True Wheels & Fine Tuning

The opportunity, coupled with my philosophy of not procrastinating, saw me leave the Teenage dream’s MA2/Athena wheelset with Mick Madgett of Madgett Cycles in Diss Madgetts Cycles | The Cycle Specialists   

Turnaround was particularly quick, given Mick had a workshop full of machines awaiting repair/servicing. A  family-run business with a great pedigree and willing to undertake anything from a puncture to a complete restoration. I rarely need a shop’s services but a good one is worth their weight in gold. In short, the wheels are beautifully true once more. 

Not procrastinating shouldn’t be confused with impulsive. 

I’m not advocating sending an important email that hasn’t been proofread or commencing a rebuild at midnight. Rather, effective time management.  

It is cost/time effective for me to strip and regrease a set of hubs on the weekend, I’m not going to make a decent job of truing a set of wheels and in fact, run the risk of trashing them. Therefore, outsourcing to a highly skilled wheel builder is an obvious move. Cheaper, quicker, smarter, essentially.  

Closer scrutiny revealed the tubes were also past their prime, the sealant-filled front spitting orange goo from its long valve stem. Velox rim tape still seemed solid, so stays.  Seen in a broader context, the little n’ often discipline is incredibly efficient and greatly reduces the risk of becoming overwhelmed.  

I am presently working on a longitudinal piece, starting in 1992 and running to the present day. Another example where I could easily be overwhelmed by its magnitude.  Applying myself and time in set blocks/word limits means a steady, continuous progression-to the point of habit, so the results, rather than efforts are what’s noticed. 

 

On a more basic/general level, emptying a kitchen waste bin and taking it out, rather than allowing the contents to overflow and thus create more work is time better spent. Several weeks’ testing the Bat Wax, I’ve decided to switch back to the Weldtite Ceramic Lube WELDTITE CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           

Not least, since I needed to assess the Muc Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser Chain & Cassette’s prowess on chain lubes, not just liquified lithium greases (although this was a very good indicator of its purging prowess on more intense, impacted lubes).  

Wax lubes can become quite congealed in places, particularly along the side plates and around the derailleur jockey wheels, even when the rollers are bare. In common with the Weldtite Jet Blast Degreaser WELDTITE JET BLAST DEGREASER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) These are powerful solvents that work very fast on residual stuff but require subsequent agitation with a stiff brush.  

To get Ursula’s transmission clean enough for the ceramic wet, I needed to introduce some Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) agitate, then rinse with warm water.   

 

This also presented an ideal opportunity to give Ursula a wash and subsequent paste waxing. In this instance  The Naked Bikes Pro Wax Special Edition Special Edition NAKED BIKES PRO WAX SPECIAL EDITION | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           was closest to hand and rather good, in my experience.  I also gave the saddle a light feeding to keep the hide supple and protected. 

 

Wheels trued and transmission cleaned, now was the time to treat the Teenage Dream’s frameset and components a thorough wax polish and evaluated otherwise neglected component health. Specifically, brake pads, cables and bar tape. 

 Aside from some brake dust and subsequent grime, pads showed no sign of wear. I replaced the rear inner cable and ferrules, which brought braking up a couple of notches. I refitted the now gleaming Sachs chain and treated it to some Tru Tension Bannaslip Tungsten All Weather Lube TRU TENSION TUNGSTEN ALL WEATHER LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

There wasn’t very much remaining in the bottle, it’s very clean and easy to apply, so an obvious choice. Zefal Pro Dry Lube ZEFAL PRO DRY LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was my other option and I’d probably go this route, as and when Spring brings warmer drier conditions.   

The existing Widget Premium Silicone wrap looked decidedly jaded, so merited replacement. In common with other genuine silicones, it’s naturally grippy, no call for an adhesive backing.  

Easily removed without the mucky clean up associated with adhesive backings. Perfect for cable replacement and like-for-like bar swaps. Uniformly bleached, the wrap was still useful, so I tickled it clean with my Green Oil Bicycle Brush GREEN OIL BIKE BRUSH REVIEW (sevendaycyclist.com) dipped in Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate. On the subject of cleaning, Steve’s been impressed by this Dirt Doc Bike Cleaner DIRT DOC BIKE CLEANER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Cleaned, rinsed, and dried, I bagged it up and put in my contact points box- in case I can’t find anything suitable. I’ve toyed with a few colourways , including celeste. Black is the most obvious contrasting colour. Ok, so Black is a shade, not a colour but you get the general idea. Green is actually more versatile than might be thought. Yellow, grey, white, olive to name a few. Were the Teenage Dream a winter/trainer then a fluro green/yellow would be another obvious compliment. A two-tone fade effect also has potential. Watch this space... 

The Wheel Issue

Switched the fixed gear winter trainer back to the Mavic/Halo Fixed-G Track Hub HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting and I’d fed the chain some BAT Wax chain lube. Now, sweeping, broad strokes statements are inaccurate by definition. Caveat established; traditional wax lubes tend to be remarkably similar in terms of application, durability, and performance.  

The biggest similarity is their need for surgically clean host transmissions. Particularly true of emulsion/water-based blends, which will simply float away, if there’s the faintest trace of petrochemical product clinging to the rollers.  

In some instances, say, if I’ve been running a wet lube for a few weeks prior, I may well remove ring(s) and cassette(s) and leave them soaking in a degreaser stock, such as Squirt Bike Degreaser Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) or in the context of stainless/polished components, a master-blaster potion, such as Green Oil Agent Apple extreme Immersion Degreaser. TESTED: GREE OIL AGENT APPLE EXTREME IMMERSION DEGREASER (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Drivetrain immaculate, the wax can be applied. Bat follows the traditional shake and allow four hours curing time narrative. However, though the flow rate is good, and it seeps deep into the links, the thicker viscosity means it clings to the chain, rather than engulfing the floor and anything else in proximity. This could be attributable to the sudden dip in temperature but then I wouldn’t expect the wax to flow steadily. Will be interesting to see what the next few weeks bring. 

A few fast blasts over the easter weekend suggest it's smooth and friction is low. Whether it will rival some ceramic blends, such as Weldtite TF2 Advanced Ceramic Chain Wax TEST & REVIEW: WELDTITE TF2 ADVANCE CERAMIC CHAIN WAX (sevendaycyclist.com) remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the Bat Wax has made me sit up and take notice. Nice to have the Fix-G set up right again. Present gearing (700x32 165mm cranks and 16T) is now 70.9 inches, which translates as 19mph average and means I’m not busting my knees on shorter, sharper climbs.   

Not a new model by any means but I love the system’s design, which allows precision chain line and therefore, zero noise. An eccentric bottom bracket is the other solution but not one commonly employed on fixed gear builds.  

The Univega’s eagerly awaited XT/Rigida Sputnik wheel also arrived this week. I planned to leave it waiting in the wings while getting my final miles from the cheap but very cheerful Mach/Deore pairing. I went to consult my equine guru regards Ursula’s gearing. Seems I have been shunned, so will stick with the 12-25 until hyper-intelligent horse people say otherwise.    

Being a bank holiday, plans changed. Closer inspection suggested the rim was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Decision made. Out came the Pedros Vise Whip and trusty Cyclo cassette tool. Despite a liberal helping of Park grease on the lock ring, a quick blast of GT85 was needed before it would release.  

In keeping with other, bike (and non) related work, there are a wealth of views re-greasing freehub splines.  

I’m of the “add a thin layer” camp, although as many will point out, there’s little risk of galvanic seizure between the two components. More important is to grease the lockring threads with a suitably stout prep. Assuming you’re not using exotic components, old-school lithium should be fine, but I err towards synthetics for peace of mind.  

I also prefer tools with guide pins, since these afford more stability and ensure tool and splines engage flush, so no risk of slip damage.    

Cassette, rim tape, and skewer swapped, I disposed of the old hoop and fed the chain some Bat Wax, since I was there and because I am curious to see whether it will behave like other waxes on a derailleur setup. Temperatures in the mid-teens haven’t impacted on the lube’s flow rate or seen the lion’s share on the concrete beneath, which is a very welcome surprise. However, the proof of any lube is in the riding, so I’ll plod on.