Critical Thinking & The Sentimental Season

 

Why aren't you at work??? Well, I am at work thank you very much. I work 70hours per week, just a very different schedule to some. Cycling journalism and product testing are not my only professions, but ones I am particularly passionate about. I wrote my first magazine feature for a national cycling title, aged 14, back in 1988- a test of a Muddy Fox Courier Mountain bike.  

I am highly experienced in several riding genres, but don’t profess to be expert, let alone an oracle. Those that genuinely are, carry themselves with a matter-of-fact humility. There is always something new to learn, concepts to understand, even if not necessarily embraced. I am similarly passionate about photography-models, street and industrial, specifically. Models & Portraiture - Stenning Photographic Model & Portraiture Photography Continuous development and lifelong learning are imperative, otherwise stagnation and regression set in. 

Back to 1989 and I bought my first track pump to counter frequent punctures, tyre wear and loss of wheel truth courtesy of under inflated tyres. Workshop pumps are one of those investments that will repay their investment countless times, even the budget models. The track pump in question was an orange Silca, capable of delivering 200psi- not that I’d ever needed that-120psi was pretty much my ceiling and it was best suited to road biased rubber.  

Sure, I’d raise a pancake flat 26x1.95 to 50psi and faster than mini/hand pumps of that era. However, best for high pressure, rather than high volume. Mine came with me to London and was eventually gifted to my favourite bike dealer when I bought an upgraded replacement in the autumn of 1998.  

I wanted to give it a loving home, albeit as a second/workshop spare. Having learned of my fondness, some might say nostalgia, their UK importer sent me this beautiful, contemporary Silca Terra- £139 at full rrp and a thing of beauty, from the hand lathed ash (wood) handle with hose-guide, and 76mm (3 inch) gauge.  

Unlike my original Silca, the barrel and handle are made from aluminium. There’s a reversable Presta/Schrader valve chuck with a bleed button in case you’ve got a bit carried away. Once upon a time, track pump gauges were notorious for having passing affinity with reality, now (particularly with digital gauges) things are within 1psi or so. I’ll be cross referencing that with my standalone digital gauges. Silca claim the Terra’s analogue unit is precise to within.5 psi at the lower end of the 30-120psi range. This covers most bases with contemporary bikes and tyres. I’ve raised a 26x2.3 tyre from zero to 60psi in 64 strokes.

However, some folks needing higher pressure, will need to look elsewhere. Saddleback also sent me this Feedback Sports Reflex Fixed Torque Bit Driver. It’s designed to be brought along for mid ride rescue, not workshop duties, no bad thing-horses for courses- I wouldn’t want to be lugging a workshop torque wrench in my bike luggage. It is based around the standard ¼" driver, meaning bits are easily acquired, or brought along, meaning you’ve got a custom toolkit for the road.    

Stock, we’ve got 4,5, 6mm and Torx T25 bits, 1 steel 5Nm torque extension. The driver body is a hybrid nylon/steel and the whole kit comes with a limited lifetime warrantee. I’m told the torque is accurate to within +/- 4% for up to 3,000 cycles.  

I was surprised that it took this long for Ursula’s rear mech cable to stretch and shifting go decidedly “off”. Just a matter of slackening the cable, pulling through and snugging down, although I always ensure I’ve a few spares handy before tackling these jobs just in case the inner wire in question decided it was going to implode. This is particularly significant at Christmas, where it’s bound to happen when you’re out of spares and the bike shop’s shut...  

Oh, and that’s the reason you get everything prepped and adjusted before heading out on a tour, reliability ride, or similar endurance event. While checking the fixed’s rack hardware, I found the otherwise superb Genetic chain tugs were impeding the fasteners. Not wanting to stress the fasteners or damage the eyelets I switched to a very discrete set bought as curiosities on Ali Express a year or so back. Solved the issue and hopefully they’ll do a decent enough job of holding chain tension.  

I’d been sent this Beam Corkey Premium Review Mirror a few weeks back and had my curiosity spiked when I saw a homage on one of the auction sites, or rather, the site bots brought it to my attention (along with 1500 inflatable pleasure dolls). “The W’EST Biking” version is breathtakingly similar, albeit noticeably heavier, refuting suggestions of “badge engineering”. I’ll close here with Steve’s review of the Ravemen FR300https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/ravemen-fr300-daytime-running-light 

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)