Chain Reactions

Stoicism, the correct kit and sensible preparation are what gets us through the depths of winter. Yet another example of how cycling, is a metaphor for wider life and freelancing, in particular.

By mid January, New Year hype and best intentions seem to flat line. January tends to be a very quiet month, economically, so needs careful management. Secure as much work as possible, during November/early December. Always have a couple of private projects planned. The latter will boost morale, should a lull strike.  

Aside from racking up the miles and testing products, I set myself the target of finishing some short fiction. Deadline, end of January. A different project to reignite creative sparks and crucially, distinguish 2020, from 2019 etc. 

I'm nearly done with the first draft. Once that's finished, I will leave it marinating for a few days, whereupon the baggier bits and minor holes will be obvious.

Elsewhere, the Sugru didn't completely cure the Bandit bracket's minor rattle. Some intermittent, low-level chatter remained, when tackling washboard tarmac.  Rides usually boost mood and inspiration. At 23mph round a sweeping bend....Zip Ties!

I always carry a couple with me, but wanting to keep those for emergencies, such urges were arrested until I returned home. Funny how these little victories can bring so much joy.  

Staying with tooling a moment, there's a lot to be said for custom, machine specific tool kits. That said; some generic tooling is always sensible. I always carry a comprehensive multi-tool, patch kit and spare chain links. 

I even carry a few 9 and 10  speed chain links along with a few for the fixed. This way, I can help someone else, if they're in a jam. A small dropper bottle of pour n' go lube, on longer rides, just in case. 

The drier, cooler spell has presented an opportunity to assess the Juice Lubes Ceramic Juice. This version seems to attract less grime than its predecessor, while still offering decent lubrication. I decided to check my fixed gear winter/trainer's chain. 

Plenty of Viking Juice still present. While scrutinising the chain, I discovered the Halo Fix-G Track Hub https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/halo-fixed  bearings were slightly loose. Nothing serious but nipped snug, there and then, with a 15mm wrench. One thing led to another...I stripped the Genetic Tibia Track Crankset's https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-tibia-track-cranks-ring bolts, which freed with reassuring ease. The Mighty UN55 bottom bracket remains in rude health, although I always keep one handy, in case the grumbles strike.

Oh hell, since I'm here....Bike washed, chain stripped and fed four helpings of Juice Lubes Chain wax. Not the most obvious choice, but I was curious to see how it copes in colder weather.  

Unlike summer (where wax melts into the chain and where relevant, cassette), theoretically, wax will simply flake off, taking the contaminant while leaving a thin lubricant layer, behind. 

From here, simply top-up. No cleaning, no drama. At least that was the plan. Then along came Storm Brendan. 50mph crosswinds and plenty of standing water. https://www.facebook.com/sevenday.cyclist/videos/vb.100008574185706/2220873604875091/?type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed&notif_id=1579097264815732

Lube literally licked clean in 58 miles. I've gone for White Lightning Wet Ride Extreme Conditions Heavy Lube for now. I'll probably revert to the Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-performance-all-weathe or possibly Rock n' Roll Extreme LV https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/rock-n-roll-extreme-lv-chain-lube?

fbclid=IwAR0PMV6Wpug4USjedaGu2FuqnR6ShaOEEQm_AvBNs1eYGdJq2XGMKqgkIIE when the chain's looking thirsty. 

Part of me is temped to brew my own wax-based chain lubes, using a mix of candle wax, turpentine and Xylene. Watch this space. For the moment, think I'll run through my stock of "off the shelf" blends. 

I've switched the D-Riser 16 bars https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-d-riser-bars  for their D-Riser 4 siblings. The latter have been developed for road biased riders, who found the 16 degree flare excessive. However, it still offers 17mm to the overall width, so theoretically our 440mm are in fact 457mm. 

Something to bear in mind, if you commute/ride in congested traffic. The Driser16 remain my favourite riser-type drop bars for a road/cyclo cross bike. 70mm reach would be fine for my Univega. However, 125mm drop way too deep. I won't be switching its Soma Condor https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/soma

 I also needed to snug the Univega's guards https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/sks-blumels-shiny-mudguards and Gusset Uni-head by a quarter turn.  I've also discovered the rear guard's serrated section, is designed to be easily removed, should the guard foul, or impair a front mech. A moot point with my Univega, and other 1x drive trains, but good to know.  

Falling Leaves

Been a productive but tough couple of weeks, “Belgian Mix” has been satisfactorily reworked, so I’ve turned my attentions to some children’s fiction since I’m on a mission to explore additional horizons and opportunity presents. Autumn is showing visible signs of its imminent arrival and with it, renewal of the workshop roof in favour of something more substantial before renewal becomes urgent.

Other creative opportunities have presented themselves and are being pursued with renewed tenacity coupled with a sense of tentative optimism. Not exclusive to the “creative” industries but seemingly endemic is the expectation that people will supply goods and services for nothing- I’ve had several encounters of this nature recently, treating them with the contempt they deserve. I have often accepted payment in kind, or on a barter basis but refuse to indulge in the sweat shop mentality-doing so, encourages a downward spiral, rather akin to buying stolen goods and wondering why one’s home/business becomes a target for theft. Remunerate fairly and skilled people will reciprocate. 

Commissioning solely on price has major repercussions-many an “Uncle Bob” with “professional looking equipment” has shot their niece’s wedding with disastrously second-rate results, copious tears and family rifts. Sure you can get a gas combi boiler refit for £500 but don’t expect to find recompense when carbon monoxide or major explosion rips through your lives-said contractor will have saddled their horse, ridden off into the sunset without so much as a tax code, let alone public liability cover and Corgi accreditation. Never mind, household insurers are bound to be sympathetic…

For the time being I have shelved the idea of qualifying as a masseuse, since singular, professionally recognised qualifications seem rare as the proverbial rocking horse dropping and I don’t want to pursue a three year beauty therapy route, only for my extended skillset to be mooted by gender. However, opportunities can materialise unexpectedly so I’ll continue along other paths for now.

Toyed with re configuring the Univega’s front end to include an Alpina dynohub with disc mounts but the practical advantages are outweighed by unnecessary retirement of perfectly good components, while serving to increase its theft appeal. Nonetheless, I’ve invested in another Dcup lower race and Weldtite have sent me their steerer cutter, so front end surgery is definitely on the cards. Thirty thousand miles and countless shifts later it’s eight speed LX rear mech has been pensioned off in favour of this remarkably competent Microshift M45, an 8/9spd unit broadly on terms with the Japanese giant’s Alivio but a wee bit cheaper.

Ours was the long cage model for seriously wide ratios (11-34 teeth anyone) though, there’s a shorter cage sibling, which will save scarce few grams but might canter across the block fractionally faster. No surprise to see its now sporting the LX crankset, which is better finished not to mention (258g) lighter than its Alivio predecessor’s drive side alone, largely attributable to aluminium alloy rings. 

So then, we now have an eclectic ensemble of eight/nine speed mech, commanded by 8/9speed brifters, 9speed crankset, eight speed chain, cassette and fifteen year old STX front mech.  Everything was pretty much plug n’ play, save for the latter but even this this complied when fed a fresh cable and tweaked judiciously. Quintessentially crude, models of similar calibre appear pretty tolerant of mixing n’ matching and serves to scotch popular lore suggesting such configurations will never work to genuinely acceptable standards.

We’ll see how far it lags behind in another fifteen hundred miles or so, by which point I shall put the existing Sun Race and KMC consumables out to pasture, marking 108,000 miles on the tubby tourer and its continued evolution into nine speed-by default, rather than design. Well, that brings this entry to a natural conclusion-time I drafted a few pitches and copied my late father’s Open University series from VHS cassette to DVD.