Shot Bolt, Sinking Feelings & Reprieves

 

I go through phases of tweaking saddle height but before any of you have visions of me constantly fettling mid-ride, a ’la Mr Rottler (who was so renowned by his teammates for perpetually adjusting his, they named a spanner after him), mine usually coincides with a change of seat post, saddle etc.  

Getting those precious late summer miles in on the Holdsworth, I was conscious of my saddle being a little low, suspiciously so.  

Having concluded the ride, inspection revealed the Crank Brothers post was indeed creeping very slowly into the frame. I traced this to a fatigued seat bolt- an easy fix. Replace and snug down to the correct tolerances. Seat collars, at least, the modern types are around the 6nm mark (but do check, they can be lower). Sensible, given the popularity of carbon fibre posts.  

However, it would seem more traditional binder bolts and metal posts are 9-12nms. This lower default may also explain the steady downward creep. Either way, I replaced the electroplated Cro-moly binder bolt for another, added a lick of Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and snugged that down to 10nms. Tweaked the headset bearings by a fraction of a turn, since opportunity presented. Two little jobs off the list.   

With this and roads carpeted in dung and agricultural mud, I’ve switched to racking up the miles aboard Ursula and those Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres. Farm tracks, unmade roads and bridlepath have been our 5am playgrounds. While primarily designed for dry, hardpack conditions, they’re proving less ponderous than might be expected, suggesting the raised centre strip does offer some tangible benefits on metalled roads. 560g apiece also helps in that respect.  

Schwalbe suggests they’re suitable for touring. In the broad strokes, mixed terrain sense, with the emphasis upon trails, I’d agree but models like Specialized Crossroads Armadillo and indeed, Maxxis Overdrive Excel Maxxis Overdrive Excel Tyre | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) are better choices for longer spells on the road and gentler off-piste meandering.  

I wasn’t surprised by the amount of dust clinging to the Smart Sam and Ursula’s frameset given the extended hot, dry spell, although, the falling leaves now serve as a reminder autumn is fast advancing. I’m sticking with waxy-type chain lubes for the moment, since they’re much cleaner and will flake off, taking contaminant with it.  

However, I noticed a very clean chain and faint metal-on-metal tinkling sooner than expected, so strongly suspect I’ll be switching to a middleweight blend next time. Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather TF2 PERFORMANCE ALL WEATHER LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  is something of a default for me but (and while it may seem an odd choice, given the season, Muc Off-50 Chain lube MUC-OFF -50C CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) makes a surprisingly good everyday blend-it's a little lighter than the Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather, and doesn’t contain PTFE.

  

Talking of unusual choices, I’ve discovered carbon gripper paste has also proved highly effective at securing electric toothbrush heads...For context, I bought some replacement, genuine heads for mine and they’re what might be best described as a “pattern” fit. A sudden flash of inspiration saw me reaching for this Weldtite Gripper Paste and this gut feeling paid off.    

Elsewhere, there’s been plenty of mist, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well the Infini Sword Infini Sword Super Bright Light Set | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) have performed in these contexts, the rear as my sole light.

The flashing modes are ultra frugal-Infini reckons 200 hours and I’ve come within a few minutes of this.  Brilliant for marathon night riding and as a dynamo companion. Peripheral prowess is better than a slimline profile would suggest, although when conditions have been in pea-soup territory, I’ve felt that bit safer with the Ravemen TR200.  

As the name suggests it delivers a maximum of 200 lumens and has a sensored 100-lumen “braking” function, which really brings the 40 and 20-lumen steady modes to life along the backroads. Alternatively, in the back of beyond, disengage the “braking” function, select one of two 100 lumen flashing settings and save some juice.  

Letting Off Steam

Chain length sorted, I’m back to enjoying Ursula’s, drop bar charms along the dirt roads and trails. Changing the rear shifter’s inner wire was another inspired decision, improving shifting performance for literal pennies. I’ve been running the Schwalbe Smart Sam up front and the Maxxis Ikon Maxxis Ikon Tyres | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) behind to compare the two in various contexts. While both tyres seem very competent off-road, the Schwalbe have an edge when cornering on wet asphalt and appear to roll a little quicker on hardpack too.  

On this basis I’ve decided to switch the Ikon back to the Sputnik/XT wheel and pop the Smart Sam on the Ryde/Halo Spin Doctor. Famous last words, the existing KMC chain is faring well. Plan is to run it for another 800miles (c. November) and then, assuming it's worn significantly, switch to one of the pe-cut 106 link replacements. For the meantime, lube-wise I’m staying with the Momum MIC Wax Momum MIC Wax Lube | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) since its clean and easy to top up, as necessary. Aside from being lighter, rigid forks have some definite benefits in winter.  Zero maintenance, save for washing and periodic inspection.  

Then of course, here in the UK, ground tends to be softer, so boing is less crucial, and I personally prefer the handling in these contexts. I went for the cantilever and disc mount version of the Carbon Cycles eXotic Fork with Disc and V Brake mounts Carbon Cycles Exotic Fork | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) on the grounds of versatility- I could switch to a cantilever stopper, if necessary but admit its disc only sibling is a sleeker choice. It also has other advantages when it comes to front mudguards.  

I had to modify the Mud Hugger Evo slightly to achieve a good fit. Cracking front guard (fender) incidentally. I also recognise that suspension technology has come along leaps and bounds since a set of Rock Shox Indy SL. Another lightweight and uncomplicated design that I raced with some twenty-three years back.  

Mine used the Eglund air cartridges which were a marked improvement on the OEM elastomers. They couldn’t be locked out, in the literal sense but near as damnit with the shock pump. Lock-out functions mean a bouncy fork can behave like a rigid fork without needing to switch and they’re a serious boon for more technical trails. Horses for courses.  

Lighting has also evolved and arguably more dramatically. However, when it comes to longer trail outings, I’ll still reach for a more traditional master blaster. The Sigma Buster HL2000 SIGMA SPORT BUSTER HL 2000 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) has been around for some time now but in my book, still is truly relevant, especially given the 1300lumen mode is good for 5 hours riding. I’ve switched mine to the Lazer Chameleon Helmet in preparation but for the time being, am putting the Ravemen PR2000 through its paces. 

Thankfully, the weather’s still very balmy, so the Holdsworth and I have been enjoying some early morning blasts- I'd regret not taking this opportunity come November. Interestingly, the LR and PR series use the same mount, meaning it's easily ported between bikes- the Holdsworth and fixed gear winter trainer to suit. As a rough and ready guide, the LR series is optimal for road-biased duties, the PR for those who lean more toward the trail.  

  

The Holdsworth’s seat stay is also sporting the Infini Sword, which has impressed me with its frugality. The pulsing and flashing modes are surprisingly bright and peripheral presence is better than I was expecting and when compared with otherwise likeable Oxford Ultratorch  R50 Slimline Rear Light TEST & REVIEW: OXFORD ULTRATORCH R50 SLIMLINE REAR LIGHT (sevendaycyclist.com)    

Funny how things turn up when you’re not hunting them. My Park SPA2-C pin tool rematerialized, so I switched the Fixed Gear Winter/Trainer’s bog-standard crank bolts over to self-extractors. I also checked I still had a couple of 68x107 cartridge bottom brackets in stock, which I did. I tend to get around 8-9,000 miles from the UN55, 6,000 from patterns.

The Holdsworth is still running an ACOR unit and doesn’t do big miles, so I’m not expecting that to get the grumbles. However, they’re another part that trundles on faithfully and without complaint, then expires without notice. That said; I’d probably treat the Holdsworth to something more exotic, dare I say slightly lighter. On that note, I'll leave you with my review of the Carbon Cycles eXotic Carbon Titanium Seatpost Carbon Cycles eXotic Carbon Ti Sea | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)