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

Lube it, Scrub It, Hold It, True Them

 

Though I generally treat fixed and single speed chains to middleweight wet formulas, I decided Muffin’s Izumi to the Weldtite Wax and was pleasantly surprised by how frisky the transmission felt, while remaining serenely quiet. For context, I was averaging 18.1mph in contexts where otherwise I average 17.1mph.

Without lab testing facilities, much of this is easily attributable to psychosomatic, dare I say novelty influence, so many more miles in different conditions are needed before passing tangible comment. Weldtite say by using the double helping technique I should exceed the 300km mark from a single application, but by how much. What influence, if any do damp, autumnal conditions have upon this and indeed, the lube’s other properties.

Plan is to run it through September and early October, then, chances are I’ll switch to the All-Weather Lube.

Staying with chains, I am always interested in new brushes and similar tech that makes cleaning that bit easier. In my experience, one of the biggest problems is keeping the bristles clean and effective long term.

Too much solvent tends to soften them. Wet lubes and contaminant can also be difficult to shift. This seems the case, regardless of price. I’ve found the most effective technique is to soak them in degreaser, work this into a lather and flush them through-twice. First with very warm, then cool water.

Finally dry (and remove any residual grot with clean rag) The long bristle plots, designed for cassettes and rings are the most vulnerable to this kind of contamination. Will be interesting to see how the Oxford compares with These Finish Line Finish Line Grunge Brush Solo | cycling-not-racing and Muc-Off Muc-Off Bicycle Chain Brush | cycling-not-racing     

 

As the miles rack up, I’m becoming increasingly endeared to the M Part Primo Handlebar Tape.

The texture is grippy but with none of the stickiness associated with some. I’m pleasantly indifferent to the tacky tapes and have grown to love some over time. The Ciclovation Grind Touch CICLOVATION GRIND TOUCH BAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing being one example. ENVE  Enve Handlebar Tape | cycling-not-racing is also grippy, though stops short of feeling tacky. Its also very hard wearing and easy to clean.

One thing led to another, and I found myself upgrading Denise's quill stem adaptor from the auction site special to this Profile Design, which is perhaps unsurprisingly, made to an infinitely higher standard, with greater scope for adjustment and clearly marked minimum insert line. I also treated the expander wedge and internal length with some of the Zefal Pro II Grease, which will hopefully keep corrosion and seizure at bay.  These minor tweaks have resolved the minor reach issues.  

While giving the bike a while I'm here once-over, I also noted the front wheel dancing a curious samba. I was somewhat astonished- must’ve caught a rut along a section of newly discovered byway. I switched to the Halo Evaura/SL9 HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD pairing with the Maxxis Ravager Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres | cycling-not-racing, while I left the Ryde Sputnik/Ultegra dynohub and Mavic Open Pro/Halo Fix-G HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting with Mick Madgett. An opportunity to explore rougher stuff aboard Ursula and I’d been toying with switching the front Mud Hugger Evo Mudhugger Evo Front Mudguard | cycling-not-racing for something lighter and more minimalist to see just how much difference a smaller guard makes.

Mudguards (fenders) have been slowly creeping into the gravel market. I remain seriously impressed by the Mudhugger Gravel Hugger MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racingbut other, arguably more traditional looking models have been creeping into the market. Some look to be models aimed at folks wanting their gravel bikes to serve as winter road bikes.

Provided your frame has eyelets and you were happy to run just a rear guard, cutting down a voluptuous mountain bike model, just before the bridge is a cheap but effective and done properly, presentable “for pennies” solution. One I’ve toyed with a few times. Old SKS are in some respects idea candidates- broad, really solid chrome plastics and stays, although unless you could pick some up very cheaply, I'd be inclined to repurpose a scrap pair for this kind of duty. 

As September progresses, I’ve been exploring more of the unmade roads and bridle paths, exploiting Ursula's true off-road pedigree into the bargain. Since her restoration last August, with the notable exception of winter spikes during the season's worst, I've kept her as a drop bar mountain bike shod with sturdy cross-country rubber. Despite some limitations, I'm quite fond of the Continental Cross Kings Continental Cross King Protection Black | cycling-not-racing, but more so the CST Patrol, which represent excellent bang for very modest buck.

In common with the Cross Kings, there are some limitations, especially in bogy mud but for hardpack and less challenging stuff, they're surprisingly swift and grippy.  2.25 sections are still practical propositions for older, cross country mountain bike framesets, while offering a decent amount of compliance and even at 50-55psi, ride quality isn't unduly harsh. There's still a decent amount of choice when it comes to 26-inch but few new models are coming through in this size.