Hollow Thoughts

 250 miles in, I’m arriving at the conclusion my shim experiment wasn’t the success I’d initially thought. However, I’m glad I went this experimental route. It didn’t cost me anything, since I already had the components and wanted to see how much difference a Hollowtech system would make to my Univega’s drivetrain.  

My fixed gear winter/trainer ran a Truvativ external cup system for a while and I’ve tested machines with external cup groupsets. There’s a big difference between living with a system for a few hundred miles and a machine that you ride year-round and have exceeded 100,000 on. 

Anyhow, I’ve decided to stick with Hollowtech and acquired a Deore unit, which aside from being the right fit, and will save some weight. Afterall, Zee is designed for downhill duties, so overbuilt for a mixed terrain, rough stuff tourer cum daily driver. 

 

Replacement crankset in question comes with 32 tooth, 96BCD ring, which gives rise to reviewing gearing. Might need to switch the cassette to something more closely spaced to compensate and avoid warp speed spin-out on the road/unevenly wearing certain sprockets.    

For the time being, I’m getting the miles in on the fixed, which is no hardship, especially since I dialed in the chain line. The Acros Silicone Wrap Handlebar Tape LONG-TERM TEST: ACROS SILICONE BAR WRAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)    

Is still going very strong but looking a little grubby, so the arrival of this T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape, sent to me by Greyville Enterprises Greyville.com - T-ONE Mr Fantastic Handlebar Tape: Orange is also 100% silicone and promises to be extremely durable. 

For example, UV resistance is reckoned between –40 and +260 degrees. Uncut, it carries a 24g weight penalty over the Acros and over double that of Genetic Flare Silicone Bar Wrap GENETIC FLARE SILICONE BAR TAPE (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Being a naturally grippy fabric, silicone tapes require no adhesive backing, so bar swaps, cable changes etc don’t spell the tape’s end and make the other tasks that little bit quicker/easier. Talking of which, it’s quite relaxing to fit, requiring nominal pressure-closer to the Genetic Flare, in this respect.    

Oh, and lighter colours, such as fluros keep their looks longer since you can pop it on the washing machine at 30 degrees. Talking of which, it will be interesting to see whether the smooth texture means it stays cleaner/is easier to clean, compared with the Acros’s embossed finish.  

Formative impressions are favourable- the aesthetic is less chunky than the Acros but still does a capable job of damping low level vibration. I’d also toyed with porting the K-Lite Bike Packer Ultra over to the Genetic Neuron Accessory Bar GENETIC NEURON ACCESSORY BAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) but ultimately thought better of it. 

More pressing was a sudden loss of braking-pads again. Thankfully, I had replacements in stock but it’s amazing how quickly these get consumed in bad weather. This also presented an opportune moment to switch from the Schwalbe Winter Plus to this Continental Contact plus TESTED: CONTINENTAL CONTACT PLUS TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Back to the drivetrains...Well, I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the Muc-Off e-Bike Wet Weather Ceramic Chain lube MUC-OFF E-BIKE WET WEATHER CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Weldtite Ceramic Chain Lube is also making a generally positive impression. In terms of consistency and friction, it’s quite close in characteristics and staying prowess to Juice Lubes Ceramic Chain Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

I’ve noticed a tendency for it to migrate away from the rollers in very wet conditions, although residual stuff seems to get reclaimed from the cassette. In fairness, The Juice and Weldtite Ceramics are designed for fair, rather than foul weather but it’s interesting to see how they behave in wetter conditions.  

Given the forecast these coming weeks, I may be reaching for the Muc-Off –50 MUC-OFF -50C CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  again. For the time being, I’m enjoying the lower friction, which is particularly apparent, riding fixed. Steve’s also been impressed by this Rohloff blend ROHLOFF SPECIAL BIKE CHAIN LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Meandering through the monsoon: Helmet cams, Secret compounds & portable detonators…

Rain has remained a consistent metaphor for my somewhat downbeat mood these past few weeks but maybe it’s just a question of skies being darkest before dawn. A publisher popped up from behind the proverbial parapet keen for the book project to take off, subject to contact. Heartening though this is, congratulatory backslapping does not a book write. Sat under the shade of Uncle Benny’s Veranda, guzzling diesel strength coffee, we happened upon a light bulb cash-flow solving moment. I have a long held fascination for pattern parts, specifically electronics and am seriously looking into importing some for commercial purposes…speaking of electricals, I’ve been mightily impressed by the original Go-Pro Hero HD helmet cam.

Arguably superseded by its MKII sibling, build and image quality remain top notch, especially in 1280x960 mode thanks to a wide-angle f2.8 lens. Documentary filmmaking prowess aside, its had a very positive effect upon driver etiquette. All but the most ignorant/unlicensed/uninsured (and therefore untouchable) overtook and approached with greater courtesy. That said, it’s widely acknowledged that in tense inner city neighbourhoods, violent conflict can be sparked simply by a motor/cyclist making greater progress through stationary traffic, let alone potentially criminal driver behaviours being recorded. Generally user-friendly, it requires several trial runs for intuitive function and consequently, I lost some potentially hilarious footage on those initial outings. Similarly, it’s a little hefty worn atop a lightweight road lid longer than ninety minutes, so I’m eager to get hold of the recently launched handlebar mount.

Our celebrity culture isn’t a new phenomenon, people see a camera and either call the authorities, or loose all inhibitions. Two teenagers approaching me couldn’t have drawn more attention to themselves if they’d sported colossal white beards and red tunics. Even those who wouldn’t so much as manage a grunt couldn’t resist a breezy holler and one chap even indulged in a bit of ad-hoc business promotion (didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d got the weather and therefore, soundproof backing in situ!).

Extensive praying to the god of blowouts brought some lovely goodies. These Panaracer Ribmo arrived for the Univega courtesy of their UK importer (www.zyro.co.uk). Three hundred miles or so through flooded roads has left a very positive impression, although their profiles are closer to 1.6 rather than 1.75 inches as denoted on their sidewalls. This hasn’t negatively affected performance, especially cantering across metalled road but called for tyre levers when persuading their folding versions aboard common or garden cross country mtb rims. In the wake of this latest wave of terrorist paranoia, perhaps this beautifully executed Lezyne micro floor drive pump could be mistaken for a plastics explosives detonator when cadging a lift on the bottle bosses and perhaps best stowed away in the panniers. Subversive humour aside, its mightily efficient to a genuine 120psi, which is sufficient for all bar top-flight tubulars. However, care must be taken to avoid accidentally triggering the bleed valve when disconnecting the hose.

A fresh set of fetching Fibrax gear cables have brought renewed vigour to the tubby tourer’s shifting and I’ve resuscitated its cheap but oh so cheerful blinky whose switch had succumbed to the recent Bollywood monsoon conditions. Dismantled and left to dry at room temperature, I administered a slathering of Vaseline to the internals and repaired a hairline crack where seal and lens meet using Effetto Mariposa Carbo Grip. Essentially, it’s a sophisticated silicone resin assembly spray, designed for the modern, composite age but works a treat on a wealth of other materials/contexts including tri-bars, handlebar grips, bottle/carrier and fender mounts 

Elsewhere, The Teenage Dream was roused from hibernation with a set of these Fibrax Xtreme weather pads and I took this opportunity for a quick tyre swap in favour of those 25mm Freedom thick slicks-pretty much filling clearances to capacity while the pads stopping prowess saw me sit up and take notice. Perfect for winter trainers, I’d like to put their cantilever versions to the test on a laden tourer-just by way of comparison and mountain bikers will be interested to hear they’re also available in a V brake compatible format. Clever self-cleansing channelling uses rainfall to prevent muck/grit accumulating and scouring sidewalls-great news for less vigilant riders but those with swanky composite hoops will need to look elsewhere. Loquacious probing couldn’t reveal anything of their exact composition-apparently it’s a trade secret and native to Wales….