Mudguard The Mighty

Having repacked my fixed gear winter trainer’s headset with fresh Park PPL-1 Grease, then adding a DIY boot to protect it from winter’s worst, I turned to my Univega’s Stronglight unit. Full length mudguards (fenders) extend service intervals but I’d recommend stripping, inspecting and re-greasing headsets annually. Especially on working bikes.

I’d re-greased the Univega’s bottom race, using Muc-Off Bio Grease https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/muc-off-bio-grease-long-term-test  when I’d switched to the bike’s freshly refinished, original forks. However, I hadn’t inspected the top race in a good while. Since it’s cream makeover, in fact. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/after-the-gritters-went-home .

I wasn’t surprised to find everything came apart effortlessly. However, the top race’s grease was fast reduced to a filmy gunk. Dismissed with a rag dipped in solvent, I replaced it with the Park PPL-1 and was reassembling everything, when realisation dawned- I’d forgotten the butyl boot! Big MTB sections (26x1.95 or wider) make ideal candidates.   

Fork out, another section of scrap Schwalbe was peeled into place, aided by some greasy overspill. Theoretically PPL-1 is safe on rubberised components, so shouldn’t eat it. 

Fasteners reinstated, fresh front brake cable nipped tight…I swung the Soma Condor bars back and forth, rejoicing in the steering’s buttery smoothness.

Then I noticed the mighty Tortec Reflector mudguard had succumbed to a fatal fracture. 

Thankfully this didn’t strike when I was riding along. Seriously solid chrome plastics. Ones that have survived ten years’ four seasons, hell n’ high water riding. Not a hint of tarnish on the stainless stays, and other hardware, for that matter.

Still, this provided an ideal opportunity to research my Univega’s pedigree a little further. Having found the frame number (and wished I’d noted it down properly, while the frame was at the blast stage of refinishing, back in 2017 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/after-the-gritters-went-home  I discovered it was built in 1997, not 1996-as long believed.  

My Univega is a joy to ride and has evolved into a (relatively) lightweight go anywhere machine. One that responds and handles in excellent proportion, on and off road. laden and otherwise. I’m also drawn to the slightly unusual/esoteric. I always liked Axiom stuff and Axiom Road Runner A2 MTB 26 seem a very good fit.

While I research and acquire a replacement set of guards, I’ve switched over to my fixed gear winter/trainer. An ideal opportunity to see how the Juice Lubes Ceramic Chain Juice performs on a fixed transmission, and in slightly drier, colder contexts.  

So far, it’s holding out rather well, with a nice blend of lubrication and staying prowess. 100 miles in, and I’m really warming to the 32mm Schwalbe Road Cruiser, which are providing a surprisingly swift, yet compliant and grippy ride. Not bad for £19.99  

Long, dark nights bring about a very different focus and helps me reflect. Not just on products being tested but other projects and ventures. There are some things, some experiences that I have found very difficult to process. Not the sort understood by the civilian world.

Those revelling in melodrama would refer to them as demons but I wouldn’t give them that sort of credence, that power. Exploration through fiction and third-party characterisation is the most constructive outlet. 

Not that it’s a philosophy I subscribe to, but observation suggests people are disinterested in the struggles of others. Unless of course, they follow a “rags to riches” narrative. Those looking for a good midwinter read for themselves, or a cycling friend might be interested in Emily Chappell’s book “Where There’s A Will”.. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/where-there-s-a-will

Little Things

Inclement weather has limited my ability to clip in and go testing , so turbo trainer aside; its been a question of completing existing reports ahead of deadline, resurrecting the book projects with continued hunting of something suitable in temp land.

January’s close is oft regarded as the worst for morale, Christmas’ and New Year sparkle tempering quickly against cobalt skies and sometimes harsh, economic realities. Tired of well meaning but ultimately empty enthusiasm, I made contact with an accomplished author and editor (who I’d approached some twenty five years previously, eager to write for his newly established magazine) to see if he’d be tempted by my project outline. 

Fenders fitted to my favourite fixer; substituting its stocky Surly long haul trucker for a 6061 Topeak Super Tourist DX seemed an obvious move since it only hosted a cotton duck rack bag, shaving several hundred grams in a stroke. Reasonable payloads aside, wanderlust is limited to commuting, weekend touring and of course, Audax duties but then things seldom give trouble when built properly and used as per design brief.

Then came the big thaw, seeing the Univega plucked from its hook and introduced to the 933g Tortec epic, fitting with consummate ease having found a full compliment of stainless (as distinct from the chrome plated hotch potch) fasteners. However, doing so necessitated forgoing its Torch fender fit blinky and plugging the holes with silicone, bathroom type sealant.

To my surprise, the epic is only 40g heavier than Tubus’ legendary Logo with an identical payload. Repeated exposure to slushy, salted roads hasn’t given any cause for alarm, although are readily ingrained along with fingerprints and light dirt into the slightly dimpled texture. Warrantee wrangles aside, the tubus is more easily repaired or adapted with pump pegs, bespoke light fittings and similar nick nacks using brass, not fusion welding. 

Arguably a no-brainer but you’d be surprised at the number of folk who I’ve seen introducing a common or garden wire feed MIG/MAG unit to proceedings only to find their lugged and brazed frameset melts like the proverbial waxwork.  Keeping the cargo theme for a minute, having also spent some of this enforced confinement exploring home built homages to the mighty mono-wheeled Bob Yak (Most notably here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/My-version-of-a-YAK-Bike-Trailer/?ALLSTEPS

http://www.instructables.com/id/Single-wheel-bicycle-trailer-with-suspension/?ALLSTEPS)

It occurs to me that trailer racing would make a superb sub genre-whether fixed or freewheel, trail or tarmac. Categories could include custom/bespoke, production or backyard special with further segregation according to budget, wheel-size, extent of modification, payload etc. Making best use of slack time and with the help of a pop rivet gun and sixty odd 4mm aluminium rivets, I’ve been devising my own snow specific tyres from part worn rubber.

Taking inspiration from Continental’s Nordic spike, I haven’t put sufficient mileage on this little Kenda to comment as to its worthiness but it’s an interesting experiment nonetheless. If successful, I might extend this to 700c and 26inch mtb formats. Some months ago, I was lamenting the lack of (relatively) narrow, commercially available options-42mm and 2.2 inches being pretty much the limit. Kenda offer a Klondike in fender friendly 35,38 and 1.75 sections.

Alas, at the time of composition, they’re not a UK import. Temptation was to order a set from across the pond were it not for a relatively weak pound since snow and Ice look set to becoming increasingly frequent patrons of our winter landscape but then these Schwalbe “Winter” arrived on my test bench.

Available in the magic 1.75 diameter, these are reckoned to require twenty-five miles on asphalt before taking to skiddy stuff and look to be a fair bit swifter than most variants I’ve used to date. February’s always a tricky month weather-wise so, we’ll see how they behave after the initial run-in.     

Elsewhere, I’ve been chatting with Rory at Upgrade bikes regarding two very innovative Kinesis builds that follow in the convertible, yet ultra capable one bike does all road path tradition and at the other extreme, some splendid DMR coffee receptacles.

Dropping by Maldon shot blasting & powder coating revealed this slightly intriguing mid 80’s touring frameset refinished in a very tasteful orange. Initial impressions suggested something 531^st from the Holdsworthy works- Claud Butler Dalesman/ Coventry Eagle but some unusually (by production standards) intricate lugwork around its semi sloping fork crown infers something older/ smaller scale…