Showing posts with label sudsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sudsy. Show all posts

Monday 19 January 2015

Taming of the Squeal & Other Minor Triumphs








Having ridden fifty formative miles with the new headset, my serenity (and everyone else’s) was rudely interrupted by the front brake’s blood curdling banshee howl. Nothing more serious than misaligned and slightly glazed pads; sorted in less than ten minutes with 5, 3mm Allen keys and a little, fine grade sandpaper. 

Bijous’ multi tools bristling with functions are blessing and curse in equal measure.

You’ll never find yourself bereft of that torx diver at the crucial moment and these are for quick roadside tweaks, not workshop staples. However, cable bolts and balance screws aside; there are other situations where longer bits blitz faff. Recessed seat/ cable clamp, square taper crank and Ahead preload bolts being prime examples.

Thankfully and quite by accident, I’ve rediscovered this rather handsome Brooks M21 while having another sort out. 21 functions won’t tackle every situation and 290g is very apparent in jacket pockets but it’s hard to beat for sheer leverage and refinement.  Off the subs bench and into my Univega’s equally bomb-proof cotton duck rack bag it goes!

Icy, slushy stuff has started becoming a popular roadside adornment in these parts and according to Revolution’s Velocity computer, the mercury hasn’t inched past 4 degrees Celsius. Thus, after several outings both Ilpompino and Univega were deserving of a proper sudsy pamper. Decisions, decisions, do I go for the household name that’s long been something of an institution, or a lesser known favourite of mine…

Now, there is some truth that, dilute enough household kitchen detergents will achieve similar results without dulling paint/finishes or inducing corrosion on stainless/ polished parts. However, while these and dedicated bike brews will perform the same tasks, some are genuinely more effective than others-depending on their concentration.  

This prompted some experimentation. Two brands may be broadly similar chemically but does trigger design genuinely affect i.e. improve overall performance?…Exchanging that belonging to an iconic name for one with a specialist "agitating" head confirmed my suspicions.

The pink legend emerges in precisely the same foaming consistency. Being more concentrate on contact suggests an even coat and shorter marinating times to achieve same effect. That in question was the original, factory formula, rather than dilute to taste version, which I find more versatile. 

The song remained unchanged when swapping heads with another respected, albeit more dilute pink brand. Host bottles may well join the recycling pile but looks like that trigger will become a fully affiliated member of my tool-box.