Foiled by The Fork

 I’ll attribute this to Storm Eunice and its slow-release offspring that caused a major dip (but thankfully not total) in household power. Cooker, microwave, PC, washing machine etc were inoperable, but broadband, lighting was still operating, and I could type and generally communicate, courtesy of the laptop. The kettle would also boil, albeit at a very pedestrian rate.  

Things to be thankful for and a taste of what might be to come, here in the UK… The present administration has been romanticised the 70’s era of three-day weeks, blackouts and similar indignities.  

Then, of course, there is uncertainty around oil and gas supplies, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

A situation that was inevitable, given Putin’s posturing and rhetoric but felt like a nightmarish simulation, rather than reality from this corner of the world. Speculation is a very dangerous thing and truth is the first casualty of war.  

The figures for casualties have differed wildly. However, if Vladimir Putin is genuinely looking to recreate the Soviet Union, I believe the military will head for Poland, rather than neighbouring Moldova or Romania. Once of course, Ukraine and its infrastructure has been obliterated. 

Regardless of route, this has grave humanitarian implications-civilian casualties, people left homeless and displaced. History repeats itself.   

This is a conflict I believe will last many years and may well prove to be another Afghanistan for Russia. Putin may have under-estimated Ukraine, in a similar fashion.  

Sanctions are on everyone’s lips, but for some, its little more than lip service.  

If Putin cut Europe’s supply of oil and gas, this will have some very real implications for Europe and the UK. However, this would leave Russia with the Chinese market and the Chinese could dictate prices on their terms and a take or leave basis. What is clear is that we have a humanitarian crisis, and some nations are stepping in to help, others are turning their backs.       

Anyhow, during this phase, I sketched out a plan of action re Ursula’s front end. Continuing my recent bite-sized theme, I decided I’d switch to the Project 2, lose the existing cable hanger and Ahead spacers for thinner fare, and stick with cantilevers. That was the theory, and it was materialising in practice too, until I discovered the Project two has forward facing dropouts, which would’ve precluded guard fitment, even with the adaptors.  

Then, to compound matters, the TRP calliper was sloppy- the mount’s threads were virtually bare-the perils of buying used and, moreover, blind. Lesson learned. Back to the Univega’s triple butted originals. Presented an ideal opportunity to pack the Stronglight Aheadset with lashings of Peaty’s Assembly grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). The name might imply it’s for contact points (carbon aside) but is a smooth, middleweight blend well suited to bearing surfaces too. Attempting to rescue something from the slightly abortive mission, I switched to the Shimano CX50 cantilevers, which in turn presented the opportunity to test some Capgo brake cables.  

The cables are stainless steel and the outer wires impregnated with PTFE to minimise friction. I don’t like the Shimano straddle wire system, so reclaimed the Tektro cable hanger and Transfil straddle wire, resulting in precisely the modulation and feel I like from a front stopper. 

The fixed gear winter trainer is also getting some decent miles in-nimble backroad blasting now the front stopper is behaving exactly as it should. I’ve raised the saddle by a centimetre and snugged tight with this M System Torque wrench.

By the roadside multi-tools are fine but these days components are built to very tight tolerances, so torque wrenches are up there with track pumps. I also have some interesting larger section 700c rubber headed my way. I’ll leave you with my review of the Torque Covert 7 Crank Multi Tool TORQUE COVERT 7 CRANK MULTI TOOL | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

Battle of Wills

 While I’m testing the Alfine Dynamo, I’ve decided it was time to bolt a rotor to the SP SD8 SHUTTER PRECISION SD8 HUB DYNAMO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) hub, creep a little closer to the front-end swap. Time, or rather uninterrupted opportunity are in short supply at present, so the smoother this process the better. Then of course, Ursula is very much a working bike and needs to be well, working. An unhurried, methodical approach is key, in my experience, to getting things set up properly and while digesting the manuals are crucial stages, lateral thought, and processes of elimination are similarly important. 

Enter triple-checking spacer/stack heights, and condition of components like rotors. Talking of which, I subsequently discovered the Shimano centre lock rotor I believed was nestling quietly in the spares bin, was in fact a figment of my imagination. Five minutes at the keyboard, crowned by a deft mouse click-sorted.  

Wrong time of night, wired, maybe? Whatever the catalyst, I found myself bidding on an allegedly brand-new Kinesis Maxlight fork. 7005 aluminium alloy, disc and cantilever mounts, uncut steerer... Thankfully someone else overtook me on this journey, since I discovered the vendor had a reputation for not honouring the auction price and more significantly, transpired this was a 1-inch steerer. All that glitters...  

Besides, sometimes we need to be forced to use what we have, and not get overly indulgent.  Especially since the UK is hitting the highest patch of inflation for 30 years and things are becoming increasingly lean, even for those who would never imagine they’d feel economic constraint.  

Storm Eunice hit the UK last week. Reckoned to be the most intense since the storms of 1987, it seems to have wreaked similar devastation in certain areas of the country. Conditions were close to eerily calm, that morning. Few cars, little wildlife as I weaved around the backroads and singletrack lanes.  

Wind speed intensified to around 60mph at 1500hrs in my region, with fallen trees, collapsed walls and similar damage prevalent. During this period, I was driving on the motorway and could feel the KA buffeted by gusty winds. These dropped by 1900hrs, although still accompanied by a banshee howl.  

I woke the next morning to winds around the 23mph mark, so Ursula and I headed out for a twenty-mile loop. Plenty of stray branches and dead wood but thankfully nothing obviously dangerous at that stage. I returned with the intention of giving the old girl a good clean. That she got.  

Undersides of her Bluemels mudguards SKS BLUEMELS SHINY MUDGUARDS | cycling, but not ususally racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  cassette n’ all. This, coupled with a need to test the Torque Covert 7’s chain tool brought forward chain replacement. Oh well, might as well. I went for another KMX X10, since it was close to hand. The .73 has a duller, grey finish than the ultra-reliable .93, which has me wondering if that’s the only difference. I’m no fan of the magic/ “missing link” genre and always join mine using the old school method and always carry a batch of spare links. Contradictory perhaps, given my remark 

 

I was surprised to find some minor knee discomfort recently, especially since I don’t turn big gears, or participate in impact activities. Having researched the matter in greater depth, I concluded it was an alignment issue. Switching from the FLR Defender booties to their Rexton Active cousins. I was relieved to discover this was down to cleat positioning, thus easily addressed. Might also explain the odd patina forming on the right side of this Cycles Berthoud Soulor CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Decided, since I hadn’t stretched the fixed gear winter/trainer’s wheels for a little while now was the time to get some miles in. Gave me an opportunity to bed the TRP SLC caliper in properly- wet roads with gritty stuff and a minor nudge of a 3mm Allen key sorted these.  

The good folks at Ison Distribution www.ison-distribution.com have returned my freshly refurbished SP PD8 dynohub. New bearings, grease and overhauled, ready for building back into the Halo White line rim HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) but that’s a job for another time, there are more pressing priorities just now.