November is literally vanishing before they eyes. Darker, wetter days have been the norm. Trees have shed their leaves almost unnoticed, and these have interwoven with dung, coating rural roads in interesting, impacted mulch. One that harbours hedge clippings, flints and other sharps, that infiltrate tyre casings as we ride.
Even the Univega's front Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Double Defence tyre had succumbed. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-mondial-tyres
Another spare tube retrieved and the injured party ear-marked for patching, this presented an ideal opportunity to give the bike, a good wash.
Another spare tube retrieved and the injured party ear-marked for patching, this presented an ideal opportunity to give the bike, a good wash.
Juice Lubes Dirt Juice Bike Cleaner, complete with a new, foaming trigger spray was an obvious candidate. Now, there's an argument that says foaming solutions give a very visual impression of dissolving gunk and grime. Whereas, less visually active solutions are more effective, since they sit on the hosts, breaking it down on a molecular level. Juice Lubes advise the dirt juice is designed to foam up, though cling to the hosts.
Credit where due, left for the full two minutes, the dirt juice did a decent job of dismissing some ingrained organic and petrochemical grot. Nocturnal temperatures have been tumbling close to freezing, which in turn has coaxed the gritting lorries out.
I may switch to the Schwalbe Marathon Winter, should slippery roads become a prevailing feature. Lanes carpeted in iced bovine dung and compacted leaves, can induce the wrong sort of excitement.
Next, I dialled in the Univega's front brake. Not that the Genetic Cantilevers were anything but crisp. I just wanted fractionally more bite. This also presented opportunity to use the Juice Lubes JL69 maintenance spray to work. Most maintenance sprays promise to be all things, to all folks.
Perfect for post wash lubing of cables, pivot points, displacing water, while leaving a protective slippery barrier behind. Many claim to loosen rusted parts. Some are better than others.
Royally stuck stems, seat posts and bottom brackets, call for oceans of Plus Gas/similar high strength freeing oil. Often some liberal deployment of judicious force, too.
Royally stuck stems, seat posts and bottom brackets, call for oceans of Plus Gas/similar high strength freeing oil. Often some liberal deployment of judicious force, too.
Maintenance sprays tend to fall into two basic camps. Insipid brews, which are fine for post wash duties, or super stocky stuff with lashings of PTFE. The latter tend to be quite effective, in terms of protection and reducing friction. They're also relatively cheap. However, they're not particularly kind to seals and other rubberised components.
Juice tell me the JL69 contains no PTFE, so nicer all round. Constant use and exposure to warm sudsy bucket loads tends to strip lubricant from my long serving work stand, making erection and collapse feel slightly arthritic.
A localised squirt has freed things nicely. I'd be inclined to strip and re grease a binding rear brake, regardless of genre, but a quick shot on the inner wires and pivot points also seems to keep things slick and glitch free. Talking of glitches, logistics firms are recruiting their seasonal army of couriers, primed for Black Friday and pre Christmas blow-outs.
I've worn that particular hat.
Bustling back and forth with a Mercedes Sprinter laden to its limit. Sullen and miserable as the day's targets, tracking devices, stressed out, chain-smoking controllers and ignorant members of the public consume reserves at alarming pace.
Never has " Stop The Cavalry" been more appropriate...Save perhaps, for the school nativity back, in 1981. I'm also confident that £185 per day* is achievable (assuming of course, you can operate three vehicles, headed in wildly different areas, simultaneously).
Empathy waned a bit upon discovering dick heads Ltd couldn't be arsed to deliver some test products, on Monday afternoon. Yes, I was destined to receive them between 16.51 and 1751... Only to discover a cancellation email in my inbox...Thankfully, a regular face turned up, bang on cue the next day.
Be kind to your courier, make their life easier and generally treat them as you would hope to be. In this particular stash, I found Some interesting lights and these Look Geo Trekking pedals. Dual purpose designs employing a resin body and SPD centre-piece. A bit of a deviation for the French marque and seemingly aimed at the E-bike/trekking market.
In common with their rival, Time, they've devised some quirky models. I'm still have a soft spot for these now discontinued Time All Road Gripper Pedals and of course, these "Lego-Like" Look. The latter I bought for £10, including cleats some 25 years, or so back.Time I was going out to play with these lights.
Oh but before I go, here's my review of the K-lite Bike Packer Pro V2
https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/k-lite
