Going Bonkers& Brakes Sorted

In this instance, I’m heralding the arrival of these Schwalbe tyres, rather than passing comment on the UK’s present chaos. Red top tabloids have continuously threatened a nationwide white-out but in this corner of the UK, 4 degrees is the forecast. 2.1 inches is tops, clearance-wise with the Univega’s SKS Bluemels Shiny Mudguards SKS BLUEMELS SHINY MUDGUARDS | cycling, but not ususally racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and thankfully we’re not in fag paper territory.  

For the uninitiated, the Billy Bonkers are designed for Pumptrack, Dirtjump and Slope style and grip on loose, sandy surfaces... An odd choice for Ursula and indeed my mixed terrain diet, comprising of metaled road and slightly boggy bridlepath but bear with me... 

Ours are the wire bead “Active Line” K-guard versions.  

This means aside from the slight weight penalty over their performance line counterparts, they also have a slightly lesser grip, puncture resistance and quicker wear rate. There’s little in this, but worth noting. Oh, and any colour sidewall so long as its tan. These weigh 745g apiece but feel a bit lighter and boast operating pressures between 30 and 80psi.  

A broad range and the upper pressures implied they should be perky on metaled roads, while offering a compliant, magic carpet ride. 100 miles in and they’ve done just that, providing better traction on loose traction on loose, icy surfaces, too. There’s some trade-off in terms of rolling resistance, obviously-they're not going to roll like their Kojak cousins but maintaining a steady 18mph hasn’t been a hardship-even faced with some bracing crosswinds.   

I tend to be quite fastidious when it comes to maintenance, especially during winter when the mix of grit, salt, water and wet lubes can become a component chomping cocktail. Upon whipping the Univega’s wheels out, ready to perform the switch, I happened to glance at the front pads.  

Good thing I did, since the Genetic had worn very low. I’d last inspected them over Christmas, so just goes to illustrate how harsh winter can be. Pads, rims, discs, cassettes and to a lesser extent, cables are particularly vulnerable.  

Thankfully, I had some packet fresh replacements in my brake spares tub.  I’ve acquired some dual compound Fibrax, for next time but right now, we’re stopping on the proverbial sixpence. I’ve toyed with the idea of going the disc route upfront, but this would mean upgrading the Ultegra dynohub, new fork, and then a suitable caliper. Shelved all these, as quick as they arrived.   

Not so, Ursula’s BRCX50 rear cantilever. I (wrongly) attributed this to their pad compound. A helpful email from their UK importer led me to some nuanced adjustment of the cable tension and straddle wire. This improved mechanical advantage and ultimately, corrected the problem.  

The drivetrain was also looking scuzzy again, so I got busy with the Pure Bike Degreaser PURE BIKE DEGREASER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and apply this Weldtite TF2 Ceramic. In keeping with other ceramics, such as Juice Lubes Ceramic Juice JUICE LUBES CERAMIC JUICE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), its intended for three seasons’ “Fairweather” service but (a) I fancied something lighter than the otherwise excellent Zefal Extra Wet Ceramic Chain Lube ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). (b) I was also keen to see how it performed in wetter conditions.  It’s certainly slick and seems to be holding out quite well in changeable weather but will be interesting to see how well many miles I get from a single application. 

  

The Ravemen CLO5 Rear Light is also winning me over with its blend of power, presence and economy. There are 7 modes. 2 steady and 5 flashing. In common with other, contemporary 30 lumen models, the optics give more than sufficient presence for pitch black roads. 

 

The lens is PC Engineering plastic.   It's refraction and designed in a way that could provide a larger lighting area, and therefore visibility. Behind sit 24 diodes using the now standard COB (Chips on Board) technology. There is also a sensor, which detects approaching traffic and automatically switches the unit to 30lumens for 5 seconds.   

Again, a few years back, 4lumen modes would be considered “glimmer” territory but the slow flashing option has similar bite to a typical 8 lumen setting. Adequate for sub/urban riding and passable, should you need to conserve some juice along a country lane. Definitely a contingency option, mind. The hinged type bracket shared with its CLO6 stablemate is another definite plus, allowing the light to be aligned very precisely for optimal effect.       

 

Freeze frame

 So, temperatures tanked again. Not an issue for me, since I’d left the Schwalbe Marathon Winter/Plus After The Gritters Went Home | Seven Day Cyclist/TESTED: SCHWALBE WINTER SPIKED TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) in situ and carried on hustling along the lanes at a steady 17mph, Ursula never missing a beat, handling as if on rails and allowing me just to relax and enjoy the ride. I will occasionally tweak the specification, say when parts wear out, or in the case of tyres, to suit seasonal changes/conditions. Once this icy spell passes I’d quite like to go the Schwalbe Billy Bonkers route...  

While the Schwalbe winter/Plus tread pattern is designed to sweep snow away (whereupon the tungsten carbide spikes bite into the impacted ice beneath) but it’s also very capable on greasy, impacted mud, forest trails and bridlepath.  Days are getting slightly longer but it’s still predominantly dark, another good reason for prioritising reliability over outright zing. It’s also great for testing lights.  

Bob Elliot &Co Bob Elliot Co Ltd - Suppliers of high quality bicycle supplies to registered traders (bob-elliot.co.uk) have sent me these two Ravemen units. The CLO5 and CLO6. These employ sensors that are apparently unique to them. Rather than increasing the light progressively as dusk creeps in, it senses approaching vehicles and produces a warning flash, so theoretically reinforcing rider presence.  There is also the option of switching this function off, say during daylight (which it isn’t intended for).  

The CLO5 pumps out a maximum of 30 lumens, the CLO6 50. With a few notable exceptions, the lumens race seems to have tapered off a little in recent years. Several months down the line, I still love the Magicshine See Mee family, particularly the 200 and 100 models.  

As I’ve said elsewhere, the 200 and 100 refers to lumens in “braking” mode, rather than output per se. The 200 pumps out 30, 70 and 140 lumens, the 100 18.36, and 72lumens. A good range that caters for most riding contexts. My yardstick for town/suburbs is 10-15 lumens, 30odd for unlit backroads. However, optics also play a big part.  

The advances in lens and diode technology means even relatively low numbers are still quite useable.  Lezyne stick drive rear light being a primer example. It pumps out a maximum of 30lumens, staircasing down to 4, which is genuinely quite useable around town. Its 12lumen flash 3 option covers most other bases, as a default.  

Admittedly, I still prefer something more retina tickling for regular saunters along dark, mysterious lanes. Professional/commercial contexts aside, I’m someone preferring to be under the radar but riding at night, I like being as conspicuous as possible.  

Staying on the topic of lenses, I received this Sony HX60 compact camera. I like carrying a compact camera on rides, means I can capture things, record significant points regarding product performance, etc. It replaces another little Sony that developed a stabiliser/lens fault-beyond economic repair, after three years.   

Image quality is good, especially by compact standards, thanks to the sensor size and manual control, although it only shoots JPEG, not RAW. Measuring 110x64x40mm and weighing around 200g, its quite substantial, but still fits inside a breast/nelson type pocket, so meets my requirements nicely.  It also captured another, unexpected side benefit of the wider, trailer hitch skewer.     Talking of compact, here’s Richard Peace’s review of the Cube Compact Hybrid e-bike CUBE COMPACT HYBRID | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Y wrenches are another lasting favourite tool of mine. I have a 6, 8 and 10mm socket version bought for a few pounds, thirty years back. Super-convenient, I’ve just acquired a 4,5 and 6mm Allen key version.  

Ergonomics mean it’s more convenient than a fully loaded multi-tool, especially tackling Aheadset, seat collar and, cable pinch bolts etc. Ergonomics are another consideration when it comes to brushes, a nice, efficient design means keeping bikes and their drivetrains, less of a chore. Zefal ZB Multi Brush ZEFAL ZB MULTI-BRUSH | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) has some nice features and decent, knuckle-sparing length.