Torque & Spring Tuning

 

I like torque wrenches and if not essential in the life and death sense, they’re increasingly necessary when working on modern bikes. An overly stressed component can snap at best leaving you out of pocket or resulting in a potentially nasty accident. This wallet friendly MPart Torque wrench has been my faithful workshop companion for several years now and highly intuitive to use. It caters for most of the fleet’s needs.  

However, there are some parts that require a little extra. Back story done, Oxford sent me their Torque wrench with a range between 2 and 22nm. Obviously, this won’t entertain cassette lockrings and square taper crank bolts, which need closer to 50nm, but otherwise, this range caters for everything from a bottle cage, mudguard mount, or derailleur jockey wheel to old school quill stems.  

Made from hardened chrome vanadium steel, setting the torque is simple, just a little counter-intuitive, coming from the M-Part and induced speedy referral to the (thankfully included) instructions but essentially boils down to turning the base/handle clockwise until it aligns with your desired torque. In common with the MPart, the wrench itself is ratcheted, which is super convenient from the perspectives of speed and efficiency, especially in tighter spaces.   Ursula’s front mech turned temperamental again, a quick turn of the adjustment screw and a gentle pinch of the front mech’s nose cured this, the chain skipping from big to small rings without missing a beat once more.  

Spring is synonymous with seasonal fettling and usually involves a good washing and hard paste waxing of some sort. Having done so, I decided it prudent to put some dead butyl to good use, dressing Denise and Ursula’s top tubes to avoid dings (should the bar end shifters catch in a tumble with terra firma, or the bars swing back with force).  

This also presented an opportunity to dress Ursula and fixed gear winter trainer’s Topeak racks to prevent further abrasion from pannier hardware. I also tweaked Ursula’s rear TRP Spyre, gave both bikes a good clean using this BBB Bio Ready Wash Bike Shampoo, finishing off with the brand’s Bio Gloss Bike Wax Polish (since they’re also on my test bench).  The ready wash, as its name suggests requires no water and isn’t designed for lightly soiled bikes. Spray on and buff to a shine with a microfibre cloth. Great from the convenience standpoint.  How it compares to something like this Motoverde Waterless Wash & WaxMotoverde Waterless Wash & Wax | cycling-not-racing remains to be seen (although it’s worth saying the Motoverde is also a good bit dearer)   

I’ve switched the fabulous Lomo ZephyrLomo Zephyr Waterproof Panniers | cycling-not-racing for this Altura Thunderstorm City Pannier. It’s another roll top design, meeting IPX6 for water resistance but a little smaller (20 litres) and claimed to have a ten-kilo maximum payload. It employs Rixen Kaul fitting hardware for limpet-like tenure to most diameters of rack tubing-easily tweaked with a few turns of a Philips screwdriver.  

I also like the closure system, which lacks the outright speed, dare I say convenience of a quick release buckle, but is more readily repairable, should it fail. A small thing, but I also like the light loop and the subtle retro reflective flecks. Oh, if black’s not er, your bag it also comes in a more stereotypically “commuter”  fluro yellow. 

Internally, it also employs sleeves to safely arrest and segregate 13-inch laptops and similar tech, or indeed, other items, such as a U lock. There’s a stiffener at the wall (where it rests against the rack) but unlike the Lomo, no scuff protection around the base- not unusual and an observation, rather than criticism. I’ve had a few off-road excursions with it and even moderately laden, no rattles and the mounting hardware has held 10mm tubing like the proverbial limpet.   

It has also been a good time to check butyl stocks, and I’m pleased to report several have been successfully patched, so could rejoin their respective panniers. A decent quality patch kit and patches are another of those unsung heroes of the toolkit. I pension tubes off after three patches but am firmly of the persuasion that I want the best chance of the patch and ultimately repair time effective. Right, off to play with the CST Patrol again...         

Weighing it Up

 

I'll attribute this to a midwinter lull, but eBay was trying to tempt me into indulging in some surplus stock gravel forks. 4130 throughout, sloping crown, assorted mounts, straight 1/18th steerer and assorted mounts. Clearance for 700x45c... Aside from not NEEDING them, they were raw, so would need painting, which adds to their cost. Being as I would need them powder coated; I'd be closer to £90 by the time everything had been considered.  

 

The fixed gear winter/trainer had a perfectly adequate carbon fork and replacing it (for the admittedly tempting Cro-moly set) would only buy bigger clearance and this wasn't strictly necessary since I'd settled on a more traditional road cum cross typical flavour and 32mm tyres. It would also add some grams. What had I really gained? Sometimes a bargain isn't that when you've weighed everything up- figuratively and literally. 

 

A prudent move too, since the fixed ate another KMC Z1, giving me cause to rethink my policy of running budget chains. Fixed though simple are highly stressed and require closer maintenance than the one cog setup might suggest. The most durable chains I've found to date are the Gusset S-link and KMC X1 stainless. However, both are relatively pricy and in the Gusset's case, hefty. I've decided to go the mid-point route and this Izumi 410.  

 

I'd been out during a particularly wet, grotty morning with various obstacles-looming potholes had my senses screaming with alarm and I was only just able to snatch the front end away at the last second-the gaping chasm would've spat me off, likely into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Composure regained; I cruised the remaining 15 miles at a steady tempo until noting the chain sliding off the rear sprocket and crawling off the front ring. Thankfully, it hadn't jammed but closer inspection revealed it was certainly beyond its prime, signalling imminent replacement. 

 

Waste not, want not...I switched the weary Z1 for one of the YBN that I'd bought for £2, if only to see how durable they were in comparison. Was it a question of having a bargain or getting what I paid for? I wasn't particularly confident, so decided to fit and leave dressed in the factory lube.  

 

Meantime, I've cut the Izumi down to length, so I can just join and adjust when opportunity presents.  I'd be alternating between Ursula and Denise for the coming weeks, depending on whether it was icy, or milder and mucky. Ursula’s KMC began kicking up, which initially had me believing the issue lay with the rear mech’s cable tension, but closer (roadside) inspection revealed splaying of two links, so having completed the ride more gingerly than typical, I switched to a fresh Z10. Presented ideal opportunity to clean out sludgy black stuff from the rear mech, rings and cassette. This was followed by a sudsy bucket deep clean- rid any road salt and similar caustic grot while opportunity presented. 

 

Talking of mucky, Steve was impressed by Portland Design Works Fender Bot PDW Fenderbot Tail Light | cycling-not-racing. As the name suggests, it's a AAA battery powered light affixing to the rear fender (mudguard). Its highly weatherproof, very bright, solidly made and not something an opportunist thief is going to half inch.    

 

Continuing the wintry theme, Robb from Lomo has sent me a pair of their winter gloves. These are a wind and waterproof softshell design with tech friendly rubberised fingers for grip and connectivity with phones and other touch screen devices. There’s a generous Terry thumb wipe, retro-reflective panelling and flat padded palms- no ulnar defending lumps, which can induce precisely the nagging tingling they’re intended to eliminate.    

 

These are a road design and subtle enough for other activities but there’s also a winter mountain bike counterpart. Lomo say these aren’t intended for winter’s most bitter outings. I’ve been out when it’s been close to zero and there was a little nagging chill around the fingertips but this evaporated when the wintry sun brought the mercury to 2 degrees or so.  

 

He's also sent me a pair of Lomo Zephyr panniers that look as if they could give the impressive Oxford Aqua 20 litre a good run for our hard-earned. Reckoned good for everything from soggy commutes to long haul, they’re made from 500denier PVC tarpaulin with RF welded seams and roll top closures. A twin pocket design ensures you can keep things easily segregated. It attaches to racks between 10 and 17mm courtesy of the Rixen Kaul type sprung clips and stabiliser leg. There’s also a webbed strap for easy carrying sans bike.  Right, I’ll close here with my review of the Castelli Espresso Air Jacket Castelli Espresso Air Jacket | cycling-not-racing