Misty Mornings

 

Navigating the backroads at 5am is like riding through pea soup and can play all sorts of tricks on an active imagination. Mercifully, the closest I’ve come to demonic hounds, or werewolves are speeding muntjac, deer but ideal conditions for evaluating lighting-and my reflexes!  

While it has some definite quirks, the Ravemen TR50 USB Rechargeable rear light is surprisingly potent, especially in the highest, 50 lumen flashing mode.  

This has sufficient bite to burn through dense coastal mist and doubles as a decent daytime running light. True, it doesn’t match the Knog Cobber Mid Rear Lights’ https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/knog-cobber-mid-rear-light knockout punch. High flash and pulsing produce 150lumens apiece and are relatively frugal-especially in the flashing mode.  

The Cobber’s curved optics, not to mention 192 diodes also mean its peripheral reach is considerably better.  Nonetheless, it needs four hours charge time and is almost twice the TR50’s asking price.   

The highest setting has exceeded cited run time by a few minutes, although the auto kickdown to fast flashing doesn’t last long (around 15 minutes) before shutting down. A consideration, rather than a deal-breaker but I’m always inclined to run a backup light, regardless.  

Flash flooding and thunderstorms have tempered the recent heatwave, hence my lube switches.150 miles in, formative impressions of the Muc-Off –50 lubricant are also very favourable. Not dissimilar to the Weldtite TF2 All Weather Lubricant https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-performance-all-weathe in terms of lubrication and cleanliness. I have high hopes for its corrosion resisting properties, too.  

Similar viscosity also lends itself to cleat/mechanisms and even cables, although a dry wax such Weldite Ultra Dry Chain Wax https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-ultra-dry-chain-wax is, my preferred option for cable inners. In this context, there’s no need to observe the long curing period, although it will last a good while longer if you can.  

Half link chains, like a lot of things, divide opinion. Personally, I’m a fan. They were a popular way of addressing chain tension issues, especially on fixed gear conversions with vertical frame ends. Much less of a challenge on a purpose build frameset using track ends.  

During a quiet moment, I chose to substitute my fixed gear winter/trainer’s Sram PC1 for this KMC HL1 Wide. As the imaginative moniker suggests, it’s a hefty, nickel-plated ½ link, direction specific model. Easily cut and joined using this trusty Topeak All Speeds Chain Toolhttps://www.sevendaycyclist.com/topeak-all-speeds-chain-tool.  

 

Refined and super smooth, I’m wondering how the HL1 will compare with my all-time favourite, the KMC Z1x https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/kmc-inox-chain (save for the tendency for lube to migrate from the rollers to the outer plates). Talking of which, I’m going to leave it dressed in the factory lube for the time being, since it's there, although being quite contrary in these matters, I might well change my mind.  

Talking of electroplating, while on a mission of mercy, I exhumed this seven-year old, 20 function BBB Microfold XXL from the recesses of my car boot tidy. I always some tooling there in case I need to fettle a friend’s bike while visiting, or in case someone is stuck by the roadside. 

Now out of production, said tool is anything but obsolete and has some nice touches. Curious? OK, T25 Torx, spoke wrenches (3.2, 3.3 3.5mm), tyre lever, chain hook, chain tool, chain pin tool, 2, 2.5, 5, 4, 5, 6, 8mm Allen keys, 8, 9, 10mm Box wrenches, Phillips and straight blade screwdrivers. By the look of things, I may have lost the 8mm cap but otherwise, it’ll cater for most eventualities and is surprisingly pleasant to use, thanks to the rubberised coating.  

I was somewhat stunned to discover the plated tooling had cultivated some unsightly, barnacle-like tarnish. This presented the ideal opportunity to test the cutting prowess of this M16 Ride & Shine. The chemical abrasives did a decent job of removing the lions’ share within 20minutes, albeit with a little help from a flat-file. Apparently, the Ride & Shine leaves a protective barrier behind, so we’ll see how effective that is... 

 

Comings & Goings

 Having reached the surprising conclusion that my washer “bodge” has improved the Minoura VC100 camera mount’s tenure, I went out for another 5am blast, only to discover an unnerving flicker coming from the Univega’s K-Lite Bike Packer Ultra dynamo light. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/k-lite-bikepacker-ultra-dynamo-ligh 5am BC (Before Coffee) can lead thoughts along some weird warrens.  

In this instance inducing a fleeting fear, said flickering might be a diode/internal issue. Ridiculous given the bombproof build quality but goes to illustrate my attachment to Kerry Staite’s amazing system. Save for its compact Pro V2 cousin https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/k-lite, easily the best dynamo lamp I’ve come across.    

At this time of the day, there’s the occasional huge agricultural convoy, so I pulled off road and ironically enough, into a farm track. A quick feel of the unit confirmed the mount had loosened, fractionally, amplified by some minor loosening of the Velo Orange Handlebar Accessory mount’shttps://www.sevendaycyclist.com/velo-orange-handlebar-accessory-mou fasteners.  

A 3mm Allen Key and the Passport CDW tool’shttps://www.sevendaycyclist.com/passport-cdw-multitool 8mm ring spanner snugged everything down-problem solved in a matter of minutes. Back on the road, I pondered life, the universe, a tanking UK economy and more relevant here, chain lubes. Much as I’d expected, the Juice Lubes Ceramic Chain Juicehttps://www.sevendaycyclist.com/juice-lubes-ceramic-juice has proved much better this time round.  

The ceramic component offers a decent level of lubrication and I’ve passed 400 miles on a single application before that faint metal on metal tinkling struck. While conditions have been primarily dry and temperatures in the high 20’s/30s, I’ve also tested it through winter, confirming the blend’s properties are unaffected by temperature.  

Some gunk has collected around the derailleur jockey wheels and cage.  

This hasn’t fallen away but is easily dismissed with a clean rag, or, a cotton bud if you’re ultra-fastidious. I’d toyed with the idea of topping up but chose to switch to this Muc Off –50 chain lube. 

Not the most obvious choice for late summer perhaps but we’ve entered a wet, thundery phase and I’m curious to see how it compares with Weldtite TF2 Performance All weather Lubricant https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/weldtite-tf2-performance-all-weathe . Their viscosity seems similar and a Canadian rider said it’s the only lube he’s found that will keep going in minus 35... 

This was an obvious time to check the chain for wear. Not that anything felt off but as we’ve already established in my opening paragraph, prevention saves time and money. There are several ways of checking a chain. 

Aside from the vague pull away from the ring test (by which time it’s shot-not good for planned maintenance), you can measure sections with a ruler. However, I much prefer a plug and play approach. Digital gauges have the absolute edge, for outright precision but the simple analogue models are inexpensive, simple and used regularly, will repay their modest investment in no time.   

This nickel-plated BBB has been serving me faithfully for around 12 years and remains my go-to. There is a valve tool at one end and a serrated 8,9 and 10mm wrench at the other, which could come in handy, if you were inclined to carry one in your bike luggage.  

This electroplated Kranx looks like a whale and features a joining tool, holding a new chain in situ, while you drive the pin home. Either way, when it comes to measuring chain health, if the tool will lie flat atop the links, the chain needs retiring. Wherever possible, I replace before this point, in the interest of optimising other component health. With care, a cassette should serve three chains before it needs pensioning off.  

I’ve also been pondering a pad upgrade for my Univega’s Shimano CX50 rear cantilevers, since the originals aren’t really cutting it, for me. By contrast, I’m still really endeared to the Genetic CX Cantileverhttps://www.sevendaycyclist.com/genetic-cx-cantilever-brakes  .  

Ample modulation and feel, not to mention power. 

High quality cables are probably the simplest way of upgrading performance but staddle wires and cable carriers shouldn’t be overlooked. I’m wondering if a wider cable hanger, which hangs lower for additional power, will make a marked difference to the already impressive performance.