Lighter Moments

Unnerving creaking from my Univega’s post region prompted a swift dismount but turned out to be little more than a loosening cradle bolt. Easily silenced with a lick of grease and nipped tight with a 4mm Allen key. 100miles in and the wonder metals’ unique, subtle zing adds to the machine’s already compliant ride, saving a few grams over a 6061 model too.

Another box of goodies arrived on my doorstep this week, hence, this Bontrager flare R city tail light clings limpet fashion below the increasingly indispensible Cycliq fly 6 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/cycliq-fly-6-camera-and-rear-light . 

This little blinkey boasts a total of 35 lumens and has daylight and two night time flashing settings. “Intelligent” systems that automatically kick down once battery reserves plateau is pretty commonplace these days but sensors that adjust the beam’s intensity according to lighting conditions are also becoming mainstream.

For such a small light, visibility is pretty impressive- reckoned to be around the 400 metre mark. 

My own experience suggests this is likely to be on open roads and clear nights. So far, I’ve only been running it during daylight hours but have been pleasantly surprised by its potency. The positive top-mounted switch is easily commanded in full-finger gloves and its dimensions are perfect for pared to the essentials road and TT builds.   

I wouldn’t want to be following at close quarters in the flashing setting, say on a group ride and I generally prefer models with greater surface area for town work but let’s see what the coming weeks and different riding contexts reveal.

Up front comes this Cygolite dash 450, which as its name implies is a compact 450 lumen model, very much of the commuter plus genre i.e. capable of delivering enough bite for semi-rural navigational work on the one hand but with a wide range of town-friendly settings.

Years spent riding trails and back roads in the dead of night have meant a definite leaning towards big guns that belt out 1000 lumens plus. That said I’ve become increasingly partial to these and similarly unobtrusive designs that have enough wallop for those spring/summer evenings when that hour’s blast on the best bike has transitioned into two.

True, most blinkies in flashing modes usually provide enough presence in the seen-by sense and for contingencies but I prefer a proper light, something around the 350lumen mark running alongside in these contexts.  

The Cygolite boasts 7 settings, four night modes and three for daylight, which should cater for most contexts, save for dead of night and quoted run times between 1hr 15 and 70hrs. Build quality is pretty solid throughout at the bracket allows some adjustment, which is a boon when affixing to moustache bars and others, with less useable real-estate. 

This sample has been playing backing singer to my Univega’s Exposure Revo dynamo system, which for my purposes and the machines four seasons’ hell n’ high water design brief is indispensible.

Back to the Cygolite; the rubbery centre mounted switch cum battery life indicator is ideally positioned and easy to use in middle-weight gloves and on the fly. The top row of 4 LEDS has a slightly dated feel on the one hand given the increasing ubiquity of COB technology.

However, the combo works on the basis (one that I happen to subscribe to) that in most riding contexts, drivers tend to notice a pulsing/flashing set up first. Formative impressions are quite favourable when run in overcast daylight.

Experience with this genre suggests these are fine for longer commutes/rides with a mixture of city/suburban and shorter semi rural sections. Again, several weeks in different contexts may reinforce, or refute this opinion...

Staying with lighting, I’ve always been drawn to integrated systems, higher end hub gearing and dynamos in particular, especially for touring and four seasons’ working bikes.

Giant has extended this principle to its Strive helmet. I’ve always been impressed with Giant’s level of specification, not to mention their TCR concept, which arguably normalised semi/compact geometry road bikes back in the late 90s. Look closely and you’ll notice there’s a branded fascia that pops away to reveal a magnetic plate. This is specifically designed with their Numen Plus Link tail light in mind.

The NPL is a four mode, 20lumen model with a quoted 5 hour run time in its lowest setting. It uses COB (Chips on Board) technology, where diodes are mounted directly aboard the circuit board, saving production time and optimising output.

Another neat feature is the auto on/off sensor that works in the same way as a Shimano dynamo switch, reacting to the light levels and automatically turning the light on/off.

20 lumens sounds tame given the lumens race but given it’s positioning, anything more potent is likely to dazzle and alienate approaching traffic. All things being equal and save for really foggy contexts 15-35lumens are sufficiently potent for most conditions and from a generous distance too.

The NPL charges via magnetic USB system, reminiscent of one Blackburn employed on their flea a few years back, although much easier. Connect light to base via the magnets and the plug the USB cable into the mains/PC/Laptop port.  Talking of laptops, time I gave mine some down time and headed out to test some more goodies.      

Tube Investments

Well, after some false starts caused by an online retailer breaking delicate components in their warehouse; John Moss has worked his magic, on my titanium seat post. 

Clarke lathe correctly calibrated, it took him 60 minutes to remove the excess metal. Residual blemishes were smoothed by hand using increasingly fine grades of emery paper.

In common with similarly skilled engineering trades, John’s background  means he is meticulous in his approach and seeks to continuously improve everything. A philosophy that I share but John’s skill and helpful disposition I greatly admire. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/love-resurrection-john-moss-s-tandem
 

He expressed quiet disappointment upon hearing of my intention to paint the exposed section. Having clapped eyes on the freshly polished post, I’ve decided to leave it raw.

Coventry was once the UK’s motor city, much like Detroit in the US. Car manufacturing, at least on a mass scale, has long since gone and the economic impact has been quite apparent.While the loss of the factories hit people of all socio-economic groups hard, engineering and technological skills remain in demand. 

Coachbuilders, tool makers, textile engineers and skilled machinists had transferable skills and were able to port themselves over to other, related industries. Any subsequent retraining was minimal and easily recouped either by themselves, or new employers.

I was taught to weld by a Dagenham coachbuilder named Terry and George, a giant tool maker who had worked for many years at the Ford motor company. Dagenham was also another motor town that has suffered greatly since the automotive giant relocated.

Their transition to teaching was arguably an obvious one. I was also interested to learn that the old divides and office politics (between traditional academic and technical) so prevalent in manufacturing; had also been ported over.  

Tuesday morning, having returned from a quick twenty mile blast, restoring my faith in those 30mm Vee tyres (which are starting to win my over in pretty much every context); I decided I may as well introduce the Univega to its new post.

This also presented another opportunity to put Blackburn Switch multi tool through its paces. Sent to Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com  from Zyrofisher http://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/  the switch is a very minimalist, though equally well conceived 8-function design with some very neat touches.

The wrench is doubled ended, meaning it can be deployed as a T or L shaped Allen key for torque, or alternatively, screwdriver fashion. Ball ends ensure easy access to bottle mounts and similar fasteners. Newbies and those seeking a single, comprehensive tool for several bikes are, in my opinion, better served by the brands’ 19 function wayside http://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/products/detail/BLTWAY19  

Nonetheless, the past fortnight has seen me warming to its charms and we’ll have both reviewed in the coming weeks. Tubby Tourer’s BBB skyscraper post removed, I decided to give the seat tube a top-up shot of waxy corrosion inhibitor.

Next, with the saddle in place, I introduced some PTFE based grease to the post and was delighted by how precisely the post slid into the frame. Teflon based grease! ? but titanium needs a very specific blend...

Yes, I subscribed to this for several years and it’s true that titanium can form a very permanent union with other metals. However, consulting engineers and Justin Burls http://www.burls.co.uk/ , who has built titanium framesets for many years, suggests any good quality synthetic grease is fine with titanium contact points/fasteners.

In keeping with other metals, inspect and replenish this at least annually. More regularly on mountain, cross, or road builds shunning mudguards, mind.         

Random Tandem

It’s been a roller coaster week. A full cable refit to Graham’s recently refinished mid 90’s Timberline concluded my test of those Super B TB-WC30 Pro Cable Cutters https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/super-b-tb-wc30-pro-cable-cutters. I was also rather excited by a freshly blasted racing tandem that prepped and plugged, ready for a zinc rich epoxy base coat.

Turns out it’s an early 1950’s Rory O’Brien. Part of the refurb involved removing braze-ons, including the bottle bosses, which struck me as a curious move-even if the machine was being used for short-distance TTs.  

While the forks follow the traditional lugged and brazed construction, the frame is beautifully fillet brazed. Some would say this was an obvious choice for a pared to the essentials race rocket for two, saving precious grams and making it harder to disguise poor workmanship.

Urban myth, on both counts; though not commonly practiced during this frame’s era, TIG welding still translates into a lighter build, saving approximately 340g on a typical tandem frameset.

Fillet brazing is a process where brass is built up in layers, forming a very strong, uniform bond.  A frame constructed this way stands a better chance of survival following a collision with a tree, or parked car.

Talking of cars, anything other than fusion welding will signal MOT failure but a decent coachbuilder could successfully join two old school Jaguars together without any fear of failure. Motorcycle frames were also fabricated using this method.  

Being more labour intensive, there’s a cost implication but less competent/experienced builders can still get away with sloppy work. Done properly, large, smooth even fillets are all you’ll see. Be wary of overbite (where the tube has been filed at the fillet). This creates a stress point, which can result in premature and potentially fatal frame failure.  

John Moss has been focusing upon getting the Mango’s Di2 and Alfine hub combo harmonious but a conversation about machine shops and this Chinese made titanium seat post ignited his curiosity. Staying wit the Di2, he’s been having problems getting the shifters to communicate as he’d hoped with the 11spd Alfine hub. John’s career as a highly skilled technician means he loves to diagnose, fault find and continuously improve equipment.

I explained I had a 27.2 Ti post doing something nothing close to nothing and was toying with the idea of having it machined down to 26.0. This could then replace the Univega’s otherwise likeable BBB skyscraper. After some calculations and precision measurements, he calculated with a carbide tip, he could shave 136mm from the bottom, thus it would slide securely into the tubby tourer’s seat tube. Modern social history, human geography and industrial decline are subjects that have always fascinated me. Most cities have their no-go districts, or at least those with ill-repute.

Hillfields in Coventry has an unenviable reputation for being the city’s red-light district. Levels of deprivation are high, just as some inner London Boroughs including Hackney (despite the latter’s superficial gentrification, some might say, socio-economic cleansing).

However, it’s renown for being the region’s red-light area, drugs and associated criminal activity being consequently rife. I had always presumed this had been a relatively recent phenomenon, a’la Dagenham intensifying when the car factories and similar business left.

Anecdotally John and several other reliable sources refute my hypothesis. I’ve heard tales from the 1950s of organised criminal activity, including protection rackets, money laundering and of course, drugs. During the 1950s a smartly dressed young man walked into a Café’ and was greeted with smiles and warm acknowledgement.

A few minutes later, a woman running said eatery heard a scream and discovered the young man’s throat had been slit-in road daylight. She called for an ambulance and applied pressure to the wound using a clean tea-towel until paramedics arrived. The man survived.     

Conversation with Graham at Maldon Shot blasting & Powder Coating suggested painting the exposed section satin black wouldn’t be an issue either. It was decided that because of the metal’s characteristics, attempting to blast the surface (giving the paint fighting chance of staying put) was a non-starter, so he’d use an acid etch primer instead...Stay tuned…