On your Marks, Get Set…Winter

Winter technically begins on the 21^st of December. While the weather follows the UK narrative (i.e. mild and wet), I’m prepping the fleet for the kind of apocalyptic conditions predicted by our red top, tabloid press. Talking of which, here’s our guide to winter, bike preparation https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/winter-wonderland-one

First up, I’ve replaced my fixed gear winter/trainer’s KMC Z1 inox https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/kmc-inox-chain  chain, which has served several thousand miles.

Why? Well I received this Passport Galvanised unit, which tips the scales, at a reassuringly substantial 309g. 133 less than the KMC. Weight wasn’t the motivating factor. Its also half the KMC’s asking price, so I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on longevity/durability.

I’ve used “rustless” galvanised designs to good effect, on my Univega. However, they still require regular, light lubrication. I also noticed a tendency for them to succumb to the dreaded orange taint, once the galvanised component, finally wore through. I say finally, since I racked up 2,000 wet, grotty miles from a budget 8spd model.

Nigh on dry from the packet ensures fitment was a very clear affair and proved the ideal opportunity, to start testing that chainsaw oil.

My hypothesis is that it will prove more durable, compared with the 5w/40. After 285 miles, that applied to the KMC was almost spent. However, my Univega’s electroplated Sram has cruised past 300 and at this rate, I reckon its good for another 150.

Obviously, snowy, slushy conditions may well reduce this. Its worth pointing out that the factory lubricant most chains are impregnated with, is similarly tenacious. Makes sense to run that, get your money’s worth and then use your chosen tipple.   

Workstands make maintenance and repair considerably easier, since machines are held securely, and at a convenient height.

Price dictates quality.

The needs of a home enthusiast, who may use theirs a few times each week, are different to the demands of a shop/pro mechanic. My lightweight Revolution (Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op) unit continues to serve me very well, after 10 years.

There’s some tell-tale flex, apparent when tackling high torque applications, such as bottom bracket replacement, or seized contact points. Otherwise, its solid, convenient, and very portable.

Oxford products have sent me their Torque Workshop Stand. This also retails at £99.99, employs a similar composite head but is considerably heavier.

This translates as superior rigidity. Ideal when tackling those more stubborn tasks. Less convenient for popping in the car, say for race day. Several weeks of intensive fettling will provide more tangible insight/conclusion.   

Now for the rider. Oxford also sent us these Bright Gloves 3.0. They’re a relatively slender, nimble waterproof design with a tech friendly index tip. I was slightly surprised to discover the gloves have an operating range of between +5 and 10 degrees, less than the Lusso I’ve been testing. On the other hand, its more typical of a milder, British winter. Oxford will be sending us the 4.0 too, which are theoretically windproof, too. 

Temperature is also a very personal thing.  An hour or so, at +4 hasn’t left me with chill hands but crosswinds and other factors may say different, especially on longer outings.

Some folks are more sensitive than others; or find temperature harder to regulate. Wind chill can render numbers academic. Dexterous digits are another definite plus when choosing winter gloves. I’ve had some “duvet” types, which have been blissfully comfortable, when the mercury’s slipping close to zero.

Unfortunately, a flat, mechanical, or phone call can dictate their removal, resulting in precisely the numbness, and cold they were intended to counter.

Staying with cold weather kit, Steve has also been very impressed by these Stolen Goat Deep winter Bib Tights https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/stolen-goat-deep-winter-bib-tights

So, thoughts turn to Christmas. Any of these make decent main/stocking filler presents but if you are struggling to buy for those riders in your life. The sort who appear to have everything, then how about the re-hook tool. Hardly essential but its designed to reclaim a dropped chain, reputedly in three seconds. No mess, no fuss. www.rehook.bike/guide

Alternatively, Stenning Photographic Offers high quality 100x100cm (Other sizes available on request) canvas prints  https://michael-stenning.format.com/store   

Ice Bike 2018 & Other Developments

Took a midweek meander to Milton Keynes and the 12^th Ice Bike (trade) show. All told, worth the 200 mile round trip. Gravel is a very big deal and, justly so in my opinion. Uber wide tyres, cassettes 1x11 transmissions…

I was particularly taken with Ridgeback’s Ramble and M part bike packing luggage. Had a nice chat with Ridgeback’s brand manager, so hoping to swing a leg over a medium ramble, very soon… 

Shimano’s mixed terrain shoes look another tasty treat and I’ve also been impressed with Madison’s in house clothing range. Working bikes are another “fetish” of mine. I’m talking 4130 framesets for a solid, yet engaging ride and fully dressed for the foulest weather. Cyclo cross, or mountain biking aside, rider and machines plastered in wet, gritty, corrosive slime isn’t desirable.

Full length guards (fenders) four point rack, hub dynamo, cable operated disc brakes...

Though fixed/single speeds are close to my heart, I’m fond of modern hub gearing too. Little surprise that I was equally taken with the Genesis day one series. 

Superficially, I’m not sold on the CST tyres and some folks won’t warm to the old school, square taper cranks. At 70 kilos, I’m unlikely to find flex an issue. Decent, fit n’ forget cartridge bottom brackets such as the UN53 are still plentiful and easily upgraded, as and when the OEM unit gets the grumbles.  

Remaining the rightful owner, of any bicycle, is a blend of savvy, luck and solid locks. Thankfully, Kryptonite and Finish line were similarly receptive to Seven day Cyclist’s testing MO.  

Back with the fleet, I’d just run a certain wax lube bare in 100 miles, which was longer than I’d expect from a dry waxy type through February. It’s worth noting these tend to last longer on a derailleur geared transmission.

Something I’ve attributed to residual wax being deposited across the cassette and subsequently reclaimed by the chain. Contrast that with a more moderate 76 miles with fixed and single-speed builds.

That’s a standard helping, left curing overnight.  Waxy stuff more or less dismissed, this was an optimal time to wash the tubby tourer of a week or so’s accumulated grot. I’d treated it to Crankalicious enduro frame sealant, which acts as protective barrier.

The Univega’s frameset, unlike the others, doesn’t have a clear acrylic top-coat, for reasons explained, here https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/after-the-gritters-went-home . While the chainstays and forks were sporting a thin, watery layer of grime, mud and similarly substantial organic stuff failed to stick. A quick, cool water rinse, everything slithered away. Stroking the tubes, plenty of enduro remained, so no need to replenish.

Some SKS lube your chain, arrived. It’s a waxy looking PTFE infused blend, which is reckoned good for up to 75 applications. The bottle incorporates an integral dropper head. Pressed against the chain rollers, the orange dropper releases lubricant, supposedly optimising delivery and eliminating waste.

Keep applying for fifteen revolutions of the cranks. No wastage, no hanging around waiting for it to cure either, which is another definite draw. Just a matter of seeing how durable it is, especially since the UK is “bracing itself” for another weather front in the coming days.  

Finish line no drip chain luber kit works to the same principle.

Finish line’s employs a gauze type filter and claims you’ll recoup time and 50% less product per application. Not the most exotic of test goodies perhaps but anything that saves time and waste has to be a winner.

Pour 60ml of your chosen tipple (roughly half a typical bottle) into the reservoir. Press against the chains rollers, while turning the cranks-voila!  

Speaking of winners, Seven day Cyclist has joined forces with the caravan club. We’re offering two-free entries to Cycle fest 2018 https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/win-sportive-tickets-with-cyclefest  

Reverting to those Ritchey pattern SPDs, so I could ride the fixed in my Lake booties is paying off. Warm, dry feet. Well, save for the neoprene cuffs but at least these remain warm, even when saturated. Personally, rinsing and treating the uppers, with a decent quality leather food beats overshoes, hands down. 

Midwinter Makeovers & Tales of The Unexpected

Having decided my beloved Univega was going the 1x9 route; I stripped the LX cranks and gave them a seriously good clean. Despite regular cold water rinsing and hard paste waxing, the salt monster had left his pock marked calling card in the anodised finish.   

To make matters worse, after almost twenty years, the flamboyant red enamel was starting to chip all too easily along the chainstays. Up until now, this recession had been held back with decent quality nail varnish but now demanded more remedial action.

 Maldon Shot Blasting & Powder Coating www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk replied to my SOS email, confirming they’d be happy to sort.

Tuesday afternoon, I needed a break from the keyboard, so stripped the frameset bare and attempted to chase years of waxy home brewed frame preserve from its inner sanctum. This would, theoretically minimise the amount of prep the team had to perform before blasting and ultimately painting. 

Since we’re on the subject, be sure to tell your frame builder/spray shop there is Waxoyl, or similar preserve sloshing around inside. Otherwise, with the introduction of heat, it will become molten, race from the tubes and potentially scald them!

What lies beneath.....

Graham and Chris were taking no chances. When the industrial degreaser didn’t do the business, my frame was immersed in their methyl chloride tank for a few minutes...As the honey coloured gloop dissolved, racing to the surface in a raft of brown bubbles, those relatively thin enamel and primer coats followed suit. 

Much to our surprise, the Alpina 506’s tubes were also sporting a layer of corrosion busting nickel.

Though less of a slippery customer and kinder process than Chrome, chances are the factory enamellers had to use acid etch primers to persuade the paint to stick. It would also explain why, despite high, hell and high water mileages, seemingly bare metal hadn’t succumbed to the elements.

This was easily dismissed in the Iron oxide cabinet before the surface was treated to an even finer polymer bead... Next came that zinc rich epoxy powder primer. I’d plumped for cream this time round, classic and understated. Would coordinate with the bike’s existing kit perfectly too.

The zinc was cured at 150 degrees for 15minutes; cooler than text book and forum lore would suggest. I’m told the lower temperature achieves optimal fusion between the primer and colour coat. 

Higher temperatures would result in a more brittle finish, prone to chipping.

I’d gone for poly gloss buttermilk, which requires particular care. Though the flow rate ensures even coverage, flawless results are difficult given its tendency to drip and run during oven curing. This is also goes for other paints with low pigment.

Even when stored correctly, powder paints eventually “go-off”. This can result in a lumpy; or flawed final effect. Some tell-tale shadowy dimpling had struck along the down tube. Job-lot finishers would probably pass this but Graham was having none of it. Imperfect areas sanded, he disappeared in search of a match and returned with a small tub of “Interpon 610 cream”. 

Initial inspection suggested a peachy pigment but testing on some scrap proved otherwise. A full account is coming up in Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com  but for now, I’ll leave you with this photo-love story.  Fancy something similar? A single, standard colour, such as this cream including blasting and zinc based primer start at £65. What’s next? Those refurbished cranks, of course.

Kit N' Caboodle

New Seven Day Cyclist site is now live www.sevendaycyclist.com , reflecting our global audience.

February can be one of the more challenging months in the cyclist’s calendar. As a product tester, it’s also one of the most interesting because harsh, wintery conditions separate the exceptional from the very good and good from indifferent.

Chain lubes, tyres and tubes being the most obvious machine-centric examples and from a rider’s perspective; clothing. Hands and feet are the first extremities the brain shuts down to conserve energy.  

Gloves need to be warm and ideally waterproof but without feeling clammy or overly bulky-needing to remove them when locking bikes in the street, or tending roadside mechanicals is no joke when the mercury is slipping below zero.

The transition to University and a ramshackle suburban semi bearing an uncanny resemblance to that used in “The Young Ones” cured my sensitivity to cold (I was up at 530am and out on the winter bike most days, if for no other reason than keeping warm!)

We had ice and black mould forming within the bathroom and as for a boiler, well that would’ve been condemned by anyone valuing their Corgi registration…Fast forward 23 years and six months, I approach winter with base layer, thermal tights, thermal training jersey and two layer laminate jacket, gloves and if its wet, overshoes.

Overshoes not only protect the feet from chill but expensive shoes from being ravaged by the slimy cocktail of road salt, grit, diesel oil and similar toxic sludge. There’s a school of thought that advocates running hand-me-down but serviceable framesets with P-clips, cast off components and older training kit. Run everything into the ground, rebuild with the next relegated groupset.

Makes a lot of sense on many levels, especially if you are a trade/business for who time literally is money. I tend to be fastidious by nature, although, aside from close of season servicing, there's no reason why a thorough weekly bars to tyres clean of bikes n’ kit should consume more than 45minutes from start to finish.

Products must be evaluated against their design criteria i.e. its not far to expect a lightweight summer chain prep to withstand waterlogged winter roads but by the same token, if a waxy type formula arrives at this time of year, that is exactly when it will be tested. Some super clean lubes have been a pleasant surprise.

Not as stoical as middleweight ISO/PTFE blends perhaps but this Rock n’ Roll absolute dry has churned along for 170miles between replenishment, collects nominal dirt (thus drivetrains can be run until the faint metal on metal tinkling intrudes) and without recourse to solvent baths or similar stripping. I’m not a traditionalist in any respect, especially when it comes to road bikes.

Framesets with a cyclo cross heritage/genealogy are my defaults-big clearances and more relaxed angles mean a sprightly ride with 32/35mm tyres and full length mudguards for comfort and control, whatever the weather front.

Single (or compact doubles) and widely spaced cassettes ensure there’s enough torque for pretty much everything (Surrey’s Leith and Box hills being prime examples) but without the additional weight and complication of the traditional triple.

Even with the little n’ often mantra, keeping my Univega’s  a’la carte Deore LX, STX, Microshift, Tiagra and KMC ensemble on song year round is a chore.

On the subject of rider attire, trade jerseys and or day-glow tends to dominate roadie wardrobes, although several brands including Foska has offered interesting alternatives. Some of which have been a little hit n’ miss (I’ve never fancied being a mobile hoarding for baked beans, although their long discontinued CCP hammer & sickle soviet print remains a firm favourite. Their "I pay road tax" tax disc print, designed to counter the old but enduring myth that roads are paid for by vehicle excise duty (VED). It is in fact paid by income and other forms of public taxation.

Possibly the most controversial were sported by the Columbian women’s team, which have been mistaken for full frontal shots back in 2014. We are since told the flesh type tones were down to poor lighting when the photographs were taken. Not satisfied with that, this  Xirayas de San Luis seems to be a mobile anatomy lesson. Debate rages as to whether its a fashion faux pas, PR genius or another example of casual, everyday sex/misogyny...   

At the other extreme(partly due to the reignited mainstream interest in messenger chic and cycle commuting being seen as “cool”; rather than cheapskate), a few brands both here and in the US have been introducing street styled garments with cycling cut and technical fabrics.

These ensure you’ll attract the right sort of attention when sashaying round the office, or meeting friends on a night out, yet still ride short to moderate distances with greater comfort and efficiency. Like anything else, performance depends on price, those at the lower end of the market will breathe less efficiently, whereas top end are good enough for day rides and touring.

Messenger knickers were pretty much my everyday default when riding fixer, crosser, mtbs and old school road bikes. Seven Day Cyclist will be casting a critical eye over Dani Foffa’s new urban clothing line www.foffabikes.com in the coming weeks, which promises to be very exciting. Watch this space...

Kitchen Sink Drama

Kitchens double as fantastic workshops-fresh running water, kettle food, TV/radio and similar creature comforts. Returning from the midlands with new laptop, I decided there was no better way to start the week than reassembling my beloved Mk2 Ilpompino.

Having carefully reintroduced headset cups, seat collar and bottom bracket shell, everything came together pretty effortlessly, although by midday focus was waning on account of telephone calls and encroaching hunger. By this point, only the front brake needed dialling in but I’d earmarked other, pressing deadlines for the afternoon. 

Tuesday was deeply frustrating, spent awaiting a courier and responses to urgent emails-neither of which arrived until late that afternoon, though thankfully I managed to keep a 4.45 appointment. By 1800 the disc was sorted and home brewed frame preserve sloshing inside the Ilpompino’s inner sanctum.

New seasons’ clothing and lighting needed putting through its paces and I don’t require enticing where kit testing’s concerned. I was also pleased to discover decathlon had sent me a G-Eye2 escape under warrantee. This seems a marked improvement over its likeable predecessor. Fittings/accessories are GO-PRO pattern, so thus far, everything, including the weatherproof casing plugs straight on.

A quick, cursory play later, I mounted it on the Ilpompino’s handlebar extension bracket, engaged lights and headed out. Just as Tuesday was concluding on fairly positive notes, while grinding along a greasy, dung strewn gradient, we sliced through a cowpat heavily impregnated with hedge clippings…

The Vittoria voyager hyper unleashed a loud petulant hiss, blowing raspberries with every revolution. Despite being narrow, large trucks often take this route to small industrial units, so a suitable clearing was imperative if I wasn’t to become another piece of roadkill.  

Finding a safe, sheltered spot, I rummaged through the wedge pack. No CO2 inflator!!!!...A wave of panic subsided upon finding the Specialized midi pump, spare tubes and my favourite BTwin tyre levers.

The eerie silence was broken by a woman’s voice. “Excuse me, have you got a puncture?” Despite the Sigma Evo Pro lamp’s considerable power, I couldn’t pinpoint her location but presumed it must’ve come from the cottage opposite.

“Yes, but its fine-thank you” I replied, an early 80’s Godley and Cream track “Under your thumb” suddenly filled the backdrop as my imagination went into overdrive. I wouldn't mind but there's still a few weeks until Halloween.

Even in standard mode, the Sigma Evo Pro’s has sufficient bite for spirited backroad scratching and I was particularly grateful for its prowess as I removed the front

wheel, extracted the wounded butyl and began scrutinising the Vittoria’s casing for embedded sharps.

Ten minutes later, wheel reinstated with a useable 60psi, I resumed my twenty mile loop. Petitioning the god of punctures with prayer seemed to help. Kenda thorn-resistant tubes are my first line of defence, rolling resistance is more apparent given their relative heft.

However, their valve stems are too short for deep section rims, so I may opt for something impregnated with green goo if this scenario becomes more prevalent into winter.  Time to replenish the otherwise superb faux leather Mpart bar wrap. Hmm, what will it be?...