Shakedowns & Subtle Tweaks

 

 Built, checked and tweaked, it was time to take “Muffin” the Mulo for a quick 15mile shakedown ride. I’d erred on the side of less chain tension with a view to dialling it in, rather than too tight.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my switch to 40mm tyres, the ride quality was much smoother, though it wasn’t difficult to coax “Muffin” up to speed and keep on the boil- 41cm chainstays certainly help. The front end also feels more responsive, without being twitchy, and the frame’s lateral stiffness is also an improvement over the otherwise very loveable V2.

Predictably, I needed to tweak the Aheadset bearing tension and found myself switching the TRP Spyre for its loftier SLC stablemate, having given the calliper a good clean and replaced the pads. Three rides in and I detected the ring bolts needed snugging down slightly. A small, insignificant job…

However, my Park pattern tool that holds the collar still while you tighten the 5mm/T30 Torx bolt wasn’t arresting the collar properly. This prompted purchase of a T handle design from a well-known London bike dealership that I frequented regularly when living in the capital.

Given it was a bank holiday weekend, I had to wait a day or two, which presented an ideal opportunity to hop aboard Ursula and get some miles in on the Continental Cross Kings. Having enjoyed a frolic through the forests, I found myself being chased by an incredibly determined goose. Mercifully, I was able to outpace-either that, or the goose recognised I wasn’t a threat.

550 miles racked up with The CST Patrol, I’m generally impressed by their capabilities as wallet-friendly all-rounders, although I’ve noted the Continental Cross King Black Chili require less effort to coax up to speed in comparable contexts/conditions. Puncture resistance, specifically vulnerability to hedge clippings and similar sharps was an issue I’d had with earlier incarnations of the Cross Kings, so it will be interesting to see how influential the Black Chili compound is. While testing the CST Patrol’s prowess, I happened upon a completely deserted stretch of unmade and sometimes quite technical gravel road.

I’d had a quick exploratory hoss along the bridleway on previous occasions but was deterred of further exploration due to farm traffic and general agricultural activity. The Patrol coped handsomely, offering excellent traction, control and indeed cushioning over the lumpy, bumpy and sometimes pot holed route, which ran for a mile or two.    

I’d also switched from the Motorex Wax Lube to Peaty’s Link Lube All Weather courtesy of Dynamic Bio Drivetrain Detox. The Link Lube All Weather is best thought of as a bridge lube for those conditions where you want something more substantial than a wax, or dry formula but with a friskier shifting and feel than traditional middleweights.

Wax chain lubes may be less stoical than other types, but in my experience, they can congeal quite stubbornly, particularly on rings and cassettes. While the Dynamic was visually engaging and crucially stripped the rings and cassette clean with nominal effort, it was slower acting than some degreaser stocks I’ve evaluated over the years.

Water must be applied to the hosts beforehand and The Drivetrain Bio Drivetrain Detox left to marinate for two to three minutes, so one of those formulas seemingly best suited to holistic bike cleans, rather than situations where the bike’s fundamentally clean, but you just want to change lube.  It’s also reckoned sufficiently potent to strip waterproof greases, so we’ll see. 

Back to “Muffin” Chain ring tool in hand, I whipped out the Park Tool Wrench, dialled it up to 10nm, introduced the crank bolt tool-Huzzah! Another little job done. Talking of torque Wrenches, here’s my mini budget model group test Three Budget Torque Wrench Test | cycling-not-racing

 

 

  

Money For Old Rope?

 

It has been suggested by some that gravel is little more than repackaged 90s cross country mountain biking. As a means of starting debate, it’s a good opening line. I disagree. Any sweeping statement is by definition inaccurate. As with any other genre of riding, gravel will mean different things to different people. 

I removed the Topeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag Topeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and gave the DX rack a clean. Some grittiness had made inroads into the centre channel’s powder coated finish and there was some fastener taint. Both easily remedied with a drop of chain lube and some Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Lastly, I switched the Ergon All Road and Ritchey saddles around. Both have proven good choices for me, but I was keen to see how well the Ergon performed with Denise along rougher roads and trails. 

I would argue gravel is an evolution of cyclo cross, which started with models such as Specialized’s Tri Cross. Cyclo cross bikes with daily driver friendly features such as mudguard and carrier mounts, several bottle bosses and wider gearing. Running in parallel, we had the adventure bike, which were tour friendly cyclo cross bikes with longer wheelbases, bigger clearances and tour-friendly geometry, disc brakes, braze ons and a hint of MTB DNA. 

  

For me, gravel is the lovechild of adventure tourer and thoroughbred cyclo cross bike with some XC mountain bike DNA for good measure. Some more, some less. Some competition models are closer to pared to the essential's cross builds with bigger clearances and hydraulic stoppers. Though very capable, they’re a little too prescriptive for my riding needs/tastes. I’m also very fond of the suspension tech evolution-seat posts and stems, specifically but feel that a fully blown suspension for is, for me, pushing things too close to full blown mountain biking.   

 

In its purist sense, the internet is a fantastic resource (allowing of course, for the mine of mis and disinformation). It allows us to experience and share skills and information at lighting pace and in our own time. Since my early teens., I have always been fascinated by manufacturing processes.  

 

Frame building and enamelling/paint being the most obvious. Yes, these were the starting points- I’d needed a frame built/repaired and/or refinished by a skilled and sympathetic workshop, but it extended to other areas- an interest in building my own touring trailers along the lines of Bob Yak. During these years, aside from some welding and unrelated professional courses, much of my formal learning was academic. 

  

I have always held a desire to learn wet spray refinishing along with powder coating, if only for my own projects and amusements. Having finished listening to You Tube stories while drafting copy, You Tube waved some interesting channels and gravel cycling in particular. Paul Brodie’s  Painting my GRAVEL BIKE // Paul Brodie's Shop (youtube.com) 

 

channel where he discusses his latest gravel build and disc mount, before showing the start to finish wet spray. He’d gone for an orange and spatter effect. I was sat there transfixed as the grey primer tubes came to life in a bold orange. 

  

I’d seen this before obviously, and it’s never lost its magic. As with so many things, a skilled person makes it look effortless. I watched Mario Vaz in his paint shop and marvelled as the paint magically stopped at certain points.  

 

During our conversation, he reflected and said one of the things he really enjoyed about paintwork and stoving enamels in particular, was that every colour is different to work with. Aside from the obvious satisfaction in being able to undertake the work to a high standard, there’s the other long-standing narrative about me not wanting to be reliant on or beholden to anyone else. At least no more than is strictly necessary. 

 

I’d been contemplating the fixed gear winter/trainer’s gearing and chain tension. The Pirelli Angel DT’s flat was another tiny sharp that had grazed the tube, hence the slow pressure loss. An easy fix, but given the bike is now more road-biased, I went for a 28mm Schwalbe One 365, which gives a gear ratio of 70.7 inches, greater clearance and a more responsive ride. 

Changing chain tugs, for some nicely made, long-serving Genetic and opting for a previously cut, but unused KMC S1 proved the cure. It also presented an opportunity to check the rear Halo sprocket's health. Fixed drivetrains are simple but take a lot of stress-especially if you, like me, don’t run a rear brake. Replace chains regularly and get the tension right to prevent reduced efficiency and accelerated drivetrain wear. Talking of drivetrains, I'll end here with Steve's review of Blub Bio Degreaser Blub Bio Degreaser | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

Bring on the gloop

  

While Mick Madgett was working his wizardry on the Ryde Andura/XT hoop, I discovered I’d added to much tension to the fixed gear winter trainer’s chain. Since the sun had its hat on, I headed out for a couple of sunny rides on the Holdsworth. Afterall, that’s what it's for. 

The Schwalbe One 365 gives a very quick, supple ride quality, in contrast to the Freedom Thick Slick’s coarser but ultimately durable casing- which stays on the rear for precisely this reason. I like the slightly odd couple pairing, so they stay. The Blub Wax lube is also staying, just to see how well it behaves in drier contexts. Like most waxes, it's self-cleansing, so but anecdotally, there’s less friction. However, in common with its ceramic stablemate, if the bike’s not been ridden for two days, you’ll need to replenish.  

Not so the Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Lube. Three hundred miles hence, I’m still on the first application and it’s proving extremely clean, even in the wet. The links looked a little parched but touching them confirmed a tangible, filmy layer remains.  This suggests their claims of 400 miles per application is more than salesmanship.  I’m told it’s a synthetic blend made in partnership with SCC Tech. One that binds to the chain, while the detergents cleanse the dirt as you ride.  

Back to the fixed Gear winter trainer, I’m starting to discover some vulnerabilities in the Pirelli Angel DT Urban Tyre Pirelli Angel DT Urban Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) puncture repelling belt- the third flat (thankfully a slow puncture) at the rear. This struck following six miles of gritty backroad- a flint had worked inside the rear tyre’s shoulder (the puncture repelling strip only covers the centre strip).  

Saddleback sent me these 700x40c WTB Nano. They’ve been around a few years and found a lot of favour among gravel audiences and seem to follow a similar mtb tread in gravel sizing narrative.  

On paper at least, they should be an interesting and very relevant comparator. Of course, with the return of said wheel (which took Mick ten minutes to tame) came the tyre conundrum...Being as I already had the tyre off, it I thought it rude not to slip the WTB in situ. Effortless just using my thumbs.  

Much as the Maxxis, I introduced 50psi, fitted the wheel and then decided I’d switch the misbehaving CX50 in favour of the Suntour SE. The latter fight back a bit (though less than I was expecting) and they’ll need some fine tuning.  

For the uninitiated, these are a late 80s design which employ an internal mechanism that moves when the pads strike the rim, applying more braking force. For these reasons, these should not be run up front (unless massive “stoppies” and being launched over the bars, cartoon style is your thing.)   I’ve had a few tentative outings in monsoon conditions and can confirm they’ve enough power to lock the rear wheel, deployed in anger. 

For the time being, they’re behaving well enough, so I’ll quit while ahead and leave them be. I’d bought another pair, NOS for £10. I wouldn’t pay retro prices for them but couldn’t resist, given their performance. Staying with brakes, I had to tweak the front barrel adjuster and couldn’t find a suitable 8mm open wrench. Ironically, this pressed steel “giveaway” spanner saved the day.  

During this phase, I also switched the saddle. 300 miles hence, the five-year old Pro  Turnix Gel Saddle was proving less supportive to my sit bones than I’d expected. I’ve opted for the Ritchey WCS Cabrillo, which at 260mm long and 146mm. Shorter and a little broader.  

Formative impressions are positive, so I’ll er, sit tight and probably switch for the Ergon SR All Road for comparative purposes.  100 miles hence, I’m warming to both the Maxxis and WTB, which at this point are proving remarkably similar. A little slower across tarmac but compliant, predictable and very swift through mud, dirt and loose stuff. They’re also proving reassuringly good at shifting gloop, thus not becoming slicks at the first hint of a boggy section.