True Wheels & Fine Tuning

The opportunity, coupled with my philosophy of not procrastinating, saw me leave the Teenage dream’s MA2/Athena wheelset with Mick Madgett of Madgett Cycles in Diss Madgetts Cycles | The Cycle Specialists   

Turnaround was particularly quick, given Mick had a workshop full of machines awaiting repair/servicing. A  family-run business with a great pedigree and willing to undertake anything from a puncture to a complete restoration. I rarely need a shop’s services but a good one is worth their weight in gold. In short, the wheels are beautifully true once more. 

Not procrastinating shouldn’t be confused with impulsive. 

I’m not advocating sending an important email that hasn’t been proofread or commencing a rebuild at midnight. Rather, effective time management.  

It is cost/time effective for me to strip and regrease a set of hubs on the weekend, I’m not going to make a decent job of truing a set of wheels and in fact, run the risk of trashing them. Therefore, outsourcing to a highly skilled wheel builder is an obvious move. Cheaper, quicker, smarter, essentially.  

Closer scrutiny revealed the tubes were also past their prime, the sealant-filled front spitting orange goo from its long valve stem. Velox rim tape still seemed solid, so stays.  Seen in a broader context, the little n’ often discipline is incredibly efficient and greatly reduces the risk of becoming overwhelmed.  

I am presently working on a longitudinal piece, starting in 1992 and running to the present day. Another example where I could easily be overwhelmed by its magnitude.  Applying myself and time in set blocks/word limits means a steady, continuous progression-to the point of habit, so the results, rather than efforts are what’s noticed. 

 

On a more basic/general level, emptying a kitchen waste bin and taking it out, rather than allowing the contents to overflow and thus create more work is time better spent. Several weeks’ testing the Bat Wax, I’ve decided to switch back to the Weldtite Ceramic Lube WELDTITE CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           

Not least, since I needed to assess the Muc Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser Chain & Cassette’s prowess on chain lubes, not just liquified lithium greases (although this was a very good indicator of its purging prowess on more intense, impacted lubes).  

Wax lubes can become quite congealed in places, particularly along the side plates and around the derailleur jockey wheels, even when the rollers are bare. In common with the Weldtite Jet Blast Degreaser WELDTITE JET BLAST DEGREASER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) These are powerful solvents that work very fast on residual stuff but require subsequent agitation with a stiff brush.  

To get Ursula’s transmission clean enough for the ceramic wet, I needed to introduce some Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) agitate, then rinse with warm water.   

 

This also presented an ideal opportunity to give Ursula a wash and subsequent paste waxing. In this instance  The Naked Bikes Pro Wax Special Edition Special Edition NAKED BIKES PRO WAX SPECIAL EDITION | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           was closest to hand and rather good, in my experience.  I also gave the saddle a light feeding to keep the hide supple and protected. 

 

Wheels trued and transmission cleaned, now was the time to treat the Teenage Dream’s frameset and components a thorough wax polish and evaluated otherwise neglected component health. Specifically, brake pads, cables and bar tape. 

 Aside from some brake dust and subsequent grime, pads showed no sign of wear. I replaced the rear inner cable and ferrules, which brought braking up a couple of notches. I refitted the now gleaming Sachs chain and treated it to some Tru Tension Bannaslip Tungsten All Weather Lube TRU TENSION TUNGSTEN ALL WEATHER LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

There wasn’t very much remaining in the bottle, it’s very clean and easy to apply, so an obvious choice. Zefal Pro Dry Lube ZEFAL PRO DRY LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was my other option and I’d probably go this route, as and when Spring brings warmer drier conditions.   

The existing Widget Premium Silicone wrap looked decidedly jaded, so merited replacement. In common with other genuine silicones, it’s naturally grippy, no call for an adhesive backing.  

Easily removed without the mucky clean up associated with adhesive backings. Perfect for cable replacement and like-for-like bar swaps. Uniformly bleached, the wrap was still useful, so I tickled it clean with my Green Oil Bicycle Brush GREEN OIL BIKE BRUSH REVIEW (sevendaycyclist.com) dipped in Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate. On the subject of cleaning, Steve’s been impressed by this Dirt Doc Bike Cleaner DIRT DOC BIKE CLEANER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Cleaned, rinsed, and dried, I bagged it up and put in my contact points box- in case I can’t find anything suitable. I’ve toyed with a few colourways , including celeste. Black is the most obvious contrasting colour. Ok, so Black is a shade, not a colour but you get the general idea. Green is actually more versatile than might be thought. Yellow, grey, white, olive to name a few. Were the Teenage Dream a winter/trainer then a fluro green/yellow would be another obvious compliment. A two-tone fade effect also has potential. Watch this space... 

Swerving the Pause

Dynohub wheel components safely in the hands of John Moss, I awoke at 6am on Monday morning…Decided then was the moment to replace my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Aheadset. Gathered headset, Czech made headset press, cyclo crown race setter and X tools’ removal tool. The former, though used infrequently, make replacement surgery a breeze.

Convenience aside, they also ensure delicate alloys and head tubes aren’t ruined. With care, it is possible to improvise using blocks of wood and a hammer…If money’s tight, I’d buy the press and crown race remover and employ a scrap length of 1/18^th down-tube to set the new one.  

Everything came apart effortlessly and the FSA Orbit XLII in place at 7.30bc (before coffee). Cartridge bearings are impregnated with grease at the factory. Nonetheless, greasing races is advised, to keep the elements, corrosion and ultimately, minimise wear.

I plumped for some Finish line ceramic around the lower bearing and Park PL1 around the upper. Forgot the butyl boot, mind but opted to quit while the going was indeed, good. Grease aside, the XL II is buttery smooth, confirmed by massive inner smile following the morning’s celebratory 20mile blast.

The following evening, I decided another helping of grease was in order. Clearly under the influence of Rocket fuel, one lead to another and said machine now sports a slightly more aggressive cockpit and Torus TI stem https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/torus-titanium-stem .  Titanium can form an extremely stubborn bond, so don’t forget good quality assembly paste to contact points. Or you might find them inseparable a few months down the line…  

The same applies to other metals of mixed parentage-aluminium posts in steel frames, not to mention bottom bracket threads, which perfectly positioned for lashings of dodgy water. A decent glob of high quality synthetic grease prevents grief and copious amounts of penetrant spray later on.

That done, I turned my attentions to the Univega. Full length guards can extend maintenance intervals quite considerably, especially when it comes to headsets; bottom brackets and seatposts. Sealed cable systems, so long as they’ve been installed correctly are very much fit n’ forget. Worth it, if you’re doing big miles in foul weather.

Somehow, I managed to snag one, where it routed into the rear derailleur. Replacing it with Jagwire pro shift has sorted shifting gremlins. As I’d hope, the stainless steel inner with pre-lubricated liner is super slick. Whether they’re truly fit n’ forget remains to be seen.

Though fun is a big part of winter riding, reliability is an equally significant buzzword. Wheels and tyres being cases in point. I’m sticking with the Kenda small block8 and Schwalbe Marathon 365 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt365-tyre  pairing. Spoke tension was a little on the slack side, some minor wobble needed ironing out too.

Nowhere near Samba dancing territory but a few minutes on the jig, saves a heap of hassle, not to mention money later on. The rear was an off the peg, machine built affair. These have become much more reliable but still tend to loose truth and tension faster, compared with hand built hoops.

A good wheel builder knows exactly how much to re-tension, whereas a machine can only work to programmed settings. Nothing a wheelsmith can’t sort later on and wouldn’t trouble me, on a lightly laden commuter, or training bike. The last thing I’d want on a heavily laden tourer, tandem, or similarly specialised build.

Sans wheels, time to give the frameset really thorough clean. This enables any damage to be spotted and remedial measures taken. Ritual (at least in my republic) dictates that the undersides of mudguards are also given a thorough scrub too. Minor stone chips around the “school chair fork” were treated to a drop of high build marine primer, left curing for 24 hours.

Finally I applied “helicopter tape” where cables brush against the frame tubes and gave the entire bike a liberal helping of Crankalicious crisp frame hybrid wax.

Pleasing to administer and seemingly offering a durable, glossy barrier, I’ll hold judgement until November’s close. This will give a much better indicator of its true performance, compared with a more traditional hard-paste car type.

For the earlier part and, depending on what comes in for testing I’ll be sticking with lighter, cleaner chain lubes. As a genre, they lack the tenacity of wet blends but are generally lower friction and attract less dirt.