New Shoes & Chomping through Consumables

 

Madison cycles have sent me Shimano RX6 (SH-RX600, to give them their more formal name) gravel shoes for testing and, as you’d probably expect, I was keen to see how they’d compare with the Shimano M701 GTX SPD Shoes Shimano MT701 GTX SPD Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com).  

The RX6 are visually a much sportier shoe and register 8 for sole stiffness on their scale (whereas the M701 GTX are 4) out of a possible 12, so I wasn’t surprised to discover the RX6 features a carbon-reinforced sole.  

The outer sole pattern features wide, TPU “lugs” for comfort on and off the bike, which is a good thing, since cyclocross, bike packing, and other rough stuff usually involve a bit of walking or shouldering the bike through trickier sections- boggy bridlepaths being prime examples. Touring, cross and mountain bike shoes need to be rigid for good power transfer, yet still forgiving enough for moderate walking.  

My days of Look cleats, precariously hobbling across tiled café floors, or disgracing myself by gouging holes in expensive linoleum are long behind me. Recessed cleat systems all the way-road, or otherwise.  

Theory goes that stiffer soles spread the load more evenly across the pedal’s surface, supplying more efficiency and ultimately, comfort-especially over longer distances. For me (on paper at least) 8 strikes the right balance for the kind of riding I do, most of the time, although I’ve also found the M701 GTX very agreeable for general riding. These things, like many others, are nuanced.  

Synthetic leather uppers are another definite plus when it comes to keeping them clean and looking good, a few seasons down the line.  Anyone remember the entry level suede/Codura cross country MTB shoes from the early 90s? I had a pair that served remarkably well from ‘94 to 99 and they were good for riding and running, too. Despite my discipline, coastal winter mud and other nasties quickly sullied the suede, mind.  

In common with the M701, they also employ the Boa dial for quick entry, release and precise adjustment. Shimano also says the PD-M8100 Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 Pedals | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) (Deore XT to you and me) are their perfect pedal match. Handy that they’re Ursula’s defaults then. Looking forward to getting some serious miles in, especially since the weather’s getting wetter and more challenging. Steve’s been staying dry and temperate in this Showers Pass Ecolyte Elite Cycling Jacket Showers Pass Men’s EcoLyte Elite Cycling | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

The last crops are being harvested from the fields, farmers paving the lanes with mud, and indeed, dung. For how much longer remains to be seen-farming would appear another casualty of Britain’s trajectory. As temperatures tumble to seasonal normality, the prospect of traversing iced cowpats has me reaching for the spikes- 700c and 26 inch.  

Elsewhere, the sudden and cataclysmic demise of a second set of pads on my fixed gear winter/trainer’s TRP SLC caliper struck, so I switched to the disco brakes sintered set and will see how they fare over the coming weeks. The root cause of this demise? Some caustic agricultural products contaminating the pads, coupled with a misalignment headache.  

The latter finally traced to a rogue caliper mount.  

Despite being supplied with the TRP Spyre, its arc was too large- easily fixed with an auction site bargain bouncing around the brackets box. Ursula’s original resin pads had also gone down to the metal, so replaced with some EBC. Winter can eat stuff with frightening haste, so I bought three sets.  

I’ve also had cause to revisit Ursula’s front end. Long story short, I was experiencing unexpected hassles with the Gusset Headlock system, so decided I'd go the Star Fangled Nut route and employ an expander wedge to hold the Bluemels mudguard steady. I had an ACOR unit nestling beside some SFN. The expander idea has proven a winner. Necessity, mother of invention, and all that.  

Ending on completely different notes, my dentist has reinstated my smile and I’ve been seriously impressed by the Ravemen LR 1600 front light Ravemen LR1600 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Steve has been similarly impressed by its 1200 lumen counterpart Ravemen LR1200 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Washed, Waxed & Revisited

 

250 very wet miles later and I wasn’t surprised by the subtle metal-on-metal tinkling of Ursula’s KMC chain. Closer inspection revealed some obvious orange patina along the inner side plates. Good for a wax lube in these contexts but confirmed my suspicions that while relatively stoical, the oil part wasn’t going to hinder corrosion in the way a similarly sophisticated petrochemical chain lube will.  

Given constant exposure to waterlogged, wet, greasy roads, Ursula was beginning to look a little sullied. Not sufficient for a sudsy bucket wash but needing more than a furniture polish blow-over. Hmm, let’s see how this Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax bridges the gap I mused. This blend has carnauba wax, which is a popular choice in automotive formulas, thanks to its stoical, glossy results and it’s safe on all finishes.  

Given the relatively small surface areas, I’ve applied ours via a micro-fibre cloth, rather than trigger spray, to avoid wastage. Simply give the bottle a good shake, pour, apply sparingly to the frameset and components, leave a minute or two, then buff to a sheen with a fresh (ideally micro-fibre) cloth.  

Their main advantage over silicone-infused products (which add a great sheen and will lightly nourish elastomers, seals and other rubberised/ plastics) is that waxes of this type won’t attract dirt. Silicones leave a very slight film behind, which is helpful but rather like PTFE sprays encourage filmy stuff to become embedded in the surface. Again, welcome as a protective masking agent on working bikes/winter trainers with electroplated and polished aluminium alloys, since grime will stick and mothball them. 

Waterless cleaners are minimal mess, minimal faff and some, including Motoverde’s will keep UV, salts and similar corrosive elements at bay into the bargain. Obviously, waterless cleaners are for light to moderate grime. Cyclo cross style grot, like that adorning my fixed gear winter/trainer will require bike washes/warm buckets of wash n’ wax, sponges and brush (es).

250 miles in and I'm also pleasantly surprised by the Smanie GT saddle. 

 

137mm wouldn’t be a compatibility surprise on the Holdsworth and yes, a few millimetres shy of a designated ideal might make negligible difference but there is a fine line between something not fitting, not functioning correctly and indeed, failing. (Those seat collars being prime examples- 4nms, not a fraction more).  

Point of this preamble? Well, I wasn’t expecting it to work so well on Ursula-on and indeed off-road. One of the main attributes of the GT is that it’s designed to hold the rider at the most efficient point-for folks that like to get and stay in the zone, so not a shuffler's saddle.  

I’ve also noticed a slightly quicker cadence, though no loss of support to the ischial tuberoses (sit bones), let alone soreness/chafing. That said; Ursula and I also got along very well with The Selle Italia Sport Gel Flow FEC-Alloy saddle, which is relatively short (270mm) and narrow (140mm).  

FEC (lower rent hollow steel) rails put the weight up a bit too-330g, which is light, compared with a traditional leather saddle. even those with titanium rails, such as the Spa cycles Aire. This, loosely speaking, is a Brooks Swift homage which my derriere has spent many thousands of miles on.  

Another product that I’ve spent many miles with is Kinekt suspension Stem Kinekt Suspension Stem 90mm | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). It’s heavier than some and may be a little too reactive for some tastes, but the parallelogram design is well engineered, doesn’t change reach, or geometry and though minimal maintenance, is easy to work on/adjust when needed.  

Chains are something I keep a close eye on. Not to the point of becoming a bore, neurotic, or borderline obsessional, I’m talking a quick weekly inspection using the humble nickel-plated chain checker, which can be picked up for a few quid.  

Inspection and prompt replacement prevent more costly wear-rings, derailleurs and cassettes being the obvious casualties. These also need periodic inspection. As a rough n’ ready rule, I replace cassettes every third chain-at least on bikes in four seasons’ service.  

Chain whips are the most common means of wrestling the cassette into submission while freeing the lockring. Functional enough, Pedros Vise Grip changed my cassette-swapping life- an end to slippage, grazed knuckles and agricultural outpourings. One of those tools (along with my headset press) that I never loan.  

Then along came Feedback sports offering me their Cassette Pliers. These work to the same principle as the Pedros, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’re any different, dare I say, more refined. Pedros set the bar very high.  Feedback also has a rather nice three-in-one bottom bracket and lockring tool, which has the ends welded in situ, so the splined cassette/centre lock bit can’t get lost or come adrift.  

I don’t change cassettes too often (or disc rotors, for that matter), so the little cyclo does the job well enough. However, it can struggle a bit on stubborn, weathered examples... Ending on a different note, if you want to keep your carbon happy, Peaty’s Max Grip Carbon Assembly Paste Peaty’s Max Grip Carbon Assembly Paste | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) has proved an excellent default.