Yay! New Wheel Day

A couple of days after dropping the rim and Shutter Precision SD8 hub with Mick Madgett, he’d built the wheel! Much whooping and cheering (to coincide with The KA’s service and MOT pass) followed and I arranged to collect at my earliest, practical opportunity. Not least since I needed to put the hub through its paces.  

No sense spending good money on wheel(s) than skimping on rim tapes and inner tubes either, so I got some fresh Schwalbe and bought in three tubes, but the second Schwalbe Marathon GT365 TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) eluded me. Not the lightest by any means but extremely durable and dependable on and off-road. 

I’ve sent the PD8 over to the UK importer so they can organise servicing and once that’s back, I’ll get it built into the White Line rim and it’ll serve as the second/spare front wheel for my fixed gear winter/trainer.  

Now, one of the minor things about the Shutter Precision hubs is that they come sans skewer. Not sure what I’d done with the Shimano quick release, since I had defaulted to the Kryptonite Wheel Boltz security skewers, which though not impenetrable, offer decent defence from casual tea leaves- say when parking up for short periods- bladder, or colon smoothie stop anyone?  

I poached the gold  Halo, since that wheel was doing something close to nothing and I couldn’t find that belonging to the Nexus. I still have a soft spot for the humble commuter hub, it’s just the resistance and specification aren’t of the sort, conducive to the K-Lite lamps, or indeed the 800lumen Exposure unit that preceded them.  

The Nexus in question is a 6V 2.4-watt model. Sanyo and Shimano both produce 1.5-volt units and they’re very affordable, but again, inadequate for my riding needs. Staying with hubs, John Moss did indeed have an Alfine unit, but I’ve metaphorically missed the boat- he'd had a clear out, donated it and his tyre mountain to a cycling charity. Wasn’t meant to be.  

Another time, another place maybe a suitable hub will materialise. For now, I’ll enjoy the a ’la carte mix of Sputnik rim, XT hub, 11-25 cassette and Tiagra rear mech.  

Dynamos aren’t everyone’s bag, nor are they suitable for all contexts. I’m still very interested in powerful, rechargeable units, especially on pared to the essential's road bikes.  

Steve’s been racking up the miles with Sigma’s smaller Buster- the 700, which I also have a fondness for, although primarily as a helmet-mounted companion. The sensible range of modes and high-quality optics also caters for town and suburban work, with enough bite for letting off some steam along semi-rural escapes. SIGMA BUSTER 700 FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Up the rear, I’m still fond of the German marques’ Blaze SIGMA BLAZE REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Infinity SIGMA INFINITY REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)rear light, which are bright and in the latter context, very frugal, especially for a single, constant mode.   

Trail Distribution has kindly sent me some Bike Medicine Purple Extreme Chain Lube. It’s a synthetic blend, originally conceived for oil rigs and similarly harsh conditions. It's claimed to perform in temperatures between +400-100 degrees Fahrenheit, so the average British winter shouldn’t tax it. In common with some others, you can scoot off but ideally, leave curing overnight. 

Bike Medicine claim it will extend the life of older components, while enhancing the performance of packet fresh drivetrains, without attracting dirt and contaminant. Will be interesting to see how it holds up against some wallet-friendly favourites, including Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant TF2 PERFORMANCE ALL WEATHER LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)          

There is a school of thought which says dry lubes for spring/summer and wet for winter. Makes sense on some levels and keeps things simple. However, these things are nuanced. I err towards stay put synthetics on daily drivers and working bikes. Price aside, I’m impressed by Muc Off Ludicrous AF and have returned 700miles from a single application. The Peaty’s Link Lube Premium All Weather Chain Lubricant PEATY'S LINK LUBE PREMIUM ALL WEATHER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is another decent default, ditto Rock N’ Roll Gold LV ROCK 'N' ROLL GOLD LV CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which is also incredibly clean running-welcome any time, but especially winter.  

Ursula is the beneficiary for now. The chain is also in surprisingly good shape- at present rate, I’ve probably got 500miles before it’ll need pensioning off. I’ll wait until the Christmas break for the wheel- will likely coincide with other little, mid-point maintenance jobs. Gives me chance to get some spare cables and straddle wires in. Nothing worse than getting immersed only to be thwarted by a frayed/damaged cable, especially when you can’t just nip out and buy a new one.  

Cable-wise, I’ve gone for some Transfil, a brand supplying cabling to the French automotive industry and producing some decent, virtually maintenance-free cable sets. A great option for bikes in hard service. The outers are quite abrasive though, so be sure to apply some helicopter tape where they touch the frame/forks.    

  

 

On Track

 Having wandered around the web and along some blind alleys, I settled on a Shimano XT/ Rigida Sputnik rim build. A definite upgrade on the existing cheap, but decidedly cheerful Deore build, which has served me well for the past 5 years. Though Ursula will be sticking with the Shimano cantilevers, I’ve gone for the disc version, since I wanted a modern variant and like options.  

The (XT FH-M756) hub is a 10 speed, which is fine for my purposes and I don’t plan on going for an extra sprocket. It features double contact sealing to keep mud and water from the bearings. Borozon treated races supposedly offer a more precise rolling action. Nice but it’s the weather sealing and bearing quality that’s highest on my list.   

Rigida’s Sputnik is renowned for being very strong and lending itself well to touring, commuting and general riding-whatever that means, these days. 32-hole laced with double butted spokes on the non-drive side, Sapim Extra strong on the freehub side. 

I’ve also reverted to the Schwalbe The Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Double Defense tyres TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com), since the otherwise charming Billy Bonkers succumbed to another sharp and I fancied a mixed terrain competent change.  I’m also reaching the conclusion that the gearing’s right across the board. Errs on the side of torque but no spin out and I’m using a reasonable spread of the cassette.  

 

Ursula wasn’t the only one to get a tyre switch. My fixed gear winter trainer got treated to this 32mm Bontrager AW3 Hard-Case Lite Reflective Road Tyre. These promise unicorn type performance-supple, grippy, invulnerable to flats and serious speed. On the strength of three recent outings, I’m seriously impressed by their speed, agility and compliance, even at the higher end of their pressure range (95psi).  

Comparisons with an otherwise likeable but arguably more traditional 32mm section rubber, such as the very likeable Kenda Kwick Journey KS, which weight 757g apiece aren’t appropriate, save for anecdotal observation. The latter is a tough and relatively quick design and with a decent puncture repelling belt.  

However, they are over twice the Bontrager’s weight (359g) and described as a trekking tyre, characterised by reinforced sidewalls, 60TPI casings and compatible with 50kph e-bikes. The Vee Tire Baldy TEST: VEE TIRE CO BALDY CYCLE TIRE REVIEW (sevendaycyclist.com), are closer to the Kenda in terms of genre, although 238 grams lighter than the Kenda. Talking of e-bikes, those looking for a retro-fit system might be interested in The Swytch Universal E-Bike Retrofit Kit ProSWYTCH UNIVERSAL EBIKE RETROFIT KIT PRO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Essentially, the Bontrager seem to be aimed at fast tourers, trainers, cyclo crossers living lives on the tarmac, rather than working bikes/beasts of burden. That said; there is a 38mm option. Will be interesting to see how durable and puncture repelling they are, in the real world. Bontrager says they are 78% more puncture resistant than their predecessors, so I’m expecting great things. 

 

These are on the narrower side of 32mm, so reach for the 25-32c tube, in preference to a 32-40mm. Otherwise, there’s the risk of pinching the tube, inducing a flat. Yes, I learned the hard way, so you don’t have to.  

The Bontrager is offered in other sections, including a 38mm option but 32mm seems the best default for my needs, and the machine’s clearances. 

VDO computer got the sulks, and the head unit went into “transport” mode, this was traced to a dead CR2032 sensor battery-switched for a new one and a lick of Vaseline on the contacts to ward off corrosion-related hassles later down the line. Prevention is more convenient and cheaper than cure.   

A couple of months down the line, I’ve reached my conclusions regarding the Squirt Low Temperature Chain Lube SQUIRT LOW TEMPERATURE CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and have for the time being, gone back to the Weldtite Ceramic. Main reason being that I’m wanting to see how the latter behaves in milder, drier conditions, which claims to be an all-weather lube, so want to see how it compares with The Juice Lubes Ceramic Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) in drier contexts.