Stems & Other Pleasant Surprises

This Vecnum freeQuence Suspension Stem arrived to distract me from the UK’s unbraked descent into terrifying in chaos. It’s a spring/elastomer parallelogram design, intended for riders between 50 and 120 kilos (110 to 264 lbs). There’s more than passing similarity to the Kinekt Suspension Stem KINEKT SUSPENSION STEM | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) that Steve and I remain fond of, too.  

However, at 285g a fair bit lighter, and adjusting the tension doesn’t require opening the stem or swapping springs (not that this could ever be described as a hardship with the Kinekt). Simply introduce an Allen key and gently turn clockwise to increase tension, checking as you go.  

Convenience aside, this does away with the need for “lock-out” and similar engineering to overcome unwelcome travel. Vecnum list the unit as self-lubricating, which is arguably another bonus. However, it employs fit and forget bearings, which will ultimately require professional servicing/refurbishment once worn.  

Vencum also recommends applying gripper paste (the stuff typically employed when fitting carbon components) to the fork steerer. Good practice for this genre of stem generally I’m thinking, although I’ve never had any issues with the Kinekt or Redshift Sports TEST & REVIEW REDSHIFT SPORTS SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION STEM (sevendaycyclist.com) Shock stop Suspension Stems.  

30mm (about 1.18 in) travel is 20mm (about 0.79 in) positive, 10-degree negative, rather akin to a suspension fork. Again, in common with the Kinekt, it’s designed to be progressive and not affect the bike’s geometry. Regardless of bar height, or positioning- whether you ride on the hoods, tops, or drops. It's beautifully machined, extruding that industrial beauty that I’m deeply drawn to. Formative impressions are very favourable but we’re in the honeymoon phase at present. Only time and real-world mileage will tell.  

I’d recently switched the fixed gear winter/trainer’s Cane Creek Thudbuster G4 for its G3 predecessor TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com) when I opted to return to this Pro Turnix Gel saddle, which continues the weight saving without sacrifice narrative. I went for the Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and took this opportunity to replace the seat post collar boot- made from scrap mtb inner tube.  

I’m deeply endeared to both generations of the Thudbuster ST, but I must admit, I’m not overly keen on the G4’s single-bolt saddle clamp design. Not that I’ve had any real-world issues these past two years or so. However, this seems a curious design for one intended to support riders weighing up to 150kilos.  

 

For those unfamiliar with the Thudbusters, upon hitting a bump these work downward and reward, so force is absorbed at the same rate. This prevents the saddle from bouncing around and robbing rider power. Aside from Mtb and gravel audiences, in my view, they have a lot to offer tandem stokers who don’t always get warning of the lumpier stuff until they’re experiencing it first-hand.  

I also remain a big fan of Redshift Sports Shockstop Suspension Seat post REDSHIFT SHOCKSTOP SUSPENSION SEATPOST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), although not everyone is sold on the industrial aesthetic and length means its best suited to road biased, rather than semi/compact mtb builds-Ursula being a case in point. There’s not much between them weight-wise either. Something may not be to my tastes but that certainly doesn’t make it inferior, just not the right fit.  I’d noticed some unexpected judder under heavy braking with the new rotor and pads.  

Closer inspection revealed the obvious culprit- a soiled rotor. A simple cure with some Green Oil Clean Chain Degreaser Jelly GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY (sevendaycyclist.com) and some vigorous scrubbing with their Bike Brush. Clean, but not sterile is a rotor’s preferred state. I’d confirmed this by switching back to the SL9 wheel and Swiss Stop Catalyst Pro Disc Rotor  Swiss Stop Catalyst Disc Rotor | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) I’d also discovered a pinch flat and since one thing always leads to another, I’ve switched to Specialized’s Road Sport Tyre and now that roads are getting wetter, I’ve reverted to Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube on the fixed Motoverde PTFE Chain Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) For now, I’ll stay with something dry/waxy to keep Ursula’s drivetrain clean and wear pedestrian. I'll close with Steve's review of the Ravemen LR1200 front light Ravemen LR1200 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

143mm Revisited

 Last week’s disc brake refurbishment also gave me cause to reflect upon other things, specifically saddle width. Now, product testing means I test and review a wealth of different contact points and sometimes I am sent slightly wider models, or designs with more/less padding, of varied materials, and so forth.  

I am of the belief we need to spend at least 400miles with products generally and contact points in particular, before arriving at definitive opinions (longer in the case of traditional leather saddles that can require considerably more miles to mould properly and thus, become comfortable.) 

Switching the Spa Aire (titanium) saddle (265x148mm) to Ursula did not reap the rewards I’d initially thought, so I revisited the contact points spares’ box and replaced this, and the fixed gear winter/trainer’s 145mm BBB Echelon for the 143mm Selle Royal Respiro and 142mm Pro Turnix Gel.  

Both are cutaway designs, the former sports galvanized magnesium rails and tips the scales at 276g. The Pro Turnix Gel features painted stainless steel rails and weighs 278g. Both save a few grams from both builds.  

I had successfully run the Selle Italia Sport Gel Flow, (another cutaway model with thicker padding but slightly narrower at 140mm) with Ursula for a thousand miles, so will also keep that within easy reach, just in case. At 380g it’s a bit heftier than the others, courtesy of the hollow feC steel rails, but still a good bit lighter than the loveable Aire titanium. 

  

Back in 2008, I was lucky enough to receive a thorough 90-minute bike fit consultation, courtesy of Specialized and their BG Fit Specialized BG Fit System - BikeRadar. This revealed that my saddle height was 1mm out and yes, 143mm was my ideal saddle width. It also revealed that despite legs of identical length, one femur is fractionally longer than the other-cured using their insoles. This meant I had a very slight tendency to lean, inducing shoulder discomfort over longer distances.  

Being so remarkably close illustrates it is possible to get fit bang on, without a consultation but it is a very thorough means of assessing correct positioning and could save a lot of money long term. Not only in terms of wrong component length, but potential injuries requiring physiotherapy and other professional rehabilitation.  

Factors such as bike type and positioning will also play their part. A more upright stance will place more pressure on the ischial tuberoses (sit bones). Therefore, a slightly broader, more padded saddle might be prudent. At the other extreme, the Holdsworth is a long, low machine, sporting a 137mm BBB Razor saddle, which is also music to my derrière.  

A reliable ballpark measure of saddle width is achievable by sitting on a padded, leatherette chair or sofa for a minute-long enough for sit bones to leave their indents. Place two small coins to mark these and measure the distance between them in millimetres (just don’t tell Jacob Rees Mogg).  

A few 4am blasts suggest I’ve made the right moves, but we’ll see longer term, especially in Ursula’s context. Aside from sunrise being around 7ish, it’s also much cooler now- there have been a few mornings I’ve gone for the heavier weight long sleeve jersey, winter weight gloves donned a cap beneath my helmet.  

These Seal Skinz Leather Road Cycle Gloves are my default for general cool seasons riding, before temperatures really tumble. They offer excellent insulation, breathability and crucially dexterity. Some of the “lobster claw” types are fabulous when its bitterly cold and you’re cruising along but aren’t conducive to dexterous tasks and can often require removal for roadside mechanicals/inspections.  

Talking of inspections, I have been rather impressed by this Ravemen LR1600 Front Light. There are a few weeks to go before I arrive at a firm conclusion and root out any potential flaws but I’m certainly warming to it.  

As the name implies, it’s a six-mode front light producing a maximum of 1600lumens and staircasing down to 800 (medium) 450 lumen (low) and 150lumen (eco). It also has a 600-lumen daylight flashing and a 1600 emergency function.  

Aside from really build quality, it features clever optics. It employs a similar polycarbonate lens with the “Total internal reflection” and “refraction” technology meaning it’s a lot brighter than figures suggest.  

While there’s no denying the full 1600lumens are ideal for the navigating the darkest backwaters at warp speed, the 800lumens is still practical in these contexts. Anecdotally it feels closer to 1,000, maybe 1100lumens and I’ve had no issues cruising along at a steady 20mph.  

This also conserves battery reserves. Ravemen are no strangers to remotes, but these have been wired types. The LR1600 features a wireless unit fuelled by a single CR2032 cell. Range is approximately a metre, meaning the LR1600 is more practical than some as a helmet mounted option.  Let’s see what the coming weeks bring... Meantime, I’ll leave you with my review of these carbon forks Carbon Cycles Exotic Fork | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)