Chilly Charms & Sudden Thaws

 

Conditions became wintrier as January unfolded and I was relieved I'd left the Schwalbe Marathon Winter mounted to Denise's wheels meaning I could just hop on, relax and enjoy the ride, despite the icy stretches. I decided to switch the Selle Royal Respiro for the WTB Rocket WTB Rocket Saddle | cycling-not-racing . The Respiro served me well for the best part of 13 years and I wondered whether the foam matrix was beginning to lose its memory around the rear.  It also heralded the return of these “lobster” gloves, since wind chill had brought the air temperatures considerably lower than minus 6.

Warmth is a definite plus but there’s trade off on the dexterity front, which can dictate their removal when bag rummaging, multi tool wielding and other tasks requiring fine motor skills. These link two fingers together, so allows me sufficient freedom to operate a compact camera, adjust a zipper etc. Better than the mitten type, but still comparatively limited.  For this reason, I also pack a set of liners, or middleweight gravel types, should I need to tackle a flat, or similar.

Considerations aside, they are blissful for otherwise bitterly cold midwinter outings. Blessed with a generous thatch, I tend to default to a water repelling, breathable cap such as this Showers Pass Elite SHOWERS PASS ELITE CYCLING CAP | cycling-not-racing. However, when il fait froid, I reach for another old favourite, the “Belgian” style cycling cap, which has served me well for around twelve winters.

These are characterised by better coverage and protection to the ears and a slightly thicker, sometimes fleecy inner fabric. I reach for mine once the air temperature hovers around zero, or the wind chill drags it into minus figures. Higher and I find the breed a little too toasty for my tastes.  The Sidi Algor Sidi Algor MTB Shoes | cycling-not-racing have proven themselves extremely temperate when the mercury’s dipped to minus 6. Not that I’ve had any issues with Shimano’s mighty MW702 Shimano MW7 (MW702) Gore Tex MTB Shoes | cycling-not-racing in similar contexts, but the Algor are slightly toastier.

The Zefal Shield G50 guards continue to impress with their capacity for keeping crappy stuff off myself and Denise.  Aside from a weekly, judicious check of the Velcro, I've not needed to give them a second thought. I've also been pleased by Ursula's new front mudguard.

Though less elegant than the Mudhugger MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing and similar designs, its simple and offers good coverage to rider and machine without risk of clogging. How it will fare longer term, when the glop, UV light, heat and cold have done their worst, remains to be seen.

Mudguards, though a valuable defence are no substitute for regular cleaning. When the gritters have been out, give bikes regular washes, starting with a cold rinse to flush away the corrosive contaminant (hot will only accelerate the caustic process) before going for the warm sudsy bucket and brushes.  

There’s a lot of discussion around bike washes- in the Marmite sense. Some really like them, other folks loathe them, citing them as money for old rope. I sit somewhere in the middle. Salty season aside, I like those which can applied direct to the bike i.e. without having to get the bike wet first- scrub and rinse.

Otherwise, I default to good quality car wash n’ wax type formulas, which will gobble the grime, while leaving a light wax barrier behind. Obviously, this can’t compare with a decent quality hard paste, or fluid formula, but does offer some defence. Great for when time and daylight are at a premium.  

In a matter of days, ice and snow gave way to flooding, so it made sense to switch to Ursula for a bit, and I was also curious to see how well the new front mudguard performed when it came to waterlogged lanes. Suitably impressed, it made a huge difference to my comfort, although they’re arguably perfect for 1.9 section rubber. Glad I’d donned the Shimano MW702.

Managed to get the Blackburn Atom4 to play nicely with minimal effort. A shot of PTFE free spray on the sensors contacts and decent quality CR2025 cells seem to address the intermittent connectivity issues. The smaller frameset places the head unit and sensor in closer proximity, which probably helps.   

Horses For Courses

 

April is renowned for showery, changeable weather and the past couple of weeks have been no exception. I’m sticking with wet lubes, since they’ll stay put in these contexts. That said, it’s crucial to give the side plates, derailleur jockey wheels, and cages a weekly wipe, ideally with a rag dipped in solvent.  

The Zefal Extra Wet Nano Ceramic ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Motovede PTFE Chain Lube Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are particularly stoical, although the latter requires 12 hours to cure properly.  

Shimano has recently announced a switch to cartridge bearings. This gave me cause to contemplate Ursula’s XT, which is still using the original balls. Now, bearing types are, unfortunately, not cross-compatible. I.e., a hub designed for balls cannot use cartridges and vice versa.  

If they were, I’d be going the cartridge route. I’ve bought the best quality (grade 10) balls and will introduce these to coincide with a grease test.  Basic bearings can be as low as 100 grade, which denotes something generic- functional but less accurately machined and more prone to wear, pitting and other corrosion.  

Synthetic greases are my preference, especially when it comes to contact points and threaded components. Bottom brackets, derailleurs, freewheels, bottle cage, mudguard, and carrier mounts. Hubs and headsets with seals, too. Same goes for anything with metals of different parentage.  

Fluted aluminium alloy seat posts and Quill stems/adaptors in steel frames were notorious for galvanic seizure. Sure, ahead stems have long been the dominant system. However, there are plenty of people wanting to retain a beloved classic's originality and the odd new retro build with a threaded setup.  

Similarly, the humble quill to Ahead converter enables older bikes to run contemporary bars and stems- without forgoing the original fork. MTB to gravel or touring lorry conversions being obvious candidates.  

Mudguards, no matter how solid eventually warp and fail, 4 years and close to 40,000 miles later, the Blumels Shiny are beginning to show some obvious signs of wear. The rubberised components that dampen vibration have perished and earlier this week, my sensibilities were offended by a low-level rattling.  

I pulled over and found a rivet securing guard and stays had failed. I was only a few miles from home, so rode back and decided the best route would be to clean and dry the affected area, then bond them together with superglue, clamping them in situ to cure. Glues may set within 10 minutes, at least in ideal conditions but I like to leave things overnight, longer if possible.  

Ultimately, the repair didn’t take. Replacing the rivet was another option but I decided this would be unnecessarily invasive, so went for a beefy zip tie instead. This also failed, revealing further deterioration, so after some deliberation, I decided to retire both and contemplate the way forward. I will obviously fit good quality guards (fenders) of some genre, they may not be traditional chrome plastics... 

I also discovered the Sigma BC 9.16 ATS Computer SIGMA BC9.16 ATS WIRELESS CYCLE COMPUTER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) sensor battery had died, sop time to replace that. I should point out this is not the original, rather a third-party unit, so three months, or so’s daily service for a “pound shop” special isn’t bad going.  Then of course, the fixed’s VDO head unit came out in sympathy, so I replaced that, too.        

By far the most solid full-length mudguards I have ever used are Tortec Reflector. These lasted ten years before fatigue finally claimed the chrome plastics at key areas. Four seasons-snow, ice, bitter cold, hell and frequently high water. Tortec made some equally solid racks, too.  

All this presented the ideal opportunity to get some miles in on the fixed gear winter/trainer, which saw less winter action, courtesy of the persistently icy conditions. Contexts demanding spikes, hence my defaulting to Ursula. Talking of upgrades, I’ve concluded that while the existing KMC are very cheerful, I’m better served by a higher-end model, such as the Z1X (which has returned 3,000 miles in very harsh conditions).  

By the same token, I still have a couple of S1 in stock, and they perform well enough, so I’ll use those before considering said upgrade. Icy crosswinds and bracing headwinds reminded me why I don’t go steeper than 76inches- quick enough for cruising on the flat, doesn’t see me spinning into the next dimension on the descents and I’m not busting my knees on the climbs. 

Talking of favourites, I’ve gone back to the Shimano RX600 Shimano SH RX600 Gravel Cycling Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) shoes and their vastly superior power transfer. Much closer to a traditional road shoe, just with a little more compliance and a very grippy sole. It shouldn’t be inferred that Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are also rans-far from. I remain a big fan.  

Rather, it's horses-for-courses- they’re a better bet for bike packing and more traditional touring/commuting. Contexts where you might want a sole with some extra give. FLR Rexston Active Touring/trail Shoe are another solid choice, if you’re on a tighter budget FLR REXSTON ACTIVE TOURING/TRAIL SHOE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)