New Shoes & Chomping through Consumables

 

Madison cycles have sent me Shimano RX6 (SH-RX600, to give them their more formal name) gravel shoes for testing and, as you’d probably expect, I was keen to see how they’d compare with the Shimano M701 GTX SPD Shoes Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com).  

The RX6 are visually a much sportier shoe and register 8 for sole stiffness on their scale (whereas the M701 GTX are 4) out of a possible 12, so I wasn’t surprised to discover the RX6 features a carbon-reinforced sole.  

The outer sole pattern features wide, TPU “lugs” for comfort on and off the bike, which is a good thing, since cyclocross, bike packing, and other rough stuff usually involve a bit of walking or shouldering the bike through trickier sections- boggy bridlepaths being prime examples. Touring, cross and mountain bike shoes need to be rigid for good power transfer, yet still forgiving enough for moderate walking.  

My days of Look cleats, precariously hobbling across tiled café floors, or disgracing myself by gouging holes in expensive linoleum are long behind me. Recessed cleat systems all the way-road, or otherwise.  

Theory goes that stiffer soles spread the load more evenly across the pedal’s surface, supplying more efficiency and ultimately, comfort-especially over longer distances. For me (on paper at least) 8 strikes the right balance for the kind of riding I do, most of the time, although I’ve also found the M701 GTX very agreeable for general riding. These things, like many others, are nuanced.  

Synthetic leather uppers are another definite plus when it comes to keeping them clean and looking good, a few seasons down the line.  Anyone remember the entry level suede/Codura cross country MTB shoes from the early 90s? I had a pair that served remarkably well from ‘94 to 99 and they were good for riding and running, too. Despite my discipline, coastal winter mud and other nasties quickly sullied the suede, mind.  

In common with the M701, they also employ the Boa dial for quick entry, release and precise adjustment. Shimano also says the PD-M8100 Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 Pedals | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) (Deore XT to you and me) are their perfect pedal match. Handy that they’re Ursula’s defaults then. Looking forward to getting some serious miles in, especially since the weather’s getting wetter and more challenging. Steve’s been staying dry and temperate in this Showers Pass Ecolyte Elite Cycling Jacket Showers Pass Men’s EcoLyte Elite Cycling | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

The last crops are being harvested from the fields, farmers paving the lanes with mud, and indeed, dung. For how much longer remains to be seen-farming would appear another casualty of Britain’s trajectory. As temperatures tumble to seasonal normality, the prospect of traversing iced cowpats has me reaching for the spikes- 700c and 26 inch.  

Elsewhere, the sudden and cataclysmic demise of a second set of pads on my fixed gear winter/trainer’s TRP SLC caliper struck, so I switched to the disco brakes sintered set and will see how they fare over the coming weeks. The root cause of this demise? Some caustic agricultural products contaminating the pads, coupled with a misalignment headache.  

The latter finally traced to a rogue caliper mount.  

Despite being supplied with the TRP Spyre, its arc was too large- easily fixed with an auction site bargain bouncing around the brackets box. Ursula’s original resin pads had also gone down to the metal, so replaced with some EBC. Winter can eat stuff with frightening haste, so I bought three sets.  

I’ve also had cause to revisit Ursula’s front end. Long story short, I was experiencing unexpected hassles with the Gusset Headlock system, so decided I'd go the Star Fangled Nut route and employ an expander wedge to hold the Bluemels mudguard steady. I had an ACOR unit nestling beside some SFN. The expander idea has proven a winner. Necessity, mother of invention, and all that.  

Ending on completely different notes, my dentist has reinstated my smile and I’ve been seriously impressed by the Ravemen LR 1600 front light Ravemen LR1600 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Steve has been similarly impressed by its 1200 lumen counterpart Ravemen LR1200 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Misty for Me

Continued teething troubles with the Trelock LS906 bike –I pro suggest the OEM wiring isn’t helping. Sure, it will reach the hub and lamp but that supplied is designed for hub to fork crown drilling.

Dropping by some Coventry bike shops drew a blank, so I’ve acquired a decent length of Bush & Muller, which I’m hoping will sort it once and for all. Either way, this proved the ideal opportunity to see how the SP hub performs with my Exposure revo mk1, since I already had a revo wiring kit waiting in the wings.

The Revo is beautifully made, delivers a really pure, useable arc of light from 5mph and a maximum output of 800lumens. Hands-down the best dynamo lamp I’ve used to date. Good enough for moderate trail action too, although think rough stuff touring, not race-pace cross country mtb antics. If that’s your bag, something like the Sigma Buster 2000 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/sigma-buster-2000-light  might be a better bet.

Some have criticised Shutter Precision hubs on the basis that servicing and bearing replacement are factory only affairs. However, Ison Distribution, their UK importer can take care of this. Lloyd Townsend also reminded me that factory returns are pretty standard for any modern “Ship in a bottle” dynohub system.

The SP family come with a two-year warrantee, which would cover such eventualities. Nonetheless, the hub shell is joined together in the centre. Accessing the internals demands specialist tooling.

Aside from the clocks going back and another birthday, autumn has gained on us somewhat. Temperatures have tumbled top their seasonal average and the lanes carpeted in a greasy top layer. No such thing as the wrong weather, so long as you’ve got the right kit. Bib tights, gloves, jerseys, jackets and overshoes solve comfort conundrums.

Decent tyres, such as the 35mm Scwalbe Marathon GT provide excellent cornering prowess, puncture protection and grip but iced bovine and equine dung can still induce the odd, unpleasant loss of traction. Something I was reminded of while hustling along at 23mph on Monday morning.

A minor shimmy followed and I turned back to see and indeed document! I’ve also had a very rude reminder regards pad replacement. 30mph along a local 1in7, I applied the fixed’s front stopper.

Lovely smooth action, those Jagwire pro road are really impressive but we’re not scrubbing off any speed… “F**king Aiiiiiiidaaaaaaaa!” Having made it round the final bend in one piece and begun the ascent, I made a mental note to strip, inspect and ultimately, replace the Spyre calliper’s pads. Swap complete and 10minutes enthused testing hence, I can confirm that grabbing a handful has the potential for lifting the rear wheel.  

Whisper it but I’ve also been donning a bit of day glow. The green BBB flexribbon is also surprisingly extrovert in overcast conditions, yet without screaming “winter-bike”. As might be expected, especially given the seemingly perpetual fettling, the dimpled texture is starting to cultivate a slightly grimy patina. Will be interesting to see how well it responds to washing and what the sudsy stuff/elbow grease ratio will be.  

Some riders have an almost pathological dislike of fluorescent kit and at the other extreme, others, including the UK government, are advocating compulsion.

Day-glow and day flash light settings have their merits, within reason. However, a lot of motorcycles and cars, are hard-wired to run side-lights. For a time, this made motorcyclists in particular, more conspicuous. However, as these become ubiquitous, other traffic becomes accustomed and the same myopia returns.

I was hit from behind while sat at the lights, on a borrowed Kawasaki GT750…

The shaft driven tourer was deep red, as were the lights. Dressed like an extra from Mad Max, this and a white helmet did not stop a woman plough her vehicle into me. Thrust into the flow of traffic, I groped desperately for the kill-switch. By now fuel was oozing from a ruptured tank and my leg was trapped beneath…Apparently, the woman, in her 20s claimed she did not see me…

My hunch that parliament is coming under pressure from technology companies who are developing automated “driverless” vehicles. I suspect their sensors are only able to register riders wearing hi-viz…

Farfetched? Well no, not really. Many courier/logistics companies will only hire self-employed drivers, this relieves them of a wider duty of care/responsibility for driver conduct.

This leads me to this week’s title, “Play misty for me”. Aside from the misty, murky mornings, I am being pursued by someone who has developed an extremely unwelcome and slightly unsettling infatuation, which is anything but reciprocal.

I have taken various approaches, subtle and direct, yet ultimately compassionate. I have even insisted she see this as an opportunity to develop herself and address some underlying issues, which have underpinned a set of behaviours for many years.

Other people cannot fix us, the desire to change, possibly heal has to come from within. If contact, electronic, or postal persists, I will resort to a more formal method of restraint. Now on a lighter note, I’ll leave you with some curious frames and some appalling arc.