Ride, Tweak, Refine & Return to Wax

 

I concluded I’d the cable tension a little too tight, thus wasn’t getting the right amount of travel and ultimately power from Muffin’s TRP SLC calliper. An easy fix, just a matter of slackening the cable very slightly, then snugging down. Sometimes it pays to run a component in and then make a single adjustment-my experience with Magura Hydro stops, which I had fitted to a Kona Lava Dome some 27 years back. Impressive stopping prowess but tempered by stubborn setup.  

Early season generally means middleweight chain lubes, Weldtite All Weather Lube Weldtite All Weather Lube | cycling-not-racing being a particularly good, wallet friendly default in my experience. Sometimes, conditions permit something lighter and cleaner. I’ve had very mixed experiences with wax formulas in changeable conditions, some are more durable than others. Momum MIC Momum MIC Wax Lube | cycling-not-racingand Smoove TEST & REVIEW: SMOOVE UNIVERSAL CHAIN LUBE: SUMMER TEST have a definite edge in these contexts.

That established, I’ve been sent KMC Go. Now, given KMC’s immense experience manufacturing chains, I was very intrigued. Retailing at £ 17.50 for 150ml, its relatively pricey, so I’m expecting something rather good. KMC say it’s “Designed to significantly reduce friction, enhance shifting and providing optimum efficiency”. Look closely and you’ll notice a chain’s side plates decorate the seam.  

It promises to create a durable water repelling, friction reducing microfilm and supposedly more durable than oil-based products. While good practice to deep clean drivetrains before switching to different brands and genres, waxes are very particular, so aim for surgically clean rings, cassettes, derailleur jockey wheels and cages. This also presented the opportunity to scrutinise the Izumi track chain for wear and its Ok, but I’ll be replacing in the coming weeks.

If I’ve been running oil-based middleweights for any period, I may remove the crank, baste the inner ring in degreaser and leave it marinating for a little while, before introducing a suitably clean, stiff brush. There’s a solid argument for removing rings, chain and cassette and leaving them marinating in a parts washer-or indeed an ultrasonic cleaner, should means allow.  

Now, I’m a big fan of the chain cleaner brushes, particularly this Oxford Chain Brush Pro Oxford Chain Brush Pro | cycling-not-racing and Finish Line’s Grunge Brush Solo  Finish Line Grunge Brush Solo | cycling-not-racing . However, while I’ve found some passable bike-specific brushes for purging cassettes, I’ve yet to find one that excels, which has prompted me to go the heavy-duty dish scrubber route. While wandering the supermarket isles, I spotted this one and it looked suitably sturdy and the handle seems suitably ergonomic.

Ask someone about degreasers, or drivetrain cleaners and you’ll get a tsunami of differing opinions, some advocating high end premium formulas, others more industrial citrus blends and another group advocating washing up liquid (dish soap) as the only way forward, claiming that all bike-related products are a big con. Let’s explore this a little…The problem with washing up liquids is (a) they contain salt, which isn’t good for painted, plated, anodised, or lacquered surfaces, seals and rubberised parts. (b) Then of course, these are designed for organic fats, not petrochemicals, so while they might shift mud and similar gloop, they’re not optimal for petrochemical based chain lubes, greases etc.  

Fenwick’s FS1 concentrate is a good default, but I’ve had great results using Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing and for a long time, Green Oil’s Degreaser Gel GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY ruled the roost in my workshop. I used to have a litre supply. A workshop friendly 5 litre version is available for £145. I’m pondering my next formula, once this Dynamic Bio Drivetrain Detox is exhausted. For reference, it’s pretty economical-I’ve been using it regularly across the fleet since late spring 2025.   

Elsewhere, I’ve been sent this Lezyne KTV Drive Front. It’s a compact safety light in the classic sense of the word, producing a maximum of 200lumens. The sort that makes a good backup for extended summer playtimes on best bikes, or as backing singer to a higher power dynamo lamp. This one is a very practical black, but red, white and blue are the alternatives.

Talking of practical, it complies with IPX7 for weatherproofing, which is reassuringly good. This means it will withstand immersion in water for up to 30minutes-not that I’d be going bog snorkelling with it but stands more than a sporting chance in the worst most road, or indeed, gravel outings will throw at us. I’ve still some Lezyne lights going strong a decade or so down the line.  In terms of modes and outputs, there are five-two steady (70 and 15 lumens) and three flashing (200lumen day, 30 and 15 lumens). The KTV has been around for a good while, but there have been some rather impressive improvements in run time-a claimed 40 hours for flash 1 and flash 2.

 I’ll leave it here with Paul Brodie’s restoration and modification of a 1988 Rocky Mountain, since I like his channel and find his skill very relaxing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdBWFtQJiZ0&list=WL&index=3&t=81s