Showing posts with label Storm sure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Storm sure. Show all posts

Friday 26 May 2017

All Terrain Escapes








Forty miles in and I’m beginning to bond with those Schwalbe Marathon GT 365. Although a hefty pairing, they complete the Univega’s all-terrain persona, which has also swept me back to the early 80s spirit of UK mountain biking-go anywhere machines that were light, fun and enabled the rider to leave everything behind.
Escapism is a positive thing and not to be confused with sticking one’s head in the proverbial sand. It’s a chance to reflect, figure things through and return with a cohesive, pragmatic strategy. Does wonders for episodes of writer’s block, or those occasions when paragraphs simply merge into a tangled, congealed mass on the screen.
Full-length mudguards naturally limit the machine’s true off road potential. That said; in its present guise and with those tyres; loose surfaces, unmade roads, forest trails and yes, disused railway lines are easily passable at a decent tempo.
The line in question doesn’t go any distance now, thanks to extensive housebuilding, it’s essentially been reduced to a short strip of woodland. Undeterred, I tried the lane in parallel, mindful of getting over-enthused, taking a wrong turn and hammering through someone’s back garden!
I’d been that particular route some years before while rejoicing in a stretch of super smooth forest on my’ cross bike around midnight. All of a sudden, my 1000 lumen headlight picked up two large plastic receptacles and our presence triggered a security light.
Hmmm, wheelie bins… Prod right brifter down two cogs, turn and sprint back was my MO then. Back to those Schwalbe, well, run at 65psi, they held their own with plenty of feedback and no hint of skittishness across the loose, gravelly surface. 
Back on metalled road, more effort was required to overcome the additional rolling resistance but unlike an MTB knobbly, cornering is vastly superior. Two inches wide, they literally smooth over bumpy, battle-scarred rods like a steamroller-the tarmac laying type, not Surly’s iconic plain-gauge fixed frameset.     
Staying with Seven Day Cyclist and the tubby tourer a moment, this storm sure flexible repair adhesive has successfully salvaged its wedge pack’s torn LED tab. https://stormsure.com/  
Composite and plastic materials can be tricky customers but when applied on a warm spring day and left the full 12hours, the repair seems pretty dependable-at least I’ve been happy enough to slip this Moon shield in situ.
Rediscovering my stash of rubber solution permitted a butyl mending binge. These days we can pick up a bunch of tubes for a fiver, almost disposable but where possible, I repair, or recycle them.
Talking of storms, a few showery rides saw enough grime adorning my winter/trainer’s tubes to warrant testing some bike wash and giving the bike a quick once-over. Bike wash did its job in a competent way and closer inspection revealed the rear crud guard’s 5mm fastener needed nipping tight.
In the zone, I decided it was the ideal opportunity to inspect/re-grease strip the seat post and repack the headset bearings. Out came the fix it sticks https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/fix-it-sticks-t-way-wrench .
I was pleasantly surprised by the thin but stoical layer of green oil eco-grease https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/green-oil-eco-grease  still coating both components, although the lower race was definitely due a liberal top-up.
Having wiped the races and double checked for any signs of corrosion, I cleaned both with a rag dipped in solvent before flooding top and bottom races.  The yellow goo’s flow rate is broadly comparable with petrochemicals, although it’s particularly good when temperatures creep into the high teens.
Super smooth again, though I’ll probably strip and replenish every 9, rather than 12months-6 if you’re a rough stuff tourist or mountain biker who can’t resist river-riding.