Falling Leaves & More Lumens

 

The roads lanes and trails are increasingly carpeted in leaves, horse chestnuts and acorns. I love autumn and always have. The wilder winds continue to bestow us with interesting lights. Gaciron has sent me their Cetus and Loop lights. The 1700 lumen Cetus bears striking resemblance to the Magicshine Evo 1700 Underneath Light Magicshine Evo 1700 Underneath Light | cycling-not-racing tested last year, so it will be interesting to see how the two compare.  

The Gaciron tips the scales at 269g, the Magicshine is smaller and slightly lighter at 216g all told, scotching suggestion of badge engineering. Both offer 1700 lumens, employ “cut off beams”, like those employed on car headlights and are designed to be mounted beneath the bars.

The longer brackets might lack the aesthetic purity of some, but I’ve found them a better fit with bar bags, where compatibility hassle can arise-especially with the capacious bike packing types.

The cut-off beam patterns are becoming increasingly popular and for tarmac duties, I’m forming the opinion they’re a plus point. However, a dual flood and spot system rules the roost when you’re venturing away from asphalt, or indeed down some very lonely, singletrack lanes.  Both have wireless remotes as standard, which is very welcome, the Magicshine HORI employing an integrated rechargeable cell, the Gaciron a disposable CR2032. Both have their pros and cons and playful testing confirms they will not command the other.   

As for the Loop, this is a six-mode rear light capable of producing 100lumens. As is the trend these days, it features a “braking” function, which I’m pleased to report, can be disengaged. IPX6 for weather resistance and a CNC machined aluminium housing bode well for durability.  Aside from post, there’s a saddle rail mount and I’ve found the post mount will also entertain thicker diameters of rack tubing.  The mounting hardware, plastics specifically feel lower ren than some but is nonetheless, sturdy enough in situ.

Talking of durability, after a few weeks and a fair bit of trail action, I’ve given Ursula a thoroughly good deep clean and waxing, stripping any residual, filmy remnants of Weldtite Wax, replacing it with the latest version of their All-Weather Lube. Mysteriously the right bar con shifter decided to go on strike. Nothing a minute slackening of the tension and turning of the rear mech’s barrel adjuster couldn’t correct.

Although not ideal, one of the definite advantages of bar end shifters is the ability to switch to friction, should circumstances dictate. That’s not to say that I don’t like brifters-in the right settings, they’re very pleasant to use. However, their complexity renders them vulnerable in a spill and by definition, stuff wears out faster.  

Not ideal on a rough stuff tourer, drop bar mountain bike and I would also argue, gravel bike. However, all these constructs mean different things to different people.  That sorted and a couple of hundred miles with the All-Weather Lube, I got curious and whipped out the chain checker .6- .7 means Great Bike Shop in The Sky for 10speed chains.

Since opportunity presented, I gave the drivetrain a good exorcism, then fitted a new KMC X10.Shifter blip aside, changes were smooth, right until replacement but beyond a certain point, it’s amazing how much difference a fresh chain makes-confirmed by a sweep of the block on the work stand. Another little job off the list ahead of the potentially wet and unforgiving months ahead. It’s always cheaper to replace a chain than allow a worn one to consume ring(s) jockey wheels and cassette.   A great opportunity to test out the Oxford Chain Scrubber. Formative impressions are favourable. Much comes down to a combination of tenacious bristle plot that grips the grot and an unexpectedly ergonomic handle.

 

I’m still Running Denise’s X10 on the Weldtite Wax Lube, since it’s been drier and I’m interested in seeing how it performs on a geared build in drier, sometimes dusty contexts. Switching to a shorter stem was definitely the right move and the Profile quill stem converter, perhaps unsurprisingly, seems much stiffer than the auction site special, which is another definite plus. I’ve concluded there’s no call to place spacers beneath the stem. Aesthetically, it doesn’t add much and there’s no engineering grounds for doing so, either.        

Progressively cooler temperatures have seen me reaching for long sleeve, super tactile Merino blend jerseys and when the harsh winds blow, a gilet too. ¾ lengths and full finger gloves are my other defaults and generally this ensemble serves me well, at least on early morning outings when the mercury’s slow to rise beyond single digits. Talking of digits and purchase, here’s my review of the M Part Primo Anti Slip Silicone Gel Bar Tape  M Part Primo Anti Slip Silicone Gel Bar | cycling-not-racing

Spring=Tweaks & Trails

 

Sometimes it's not the nice new shiny kit that brings the most joy, nor a personal best, or an epic ride. Sometimes, it's getting a wayward, recalcitrant component to behave. Ideally from the comfort of home-an outpouring of relief usually follows the latter scenario.  

 

Recent little victories include getting Ursula's Microshift bar end shifters to play properly with the old girl's STX and Tiagra mechs, upgrading Denise's Hollowtech II preload to an aluminium alloy 10mm Allen key, meaning I can largely forget about the little plastic tool bit that invariably gets lost behind the workbench, or similarly inaccessible area of your workspace.  

 

Last but not least, there's the wired Remote for the Magicshine Ray2600, which means I can whip the power up and down more readily on the fly-great for exploring the lanes in the dead of night. 

 

After an unexpected cold snap prompting me to default to Ursula and the spikes, things thawed a little and I revisited the idea of Denise and gravel tyres. I’d stuck with the Continental Pure Contact, which have proven themselves incredibly dependable in all contexts, meaning I could just hoss along, confident I’d return from a ride without flatting-particularly welcome when pressed for time. Extra UK have sent me some Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M (700x40c).  

 

These are a tubeless ready mixed terrain gravel tyre designed for mixed conditions, wet, or dry-hence their appeal. The Cinturato Gravel M employ the Speed GRIP compound, which promises mechanical resistance, chemical grip, and similarly important, impressive puncture resistance. This is a nylon belt that runs bead to bead, rather than just the centre strip, so I’m hoping they deliver, not least since hedge cutting season has returned with a vengeance.  

 

They were surprisingly easy to sweep aboard the Ryde rims-read thumbs, no tyre levers, pressure ranges closely mirror those of the WTB Nano WTB Nano TCS Tyre | cycling-not-racing, as does the tread pattern. They’re 14g heavier at 513g, but still a very respectable, dare I say reassuring.   

 

Given a marked shift to milder conditions, I also took it as my cue to switch Ursula back from the Schwalbe Ice Spiker to the Continental Cross Kings. Doing so also revealed a little slop in the Hollowtech II bearings, which may have also contributed to temperamental shifting- out came the Oxford Torque R10, which tackles most jobs nicely, including those with higher torque fasteners-no issues removing the crank pinch bolts. A judicious turn of the M20 preload and these were nipped snug, then fully home with a torque wrench...Time to hit the lanes and trails   

 

Wouldn’t you know it, the front mech was misbehaving again. I released a smidge of tension from the STX’s pinch bolt Ursula’s front mech, then released the Microshift bar end lever’s tension fractionally- bingo up and down without missing a beat. Nothing serious, but these units seem more highly strung than their Centos 4700 counterparts. I also raised the saddle by a few millimetres, which seemed optimal.  Talking of tools here’s Steve’s review of the Oxford Torque Slimline 12 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/oxford-torque-slimline-12-co2-multitool 

  

The milder conditions have allowed ¾ lengths It’s not been sufficiently mild for short sleeve jerseys and arm warmers, but layering is the key to enjoying early season and autumn.  

 

The ability to whip a layer on, or off to counter a sudden change in weather is good at any point- micro jackets will protect against unexpected showers and sudden, chill winds. Lighting is also very necessary since while nights and mornings are getting longer and arriving earlier, it's easy to get caught out. Six months or so hence, I’m suitably impressed by Shimano’s most recent incarnation of their Nexus Dynohub.  Shimano Nexus DH-UR700-3D Dynamo Hub | cycling-not-racing 

  

Though less mucky than midwinter, the early season still calls for regular bike cleaning. Oxford Products have sent me this huge cleaning buckets, which makes cleaning a big fleet (and indeed, other vehicles) a more time-efficient task.  

 

The bucket has a grit grate to stop gritty, muck stuff being redistributed around the bike (or another vehicle), there’s also a wash mitt and microfibre cloth. I’ve already given the KA and Micra a good wash n’ waxing to purge the witches brew of slurry and road salt and the 20-litre bucket makes the job much quicker-no need to run indoors to fill mid-way through.