Ride, Tweak, Refine & Return to Wax

 

I concluded I’d the cable tension a little too tight, thus wasn’t getting the right amount of travel and ultimately power from Muffin’s TRP SLC calliper. An easy fix, just a matter of slackening the cable very slightly, then snugging down. Sometimes it pays to run a component in and then make a single adjustment-my experience with Magura Hydro stops, which I had fitted to a Kona Lava Dome some 27 years back. Impressive stopping prowess but tempered by stubborn setup.  

Early season generally means middleweight chain lubes, Weldtite All Weather Lube Weldtite All Weather Lube | cycling-not-racing being a particularly good, wallet friendly default in my experience. Sometimes, conditions permit something lighter and cleaner. I’ve had very mixed experiences with wax formulas in changeable conditions, some are more durable than others. Momum MIC Momum MIC Wax Lube | cycling-not-racingand Smoove TEST & REVIEW: SMOOVE UNIVERSAL CHAIN LUBE: SUMMER TEST have a definite edge in these contexts.

That established, I’ve been sent KMC Go. Now, given KMC’s immense experience manufacturing chains, I was very intrigued. Retailing at £ 17.50 for 150ml, its relatively pricey, so I’m expecting something rather good. KMC say it’s “Designed to significantly reduce friction, enhance shifting and providing optimum efficiency”. Look closely and you’ll notice a chain’s side plates decorate the seam.  

It promises to create a durable water repelling, friction reducing microfilm and supposedly more durable than oil-based products. While good practice to deep clean drivetrains before switching to different brands and genres, waxes are very particular, so aim for surgically clean rings, cassettes, derailleur jockey wheels and cages. This also presented the opportunity to scrutinise the Izumi track chain for wear and its Ok, but I’ll be replacing in the coming weeks.

If I’ve been running oil-based middleweights for any period, I may remove the crank, baste the inner ring in degreaser and leave it marinating for a little while, before introducing a suitably clean, stiff brush. There’s a solid argument for removing rings, chain and cassette and leaving them marinating in a parts washer-or indeed an ultrasonic cleaner, should means allow.  

Now, I’m a big fan of the chain cleaner brushes, particularly this Oxford Chain Brush Pro Oxford Chain Brush Pro | cycling-not-racing and Finish Line’s Grunge Brush Solo  Finish Line Grunge Brush Solo | cycling-not-racing . However, while I’ve found some passable bike-specific brushes for purging cassettes, I’ve yet to find one that excels, which has prompted me to go the heavy-duty dish scrubber route. While wandering the supermarket isles, I spotted this one and it looked suitably sturdy and the handle seems suitably ergonomic.

Ask someone about degreasers, or drivetrain cleaners and you’ll get a tsunami of differing opinions, some advocating high end premium formulas, others more industrial citrus blends and another group advocating washing up liquid (dish soap) as the only way forward, claiming that all bike-related products are a big con. Let’s explore this a little…The problem with washing up liquids is (a) they contain salt, which isn’t good for painted, plated, anodised, or lacquered surfaces, seals and rubberised parts. (b) Then of course, these are designed for organic fats, not petrochemicals, so while they might shift mud and similar gloop, they’re not optimal for petrochemical based chain lubes, greases etc.  

Fenwick’s FS1 concentrate is a good default, but I’ve had great results using Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing and for a long time, Green Oil’s Degreaser Gel GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY ruled the roost in my workshop. I used to have a litre supply. A workshop friendly 5 litre version is available for £145. I’m pondering my next formula, once this Dynamic Bio Drivetrain Detox is exhausted. For reference, it’s pretty economical-I’ve been using it regularly across the fleet since late spring 2025.   

Elsewhere, I’ve been sent this Lezyne KTV Drive Front. It’s a compact safety light in the classic sense of the word, producing a maximum of 200lumens. The sort that makes a good backup for extended summer playtimes on best bikes, or as backing singer to a higher power dynamo lamp. This one is a very practical black, but red, white and blue are the alternatives.

Talking of practical, it complies with IPX7 for weatherproofing, which is reassuringly good. This means it will withstand immersion in water for up to 30minutes-not that I’d be going bog snorkelling with it but stands more than a sporting chance in the worst most road, or indeed, gravel outings will throw at us. I’ve still some Lezyne lights going strong a decade or so down the line.  In terms of modes and outputs, there are five-two steady (70 and 15 lumens) and three flashing (200lumen day, 30 and 15 lumens). The KTV has been around for a good while, but there have been some rather impressive improvements in run time-a claimed 40 hours for flash 1 and flash 2.

 I’ll leave it here with Paul Brodie’s restoration and modification of a 1988 Rocky Mountain, since I like his channel and find his skill very relaxing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdBWFtQJiZ0&list=WL&index=3&t=81s

Fresh Rubber & Lights

August continues to accelerate at an alarming rate with darker mornings and night’s crafty creep becoming progressively more apparent. Timely that I should receive these Ravemen and Kranx lights from their UK importer Bob Elliot Co Ltd - Suppliers of high quality bicycle supplies to registered traders (bob-elliot.co.uk) I have the TR500 USB Rechargeable rear light, TR1600 USB Rechargeable Curved Lens Front Light and Kranx Strix 100 USB Rear Light.  

On the rubber front, these CST Czar700x28 Dual Compound Tyre arrived. However, I was also disappointed (but not remotely surprised) by the response of a Dutch supplier, who likes Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com but says the costs (due to Brexit) prohibit supply of some very tasty test products.  

Then of course, there’s the very real prospect of power shortages and “black outs” during winter, which will be sold as character-building and doubtless heaped with rhetoric, evoking the second world war. Expect to hear “Blitz Spirit” and “pulling together” ad nauseum (which drives some sections of the British public into a palpable jingoistic frenzy).  

I’m still waiting on some component upgrades, which should’ve materialised by now-I'm hoping they turn up before much longer, given the impending strike action at Felixstowe.

 

Back to tyres...For general, year-round riding I’ve tended to favour those with a 60tpi casing. Now, sweeping generalisations are, begging for contradiction. However, while they lack the zing of those with 120, maybe 170 tpi, they still roll easily, ride quality isn’t overly harsh, and durability is similarly impressive. I’ve done several thousand miles with the Kenda Kwick Roller KS Plus KENDA KWICK JOURNEY TYRES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and they’re still in rude health. At 757g apiece, they may be a little portly for some tastes but in the darker, colder months, I preside reliability over outright speed.  

The Vittoria Roubino Pro Control Graphene 2.0 Vittoria Rubino Pro Control Graphene 2.0 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are slightly narrower but palpably lighter and faster. No flats to date and it’ll be interesting how they fare during winter (although I may well swap to bigger sections, when conditions turn a little more challenging). This may not be for some time, given some sources suggest a heatwave will continue into October, possibly November.  

That said; back in the late 80s/early 90s, when many of us were whizzing along on 20-23mm road rubber, 28mm was very much the preserve of lightweight/weekend touring. Still perfectly viable, with lighter loads, or indeed, a low-slung touring trailer.  

 

Otherwise, where frame clearances permit, 35-40mm is my sweet spot for road-biased touring, although I err toward the upper end of this scale.  

Weekend, or indeed “credit card” touring aside, tyres for laden duties should have strong sidewalls and a decent puncture repelling belt (preferably one that runs bead to bead and 3-5mm thick)   

Much as I suspected the Souma Leather Bar Tape improves with use and has settled beautifully on both bars. I’ve fed ours a few times and it's darkened the hide slightly but thankfully, this is uniform, so doesn’t detract. This is to be expected with all leather products, so test an inconspicuous area first, especially if you are treating a light colour.  

The Green Oil Dry Chain Wax continues to impress with its cleanliness and longevity. It's designed for dry, dusty conditions, so arguably in its ideal element. In terms of characteristics, it's somewhere between a traditional dry and wax, meaning it's clean and dry to touch.  

Much as I expected, it uses plant-based ethanol, plant oil and antioxidant. This version also employs graphite as a friction modifier. Continuing this theme, Ursula’s KMC chain is still in rude health, reassuringly so, given it's done 1500 mixed terrain miles. It's been a dry summer, but winter and spring conditions were more varied and I’m thinking cleaner lubes are the determining factor.   

Honeymoon period passed and I’m still pleased with the switch to carbon forks. The weight saving is genuinely palpable, especially since I’ve also switched to the lighter of its dynohub wheels. It’s the compliant ride quality, which is the main draw.  Sure, Cro-Moly forks, like the “school chair” type that Ursula has sported can still be found, new for £60 (although lighter, cross-country models with disc mounts are still available for around £125).  

These might be a more cost-effective choice for some, especially since 26inch wheels are increasingly regarded as old-fashioned. That said; there is a small but seemingly growing community of people who are going the “gravel” route with older, mid and higher end cross country mountain bikes.  

Closer to the Specialized Rock Combo (694) Specialized Rock Combo 1989 commercial -- the first production gravel bike? - YouTube 

 that blew my fragile teenage mind c. 1989 (although the drop bar mountain bike first sprung to my attention in March 1987, when I clapped eyes on Muddy Fox’s Trailblazer). I am forming the opinion that the Carbon fork is an affordable and realistic upgrade for those with older, mid to higher end mountain bikes given new leases of life. 

Painted fork ends bode well for winter and the clear cost uniformly good, although I’ve applied some Zefal Skin Armor roll ZEFAL SKIN ARMOR ROLL | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) on those areas where cabling, or cable ties rest, to prevent unnecessary wear-especially when wet, muddy and gritty stuff are thrown into the mix.