I’ve seen a bit of bar con bashing online recently. In common with others who are vocal in their destain for things, much of the comments come from ignorance, so are arguably irrelevant. Some suggesting cables run THROUGH the handlebars. Sure, they’ve fallen from mainstream gaze and lack the light, snappiness of Brifters but they’re also lighter and ultra-dependable. Great for back of beyond touring, beasts of burden, and indeed, daily drivers like Ursula.
Microshift still makes them (and continues the dependable theme with their Sword and Advent group sets). Hot on the heels of the Spyre SLC, Ursula’s rear Shimano CX50 cantilever pads had gathered some glaze and needed a quick scrub. It also presented the opportunity to strip and lightly grease the posts. The straddle wire was also beginning to look tired, so was also replaced. Consumables are eaten quickly through winter, especially if you do bigger mileages.
I’d spotted a rear Tiagra mech, pads etc being sold as bankrupt stock and at very enticing prices. Sad, since it’s never good to see, or hear of businesses going to the wall. In the late 80s, it was common for people without business acumen, financial literacy, or experience to open enterprises and often fail catastrophically. However, it's become increasingly prevalent for established and successful traders in post-Brexit Britain.
Little and often maintenance becomes second nature, extends the life of components, and usually stops trouble before it starts. I’d applied a light helping of Muc-Off HCB1 to Ursula’s chain stay bridge area and the BBB Echelon saddle rails, which were showing some localised corrosion.
Again, nothing to get excited about at this stage and HCB1 will mothball, stopping surface grot in its tracks. Yes, generic maintenance sprays will certainly help on this front, but need more frequent reapplication and are readily washed away. They’re meant for light lubrication of cables, and pivot points, flushing wet, corrosive stuff out, priming chains removing muck, and grime, loosening sticky/lightly corroded parts.
Back to the Holdsworth
Having removed the Woodman Jupiter’s lower cup cum race with a few deft taps of my trusty crown race tool. (It also needed a little chemical assistance, courtesy of some Muc-Off MO 94). I set it carefully on the Holdsworth’s crown and decided there was sufficient Park PPL100 TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES (sevendaycyclist.com) grease dressing its needle roller bearings, so just transplanted.
The Jupiter’s design means it's extremely well-sealed from the elements, so an obvious choice for MTB and XC duties. Ironic perhaps that the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream are fair-weather playthings, but the Woodman’s design and refinement (coupled with the fact decent-quality headsets were becoming harder to source) swung it for me. Forks in, it was simply a matter of stacking up the spacers, refitting the cockpit, connecting the front brake, adjusting pad height, and the usual tweaks.
I like the slight contrast between frame and fork, accentuated by the Knog NERD computer’s blue silicone casing. Had the fork been any darker, it would’ve looked a little too obvious (although could be toned down with a comparable, darker shade of blue bar tape). Anyhow, mission complete.
Elsewhere, the switch to MKS NJS chain tugs subverts the need to detach the Topeak DX rack when accessing track nuts- adjusting the chain tension or removing the wheel-problem sorted.
I decided now was the time to see how well the Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was holding up on Ursula’s Hollowtech II axle, given the flooding and generally adverse conditions of recent months. It also presented an ideal opportunity to give the rings a good scrub. As the photos suggest, a reasonable amount of Peaty’s remained and was still doing its friction-busting, corrosion-stopping thing.
However, I’d come this far and opted to strip and introduce this Wolf Tooth WT-G Grease. It’s a synthetic blend designed primarily for moving parts- hubs, headsets etc but apparently fine for contact points and threaded parts. Its reckoned stable between minus 50 and 180 degrees and promises low friction, longevity and high resistance to water, oxidisation and corrosion.
The crank’s pinch bolts were completely devoid of grease, so were a little reticent to release. Nothing a shot of MO94 couldn’t sort, so I was sure to add a generous lick of the Wolf Tooth grease to them before refitting and torquing down to the recommended 12-14nm. Buttery smooth once more. The headset’s bottom race came next, and I stripped the rear Shimano CX50 brake, greased the canti posts and replaced the straddle wire.
Talking of which, it's much easier to apply than some higher viscosity formulas – Juice Lubes Bearing Juice being a case in point, although the latter is really stubborn and being so thick makes a great host for loose balls. No escapees in the hub shell. However, the Wolf Tooth is supposedly designed for contact points and similar duties too, so I’ll be checking that out in the coming weeks and possibly months.
Having switched the Holdsworth’s Miche Primato calliper for the long-reach Tiagra, I decided now was the time to upgrade the Teenage Dream’s lower end Miche Performance. Plenty of life in the pads, so I gave the callipers a quick clean and polish and bolted everything together. I’m sure I have the rear Primato somewhere in the spares stash. I’ll upgrade the Teenage Dream’s rear Performance unit when I unearth it. I'll close here with Steve's review of the Castelli Entrata Tights https://www.sevendaycyclist.
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