Tubes, Glorious Tubes

 During the dying embers of 1979, I recall a Z-list comedian letting a balloon roar flatulently into the crowd, quipping “That’s what Mrs. Thatcher needs...Deflation!!” Fast forward 43 years, prices of food and other essentials are rocketing. Inflation is at a sobering 9%… 

Moments from home I was struck by another, all-too-familiar sinking, and squirming, as I engaged Ursula’s front brake. Yup, the Vittoria Evolution had succumbed to a sharp flint that had lodged within its chevrons and burrowed into the casing.  

Blowouts are rare.  

Most punctures follow this narrative and this one had the grace to hold off until I was parallel to home. Being 5.55 am, I simply switched the Ryde/Alfine Shimano Alfine UR700 Hub Dynamo | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  for the Ryde/Shutter Precision SD8 SHUTTER PRECISION SD8 HUB DYNAMO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) shod with a Schwalbe Land Cruiser, which employs a similar level of puncture resistance to the Vittoria and broadly on par, price-wise.

  

My first flat in 750 miles, too. Inspecting the tube revealed a tiny pinprick, which was easily patched. I left it hung up and inflated while replenishing the patches in my two kits, while on my mind.  

I had some business in the midlands and made arrangements to leave my car at John Moss’s house. LOVE RESURRECTION: JOHN AND JANE MOSS'S TANDEM TRICYCLE (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Transpired he and Jane are doing some “Swedish Death Cleaning” so very kindly gifted me a batch of new, unused tubes (700x32 and a 26x1.5) which was very welcome and extremely kind on their part. Ironically, I returned to discover two 25mm Eclipse Road inner Tubes and this Kask Protone Icon Helmet awaiting me.  

The Tubes are TPU and reckoned not only to be lighter but reduce rolling resistance while being more resistant to flats. These feature a welded valve stem, which is also reckoned to be superior to bonded and glued types.  

The Eclipse are also reckoned repairable, although dedicated patches require a decent curing time-overnight, ideally. So, I’d be inclined to carry a butyl spare, or two just in case. These are earmarked for the Teenage Dream, which frankly, is the most obvious candidate, save perhaps for the Holdsworth...  

Weather conditions have presented opportunity to go out and enjoy my beloved road bike and given its presently sporting the now discontinued A520 pedals, I’ve clicked in and racked up some miles with the Shimano MT701 shoes.  

Took me a few rides before this incarnation of the Boa lacing system became truly intuitive. Well, release was the issue. I’d gone into Child-at-Christmas mode, without reading the instructions and couldn’t work out how to slacken the laces. This is just a matter of pulling the Boa wheel upwards. The MT701 are increasingly becoming my go-tos for general riding.  

That said; think I’ll stick to the Quoc Pham Tourer when it comes to the Teenage Dream since the soles are that bit stiffer. As for the PD ED 500 pedals, no surprise to learn I’m warming to their charms as the miles rack up. A good bet for touring and indeed, light, dry trail work. Dare I say the G word... 

I managed to lose a spoke magnet on Ursula’s Ryde/Alfine wheel but thankfully, I had a couple of generic, auction site specials in stock. I was also slightly surprised to find the Cat Eye Viz 100 LED light had lost its USB plug. Porting it beneath the saddle, thus sheltering it from rain and spray, was the obvious move. 

 

Talking of which, I’ve concluded the Teenage Dream’s saddle height was just a fraction too low, so raised it by a few milimetres- now perfect. Must’ve been when I re-greased the Thompson post, using the Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Shakedown Ride

 

Sunday morning at 6am, I snuck out to the garage, emerging stealthily with the Teenage Dream, just as I did during the summer of ‘91. Minutes later, I was enjoying the responsive zing of the thin-walled steel tubeset. The Knog/Decathlon Frankenputer was clocking a steady 19.6mph and braking, though progressive was refreshingly sharp.  

A big, fly-catching grin followed for the 20-mile loop. Only the BBB mudguards and PDW pump bracket required adjustment, although I noted the Lezyne pump’s tendency to slither downwards, perilously close to the chainring, so the PDW mount had to go-substituted for a Syncros unit holidaying in my Bodge box. This also features a rubber strap for belt n’ braces, vibration cheating security. I also needed to pull the Moon Meteor strap a little tighter around the Salsa Bell lap bars, to prevent its incremental rotation.   

Switch and minor tweaks complete, bike safely away. I turned my attention to Ursula’s drivetrain. Shifting had gone “off”- phantom shifts and hesitancy being the main symptoms. Chain was still in good shape but the derailleur’s inner wire was showing some external signs of fraying, so I replaced this, and the housing, which had developed a very slight kink. 

 

Stripping these, I discovered the inner was a few shifts from expiry and was essentially held together by a PTFE “fatball” or clot, which can develop over time, using the heavier duty maintenance sprays. 

The Rear mech was also sporting impacted waxy colic, which took several helpings of solvent and enthused scrubbing to shift. Note to self... treat the spring, pivots and cables to GT85 and leave the heavier duty PTFE sprays for recessed Allen heads, cleat and locking mechanisms. The chain has been fed a light helping of Weldtite Ceramic Lube WELDTITE CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which is defined as an “all weather” formula and in my experience, a decent staple.        

Shifting back on song, I turned my attention to my fixed gear winter trainer. I’d left the Kinekt 2.1 Aluminium suspension seatpostKINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) in situ since November and thought it was time to remove and re-grease. One thing led to another, and I reverted to Cane Creek’s excellent Thudbuster ST, the G4 in this instance, which features 50mm of travel, easily switched elastomers (press-fit, tool-free). This also cured a slightly annoying creak- the Kinekt seems to require the periodic helping of composite/rubber-friendly grease.  

Not that the Kinekt could ever be described as a pogo stick, the G4’s bob is less obvious but equally effective. It’s also saved 92g, although this wasn’t on my agenda. I’m also pleased to note that ACF50 used in place of grease has done an excellent job of protecting against corrosion.  

Slackening the seat collar bolt, the Kinekt slid out with buttery finesse. Impressive, given the months exposure to wet roads, snow, ice, and frequent sudsy bucket washes. I’ve been defaulting to Green Oil Eco Grease TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com), primarily since it’s compatible with all surfaces and loosely on par with the bog-standard PTFE types in the durability stakes.  

Little surprise that the Kinekt Waterproof Saddle Bag KINEKT WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is an equally good fit. I just needed to pull the straps a little tighter, which is no hardship.     

I’ve been watching the steady implosion of UK industries and it is very clear that stable and skilled jobs are continuing to decline. Honda is leaving Swindon in a matter of weeks and being replaced by a warehouse. Now, work in car plants, at least on the lines is at best semi-skilled. However, its comparatively well paid, warehouse jobs are not.  

Having watched various cornerstones of the British economy disappear (mining, shipbuilding and manufacturing being three that immediately spring to mind). 

Highly skilled people tended to fare much better and could port their skillset to other industries. In the late 90s, Lifelong learning became a buzzword and lifelong learning accounts were a means by which those who had been “left behind” could secure academic and vocational skills/qualifications. It didn’t quite pan out that way.  

However, the concept of lifelong skills development has always been ingrained within me. The pandemic has also turned this up a notch. There are lots of free resources around. 

 

Even if these don’t have an obvious economic benefit, the more skills we can cultivate, the greater our autonomy. Predictably, frame-building courses have often captured my imagination but more recently, a less prescriptive machinists/ paint spraying/similar course has superseded this.