Tyres & Tweaks

 

I’d been contemplating tyres for the fixed gear winter/trainer, ahead of the darker months. Something Schwalbe but not too stodgy was my first thought, especially since 32mm is pretty much tops with guards-I could shoehorn 35mm at the rear with the Mudhugger Gravel Hugger guards MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com).  

 

A chance discussion with Saddleback, WTB’s UK distributor got in touch, inviting me to test WTB’s Exposure. They initially suggested the touriste cum all road typical 36mm but, given the clearances, we went for the 30mm. They’re also marketed as being for gravel bikes serving as tarmac tools, which on paper seems another good audience. 120tpi, dual compound casings bode well for supple ride quality and a decent turn of speed.  

 

Their SG2 puncture repelling tech runs bead to bead, designed to protect against nicks and more serious cuts which also bodes very well for general winter riding. Will be interesting to see how they compare to the 32mm Maxxis Refuse MAXXIS REFUSE TR FOLDING TYRE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), after all, they’re also close comparators weight-wise.  

 

Even though the Halo White Line HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) aren’t duly deep, or wide, I’d been warned the Exposure would put up a fight and I went for a 700x23-28c tube to minimise the likelihood of pinch flats. To my astonishment, I was able to mount them speedily and using only my thumbs, although had the mighty Crank Brothers Speedier Lever ready, in anticipation. 

 

 Will be interesting to see how the Evolution stand up to winter, compared with the 60tpi, 700ish g genre I lean toward from November to March (or thereabouts). Kenda Kwick Journey KS Plus KENDA KWICK JOURNEY TYRES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) have been the most durable of this genre, relatively swift too.  

 

Vittoria Adventure Tech are another surprise. 820g for a 700x38 is hefty (although still lighter than Schwalbe’s iconic Marathon Plus) and the 3mm puncture repelling belt only covers the centre strip. Nonetheless, they can be run at 85psi and feel surprisingly swift despite coarse 33tpi (Threads per inch) casings. CST Xpedium CST Xpedium Tyres | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) remain a firm favourite of mine if you’ve bigger clearances and to a lesser extent, a tighter budget.    

 

Staying with the themes of fixed and stubborn stuff, I’ve concluded the only option for splitting beefy track chains is this Cyclus Chain Rivet Pliers. Cobra had dropped theirs. The Cyclus are a fair bit dearer than the Cobra and though a worthwhile investment, it’s always prudent to watch the pennies. Besides, I’m replacing chains every two thousand miles, not daily.  

 

No sooner had these words been uttered, Saddleback invited me to test this Feedback Sports Chain Tool 3.0, which they say is the last shop grade chain tool I’ll ever need. Delighted to put these claims to the test. It does look and feel extremely well-engineered. Designed to chomp chains from 1 to 13 speeds. Bodies and pins eventually fail, in my experience, so I was pleased to see Feedback Sports offer inexpensive replacements.  

 

While dry and bright weather is a stable feature, I’ve been getting out on the Holdsworth, resulting in some minor tweaking of the saddle height and alignment of the down tube bottle cage, which was offending my sensibilities.  

 

Boiled down to a few millimetres in both cases and easily sorted with a 5 and 4mm Allen key. If only everything in life were that easily rectified... Well, good thing it’s not, otherwise we wouldn’t develop the resilience, coping mechanisms, creativity and general ability to overcome challenges and obstacles. 

 

I’d finally managed to organise the boxing and posting of Ursula. I’d a large box but needed to cut it down and essentially, engineer a new one, using copious amounts of duct tape. I was relieved to discover the box would just fit inside Meg, the mighty K11 Micra, rear seat down. Sent it 48 hours, insured to the hilt and the post office clerk was genuine and incredibly helpful.   

 

Closer inspection revealed more peeling paint around the bottom bracket shell and chainstay bridge. Now, my love and religious application of Waxoyl is widely known and there was plenty sloshing around the old girl’s inner sanctum. However, watching Paul Brodie’s channel Romax Rescue // Paul Brodie's Shop (youtube.com) 

 

I began wondering whether water had snuck in through the chainstay bridge, resulting in some undetected corrosion. Then again, as a club elder said to me as a thirteen-year-old we can convince ourselves of anything. I’ll leave that to Winston Vaz to assess. Main thing, the old girl’s makeover is underway.  

Levelling Out

I’ve been trying (and largely succeeding) to avoid the increasingly maddening crowds who have increasingly flooded the roads since a relaxed lockdown was engaged here in the UK. The swing to much warmer weather has certainly encouraged this. Several coastal towns have found themselves inundated with visitors who clearly felt, that social distancing is no longer relevant.  

Thankfully, I’ve been getting the miles in, while most folks were fast asleep in bed. 1150 miles in and the Cycles Berthoud Leather Saddle is much closer to my ideal but there’s a very discernable difference when I hop back on my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Swift pattern.   

The eagle-eyed of you will also notice I’ve lost the mighty SQR Tour and gone back to this Dill Pickle Store Custom wedge pack. Opportunity presented and it saves a whole heap of grams, but I do love the SQR Tour and will doubtless revert, in due course. The Dill Pickle will swallow two tubes, assorted tyre levers, Passport CDW20 multi-tool https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/passport-cdw-multitool and other essentials.  

There’s ample room in the external mesh pockets for any overspill. Staying with multi-tools a moment, these can feel a little generic sometimes but every so often someone comes along with something a bit different. I was sent this 20 function Merida recently. 20 functions conjure up pocket workshops. No bad thing, especially if you’re looking for something that will cover most bases.  

However, they can feel overburdened, dare I say generic. The Merida is very different. Yes, there are the usual collection of Allen and Torx keys, pad spreader, Philips driver and tyre lever. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a valve adaptor.  

Arguably not something you’d use too frequently but a godsend, should you need to inflate a Presta valve, from a garage airline. Measuring 7.4x5.2cm, its compact but also refreshingly nimble in confined spaces- bottle cage hardware on smaller semi/compact geometry framesets being prime examples.              

Not surprised to have exceeded 300 miles on a single helping of the Weldtite TF2 Ultra Dry Chain Wax https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-ultra-dry-chain-wax, despite some occasionally damp outings. Reckon I’ll get 400 before it’ll need replenishment. Chain is still in good health, with nominal wear, several weeks and 700 miles in.   

I’m also forming a very firm bond with the Cane Creek Thudbuster STG4 Seatpost, although this should come as little surprise, given I’m a big fan of the design. For the uninitiated, this employs parallel linkages and keeps the post in the direct path of the rear wheel.  

I.e. As a bump shoves the bike’s rear wheel, the post reacts downward and rearward, theoretically absorbing force at the same rate, thus progressive and without saddle movement. No issues with maintaining a swift and efficient cadence. The stock medium elastomer also seems absolutely bang-on for my 70 kilos, although these are very easily swapped, sans tools.

  

Simply press the centre until it pops out, then pop in the firmer or softer counterparts. In my experience, elastomers like a quick lick of rubber-friendly grease-silicone based products, including Muc-Off Silicon Shine https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/muc-off-silicone-shine-polish will also keep them happy. In terms of grease, those designed for elastomer forks are an obvious choice, although Green Oil Eco Grease  https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/green-oil-ecogrease-long-ter-test or Pure Bike Grease https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/pure-bike-grease are good alternatives.  

The pure is also has a very nice (low viscosity) flow rate, meaning it’s easier to apply. Avoid old fashioned petrochemical greases, since these will eat, or otherwise ruin rubberised components. 

The same goes for automotive products, such as Castrol Red Rubber Grease, which was touted in some circles as being a cheaper alternative, rivalling Judy Butter and other bike-specific blends... 

Hmm, it may well have been adequate for a BSA Bantam but caused the Kebab type fork elastomers to swell and distort like an over-cooked, tinned hot dog.