Along Came Alfine

 No sooner had the Alfine idea started becoming the ONLY idea, Madison Cycles graciously sent me a unit for testing, 32 hole and better still, black, which will go handsomely with another Ryde Andra 40 hoop, laced to black spokes. Tipping the scales at 612g (including skewer), Ursula will be the beneficiary and my fixed gear winter trainer will receive the overhauled Shutter Precision PD8 HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) as before.

I’ve also harvested a silver left hand Tektro RL340 to colour coordinate with the RL520 lever, which will of course, command the TRP SPYRE SLC, once I’ve got some quiet time to strip and bolt everything together. Will be the perfect opportunity to overhaul the Stronglight Aheadset too, lashings of Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) this time around, methinks.  

Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)has really won me over for applications demanding minimal friction and despite some initial suspicion, it’s proved remarkably stoical despite high mileage and often dodgy weather. It’s also best suited to bearings with seals, hence my old school cup n’ cone Campagnolo Athena hubs were fed the last of the Park PPL1. White Lightning Crystal High Performance Grease TESTED : WHITE LIGHTNING CRYSTAL GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com) is another good bet, especially for components employing rubber/composite parts- sealed hubs, suspension components to name but two examples. Then, of course, there’s Green Oil Eco Grease  TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com) is another, planet and person-friendly option- I went that route when installing the ti bottom bracket into Ursula’s shell. Then of course there’s lard.

 

No, I’m being facetious. However, 30 years back, I encountered the odd, mechanically inept engineering student sold on this animal-derived product for their bike. On the subject of lubes, here’s my review of the Bike Medicine Purple Extreme Synthetic Chain Lubricant| cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Ursula’s KMC chain is still hanging on in there, still has a couple of weeks, maybe more before the BBB checker registers .75 and said faithful electroplated chain becomes bin fodder.   

The Lelumia The Beast rear Light continues to impress me with its blend of power and relative frugality. Belting out 150 lumens in the highest setting, 65 lumens is as low as it goes. Not ideal for built-up areas, but bang-on for the backroads, and of course, deterring wheel sucking.   

Talking of deterrent, I’ve received some Motorex Grease Spray. This isn’t a bicycle-specific blend and appears to be an old school lithium blend. Now., this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Lithium greases are very tenacious and long-lasting. Good bets for headsets and cup n’ cone hub bearings, metal to metal contact points e.g., sealed bearing cartridge bearings (provided the metals are of the same family I.e., aluminium alloy to aluminium alloy, titanium to titanium etc).  

Lye soap and oils are a mixture that bonds very well to metals. However, they can result in galvanic corrosion-a chemical reaction between metals of different parentage, when exposed to the elements, or long sessions on the indoor trainer, seizure can strike. In common with PTFE based blends, they aren’t kind to seals, or other composites either.  Being a sprayable formula also means it also makes a handy internal frame preserve. Good for protecting frame ends, lubing quick-release skewers and of course, those oft-forgotten cleats.  

It’s no secret that I have a “thing” for practical fixed gear builds- sensible clearances, mudguard mounts etc. Machines that follow the short-lived “Road path” narrative, not forgetting what are essentially traditional cyclo cross bikes with mudguard mounts, cantilever bosses etc.

No surprise to discover my excitement at discovering The Brothers Cycle AlldayThe Allday | Brother Cycles while having a wander round the web.  Even closer to the traditional cyclo crosser with track ends narrative in my book. I really like the gold and black spatter fade too. Not my usual colour scheme perhaps and evocative of the champagne and brown effect a friend had on his Raleigh Maverick, back in 1986.  

Carbon, D cups & Similar Fetishes

A wonderful Christmas spent with friends and family was rudely interrupted by Beelzebub; a particularly spiteful cold virus that killed my appetite, induced fever, headache and the sort of hacking cough/mucus production that would impress chain smoking shipyard weldors.  

Stoicism is one of the few stereotypically British traits in my possession, hence I ploughed ahead with January’s workload while finding time to strip and re-grease the Ilpompino’s FSA Orbit Aheadset. These are nice examples of the cheap but cheerful breed boasting simple, yet effective O ring seal and caged ball bearings, explaining their popularity as OEM equipe’ on mid range mountain bikes of similar vintage.

Quiet contemplation often invites wholesale upgrades between holiday season and January’s pedestrian unveiling, so chances are, it comes as little surprise to learn that I've been obsessively measuring steerer tubes and cutting these ITM Visa down to size. Well and truly gripped by cold and carbon demons, I wanted to avoid headset replacement having established said components were in remarkably rude health.

Generous bastings of this lithium derived Motorex grease greatly improved souplesse so we needed a compatible crown race and bearings, allowing effortless swaps between composite and Cro-moly should need arise. White brews have received very bad press in recent years resultant from their links with galvanic corrosion (chemical reaction leading metals of different parentage to seize solid.

Fluted alloy posts and steel framesets being notorious examples of this process). However, these are static, bearings are perpetually turning. Surfing unearthed Dia Compe’s suggestively monikered D cup. Essentially it’s a CNC machined lower ensemble with simple caged ball bearings, supposedly interchangeable with a wealth of other marques…

Vital statistics were dead ringers for the elderly FSA’s so I wasted no time in ordering one. Next day delivery saw a friendly local mechanic install crown race and star fangled nut, although an interference free, buttery smooth fairytale ending necessitated pruning the Visa’s alloy steerer by eight millimetres. Non-existent weather seals are easily overcome with some decent marine grease and scrap inner tube engineering.

Cut a two-inch strip of redundant butyl and draw this past the bottom cup. Lubricate bearing/surfaces generously before re-coupling the front end and adjusting textbook stylee. Ensure makeshift seal is carefully positioned so as to prevent road/trail spray being funnelled inside and so long as jet washing is avoided things should remain happy for considerably longer. 

Next in line were Joshua’s slightly arthritic steerer bearings, which hadn’t seen a mechanic since Noah was hastily constructing his ark. An hour, lashings of lube, some agricultural utterances and a brand spanking new Jagwire cableset later, everything looks and behaves in great proportion.

New Year stocktaking saw patch kits and CO2 cartridges replenished, crammed inside a 750ml tool tub along with pocket workshop and resin tyre levers. Essentially trade bottles with broader mouths and screw top lids, these also make superb battery caddies for home brewed high power lighting systems but I’d recommend lining with thin pile foam in both contexts to prevent irksome jingling over inclement surfaces.

Right then, another batch of lovely blinkies has arrived on my doorstep, so I’m off to put them through their paces and some serious miles on the newly reconfigured fixer. Here’s to a productive and puncture free 2013.