Pedals, Rubber & Massage

 

A few rides over the Easter holiday weekend prompted me to switch things around again. I decided the Time Atac Aluminium should be ported over to Ursula and The Teenage Dream 1991 ROAD BIKE REVAMP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) should sport these single-sided Shimano A520. The 520 are a Tiagra grade “aerodynamic” road pedal, introduced in 2005 and in my view, a decent choice for training, touring and other road contexts. Situations where you might want to walk (rather than hobble) off the bike.  

The silver finish still looks good, cartridge bearings seem in rude health, 9 years down the line, so I thought, why not? They haven’t done much for 5 years, having last made an appearance on the Teenage Dream back in 2016. In some respects, the Wellgo RC713 would’ve been the most obvious switch, given their smaller surface area, but I felt some added support was called for.  

Ursula sported their broader platformed 530 counterparts during 2017.  

This change also saw a switch to something racier than the otherwise excellent FLR Rexton Active Touring/Trail Shoe FLR REXSTON ACTIVE TOURING/TRAIL SHOE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). I’ve reverted to the stiffer-soled Quoc Pham Tourer, which might show some slight patina, given nine year’s regular use but are otherwise, in excellent condition. Despite the tourer tag, they also lend themselves to road and indeed, light trail duties very effectively too, thanks to the relatively aggressive sole.  

Given the Teenager Dream is essentially a spring/summer plaything, I can’t see the Regina freewheel wearing out anytime soon. Nonetheless, I had a look around, to see what was available, without a vintage price tag. Bankrupt stock seems the obvious avenue to pursue, so I’ll keep an eye out.  

However, can’t see myself picking up a Regina unit, a sun race is more likely, especially given supply chain hassles and wait times. Even the basic Shimano are getting heady price tags. 

I’m fond of the Schwalbe Lugano tyre-not the fastest, but dependable. However, I was seeking something friskier. Madison Cycles were gracious enough to send me these 700x28mm Vittoria Rubino Pro Control and these Vittoria Evolution (26x1.9) for Ursula. Both are designed for adverse conditions.  

The Rubino Pro Control are designed to resist cuts and similar damage, while a puncture repelling belt promises to keep thorns, glass and other sharps from creating mischief. The Evolution caught my eye, since they promise to deliver for those riders who want to escape city limits. Though slightly different beasts, I’m keen to see how they compare with the Vittoria Randonneur Trail VITTORIA RANDONNEUR TRAIL TYRES LONG TERM TEST (sevendaycyclist.com). A model I loved but are no longer produced. 

 

 

So then, massage. For some years, I had wanted to become a qualified masseuse. The reasons were varied, but in essence, because I am interested in the subject and of course, the mental and physical well-being massage can bring. It is also another marketable skill. I had intended to undertake post-divorce but finding a suitable, qualification-based course that wasn’t attached to beauty therapy (not that I have anything against the latter). Then of course, a pandemic crept in. I also benefit from being realigned by a qualified osteopath, following a series of deeply unpleasant crashes in my mid-late twenties. Context established; massage guns could prove a useful investment.     

Massage guns are great for post-ride recovery and indeed, more generic relaxation. Prices will vary, dependent upon specification. Higher stall forces, meaning the amount of pressure that can be applied, before the motor cuts out, is desirable, although particular for those with say, a “sprinter's physique”.  

Similarly, the gun also needs to give deep relief to the muscles, rather than simply vibrating and skimming across the skin’s surface. Heavier-built riders should look towards something with a 16mm stroke rate, whereas I’ve found this Rempho R3 and its 10mm stroke rate perfectly adequate for my needs.  

Decibel level is another consideration, especially if you live with, or near others and don’t want introspection. The Rempho R3 puts out 40-45 decibels, which is relatively discrete.  Those with greater muscle mass may find something like this Bang Percussive Therapy Massager BANG PERCUSSIVE MASSAGER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) a better investment.   

Continuous Improvement

So, a TRP Spyre calliper kit was wafted under my nose at the right price. Resistance was futile and deal done. Mine is the black/silver contrast, which to my eye, is even better looking than the stealthy, sexy black unit adorning the Revolution Cross 2.

Autumn is trade show time; Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com is not at Eurobike this year but will be attending the NEC Cycle show later in September.

Talking of stealth, I was surprised by dusk’s advance towards the latter part of August. Blinkies have now been flanked by commuter plus torch-type lamps of the 300-400 lumen calibre on my cyclo cross and road biased builds. 

Generally speaking the preserve of suburban-semi rural commuters, these lights are fine for tackling the latter end of dusk and bright enough to be seen by but 600lumens plus is nearer the mark when darkness really bites. 

Several Moon models of varying capacities and the See Sense Icon + rear have arrived on our test bench this past week.

At the upper end, we have the XL 760 torch-type unit, which is surprisingly compact for a model offering 760 lumens and seemingly powerful enough for tackling pitch-black lanes at a decent pace. Quoted run times of 2hrs 20 in top also seem pretty reasonable, although the    removable 3200mAh battery is another nice touch, meaning you can carry a spare and swap over for extended playtimes. 

Seven settings optimise performance and economy, so you can toggle down for town and up for backyard scratching, although 360lumens is arguably overkill for sub/urban duties.

At the other extreme, their Aerolite is designed for contingencies and surprisingly powerful relative to its size-the sort that comes in handy for early morning TT’s, pre-standlight dynamo companion, reading maps/road signs, or those “Oh #$*@t! My main lamp’s just died ten miles from civilisation and I can hear the chorus of banjos” moments. Thankfully, the latter are rare these days but not completely relegated to the vaults of history.

For many years, I rode primarily in the dark and for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being seasonal- testing lights. Darkness also brings a new lease of objectivity when testing components, or complete bikes.

If you can’t see groupset and simply settle into the ride, things become much less subjective. I have been pleasantly surprised by just how well some budget drivetrains performed; say when shifting under load, or at the last minute.

While not a people person in overused sense of the word; I am also intrigued by people’s choice of winter bike(s) and riding attire. Much of this stems from beginning my serious riding career during the month of falling leaves, inspired by Au Pairs and predictably, the classically French off season attire.

Retro kit, so long as it’s still practical and relevant also gets me very excited. Enter this Minolta X300 35mm film SLR…Retro cool for pseudo artists? An “expensive” paperweight by some people’s reckoning but in my case, it’s a prop for a project or two…

An editor once remarked that being a journalist; though especially freelance also demands the ability to take good photographs. With this in mind, I am predominantly self-taught with some school-of-the streets input. Seeking to experiment in a very different genre to product/technical work-I’m occasionally approached by people asking if I would consider doing their wedding etc but by my own admission; I am a shower of sparks (rather than confetti) chap.

Nonetheless, I’m looking to stretch myself creatively-in parallel. Think I’ve found a suitable studio and instructor to safely explore the genre of artistic nude/erotic (not glamour) photography.

In a wider context, being freelance demands resourcefulness and the ability to problem-solve and think laterally-this extends to cars and other equipment. Purchases are seldom accidental (although things have been known to fall into my lap).

Given my family’s backgrounds in heavy industry/print, growing up, I was steered toward acquiring a sound academic education and a broad, transferable skillset.

Those who experience least economic and consequential turbulence have skills that can be ported over to another industry with similar remuneration. Traditionally, people were also invested in, retrained to bring some facets up to scratch as required-assuming they basically fitted the criteria, although this has also changed.

With this in mind, I have been eager to enrol on a qualifications based massage course, which has to date, eluded me. A lot of further/higher education colleges run this as part of beauty therapy but not a separate entity. I have also been deterred (not so subtly by some tutors) on the basis of gender and to a lesser extent, age. Now, I’ve just received a call asking me to cover a wedding-at an afternoon’s notice...             

Parts & Pragmatism

Frustration with a small, print focused publishing house continues to ruminate, though I’ve reached a state of dispassionate pragmatism, choosing to divert creative energies into book projects and related business opportunities. Sample chapters have been submitted to a respected US publisher for consideration, which will determine whether I assume this traditional (preferred) path, or self-publish via online platform. Either way, such endeavours cannot be left languishing on hard drives/portable storage.

Elsewhere, the Holdsworth’s reincarnation prompted investment in another Czech made headset press, saving time and upheaval, though the Labyrinth nature of said steed’s Woodman Saturn unit proved something of a puzzle with few clues online. Woodman’s website was the first and arguably obvious starting point- PDFs simpered enticingly but several attempts at downloading proved fruitless. Mercifully, this exploded diagram materialised on my desktop’s hard-drive while trawling for some equally elusive photographs.

Twenty minutes and a liberal slathering of ceramic grease later saw front end reinstated with this exquisite Torus titanium stem leading the charge. Further foraging unearthed contact points and transmission components but its chrome plated, Campagnolo pattern seatpost binder bolt still eludes me.

Thankfully, these remain readily available and cheap as the proverbial portion of chips.  I’ve earmarked a set of rather fetching, deep section Halo hoops with powder coated rims and large flange hubs for their solid, yet sprightly charms. This and tyre choice will be contemplated further during that strange limbo land between festive Cyclo Cross meets and New Year.  

Temping was never intended as an economic staple (arguably the same sentiments have been ushered by countless numbers of people entering car/similar assembly lines) and while lacking the same degree of mind-numbing monotony, has nonetheless lead me down some distinctly dead-ends. Having acknowledged this and a desire to acquire a separate, skilled second/tertiary income stream to support scribing of various genres, I’ve decided to reinvestigate vocational qualifications in holistic therapies.

Massage is fascinating; although difficult to practice with any commercial continuity given my gender. However, I was recently invited to explore reflexology and believe this may well prove fruitful. Cost implications seem pretty reasonable too. Progression will depend upon my perceived suitability-standards of education certainly fulfil one set of criteria but those with directly related skills/qualification/experience are undoubtedly at an advantage.

Having spent several years experimenting with varying genres of photography, I’ve decided my commercial focus lies with industrial, product and portraiture. The latter seems a touch woolly/over-subscribed but I have a very specific target audience in mind. Knowing one’s market is the difference between success and obscurity. Swapping the Univega’s headset spacers has indeed cured the sloppy steerer bearing blues, so I’m off to ponder strategies from its saddle.