Double Pleasure

 

No, not that sort-I’m referring to a 36/26 Deore Crankset complete with front mech and cables for less than the cost of a couple of rings. Be rude not to, since I was bound to wear Denise’s existing Deore 1x at some point in the not-too-distant future- it was the original ring and had served on Ursula before that.

Denise’s existing KMC chain was registering .5 on the chain checker. Late middle age in chain terms, so another thing I would need to be switching at some point.

While there was still some life in the existing KMC, I decided to mount the crankset, before going for a front mech and (bar con) shifter route. This was to check whether the existing 106 links was sufficient, or whether I might need 108. I’d some pre-cut (106 link) chains in stock, so would be nice if that was so.

In terms of front mech, given the frameset’s age, I reasoned, like Ursula, the seat tube was 28.6 and had originally looked for another STX. However, front mechs are fairly crude beasts, so I wasn’t going to pay over the odds. This top pull SR Suntour triple was along similar lines and seemed a good bet, especially teamed with a Microshift bar end shifter, which offered plenty of scope for adjustment and fine-tuning.

Before the crankset and front mech arrived, I’d gone on a quick “Easter Egg” hunt for shifter, cables, pre-cut chain and set them aside. The following morning, having returned from a ride, I decided to measure up (guestimate) for the front mech’s positioning, removing the seat tube bottle cage and applying some helicopter tape where the mech’s band on clamp would most likely rest.

Next, I noticed some mysteriously chipped paint on the seat stay carrier boss. Out with the fastener and a quick lick of high-build primer followed-another little job off the list. Since I also needed to reposition the Exposure Revo dynamo lamp, so decided to install the Microshift bar end shifter, one that had commanded Ursula’s STX front mech, prior to the frame’s repair, modernisation and makeover.

I didn’t want to get to the point of no return, rather where I could progress but without being committed, able to break and reflect as required. Just as well, since the gear cable housing I’d ordered hadn’t materialised. I’m sure I had some but ordered more. I wanted to check 106 links was of the correct length and, given the existing was 106 and still had sufficient life, I bolted the 2X Deore crankset in situ and set everything up to ride.

 Afterall, if the Crane Cousins could journey to the centre of the earth sans front mech, I could for a week, or two.  While we all like stuff that comes together first time and with minimal faff, there’s something very satisfying about fine tuning.  At this point, I was suddenly struck, dare I say attacked by a horrific thought- that the mech wouldn’t reach the rings. Offering the mech up quashed this anxiety and also confirmed its ideal mounting point-phew! 

On the stand, everything seemed to behave and the rear mech didn’t look unduly strained and was replicated in subsequent rides, so when some Shimano gear cables arrived, I removed the chain, offered the SR Suntour mech up and, it fouled the rear tyre…Confidence drained from me like a straining tea bag. Two options…Buy a new mech, an STX or Deore LX from this period. Or…Switch Ursula’s STX for the SR Suntour. I did both.

Found a Deore LX for less than £10 and was relieved to discover ample room between Ursula’s rear tyre, even with a 2.3. Given I wasn’t going the triple route, I was confident the SR Suntour would play nicely, and it did. A fresh inner wire, some adjustment of the H/L screws, and the cage scooped the chain back and forth dutifully. Cable pruned and glued, I turned my attention to Denise. Existing KMC chain split, I mounted the STX, fitted a fresh KMC and wired everything up. To my relief, save for some tweaking of the limit screws, the cage swept the chain between rings.

Some would argue mullet drivetrains are a better bet and on some technical grounds, I’d agree, but the 36/26 11-25 setup gives me a good, knee-friendly spread between 28.4 and 89 inches. I’d also been toying with replacing the Suntour XC SE cantilever. These are a rear-specific design from the late 1980s and still offer decent performance. However, adjustment is a little more involved compared with a traditional cantilever. I was also seeking something period-sensitive but without paying period prices

Tektro CR720 were an obvious default-sensibly priced and certainly up to the job…Then someone waved these NOS (New Old Stock) Kore under my nose for less than £10. A third of the Tektro’s rrp, so no debate there. Again, I needed to replace the inner wire, and wanted to inspect and most likely, re-grease the bosses, so then was the time.

By contrast, the Kore were very easy to set up- I just added some sped grease to the bosses, slotted everything in situ, and adjusted with a 5mm Allen key and 10mm ring spanner. The left balance screw needed a quick turn-using a 3mm Allen key common to all modern multi-tools. Talking of which, I'm off to fine-tune the rear mech.

 

Money For Old Rope?

 

It has been suggested by some that gravel is little more than repackaged 90s cross country mountain biking. As a means of starting debate, it’s a good opening line. I disagree. Any sweeping statement is by definition inaccurate. As with any other genre of riding, gravel will mean different things to different people. 

I removed the Topeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag Topeak MTX Trunk Dry Bag | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and gave the DX rack a clean. Some grittiness had made inroads into the centre channel’s powder coated finish and there was some fastener taint. Both easily remedied with a drop of chain lube and some Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Lastly, I switched the Ergon All Road and Ritchey saddles around. Both have proven good choices for me, but I was keen to see how well the Ergon performed with Denise along rougher roads and trails. 

I would argue gravel is an evolution of cyclo cross, which started with models such as Specialized’s Tri Cross. Cyclo cross bikes with daily driver friendly features such as mudguard and carrier mounts, several bottle bosses and wider gearing. Running in parallel, we had the adventure bike, which were tour friendly cyclo cross bikes with longer wheelbases, bigger clearances and tour-friendly geometry, disc brakes, braze ons and a hint of MTB DNA. 

  

For me, gravel is the lovechild of adventure tourer and thoroughbred cyclo cross bike with some XC mountain bike DNA for good measure. Some more, some less. Some competition models are closer to pared to the essential's cross builds with bigger clearances and hydraulic stoppers. Though very capable, they’re a little too prescriptive for my riding needs/tastes. I’m also very fond of the suspension tech evolution-seat posts and stems, specifically but feel that a fully blown suspension for is, for me, pushing things too close to full blown mountain biking.   

 

In its purist sense, the internet is a fantastic resource (allowing of course, for the mine of mis and disinformation). It allows us to experience and share skills and information at lighting pace and in our own time. Since my early teens., I have always been fascinated by manufacturing processes.  

 

Frame building and enamelling/paint being the most obvious. Yes, these were the starting points- I’d needed a frame built/repaired and/or refinished by a skilled and sympathetic workshop, but it extended to other areas- an interest in building my own touring trailers along the lines of Bob Yak. During these years, aside from some welding and unrelated professional courses, much of my formal learning was academic. 

  

I have always held a desire to learn wet spray refinishing along with powder coating, if only for my own projects and amusements. Having finished listening to You Tube stories while drafting copy, You Tube waved some interesting channels and gravel cycling in particular. Paul Brodie’s  Painting my GRAVEL BIKE // Paul Brodie's Shop (youtube.com) 

 

channel where he discusses his latest gravel build and disc mount, before showing the start to finish wet spray. He’d gone for an orange and spatter effect. I was sat there transfixed as the grey primer tubes came to life in a bold orange. 

  

I’d seen this before obviously, and it’s never lost its magic. As with so many things, a skilled person makes it look effortless. I watched Mario Vaz in his paint shop and marvelled as the paint magically stopped at certain points.  

 

During our conversation, he reflected and said one of the things he really enjoyed about paintwork and stoving enamels in particular, was that every colour is different to work with. Aside from the obvious satisfaction in being able to undertake the work to a high standard, there’s the other long-standing narrative about me not wanting to be reliant on or beholden to anyone else. At least no more than is strictly necessary. 

 

I’d been contemplating the fixed gear winter/trainer’s gearing and chain tension. The Pirelli Angel DT’s flat was another tiny sharp that had grazed the tube, hence the slow pressure loss. An easy fix, but given the bike is now more road-biased, I went for a 28mm Schwalbe One 365, which gives a gear ratio of 70.7 inches, greater clearance and a more responsive ride. 

Changing chain tugs, for some nicely made, long-serving Genetic and opting for a previously cut, but unused KMC S1 proved the cure. It also presented an opportunity to check the rear Halo sprocket's health. Fixed drivetrains are simple but take a lot of stress-especially if you, like me, don’t run a rear brake. Replace chains regularly and get the tension right to prevent reduced efficiency and accelerated drivetrain wear. Talking of drivetrains, I'll end here with Steve's review of Blub Bio Degreaser Blub Bio Degreaser | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

Bring on the gloop

  

While Mick Madgett was working his wizardry on the Ryde Andura/XT hoop, I discovered I’d added to much tension to the fixed gear winter trainer’s chain. Since the sun had its hat on, I headed out for a couple of sunny rides on the Holdsworth. Afterall, that’s what it's for. 

The Schwalbe One 365 gives a very quick, supple ride quality, in contrast to the Freedom Thick Slick’s coarser but ultimately durable casing- which stays on the rear for precisely this reason. I like the slightly odd couple pairing, so they stay. The Blub Wax lube is also staying, just to see how well it behaves in drier contexts. Like most waxes, it's self-cleansing, so but anecdotally, there’s less friction. However, in common with its ceramic stablemate, if the bike’s not been ridden for two days, you’ll need to replenish.  

Not so the Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Lube. Three hundred miles hence, I’m still on the first application and it’s proving extremely clean, even in the wet. The links looked a little parched but touching them confirmed a tangible, filmy layer remains.  This suggests their claims of 400 miles per application is more than salesmanship.  I’m told it’s a synthetic blend made in partnership with SCC Tech. One that binds to the chain, while the detergents cleanse the dirt as you ride.  

Back to the fixed Gear winter trainer, I’m starting to discover some vulnerabilities in the Pirelli Angel DT Urban Tyre Pirelli Angel DT Urban Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) puncture repelling belt- the third flat (thankfully a slow puncture) at the rear. This struck following six miles of gritty backroad- a flint had worked inside the rear tyre’s shoulder (the puncture repelling strip only covers the centre strip).  

Saddleback sent me these 700x40c WTB Nano. They’ve been around a few years and found a lot of favour among gravel audiences and seem to follow a similar mtb tread in gravel sizing narrative.  

On paper at least, they should be an interesting and very relevant comparator. Of course, with the return of said wheel (which took Mick ten minutes to tame) came the tyre conundrum...Being as I already had the tyre off, it I thought it rude not to slip the WTB in situ. Effortless just using my thumbs.  

Much as the Maxxis, I introduced 50psi, fitted the wheel and then decided I’d switch the misbehaving CX50 in favour of the Suntour SE. The latter fight back a bit (though less than I was expecting) and they’ll need some fine tuning.  

For the uninitiated, these are a late 80s design which employ an internal mechanism that moves when the pads strike the rim, applying more braking force. For these reasons, these should not be run up front (unless massive “stoppies” and being launched over the bars, cartoon style is your thing.)   I’ve had a few tentative outings in monsoon conditions and can confirm they’ve enough power to lock the rear wheel, deployed in anger. 

For the time being, they’re behaving well enough, so I’ll quit while ahead and leave them be. I’d bought another pair, NOS for £10. I wouldn’t pay retro prices for them but couldn’t resist, given their performance. Staying with brakes, I had to tweak the front barrel adjuster and couldn’t find a suitable 8mm open wrench. Ironically, this pressed steel “giveaway” spanner saved the day.  

During this phase, I also switched the saddle. 300 miles hence, the five-year old Pro  Turnix Gel Saddle was proving less supportive to my sit bones than I’d expected. I’ve opted for the Ritchey WCS Cabrillo, which at 260mm long and 146mm. Shorter and a little broader.  

Formative impressions are positive, so I’ll er, sit tight and probably switch for the Ergon SR All Road for comparative purposes.  100 miles hence, I’m warming to both the Maxxis and WTB, which at this point are proving remarkably similar. A little slower across tarmac but compliant, predictable and very swift through mud, dirt and loose stuff. They’re also proving reassuringly good at shifting gloop, thus not becoming slicks at the first hint of a boggy section.