I’ll only be five minutes...

 

I’ve been here more times than I’d care to admit. I am unlikely to be the only rider who has a flash of inspiration and only to find those five minutes expanding to fit the time available. Midday, on Saturday, I decided I’d just tweak the Holdsworth’s brake lever positioning.  

A simple matter of unwinding the T-One MR Fantastic Handlebar Tape, slipping a long 5mm Allen key into the lever, moving upwards, then refitting the wrap around the Coefficient Wave Handlebars COEFFICIENT WAVE HANDLEBAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)   

Before I knew it, I’d switched the old but worthy Tektro for a new silver RL340 and fresh inner wire, and  the T-One MR Fantastic Handlebar Tape T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) substituted for this Ciclovation Grind Touch Bar Tape CICLOVATION GRIND TOUCH BAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

I’d got past the point of being hungry, and my blood sugar was beginning to slide. Not ideal, nor my rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s “No Bone Movies”. Crucially, the job was done, and maybe it’s the successful recycling of bar tape, but the results pleased me. Lever perfectly aligned and sufficient power to bring the rear wheel off the ground-if that’s your thing.  

Now glue that freshly pruned inner wire and celebrate with some cake and diesel strength coffee.... Tyres inflated, good weather, check. Off for a dawn blast, which confirmed these subtle tweaks were well worth the time and unintentionally extended fettling.  

The soundtrack to this outing had shifted to Keith Richards’ Talk is Cheap, which hails from 1988 but still resonates very deeply with me. (Bought the Album (vinyl) in the summer of ‘92 and Main Offender, his subsequent album in the summer of 1993, in case it mattered) Had a few rabbits test the front stopper, which did its thing with palpable efficiency. It’s also smoother than the older Tektro lever.  

Much of this, I attribute to the RL340 being a more ergonomic fit for my hand.  The Knog Nerd Computer had also stopped working. Something I attributed to the head units CR2032 cell finally giving up the ghost.  

Couldn’t justify additional diagnostic time and indeed, time away from other tasks, so revisited this, post ride. I’ve a soft spot for the NERD, so was relieved to find the cell hadn’t leaked and caused contact/more acute damage.  

Battery switched, unit re-calibrated and back on the bars. The NERD in question is the baby of the now discontinued range and only has 5 functions. Current speed, trip distance, trip time, clock and odometer. Befitting of a pared to the essentials road bike-I love the simplicity and the NERDs seem solid too.  

The first cycle computer I ever had was back in 1989- wired 6 function Cat-Eye Vectra that I fitted to my fixed gear conversion, which was based around a 501 tubed Raleigh frameset. Fag sealed bottom bracket, very ornate GB quill stem, 42cm SR bars, SR track crankset, fluted polished alloy post, Turbo copy Suede saddle (worn smooth, eventually)  

I loved and rode that bike for four years, until the frame fatigued where head and downtube met.... Maillard double-fixed hub laced to basic but serviceable Weinmann rims and shod with Vittoria Roma 25mm tyres.  Back then, Cat-Eye and Avocet and Vetta were common sights on seasoned riders ‘bars.  

Wired computers were (and arguably still are) the most reliable. However, remember to remove, when performing headset strips, otherwise you’ll snag and ultimately, rip the cabling. An unenviable feat and one I achieved twice. By that point, the gap in terms of prices and reliability between wired and wireless had closed considerably.    

I’ve seen a few doing the rounds on auction sites and at sensible prices. If I was wanting to add the finishing touch to a bike from this period, maybe. Wouldn’t pay classic prices for one, though. I occasionally get drawn to framesets, such as the magnesium Kirk Precision. Interesting, and often maligned framesets but much of this comes from a misunderstanding of the concept.  

These were conceived as a mass-produced and very inexpensive racing frameset. Casting wasn’t the best and there are few left these days. I was offered a frameset (new) with headset, seat post, and bottom bracket for £99.99 back in 1990. I sometimes reflect on that being a missed opportunity, but I also recognise, at the time, it was a distraction purchase.  

A distraction from teen angst and unrequited love. Serious things at the time and felt very acutely. Talking of concepts, I’m finding myself increasingly warming to TPU tubes, as a serious alternative to butyl. Weight and ride quality are the main draws, price and ease of repair are two turnoffs. I’m running some on the Teenage Dream, fixed gear winter trainer, too (with butyl tubes in the wedge packs, in case of flats. Some, including Eclipse can be patched, but curing times aren’t rest-stop friendly).  

Tweaks

Sometimes it’s those little victories…I’ve been doing some very small-scale tweaks to the Univega. Closer scrutiny suggested the chain was fractionally longer than ideal, so I pruned a couple of links. I also added another helping of Squirt Clean Long Lasting Chain Lube, since this was waning, after 280 odd, mixed terrain miles.

I also raised the Selcof post by a few millimetres and dialled the rear brake’s barrel adjuster, a couple of turns. A subsequent blast along the backroads confirmed my intuition was right. I was stunned to discover the front Schwalbe Marathon Mondial https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-mondial-tyres  flat as the proverbial, when I went to ride the following morning.

Given I was testing some clothing, I switched to my fixed gear winter/trainer. Inner smile restored; subsequent investigation revealed the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial had succumbed to a tiny cut. However, the casing wasn’t harbouring any sharps, so I fed a fresh tube, then patched the original.

This also presented an ideal opportunity to give my mile munching, four seasons’ friend a good wash. I’ve recently reached my conclusions re Velo 21 Dirty Weekend Bike Pre Wash https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/velo-21-dirty-weekend-bike-pre-wash and I’ve treated the frameset to their Blueberry Glaze Wax. There are plenty of boutique waxes around, all promising to outshine and outlast everyone else’s.

This is the first designed to work with gloss AND matt finishes. Will be interesting to see how it compares with Crankalicious Crisp Frame Wax, in terms of durability. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/crankalicious-crisp-frame-wax  

Since we’re on the subject, bikes should be given at least two thorough, hard paste waxings, yearly. Doing so nourishes the paintwork, and protects finishes from salt, UV light, petrochemical spatter, oxidisation etc. The slippery barrier means dirt doesn’t stick so easily and so; bikes are easier to wash.

During the winter months, rinse dirty bikes down with cold water first, especially if you’ve been racking up the miles along heavily gritted roads. Warm water at this stage will simply accelerate that reactive, corrosive process.  

Car type wash n’ wax formulas are dirt cheap and super convenient. Much as I love tending to my two wheeled fleet, time is also at a premium and not to be squandered. Like common or garden bike washes. the surfactant properties loosen the grime, which vanishes during the rinsing phase.

A thin waxy barrier remains afterward. Beeswax furniture polish is another useful hack, during the drier months. The solvent properties consume light/filmy grime, the polish leaves a very glossy, protective barrier. A trick I picked up, working in moto/cycle dealerships

April is finally feeling more spring-like, here in the UK. I’m still favouring ¾ lengths but I’ve switched to liner gloves beneath mitts, short-sleeve base layers and jerseys (albeit with sleeves). I’ve also switched to a two tone (black & white) theme, due in part to the arrival of Prendas Ciclismo Bordeaux-Paris kit https://www.prendas.co.uk/collections/the-forgotten-races . I’ve also resurrected this Giant Strive Mips Aero Road Helmet, which has some nice touches, including an LED light that latches on, via magnets.  Twelve vents seem meagre, but the inlet and exhaust system rams in, and expels air at a consistent and moreover, decent rate.

There are some who demand that cyclists, motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users should be compelled to wear acres of day glow. I have no issue with day glow, where the cloud is low, and visibility hampered. However, I’ve lost count of the SMIDSYs (Sorry Mate, I didn’t See You”) experienced, when I’ve been lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree on acid.

Indeed, twenty years later, I still suffer from injuries sustained in a motorcycle “accident”. I was stationary at the lights, which were red. A young woman ploughed her car into me, from behind, claiming she “didn’t see me”, or it would seem, the red light…

I have a quiet suspicion the driving force, campaigning compulsory day glow, arises from an imminent roll-out, of autonomous (driverless) vehicles. These may employ sensors, which identify fluorescent colours as a hazard, and a course plotted round them.

Then of course, there has been a subtle, insidious slide to victim blaming, which appears to have run in parallel with a wider, right-wing, popularist narrative. One that insists someone “deserved it”, based upon the length of their skirt/underwear/choice of activity/mode of transport.