Warmth & Waxes

 250 miles in, and I’m warming to the Momum Mic Wax. Several things have stood out. Waxes tend to be less temperature stable than other lubricants but ours is still running very clean. I’m told its best described as a Tribolubricant.  

It contains natural waxes that come from the palm Copernicia and offers high resistance to wear and has a melting point at 85 degrees c. The latter is much higher than traditional waxes, which tend to assume a mushy state and would account for the Momum’s cleanliness thus far.  

Presently we’re experiencing temperatures around 70 degrees, so perhaps not surprising but certainly reassuring.  The blend penetrates deep within the chain’s inner sanctum, so the transmission feels refined, while shifting remains snappy and crisp. No thunderstorms to date, but plenty of wet roads, which are failing to make tangible impression on its integrity.  

Will be interesting to see how many miles I get from a single application...I’m also wondering how well it serves on cleat mechanisms and other metal to metal interfaces.  No sooner had this thought entered my head, Madison Cycles (Shimano’s UK importer) sent me two sets of pedals. Shimano PDM8100 (XT by another name) which almost require no introduction and these PD ED500, which are a slightly more intriguing design.  

Featuring generously proportioned aluminium alloy bodies, these are dual-sided for easy entry, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn, have cartridge bearings. Cro-moly axles aren’t the lightest options but should be ultra-dependable.  Shimano seems reticent to pigeon-hole them but suggest they’re perfect for road touring. Given those strong axles and sealed bearings, I’d wager they’re a good bet for mixed-terrain touring, gravel and indeed commuting, too.  Time and miles will tell...

A bit like these SH-MT701GX shoes, which are built for “all weather mountain touring, bike packing or commuting”. They feature synthetic leather uppers, a Gore Tex  breathable, waterproof liner for dry feet, a Boa L6 dial, for quick and precise adjustment, a toe cap for additional protection and a chunky sole for comfort on and off the bike. 

About soles and stiffness, these are 4 on Shimano’s off-road scale, which goes all the way to 11. Road, to 12 but while I’m fond of mixing things up, I’ve never gone the Look ARC, or KEO route when venturing beyond asphalt. Did run these on Ursula during periods of extended road riding. Primarily since I was curious, and the confused double takes from some road riders always amused me.  

Gravel is arguably an offshoot and “logical evolution” of cyclo cross and mountain biking and to some extent a genre with obvious appeal to yours truly- drop bars, knobbly tyres, wide ratio gearing and the ability to escape the seemingly ever maddening crowd.  

I’m less of a pioneer than I’d like to think, judging by the wealth of photos depicting mountain bikes ridden in competitive contexts, with drop bars. John Tomac was famous for it, during the late 80’s Ross Schafer, too.  However, go further back in the days of quill stems and 25.4 diameters, it wasn’t just Specialized and Muddy Fox who were colluding in this sorcery.  

The Vittoria Evolution Road Bike Tyres are also proving very competent on wet, greasy roads. Particularly welcome since it had been a few weeks since any tangible rain. This means diesel, oil and other slippery contaminant gets flushed from verges and into the road’s surface.  

The next obvious move was to take a detour and see how they’d behave along some varied bridle path. Spoiler alert, if you want to hoss along at warp speed, or tour primarily unmade roads, I’d suggest spending a good bit more and looking toward Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Double Defense TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com)   

That said, the Evolution are still quite agile and relatively composed in these contexts to around 17mph. Spirited enough to give a sense of freedom, or to engage young protégé's cruising behind in their trailers or contributing on tagalongs. Still miss Vittoria’s Randonneur Trail though... 

Dawns have become sufficiently balmy that I’ve switched from my default 3/4lengths to these Funkier Bib shorts, which have a decent pad and some nice features.  

I initially found the Lycra a little slippery atop traditional leather saddles, such as the Spa Cycles Aire Titanium and Cycles Berthoud Solour CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). However, no annoying, power-robbing surf. Moot point with the Teenage Dream’s long-serving and seemingly discontinued Selle SMP Strike Plus.   

Midwinter Retrospective

Christmas is always a tricky time for me, and for many, my desire to hunker down and reflect peacefully can be quite perturbing. Those close to me know there’s nothing to worry about and generally leave me to emerge, in my own time.  

Christmas morning and the child-like wonder gripped me. Time for the first outing with Ursula’s newly built dyno hub wheel. Due in part, to the Schwalbe Landcruiser being a few hundred grams lighter than the ultra-dependable Schwalbe Marathon 365, acceleration was refreshingly brisk, despite the wind.  

There had been little relent in the rainfall for a few nights and overspill from the fields had formed small lakes along the lanes, resulting in the gentle swoosh as the Landshark and Mondial pairing cut through the greasy, mucky broth. No such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong kit I mused, as rain rolled from the Oxford Venture jacket. 

The FLR defender booties and waterproof socks and a slightly lower gear kept blood flow and feet comfortable.  

Engaging the front Tektro based “franken canti” revealed all was well on the toe-in front. No squeal, judder or nastiness, just serene, progressive stopping. Formative impressions of the SD8 hub suggests characteristics are very similar to its SL9 sibling HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com)  in the sense output can dip a little at the lower speeds but I’ve had no issues at 14mph plus.  

I need to take this time to inspect the old Rigida Snyper rim for wear and pension off, as appropriate. The Snyper were a solid, cheerful touring hoop and mine has been super dependable over ten years and countless thousand miles down the line. If it is heading for the Great Bike Shop in the Sky, I think I’ll have the 13-year-old Shimano hub built into another Ryde Andra 40...  

But then, do I acquire a modern, disc brake hub as well, to “futureproof things” ...Hmm, best park that thought for now, there’s plenty going on.  I’ve been doing a little re-touch of the Project 2 fork-applied a thin coat of phosphate primer and several thin coats of gloss black paint, leaving several hours between them. I also applied a thin helping of hide food to leather saddles to keep them protected and nourished. This is something II generally do every six weeks with traditional leather saddles, although some brands recommend longer intervals, which I observe. CARING FOR LEATHER SADDLES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)   

As we weaved around the twisting bends, up ahead a family of red deer crossed the road and an Oxford/BMW Mini lay stricken in a ditch. Stopping confirmed it had been abandoned- no one was trapped inside, so I continued our otherwise silent and uninterrupted loop. Inexperience, too much Christmas spirit, who knows. Crucially no one appears hurt as a result.    

Looking back on the year and Ursula’s continual evolutions, I was surprised by just how many changes I’ve made over the past 12 months. Most of the drivetrain components were replaced due to wear and tear. Aside from chains and cassettes, the long-serving Shimano Deore LX cranks were beginning to lose their threads, prompting the upgrade to Hollowtech II.  

A couple of months later, I upgraded the rear wheel, since the rim was beginning to deteriorate- it was a cheap but very cheerful example, which had served faithfully for five harsh winters, so didn’t owe us anything. Deore hubs are reliable enough, but if I was going to replace, I may as well upgrade. An XT laced to a Rigida Sputnik was too good to pass up. Then of course, there was the Kinekt 2.1 post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which was another refinement that had completed my original vision of an otherwise rigid, all-terrain, go-anywhere, four seasons’ build. A concept that originally lit my fuse during an English class in March 87. A Muddy Fox Trailblazer, spotted in Bicycle Magazine, for the curious. A couple of years later, Specialized's Rock Combo just turned things up a notch.  

I switched the Sun Race Brifters for Micro Shift Bar end and Tektro levers, which was another good move, and since I was there, the Soma Condor 2 SOMA CONDOR 2 SHALLOW DROP BARS | (sevendaycyclist.com). The original Condor was a great bar, seemingly perfect for the design brief and the only reason I switched was because the Condor 2 was doing something close to nothing. If I was going to experiment, then was the time. 

Finally, the Sun Race Driven NRX rear mech imploded, replaced by a Tiagra. In many respects, close to a complete rebuild, but aside from some refinements/indulgences, and the mech’s untimely demise, components owed me and the “old girl” nothing. Ah, now my fixed gear winter trainer’s brake has got the sulks-a frayed inner wire. No time like the present...Maybe it got jealous...