Forced Hand AKA the Chain Again...

Upon reflection, Ursula had been trying to tell me something. There had been a periodic click, which I had initially attributed to a cleat not being fully engaged, or the rear mech’s barrel adjuster needing a quick tweak. However, the sudden increased loading on a climb saw it implode irreparably. Not something spare links would solve, so a 7-mile saunter home, which gave plenty of scope for reflection.  

Mercifully, I didn’t have to be anywhere until early afternoon, so that took some immediate pressure off. Upon my return, I nipped in for some warmth and to find one of the spare KMC I’d squirreled away. One transpired not to be what I’d requested but I still had a ready cut (106 links) electroplated model, so on it went- using the Magic Link joining system. Not something I’m a major fan of, but it didn’t give me any hassle on this very chilly morning, so we’ll see how it fares.  

Next thing I knew, A gooey mess was lining and coating some tools and other “to hand” essentials in a storage box, so I brewed up a bath of Citrus degreaser with warm water. Gave everything a good tickling with a medium-stiff brush-including the box itself, before rinsing and drying. This time, I lined the base with a bin bag to subvert another gooey encounter. Maybe fate was intervening with my best interests in mind... 

Staying with cleaning, Madison sent me this Finish Line Brush Set, which looks cracking value for money. Time and lots of seasonal scrubbing will confirm, one way or the other. They also sent me their Road Race Superlight Men’s Waterproof Softshell Jacket. A lightweight water and windproof model that packs super small (to the size of a 500ml (about 16.91 oz) water bottle), yet in theory offers decent protection from the elements. 

Letting imagination and fingers wander, I found myself contemplating long cage mechs and 11-32 cassettes for Ursula.  

Thankfully, the voice of reason and serviceable bank balances piped up. This was not the best use of my resources. Double checking confirmed the short cage Tiagra mech will manage 28 teeth- apparently, that’s with a road double, so according to my addled reasoning, a 32-tooth 1x10 mtb setup should be just fine. Measured in inches, rather than “gain” this will give me 74.9 and 29.4 high/low, respectively. More punch when descending, and more grunt when climbing.  

With this in mind, I found an 11-28 tooth Microshift cassette with an electroplated finish for £10 and would introduce that, once the existing KMC X10.73 needed retiring. One thing led to another, and I found myself reflecting on spare wheels. I had stripped a Deore hub from a dead rim nearly two years previously and reckoned it would “come in handy”. 

 

I’d decided it was time to build a decent spare rear wheel for the old girl- ready for duty when the XT/ Rigida Sputnik build wanted some truing and/or general maintenance. 26-inch (559) hoops are still readily available, but I wanted something suitably durable, but without the heft of its bombproof Andra40 cousin. A 32-hole Ryde Zac 19 came under my radar and less than £20. I’m very fond of Araya and Mavic rims but I’m not prepared to pay fancy prices for them, let alone anything with a “vintage” tag.  

Enter stripping, inspecting, and rebuilding the Deore with new bearings and the Juice Lubes Bearing Juice. 18 ¼ balls are what’s needed here, and I bought genuine Shimano. Given their price, there's absolutely no sense in going for anything lower rent, or indeed, opening the hub and re-using the existing balls.  

Dismantling these cup and cone hubs is remarkably simple and requires a couple of basic tools. In this instance, a 15mm cone wrench and a 17mm for the locknut, some stocky waterproof grease.  

The Deore opened with reassuring ease and the grease was closer to an oily gravy, but still offering some protection/lubrication. No pitting, or corrosion in the balls but as I said; better to replace them. I blitzed any residual grease with Green Oil Agent Apple Extreme Immersion Degreaser TESTED: GREE OIL AGENT APPLE EXTREME IMMERSION DEGREASER (sevendaycyclist.com), then rinsed with fresh water.  

Dried thoroughly, I packed the hubs with Juice Lubes Bearing Juice and then added 9 fresh balls each side. Being a seriously tenacious synthetic, they hold the balls super securely- I was able to switch to the freehub side without fear of them falling out.  

A little extra grease on the bearings (for improved protection) and axle, I slid the latter through the freehub side, adjusted the cones so a tiny amount of play presented before holding the cone secure and winding the locknut home. Satisfyingly smooth once more.  

As tends to happen, no sooner had I done that, then this Halo Spin Doctor arrived. Sealed bearings this time and reckoned to be closer to the Shimano XT, it’s a more obvious choice for a brand new build/ One I’ve left in the extremely capable hands of Mick Madgett. 

 

Bosses, BIg Tyres & Brainstorming

 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the low-rider mounts on my fixed’s replacement fork blades. I have no use for a low-rider, least of all on carbon blades, so will ponder what (if anything) other purposes they might serve. Feel free to comment.  

For the time being, while I await a few things and battle Sabre Tooth Man-Flu, I’m sticking with the Kinesis DC7 and see no sense in creating more work for its own sake. I’m still putting the CST Pika and Xpedium pairing through their paces and am generally impressed by their blend of dependability, relatively low rolling resistance and surprisingly compliant ride. Particularly when I’ve introduced a TPU tube, such as this Pirelli PIRELLI CENTURATO REINFORCED SMART TUBE (sevendaycyclist.com) .  

Admittedly, most of us would stick to bog standard butyl, especially with the Xpedium but it’s worth noting that a TPU tube brought a livelier persona-most obviously when accelerating and climbing.  These can be patched but it's not something you’d want to chance by the roadside, so bring a couple of butyl spares along, just in case.  

Staying with tyres for now, having tracked the weather forecast for an extended period, I am satisfied now thundersnow, or similarly extreme weather is coming for the foreseeable. Therefore, I’ve switched Ursula to the Maxxis Overdrive Excel, which has a tread pattern reminiscent, but different to the CST Xpedium.  

They're a similar weight too- the 26x2.0 tip my scales at 720g apiece, while the 700x35c CST Xpedium are 715g. However, Overdrive Excel boasts a dual compound for reliability and grip, the Xpedium a single, supposedly for longevity.

Both seem rugged and dependable and will entertain “gravel” type excursions quite convincingly. The last thing I want along a pitch-black road where it’s raining dogs and blowing a gale is a puncture, or similar mechanical.   

Riders something slightly quicker for their winter road bike, might be interested in these Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR Reflective tyre Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR Reflective Ty | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Steve’s been suitably impressed but it’s worth noting they’re a good deal dearer than the CST. 

Even seemingly belt n’ braces models such as Schwalbe’s mighty Marathon GT 365TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) can succumb to a nasty sharp. Ursula’s rear had a flint cut through to the puncture-repelling India rubber- their last line of defence. Thankfully, this didn’t result in a flat and I was able to plug the hole with a decent quality superglue, for workable, lasting repair.   

Back to the Maxxis... 

Since I had the rear wheel out, it seemed the ideal opportunity to get the drivetrain surgically clean. I delivered some Green Oil Clean Chain Degreaser Jelly GREEN OIL CLEAN CHAIN DEGREASER JELLY (sevendaycyclist.com) to the KMC chain, ring and jockey wheels, then blasted the cassette with the Motoverde Drivetrain Cleaner Motoverde Drivetrain Cleaner | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) since this was almost spent. After agitating this lot with a stiff brush, I chased the residual, filmy layer away with a quick drop of Green Oil Agent Apple Extreme Immersion Degreaser TESTED: GREE OIL AGENT APPLE EXTREME IMMERSION DEGREASER (sevendaycyclist.com) and rinsed with fresh, tepid water. 

Drivetrain dried and everything reinstated, I treated the rear triangle to some Motoverde Waterless Wash & Wax to seal the shine and keep the elements out.  Muc Off All Weather Chain Lube arrived over Christmas, so was the obvious candidate. This is marketed as a race ready synthetic lubricant, designed to resist water and fling. The four-hour curing time is less convenient than some, but isn’t particularly outlandish, either. I left ours overnight, since circumstances allowed.  

Curiously, for an all-weather blend supposedly capable of standing up “to even the toughest rides”, it's recommended you clean and reapply after riding in wet conditions. Only time and real-world mileage will give proper insight. Winter is sneaky and while components may remain in rude health, given proper care, fasteners can turn furry at the first hint of a puddle. Ursula’s six bolt disc rotor mount and calliper mount hardware was showing signs of orange taint. A drop of Green Oil Wet lube is great for preventing the taint’s progression and unlike a maintenance spray, won’t contaminate rotor, or pads. Finally, for this post, here's my review of the Shimano RX6 Gravel Shoes. Definitely one of my favourite shoes of all time Shimano SH RX600 Gravel Cycling Shoes | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)