No, things haven’t taken a
sordid turn. If you’ve come looking for that, I’m delighted to disappoint.
Having swapped the dynohub wheels over, I decided it was time to strip, inspect
and ultimately re pack, my fixed gear winter/trainer's headset. Park PPL1 polylube is a
tried and trusted formula, well suited to these applications. An obvious choice
too, since it was already plugged into my grease gun.
One thing led to another and I
exchanged its Torus Titanium stem https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/torus-titanium-stem
, for The Redshift Sports Shockstop
Suspension unit https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/red
. Timely too, since the titanium stem and Soma bars had formed a
surprisingly stubborn union. For some reason, I’d forgotten the all-important,
light coating of assembly paste…
Thankfully the Gods of
galvanic seizure were feeling merciful and the swap straightforward. Trench
helmet is another thing that doesn’t strike very often but I had been haunted
by a faintly funky odour. While tethering this Sigma Buster 700 front light, to
my Bontrager helmet, said funk was attributable to the lid’s padding.
Off to the elderly Miele it
went!
The Buster is proving an
interesting light. A little under-powered on paper, for serious backroad, let
alone trail antics. However, the actual beam quality is good enough (as a sole
source) for rural navigation at 17/18mph on a clear night and seemingly, a big
step up from its predecessor. Four modes might not get pules racing, given the
race for tunability.
However, they’re easy to
locate. Standard is 350lumens, certainly enough to be seen with and adequate
for navigating less taxing, semi-rural roads. Low is 170 lumens, which is
sensible for the suburbs and town (assuming you didn’t want to slip into
flashing).
Flashing is impressive too,
easily good enough for use as a daylight running mode. The ability to “dip” straight down from 700 to
170 lumens, with a quick, double prod of the switch cum battery life indicator,
is another definite plus. Composite construction saves a few grams, so its less
obtrusive than some, worn atop a helmet.
In this context, it’s proving
a welcome, compliment to my Univega’s Shimano Ultegra/ Exposure Revo MK1 dynamo
setup. The Revo produces a very credible 800lumens, at relatively low speeds.
In fact, its probably the only dynamo lamp, good enough for moderate trail
duties. Or at least, the only one I have come across to date.
Temperatures are turning more
typically autumnal range and my middleweight winter tights are becoming a more
frequent sight. Issues of Tendonitis etc aside, to some extent, legs
(especially when riding fixed) are perpetually in motion.
Blood’s circulating nicely,
and (assuming it’s not raining dogs, or dipping below single figures) we’re
still temperate.
Hands, head and torso are relatively static, so
layering/warmth is more critical here. Steve (co-editor) has been very
impressed with Stolen Goat Climb & Conquer Grid Winter Jacket https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/stolen-goat Recent weeks have proved mild enough for me to
chase along the lanes in long sleeve base-layer and technical jackets,
sometimes a gilet has been sufficient.
Late
October, through to mid- November, it hasn’t dipped below 13 degrees in these
parts. That said; I’ve opted for full finger gloves and with some minor
misgivings, these Lusso Windtex Terrain Red gloves are delighting my digits.
Windproof,
water resistant and breathable, they’re reckoned to deliver in temperatures
between 0 and 14 degrees. A tall order and one begging for bluff-calling. I
always prefer garments (gloves in particular) that are weather resistant but
wick fast, over “impervious designs”.
Same goes
for socks, which in my experience results in athlete’s foot and similar fungal nasties.
Unpleasant but caught quickly, easily dismissed by pouring alcohol-based mouthwash
over the affected areas. Talking of socks and with Christmas just around the
corner, Steve’s been pleasantly surprised by these https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/bridgedale-waterproof-socks
I also
unearthed these Scott sport/casual SPD shoes and this Pro “Sleeping” hub while
on another mission. Extensive mesh precludes the Scott’s service, for a while
but the “sleeping hub” will come in handy during deep cleans and other jobs,
dictating wheel removal.
Finally, an
update on the “Motor oil challenge”. True to expectation, the 5W/40 is
collecting a bit more gunk and grime, compared with more sophisticated ceramic
types. However, nothing a weekly cat-lick of the side plates, doesn’t sort. Its
also a necessary duty, with more traditional, hell n’ high water, bike specific
wet lubes, including Weldtite TF2 Extreme wet https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-extreme-wet-chain-lubr
