakes” polyamide fabric has come to my rescue on several recent outings. These have been spent evaluating the durability and cleanliness of several different 

chain preps, not to mention some very fancy material specific cleaners and polishes.

The latter supposedly locks in a blemish-free lustre for several weeks following a single application. So far, so good on titanium/carbon composites, though I’m very curious to discover more of their precise chemical makeup. Better quality polymer based, composite friendly waxes promise similar performance and thus, the coming weeks could present some unexpected findings.     

Now…Can anyone guess the identity of this frameset that’s just arrived at the doors of Maldon Shot Blasting & Powder Coating?