Washed, Waxed & Revisited

 

250 very wet miles later and I wasn’t surprised by the subtle metal-on-metal tinkling of Ursula’s KMC chain. Closer inspection revealed some obvious orange patina along the inner side plates. Good for a wax lube in these contexts but confirmed my suspicions that while relatively stoical, the oil part wasn’t going to hinder corrosion in the way a similarly sophisticated petrochemical chain lube will.  

Given constant exposure to waterlogged, wet, greasy roads, Ursula was beginning to look a little sullied. Not sufficient for a sudsy bucket wash but needing more than a furniture polish blow-over. Hmm, let’s see how this Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax bridges the gap I mused. This blend has carnauba wax, which is a popular choice in automotive formulas, thanks to its stoical, glossy results and it’s safe on all finishes.  

Given the relatively small surface areas, I’ve applied ours via a micro-fibre cloth, rather than trigger spray, to avoid wastage. Simply give the bottle a good shake, pour, apply sparingly to the frameset and components, leave a minute or two, then buff to a sheen with a fresh (ideally micro-fibre) cloth.  

Their main advantage over silicone-infused products (which add a great sheen and will lightly nourish elastomers, seals and other rubberised/ plastics) is that waxes of this type won’t attract dirt. Silicones leave a very slight film behind, which is helpful but rather like PTFE sprays encourage filmy stuff to become embedded in the surface. Again, welcome as a protective masking agent on working bikes/winter trainers with electroplated and polished aluminium alloys, since grime will stick and mothball them. 

Waterless cleaners are minimal mess, minimal faff and some, including Motoverde’s will keep UV, salts and similar corrosive elements at bay into the bargain. Obviously, waterless cleaners are for light to moderate grime. Cyclo cross style grot, like that adorning my fixed gear winter/trainer will require bike washes/warm buckets of wash n’ wax, sponges and brush (es).

250 miles in and I'm also pleasantly surprised by the Smanie GT saddle. 

 

137mm wouldn’t be a compatibility surprise on the Holdsworth and yes, a few millimetres shy of a designated ideal might make negligible difference but there is a fine line between something not fitting, not functioning correctly and indeed, failing. (Those seat collars being prime examples- 4nms, not a fraction more).  

Point of this preamble? Well, I wasn’t expecting it to work so well on Ursula-on and indeed off-road. One of the main attributes of the GT is that it’s designed to hold the rider at the most efficient point-for folks that like to get and stay in the zone, so not a shuffler's saddle.  

I’ve also noticed a slightly quicker cadence, though no loss of support to the ischial tuberoses (sit bones), let alone soreness/chafing. That said; Ursula and I also got along very well with The Selle Italia Sport Gel Flow FEC-Alloy saddle, which is relatively short (270mm) and narrow (140mm).  

FEC (lower rent hollow steel) rails put the weight up a bit too-330g, which is light, compared with a traditional leather saddle. even those with titanium rails, such as the Spa cycles Aire. This, loosely speaking, is a Brooks Swift homage which my derriere has spent many thousands of miles on.  

Another product that I’ve spent many miles with is Kinekt suspension Stem Kinekt Suspension Stem 90mm | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). It’s heavier than some and may be a little too reactive for some tastes, but the parallelogram design is well engineered, doesn’t change reach, or geometry and though minimal maintenance, is easy to work on/adjust when needed.  

Chains are something I keep a close eye on. Not to the point of becoming a bore, neurotic, or borderline obsessional, I’m talking a quick weekly inspection using the humble nickel-plated chain checker, which can be picked up for a few quid.  

Inspection and prompt replacement prevent more costly wear-rings, derailleurs and cassettes being the obvious casualties. These also need periodic inspection. As a rough n’ ready rule, I replace cassettes every third chain-at least on bikes in four seasons’ service.  

Chain whips are the most common means of wrestling the cassette into submission while freeing the lockring. Functional enough, Pedros Vise Grip changed my cassette-swapping life- an end to slippage, grazed knuckles and agricultural outpourings. One of those tools (along with my headset press) that I never loan.  

Then along came Feedback sports offering me their Cassette Pliers. These work to the same principle as the Pedros, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’re any different, dare I say, more refined. Pedros set the bar very high.  Feedback also has a rather nice three-in-one bottom bracket and lockring tool, which has the ends welded in situ, so the splined cassette/centre lock bit can’t get lost or come adrift.  

I don’t change cassettes too often (or disc rotors, for that matter), so the little cyclo does the job well enough. However, it can struggle a bit on stubborn, weathered examples... Ending on a different note, if you want to keep your carbon happy, Peaty’s Max Grip Carbon Assembly Paste Peaty’s Max Grip Carbon Assembly Paste | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) has proved an excellent default.   

Pre Festive Fettling

 

Replaced the bottom bracket and chain, yet the transmission was still a little noisy, especially when climbing. I’ve been running 110mm bottom bracket axles on my fixed gear builds for some years, problem-free.

I wondered whether the ring and sprocket were worn but both seemed in good health. That only left the chain line. For the uninitiated, the Halo Fix G track hub has two sides. HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting 

One a traditional screw-on, the other a splined HG type (but while a Shimano HG sprocket will fit, it will damage the splines). This side is designed for Halo’s dedicated sprockets and spacers for an adjustable, precise chain line.  

Having diagnosed chain line, it suddenly occurred to me that the titanium sprocket fitted to my “spare” Halo Aero Rage rear wheel, which had a collar, broadly equivalent to that of the Fix G systems spacers.  

Wheel switched and a Schwalbe Marathon GT tyre TESTED : SCHWALBE MARATHON GT TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) levered aboard the Aerorage hoop and in the rear triangle. Chain tensioned, track nuts snugged tight and all seemed well on the stand. Hunch confirmed the following morning- silence even under load, which meant I could relax and concentrate on turning a decent cadence. Problem solved. I ordered a new Halo sprocket and lockring, so I can switch back to the Fix-G hoop at my convenience.

 

Acquiring parts, given the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty, has been less seamless than other times. Use what you already have-assuming its fit for purpose...Having spent several hours organising the garage, I concluded this orgy of discipline by stripping and reg-greasing my fixed gear winter/trainer’s headset.  

There was still a reasonable amount of Park grease doing its thing, but I was on a roll and now was the time. I opted for some Corrosion Block, which had been in my CK toolbox for over a decade. Took this opportunity to switch the Axiom Grand Fondo for this Kenekt waterproof wedge pack.   

I used a liberal helping of Green Oil Eco-grease TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com) (which is surprisingly stoical) when installing the UN300. Arguably the Park would’ve been a more obvious choice on the durability front.  

 I couldn’t find mine at the time, and there’s plenty of home-brewed frame preserve sloshing around the tubes. This liquifies in warmer weather, thus greatly reducing the likelihood of seizure. Lithium pastes are very long-lived. However, there’s the risk of galvanic corrosion striking between the steel frameset and alloy cup.  

Traditionally, I’ve taken a dim view of waterless cleaners (although arguably furniture polishes are precisely that) but given the present conditions, I’m appreciating their convenience. On a freshly (or heavily) soiled bike, you’re still better served by a sudsy bucket wash and rinse down.  

However, for light to moderately soiled machines, where the grot has dried on, they’re super-convenient. Blow it over, avoiding contact with braking surfaces and contact points, leave 30 seconds, and then buff with a clean, lint-free cloth. Done. I’ve since rescued the Univega from my temporary address (before that area slipped into COVID tier 4).  

The pandemic has once again increased in its intensity and presence, with a subsequent surge in cases (which scientific evidence suggested would result, given the relaxing of rules-at least here in the UK). The ineffectual tier system employed on these shores, coupled with an element of public mistrust in the present administration, has compounded matters. Another lockdown, in the New Year seems inevitable. 

 

Good to have the old girl back.  

Big section tyres and mudguards are another obvious draw during the depths of a very wet December. Treated it to a liberal helping of waterless cleaner, to remove some of the ingrained chain lube and greasy road spatter from the rear triangle and fork blades, since I had to remove the wheels, so it would fit in an elderly, but solid Micra. I’ll leave you with my review of the Kinekt 2.1 Suspension Seat post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and these FLR Defender MTB Dry Boot FLR DEFENDER MTB DRY BOOT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and hope Christmas delivers whatever we need from it.