Too Much Pressure?

There’s been no relent in the wet weather. Thankfully, my Univega’s dressed for foul conditions and mixed terrain service. Besides, I needed to test the mud-shedding prowess of these Wellgo MO94B pedals https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/wellgo-m094 and cast my own, personalised imprint in the Cycles Berthound Solour leather saddle. 

After 85 miles, the latter and I were in friendly acquaintance territory, 150 miles in and the friendship is blossoming. Regular feeding of the hide, using Proofide, or a similar quality leather preserve also helps accelerate this process. Once forming is complete, feeding need only be done every 6 weeks or so.  

Existing gearing was low enough to winch myself through the thick, boggy mud. However, I’ve concluded a 38 (rather than 40) tooth ring would strike the elusive sweet spot. Enough zoom for the flat and descents, just a little more grunt on the climbs.  

Production 5 arm 94 BCD rings are getting harder to source (although I am advised that Stronglight still list them). I’m not prepared to pay “classic” prices for NOS (New Old Stock) rings either. However, the existing Talon ring is in rude health and if something suitable comes along, brilliant, if not the gearing is, in the main, perfectly serviceable. 

While I’m delighted that high quality, small scale manufacturing/engineering is very much alive, sourcing products from Europe and indeed, elsewhere could become fraught with difficulty, come 2021.  

Unfortunately, highly skilled engineering and similar vocational education is (and has long been) regarded as a poor second to academic learning. A long-standing snobbery, which is neither accurate nor desirable.  

I graduated 25 years ago, during a recession. During this period, I was also keen on pursuing a new life in the Netherlands. I had a girlfriend studying there. Catching her aside her housemate (who had a 1st class honours degree), seemingly ingesting his enviable intellect saw any love for her evaporate, replaced by a strengthening bond to the Dutch.  

One thing led to another and I decided to check out the cross-country mountain bike scene there. I met an ex-pat and former banker who had relocated from the UK and retrained as a skilled machinist. Decent salary and standard of living, too. He’d never looked back. 

For the uninitiated, a skilled machinist operates machine tools to manufacture and repair precision equipment. It requires a solid understanding and application of mechanics, metals, layout and machining procedures. Apprentice trained engineers are life-lomg learners by nature and continuously develop their knowledge/skillset.  

The same is not necessarily true of University graduates, regardless of specialism-at least, here in the UK.  In the late 90’s, the UK administration introduced life-long learning accounts. A system, which was well-intentioned and originally aimed at people made redundant, when traditional industries collapsed.  

Unfortunately, this didn’t reach the intended/target audience, so it was quietly disbanded. It was recently resurrected as part of the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto, and once again, been consigned to the vaults of history.  

Observing the patterns, I do not feel we will reach a point of total automation, where human labour/skills are made redundant but the skills required (and to some extent, legal/insurance implications) will need to change and it is quite possible that many people will be unable to make these transitions.   

These will not replace important “soft” skills, such as emotional intelligence, which are also incredibly important, in any role requiring human interaction. For example, a heating engineer who communicates well and problem solves on this level, is also likely to have more customers than one who is technically very competent but lacking in inter-personal abilities.   

I’ve been chatting a lot about handlebars in recent entries, specifically Soma Condor and Genetic’s D-Riser family. These are riser drops and some would argue, more specialist than required by some road-biased riders. Arguably, components on complete bikes should be proportional to frame size e.g. stem length, bar width etc.  

Similarly, there is a perfectly reasonable argument for making substitutions/upgrades at the point of sale. Tyre and saddles are two prime examples. This has changed slightly, given modern retailing- the switch to online, rather than physical shop consultations and purchases.  

However, unless something is obviously the wrong width/pattern/size, there’s an argument for running stuff a little while, then upgrading/replacing at a later stage.  At £30, Steve reckons the Genetic STV Road Handlebars are a great starting point for generic, road-biased riding.     https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-stv-road-handlebars 

Continuing my theme, some inexpensive but cheerful “Lifeline” branded tooling arrived, including this digital tyre gauge. Even though those fitted to most track pumps have much closer affinity to reality, getting pressures spot on gets the best from tyres and ride quality. Capable of registering 160psi, the digital is a little small, compared with a  Topeak Smartguage I had some 15 years back.   

However, in common with this premium quality SKS unit (that’s been loyal to me for a decade, or so), it features a useful backlight. Another similarity is the dual (rather than “smart”) valve head. There’s no denying the “Smart” type, which automatically morph to fit Schrader/Presta heads are super convenient.  

However, in my experience, the sprung mechanism is their Achille's heel, eventually going the self-destruct route. It also features a bleed valve, for quick tweaks and runs from the ubiquitous CR2032 button battery.  

Giving change from £10, it doesn’t feel fragile but it will be interesting to see how accurate and durable it proves. The backlight and valve light and similar features suggest it’s intended to be taken along for the ride.  

Given the price point, if it did take a bad knock, then cheap enough to replace. Nonetheless, I’m more inclined to carry an analogue model, such as this Revolution, since there’s no risk of accidental, battery draining engagement.         

There is a perception among some, that tough tyres “suck the joy out of riding”. However, this needn’t be the case. The Schwalbe Marathon GT https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt-tyres are relatively portly but still deliver a very smooth and relatively quick ride.  

I’ve had a couple of flats over the past few years and countless thousand miles. 800 odd grams is pretty much as portly as I’d want to go. Nonetheless, I’d prefer a few additional grams and reclaim riding time, over tending punctures on dark, rainy nights.      

Bother, Bother, Bother That Brake!

"Father did not riot, he loaded his pannier full with DSLR, lenses, spare batteries, hopped on the Univega and went in search of politicians in compromising positions. After a particularly long and arduous descent, the V brakes rebelled and he replaced them with cantilevers".

This is a shameless and deliberate play on Norman Tebbit's infamous speech made in response to civil unrest instigated by harsh socio-economic conditions in the early 1980s. Quotes frequently morph or are bastardised with time and a publication's political colours but Tebbit is widely believed to have said " I grew up in the 30's with an unemployed father. He didn't riot, he got on his bike and looked for work and he kept looking 'till he found it". Before embarking on our tale of woe, I've caught some very candid shots of local government figures partaking in midday massages and moonlight meanderings. Several meadows close to Dorking town centre reputedly bore witness to the latter but this could've been small talk and unfounded rumor amplified by poor journalism.

Few can escape the continued focus and speculation around the economy and the extensive rationing of public spending-especially here in the UK. Cycling England which served to promote cycling in all its genres and contexts has become the latest casualty. Cynically one might suggest this was predictable given cycling seemingly rates on par with welly-wanging in the public consciousness (although the British track team's recent successes certainly improved matters). However, responsibility for the coordination of related projects/developments has been returned to local authority control which isn't particularly good news, not least as the present administration seem determined to wield power centrally, thus local governments will become little more than paper tigers. Paraphrasing a line from Jaws "We're gonna need a bigger boat" to keep the momentum going at grass root and national level.

So to matters braking. Dia Compe 988 might seem a curious choice, necessitating new levers, cables and bar wrap but there's a method in my madness. First and foremost, their slender profiles improve pannier and heel clearance compared with their wider and more powerful brethren but secondly, cantilevers cope better than linear pulls in wet, muddy conditions. This is very significant seeing as Joshua loves riding but the tight, narrow roads are heavily trafficked and unsuitable for children his age-ergo much of our time is spent riding, wet muddy farm and forest tracks/trails. Such reconfigurations present the ideal opportunity for more comprehensive annual overhaul before the winter miles set in, although the 988 mounting kit was instantly upgraded and the pads will follow suit so as to bring modulation and feel on par with higher end models. That said, even as stock they're not to be sneezed at-especially for winter/cross builds.

Well-dressed riders and machines form the basis of winter survival and it's been the first week that 3/4 length knickers have been shunned in favour of tights. Hands and feet are the first extremities to suffer in the cold so with this in mind, its timely we take a quick peek at these weatherproof gloves from Altura and Protective.

Both are competitively priced, completely waterproof to the cuffs, offer good insulation from road and trail shock and feature the ubiquitous Ulnar padding. The Altura features a series of hefty gel tablets dotted around the palms whereas Protective have opted for a less pronoun ed and very compliant single cushion. There's no magic bullet when it comes to comfort-we're anatomically unique with different riding styles and so one wo/mans padding is another's pressure point. The first few hundred miles suggests the Protective provide a more sculpted anatomic fit-especially after two hours continuous riding.

Altura's mid-weight night vision technical winter jersey addresses the issue of beating winter chill without incurring increased bulk. Polyester based it's heavily impregnated with Scotchlite detailing-the sort that reflects back when graced by vehicle headlamps, street lighting etc. Three large pockets capture keys, phones, cameras, change and other assorted nick knacks and the middle will even swallow a 750ml trade bottle. Paired with a decent base layer it beats early season chill hands down and resists light showers and moisture management's pretty good-about twenty five minutes following a light shower or machine wash. Another lovely touch is the fibre optic strip that attaches to the garment courtesy of a large Velcro bed. This completes the really neat, integrated appearance and could spell the slow but steady extinction of the traditional LED tab. If only all lighting systems were this simple....

Charging the assorted nimh, li-on and Lead acid systems has proven somewhat more demanding with some losing charge before we'd reached the end of the drive and others just refusing to replenish full-stop. Seven hours-the lion's share of a working day (or night) brings this old school but likable Electron unit to life for a couple of hour's return-not the most convenient for a quick twenty mile chase around the block. No longer made and showing it's age beside this simple, compact Li-on fuelled units such as this from One23; the Electron slips into the bottle cage and alternates between settings via two handlebar mounted switches.

Fine for commuting and winter training, the beams deliver a bright but yellow hue that isn't so effective off road or tackling pitch black rural lanes...Let's take a closer look at the One23 extra bright. This unit is the perfect illustration of why watts are a very outmoded and slightly misleading measure of power/output. The super bright LEDs knock old fashioned ten watt lead acid systems for six, projecting a really pure white beam good enough to belt along the back roads at 20+ mph in the highest setting.

Low isn't radically better in terms of economy but more than adequate for sub/urban runs while flashing saves the day when battery life and visibility to other traffic preside over outright visual clarity. Run times are around three hours in top, four in low and six in flashing. Fully charging the lithium battery will cost a couple of hours at the mains while the helmet mount option and very modest weight opens horizons to nocturnal singletrack and forest fun when accompanied by a handlebar system.