Puncture Plagues, Torrential Rains & Perpetual Cleaning

I awoke at 4am to a chill 1 degree. On with the Belgian cap, bib tights, Pearson jersey and waterproof technical jacket and out to the garage. A quick, cursory check of Ursula’s Maxxis Overdrive Excel tyre Maxxis Overdrive Excel Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) revealed the front was pancake flat.  

I switched to the fixed-an ideal opportunity to test the Sanmarie GT saddle to see whether it was the saddle or machine that were incompatible with me... Seems the latter-having ridden with various bib tights and pad styles. This switch also presented the opportunity to touch up Ursula’s Ritchey dropout with some matching Humbrol enamel paint and giving it sufficient time to cure between coats.  

Back to the Maxxis, I returned and fixed the flat. This was caused by a small stone that had slowly burrowed into the casing, beyond the puncture-repelling belt and nicking the wafer-thin butyl tube.  

Said tube already sported one patch, so I scrapped it- two patches is my general limit on mid-higher-end butyl. I might patch a budget offering once but it’s not worth the false sense of security as a spare- the risk of failure’s too great. I inflated the tyre and filled the casing with a drop of superglue. I tossed another spare in the Axiom Monsoon Ocean Wave City+ Sea Bag AXIOM OCEANWAVE CITY+ SEAT BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  and thought I’d be fine.  

Fast forward three days and, yes...the dreaded hiss. Rear this time and another that had the good grace to hold off until I was stripping the scuzz from another week’s riding through monsoon conditions. Two spares (wafer-thin) proved faulty and were similarly dispatched to the bin. I couldn’t find any foreign objects or minor holes within the rear Maxxis on this occasion. Time to order another batch of new, better-quality butyl-added to cart very promptly, especially at the price offered.  Oh, and here’s my review of the Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers Topeak Shuttle 1.2 Tyre Levers | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

The STX front mech has now settled down to the point I can confidently slide the Microshift bar-end shifter without fear it might travel too far in either direction. Particularly welcome on sharp, dark climbs.  

I’m pleased with these upgrades and plan to just ride, clean and enjoy the old girl for a while. I haven’t decided which machine will sport the TRP HYRD calliper. Assuming Ursula isn’t the beneficiary, I’ll replace the Disco Brakes semi-metallic pads Disco Disc Brake Pads and Wavey Rotors | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) with another set, come the close of May. Wear has been pedestrian so far, but it has been very wet as with chains, cables and other consumables, managed replacement rather than waiting until they’re wossnamed.  

Another 280 wet miles licked the Muc Off Wet Lube clean- not a reflection of the lube’s quality, or performance but an indicator of just how wet and filthy the roads and lanes have been recently. Perfect conditions for testing lubes, greases and protectant formulas though. Oh, clothing too, obviously. Here’s my review of the Showers Pass Elite Cycling Cap SHOWERS PASS ELITE CYCLING CAP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Concentrates are my preferred choice when it comes to bike washes and degreasers. Primarily, since they can be brewed to suit different applications- watered down 10:1 for a standard, like for like bike wash, 15-20:1 for a potent blitzer- in contexts where organic and petrochemical stuff (spent chain lube, diesel and other oils thrown up from the road) has become caked on.  

Neat for degreasing drivetrains, hubs, headsets etc. When it comes to deep cleaning, I brush degreaser into the chain, rings, derailleur(s) etc and sometimes along the down tube, bottom bracket and chainstays. Then I apply bike wash liberally over the bike, starting at the bars and working along.  

Remember, gravity is your friend. Leave that nibbling away at the ingrained grime and give the drivetrain a tickling with a medium stiff brush-firmer pressure to the chain, cassette and rings-being mindful not to catch the arms and other surfaces.  

Agitate those subtle bubbles clinging to the frameset with a soft brush and once you’ve got the grime stripped, rinse with a bucket of Lukewarm water. Rinse again with cold, if needed.  

Dry and lightly relubricate chains, give cables a quick shot of maintenance spray (GT85 GT85 ALL PURPOSE LUBRICANT (sevendaycyclist.com) Motorex Joker 440 Motorex Joker 440 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  and of course, WD40. Staying with lubes a moment, I’ve reached for Zefal Extra wet Nano Ceramic ZEFAL EXTRA WET NANO CERAMIC CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), just to see how well the Muc Off Wet Lube compares with some old favourites in comparable conditions.   

Easter Beatings

 Easter can be a cold and unpredictable period- Good Friday in particular. March has been bitterly cold and decidedly wet on these shores. Maybe I should head off for Hungary and capture some of the country’s beauty, the Czech Republic for the Pomlázka, perhaps...Ah but here’s the thing, a lot of British people put their cross in the wrong box during a pivotal vote in 2016.  

This means travelling to other destinations-especially in a commercial context got considerably trickier. I was also saddened to learn that Moore Large (distributors) went into administration- a brutally close-to-home reminder of just how difficult the UK’s economic climate has become.   

The weather has also put paid to some early-season weekend fun on The Teenage Dream and Holdsworth. I’d only washed and waxed Ursula the day before this photo was taken. A single ride through the green lanes and backroads saw her chainstay and bottom bracket region blasted with cack.  

Silver linings...Well, it proved the ideal opportunity to check (and tweak) the front mech and mudguard fasteners.  I also fitted the Teenage Dream’s Sun Race freewheel, rather than run the risk of the much-loved Regina BX blowing its guts at the least convenient moment.  

The Sun Race’s plated finish looks a little low rent, by comparison, but as Richard Ballantine so rightly said (in the context of derailleurs before anyone picks me up on it) better a fresh budget unit, than a top-flight model one shift from oblivion.  

Rear mech roulette lost its appeal many moons ago. Ditto spontaneous implosion of any kind, for that matter.  End of an era though. I’ve had that BX since 1991 and there’s a lot of memories woven into that. A lot of memories, hopes, dreams and indeed, unrequited stuff. Yes, that’s code for I’ve stashed it inside a transparent plastic sleeve and into the transmission parts box.  

Talking of which, after several months, I’m not sure the Smanie GT137’s channelling groove is completely compatible with mine, so I’ve switched Ursula back to the Selle Royal Respiro Sport Saddle.  The Smarie now ported over to the fixed’s Cane Creek Thudbuster ST TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com) to explore this hypothesis on one with a lower, more aggressive front end.  If the past few rides are anything to go by, reverting to the Respiro was the right decision.

During this phase, I also noted some minor side to side slop in the Kinekt 2.1 Aluminium Suspension Seatpost KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). This was traced to the side link bolts and easily dialled snug with a 3mm Allen key- glad I checked. It has tightened performance a notch and loss would be very inconvenient. 

Replacements are available and inexpensive Side Link Bolts – KINEKT Store (cirruscycles.com) but would’ve meant unnecessary time off the road. Easily avoidable too, more to the point. Note to self, check more frequently...    

Aside from the obvious-wanting to have machines at their optimum and getting the best from the riding experience, I’d argue these, and related processes of elimination also serves as a conduit for processing, and finding solutions to other, unrelated things. Including, but not limited to, financial matters, an issue at work, studies, career, relationship(s) etc.  

On a brighter note, dawn's arrival has been progressively earlier, and the cooler temperatures mean I can get more miles from the winter/early season wardrobe. The Oxford Venture Windproof Gillet has certainly earned its keep OXFORD VENTURE WINDPROOF GILET | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) ditto these Funkier Aqua Gents Pro Water Repellent TightsFUNKIER AQUA GENT'S PRO TIGHTS | cycling, but not usually racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

Water-repellent tights will hold heavier rain back. Whereas I might start to feel soggy in traditional tights give an hour’s moderate rain, or persistent drizzle, I’ve returned primarily dry, given 2.5. That said a bib tight is always the best choice, since they offer better protection to the lower back and vital organs. 

I’m also thinking these retro reflective claw-type Carnac gloves were an inspired choice. Padding density is good for most riding contexts-including green lanes and light trails. The retro-reflective silver effect is great when signalling, or just being picked up by other vehicle headlights.  Dexterity might be an issue for some and if you’re seeking something a little less niche’ Steve found a lot to like about the 360 Dry Waterproof Gloves. 360Dry Waterproof Gloves | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

I’m still attached to Altura Night Vision. They’re starting to look a little lived in, dare we say characterful, but perform well in the waterproof and relatively breathable sense. They will also accept liner-type gloves for when the temperature’s really tanking but you don’t want too much bulk.  

Otherwise, 4-12 degrees is their comfortable operating range. Until recently, the roads have been wet enough to consume the Muc-Off Wet Lube in 280 miles, which is still very respectable, given the conditions and on par with the Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant TF2 PERFORMANCE ALL WEATHER LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) in comparable settings. I’ve been traversing single-track lanes and waterlogged back roads with a bit of town work, for good measure. In common with others, it needs to be stripped with your anti-lube of choice before reapplying.  

This is good practice with lubes generally. However, some more traditional wet types are receptive to a quick “cat-lick” before being topped up. More sophisticated formulas tend to react and become mucky drivetrain-gobbling potions. Not what most of us would consider desirable.  

Weldtite very kindly sent me some of their bike cleaner concentrate to brew up my own strength bike washes and of course, to use neat-as a degreaser.