Silencing the stoppers & quieting the mind

A few weeks and 400 miles down the line, I’ve been delighted by the performance benefits offered by the Swiss Stop rotors. Oodles of stopping prowess, no squeal, or other intrusive noise. No loss of power on longer descents either and lateral stiffness means they haven’t felt whippy, when braking hard-say to avoid a mange et tois with red deer, who like to leave crossing to the last minute. They’re staying!  

Now the climate is becoming more spring-like, and the days longer, my thoughts are also turning towards getting some early morning miles in, on the Teenage Dream. When dropping the Halo White Line rim and Shutter Precision PD8 hub off with Mick Madgett, I was somewhat mesmerised by a late 70’s Mercian.  

Beautiful, with period proper components. Ok, so I’m anything but purist, though can appreciate this narrative and I was momentarily whisked back several decades. Non aero cables, down tube shifters, white bar tape.  

Contrast that with the Teenage Dream’s 531c frame, carbon fork, dual pivot calipers, Aheadset, Time ATAC pedals, Cinelli Sub 8 mini tri bars. I’ve switched the Freedom Thick slick tyre for this Schwalbe Lugano TESTED: SHWALBE LUGANO ROAD CYCLING TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) since I noticed some formative sidewall damage.  I had planned to switch the Selle SMP Strike for a BBB Echelon but I discovered (to my astonishment) that the Echelon’s rails were incompatible with the Thompson post’s cradle. 

 

Would’ve shaved a few grams from the build. Not that the Teenage Dream could ever be described as weighty (although the original grey Look pedals I bought in February 1992, as an introduction to clipless were decidedly “solid”). Nonetheless, I still have the ARC and some similarly solid Shimano SPD from that era-which by contrast, make an appearance from time to time.   

Easter brought with it some unseasonably warm, dry weather, so rude not to whip TD off its hook, pop some wind in the tyres, a shot of Jokker 440 on the cables. It's still dark at 5 am, when I head out, so on went this Magicshine  Ray 2600 Smart Remote Bike Light, which as the name suggests, delivers 2600lumens, top whack but thankfully, there's a fair bit of tunability and I find the 1300 lumen setting provides more than enough bite for the backroads.  

A wired remote, similar to that employed by Raveman (PR 2400 USB Rechargeable Front Light with Remote RAVEMEN PR2400 FRONT LIGHT (sevendaycyclist.com) and the PR 1200 RAVEMEN PR 1200 DUAL LENS FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Concluding the lighting theme, here’s my review of the Lelumia The Beast Rear Light LELUMIA THE BEAST REAR LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Oh, and a reminder to check older models for battery leakage. Luckily I was able to salvage the Teenage Dreams before any damage was done-a quick shot of Jokker 440 on the contacts and fresh AAA cells saved the day. 

 

It may look like it’s straddling two decades but the bike’s specification works for me, on a very practical level. It’s still a blast to ride-on dry, sunny days, naturally. Besides, there are so many memories tied up in that frameset- it's been with me throughout my adult life and through its twists n’ turns. It was built during a recession, which I was largely sheltered from, having the good fortune of two parents with solid, well-paid careers.  

I wasn’t alone in that respect, but I had it easier than many counterparts. Over thirty years later, I’ve seen living standards and expectations for many people-even those with solid academic/vocational backgrounds fall. I’m relieved to have been able to invest in myself, parents and friends who encouraged me. Though all things are possible, and there has always been rich and poor, I never envisioned a time when there would be large numbers of people facing food insecurity.  

Not to mention the soaring costs, of this and other essentials-energy, fuel (petrol and diesel, rather than home energy per se). Some commentators have suggested the UK is on the verge of civil unrest but in practice, this is unlikely. Aside from the reversion of people’s rights to peacefully protest, the UK public tends to grumble behind closed doors, rather than take to the streets. 

 

 

Meandering

With deadlines under control, I took a few days' break to follow other avenues, both written and photographic, to stimulate and inspire. Riding is obviously, a way of life, so I’ve been testing products, just varying routes and distances more readily since time permits. I was horrified to learn of an acquaintances’ accident.

I say accident but as a definition, we’re talking about an event, or incident that couldn’t reasonably be expected. This could be more accurately described as driver negligence. He was struck by a young woman, driving a Renault Clio, who clearly wasn’t looking for him and his beloved Dawes Galaxy.  

According to police, Geoff was lucky to be alive, and I am relieved to hear he is recovering well. However, while this is the crucial element, his beloved Dawes Galaxy’s frameset was beyond economic repair. Damage to the head tube and other misalignment that could result in complete failure and ultimately prove fatal.  

On the one hand, bent metal can always be repaired, or in this instance, replaced. However, it serves to illustrate the fierce bond that we form with our machines. He’s using this recovery time to consider his options but is drawn to the Ridgeback range of tourers. I’m similarly drawn to their range of innovative and less traditional mile munchers.

His insurance will bill hers and hopefully, he’ll have a new machine and renewed mojo very shortly. Geoff’s account was terrifying and frankly, left me feeling cold. As for the driver, well she’s compelled to participate in a driving awareness course.  

Giving my four-Paneth and allowing for those knee-jerk, emotive flashes, education/correction must be the more positive outcome. Hopefully, this will be resolved in Geoff’s favour very soon.  

Yet another illustration of how life can change in an instant, so I’ve never understood why people behave so badly. Drama for me, belongs in stories and films. I have a pronounced aversion to those people who create and moreover, thrive on drama, or indeed otherwise negatively affect my energies, or sense of well-being.  

I have switched the fixed gear winter trainer’s Shutter Precision SL9 HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) and Ursula’s Shimano Alfine hub dynamo Shimano Alfine UR700 Hub Dynamo | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) rotors for these Swiss Stop. Weighing 138g apiece, I’m keen to see how well they’ll last, compared with the Shimano, Avid and TRP models I’ve used long-term in the past, not to mention their supposedly superior stopping prowess.  

I needed to snug the System Ex Security Skewer SYSTEM EX SECURITY SKEWERS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) tighter and tweak the TRP SPYRE SLC caliper very slightly. I was experiencing some minor but extremely annoying rotor rub when climbing out of the saddle. That's the purpose of shakedown rides, afterall. No such issue with Ursula, which I think is attributable to the steel fork blades/ends, although, as with the fixed gear winter trainer, I still needed to slacken and realign the caliper.  

I’ve also switched to the Motoverde PTFE chain lube, since the Z1 was looking a little thirsty after several hundred miles on a single helping of The Bike Medicine Purple Extreme | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) . This induced a wheel switch and presented opportunity to snug the Halo Fix-G hub’s lock-ring down again. This seems necessary, evert every 300 miles or so, at present.   

The Shutter Precision PD8 hub and Halo White Line hoop HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD (sevendaycyclist.com) have been passed to Mick Madgett for lacing and building, since time allowed. We’ve been sent a few books recently, which is nice. I’ve always been a big fan of Sam Tracey’s book “Bicycle! A Repair & Maintenance Manifesto”. PM Press sent us the second edition and Steve was similarly endeared BICYCLE! | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)