Up Front

No sooner had I switched Ursula to the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, I acquired another sharp, which infiltrated the casing and nicked the tube. Another very slow flat and I was suspicious about the barely discernible spitting that seemed to strike when I was speeding through lanes, seemingly paved with acres of slippery bovine dung.  

Tube patched, I switched to the spare and decided I’d leave the rear Marathon Mondial and run the Schwalbe Marathon GT365 up front. TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) At 1048g apiece, they are very portly but the aesthetic blends with the Mondial and will resist pretty much hell and high water. Given as the gearings’ right, overcoming the increased rolling resistance hasn’t been overly taxing. 

As their name implies, the GT365 are a heavy-duty tyre, prioritising reliability, in every sense. Whether you are commuting through winter’s worst, need something for the child/trailer tug (where a puncture can turn a chill outing from stimulating to distressing- for all parties, but protégés in particular)  

For the record, I’m yet to flat with the 365, so I expect to sit back and enjoy the lanes, while I await the arrival of the new rear-wheel and contemplate which rubber route, I will take next. I will also replenish tube stocks, since it’s always good to have a few in reserve.  

I generally pension tubes, past the third patch but may keep one, as an emergency spare, should I, or indeed another rider find themselves in crisis. There is a fine line between the principles of self-reliance and being tone-deaf. Having the emotional intelligence to realise the best prepared machines and riders can run into difficulties is equally important. 

For the time being, I’ve done away with the Topeak Midloader frame Bag TOPEAK MIDLOADER FRAME BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and redistributed its contents between the Zefal R5 ZEFAL ADVENTURE R5 WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and See Sense Handlebar Bag SEE SENSE HANDLEBAR BAG | cycling,-but-not-usually-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

One thing led to another and I turned my attentions to my fixed gear winter trainer. Justin Burls had kindly sent me a Ti track sprocket, which prompted me to attempt removing the existing 16tooth Cro-Moly unit from the traditional, threaded side of the Halo Fix-G Track hub HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting . Thankfully, though it had weathered a little over the past year or so, I’d greased the threads liberally.  

 

A liberal blast of GT85, a gentle tap of the Pedros Vice whip using an engineer’s mallet and-bing! the sprocket released. Sometimes, a liberal blast of solvent rich sprays, including disc brake cleaners DIRT WASH DISC BRAKE CLEANER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) can make passable penetrants, shifting moderately stuck components.   

A moderate helping of Park grease to both hub and sprocket threads to avoid almost certain galvanic seizure later down the line, then I spun it home. Huzzah!  I also fitted a Bontrager AW 3 hard Case Lite Reflective Road tyre, since opportunity presented.  

I’m increasingly warming to the AW3 Hard-Case Lite and its quick, supple ride characteristics, which have made my fixed gear winter/trainer even more fun to ride. That being said; I am wondering if it’s Hard Case sibling with an aramid sub layer and bead to bead anti-cut casing, is a better bet for year-round/winter duties where punctures can be a miserable experience. 

Sadly, Control Tech no longer produce their Silicone High Performance Handlebar tape.  

Though tricky to wrap, the combination of superb grip, damping and durability means it’ll be adorning the Univega for some time to come. Talking of silicone, several weeks later and I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the T-One Mr Fantastic Handlebar tape, which comes in other colours, if orange isn’t your flavour T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

 

 

Going Bonkers& Brakes Sorted

In this instance, I’m heralding the arrival of these Schwalbe tyres, rather than passing comment on the UK’s present chaos. Red top tabloids have continuously threatened a nationwide white-out but in this corner of the UK, 4 degrees is the forecast. 2.1 inches is tops, clearance-wise with the Univega’s SKS Bluemels Shiny Mudguards SKS BLUEMELS SHINY MUDGUARDS | cycling, but not ususally racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and thankfully we’re not in fag paper territory.  

For the uninitiated, the Billy Bonkers are designed for Pumptrack, Dirtjump and Slope style and grip on loose, sandy surfaces... An odd choice for Ursula and indeed my mixed terrain diet, comprising of metaled road and slightly boggy bridlepath but bear with me... 

Ours are the wire bead “Active Line” K-guard versions.  

This means aside from the slight weight penalty over their performance line counterparts, they also have a slightly lesser grip, puncture resistance and quicker wear rate. There’s little in this, but worth noting. Oh, and any colour sidewall so long as its tan. These weigh 745g apiece but feel a bit lighter and boast operating pressures between 30 and 80psi.  

A broad range and the upper pressures implied they should be perky on metaled roads, while offering a compliant, magic carpet ride. 100 miles in and they’ve done just that, providing better traction on loose traction on loose, icy surfaces, too. There’s some trade-off in terms of rolling resistance, obviously-they're not going to roll like their Kojak cousins but maintaining a steady 18mph hasn’t been a hardship-even faced with some bracing crosswinds.   

I tend to be quite fastidious when it comes to maintenance, especially during winter when the mix of grit, salt, water and wet lubes can become a component chomping cocktail. Upon whipping the Univega’s wheels out, ready to perform the switch, I happened to glance at the front pads.  

Good thing I did, since the Genetic had worn very low. I’d last inspected them over Christmas, so just goes to illustrate how harsh winter can be. Pads, rims, discs, cassettes and to a lesser extent, cables are particularly vulnerable.  

Thankfully, I had some packet fresh replacements in my brake spares tub.  I’ve acquired some dual compound Fibrax, for next time but right now, we’re stopping on the proverbial sixpence. I’ve toyed with the idea of going the disc route upfront, but this would mean upgrading the Ultegra dynohub, new fork, and then a suitable caliper. Shelved all these, as quick as they arrived.   

Not so, Ursula’s BRCX50 rear cantilever. I (wrongly) attributed this to their pad compound. A helpful email from their UK importer led me to some nuanced adjustment of the cable tension and straddle wire. This improved mechanical advantage and ultimately, corrected the problem.  

The drivetrain was also looking scuzzy again, so I got busy with the Pure Bike Degreaser PURE BIKE DEGREASER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and apply this Weldtite TF2 Ceramic. In keeping with other ceramics, such as Juice Lubes Ceramic Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), its intended for three seasons’ “Fairweather” service but (a) I fancied something lighter than the otherwise excellent Zefal Extra Wet Ceramic Chain Lube ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). (b) I was also keen to see how it performed in wetter conditions.  It’s certainly slick and seems to be holding out quite well in changeable weather but will be interesting to see how well many miles I get from a single application. 

  

The Ravemen CLO5 Rear Light is also winning me over with its blend of power, presence and economy. There are 7 modes. 2 steady and 5 flashing. In common with other, contemporary 30 lumen models, the optics give more than sufficient presence for pitch black roads. 

 

The lens is PC Engineering plastic.   It's refraction and designed in a way that could provide a larger lighting area, and therefore visibility. Behind sit 24 diodes using the now standard COB (Chips on Board) technology. There is also a sensor, which detects approaching traffic and automatically switches the unit to 30lumens for 5 seconds.   

Again, a few years back, 4lumen modes would be considered “glimmer” territory but the slow flashing option has similar bite to a typical 8 lumen setting. Adequate for sub/urban riding and passable, should you need to conserve some juice along a country lane. Definitely a contingency option, mind. The hinged type bracket shared with its CLO6 stablemate is another definite plus, allowing the light to be aligned very precisely for optimal effect.