Had the privilege of attending
this year’s Core Bike Show and there was a fair bit to see. 1x11 configurations
continue to rule the roost, especially when it comes to Gravel/Adventure and backpacking
builds. Cassettes too were getting wider, dare I say bigger.
Keeping a wide-range
touring/mtb triple happy and obedient year round is something of a chore. These
from hope certainly caught my eye. Finish aside, there’s even a 42
tooth-something I’d more commonly associate with tandems, recumbents and
similarly specialist builds. Enough grunt for winching heavy laden touring
trailers (or young tag-along pilots) up silly gradients without popping knees-Yay!
Cyclo cross bikes, at least
those with less specialist personas, have long made excellent all-rounders,
from winter trainers to light tourers. However, this has given rise to two
tribes. The first, civilian, domesticated and extremely practical daily drivers
and at the other extreme, gravel/bike packing. That said front mechs and belt drives
haven’t disappeared.
Retro remains popular. I
personally like it when older fashioned concepts return with a modern twist and
less “classic” pricing. If you can drag yourself away from pencil thin stays,
dripping in chrome you’ll also notice a centre-pull brakeset on this tourer.
Back in the South…
With the nasty lube Siberian
reduced to a filmy state, it was time to strip the remnants from Univega and
cross inspired fixed’s chains. This also coincided with the arrival of Duck
Smart the black stuff chain cleaner.
In common with Green Oil
degreaser jelly https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/green-oil-degreaser-jelly
its’ a gel, so has the potential to double rather nicely as a generic
degreaser. There’s also less wastage compared with a traditional solvent based
stripper, although demands 5minutes marinating time before rinsing (and in some
instances, reapplication).
A minor point, since I was
giving my working fixed a good sudsy bucket pampering. This was followed by a
liberal helping of some Crankalicious Enduro frame sealant.
Next came the Smoove universal
chain lube. Now, this, like many others requires a curing period. Ideally,
overnight but Smoove says it can be ride ready in an hour.
Potentially music to the ears
of commuters prone to manic Mondays- drizzle some on first thing, don togs and
be out the door after breakfast. With this in mind, I went said route with the
Univega, to see if I could call Smoove’s bluff.
First impressions were similar
to that of Motorex dry and my hunch that, curing aside, both work to the same
principle. Unlike the wax/emulsion types that flake away, taking accumulated
contaminant along with them, these trap grime in the top layer. It may assume a
scuzzy grey/black but crap cannot work into the chain and become a fearsomely
efficient grinding paste. So goes the theory at least.
I was expecting a slick, low
friction middleweight and that’s how it’s behaved, several rides in. However,
our maiden voyage coincided with fierce crosswinds and the Univega’s rear Kenda
succumbing to a slow puncture. The sort where you reckon something’s a bit off,
into the bend, so you stop pinch the casing…
Yup, suspicions confirmed.
Time to swap the tube. Wheel out, last spare tube primed, I whipped out the
wounded butyl. Sweeping the Kenda’s casing for foreign objects, expecting to
find a thorn/hedge clipping-nothing…
During this period, groups of
riders, including couples on tandems called over as they passed- I confirmed
all was well and thanked them. Tube in, wishing I’d a CO2 inflator and cartridges
handy, I was just grateful for the Lezyne mini pump’s smooth, predictable
delivery.
Another rider stopped, apparently
for a yarn.
Ten minutes in, I was getting
progressively colder, despite long sleeve base layer, winter weight jersey cum
jacket, waterproof breathable shell, thermal bib tights, gloves and booties.
Seems he was a newbie. I was stunned to learn that his new top tube bag was
bare-he was out without any means of rescuing himself, which seemed foolhardy
at best.
Chill biting harder than ever,
I suggested he invest in at least two spare tubes, multi tool, patch kit, pump
and tyre levers. This way, he’d stand a sporting chance of getting going again.
Strangely enough, my Cat-Eye blinky had jettisoned, although I was able to retrieve
before it was crushed under the wheels of a Nissan Duke.
40psi (or thereabouts) and
wheel reinstated, I span a lower gear to warm up. Infinitely preferable to a
long walk home and a reminder to replenish the wedge pack. Budget tubes are
generally speaking, fine for roadside rescue duty but branded butyl respond better to patching.
Elsewhere, my patience finally
evaporated with a well-known car insurer. Their abysmal customer service and
palpable disinterest (in pursuing a case involving a foreign haulier), saw me
turn to Chris Knott’s Car insurance 4 cyclists’ https://www.carinsurance4cyclists.com/ Even in light of the pending claim, my
premium was still less than half that quoted by my original insurer. Decision made.
