Spares, Upgrades & Resurrections

 

Having been out green laning and generally enjoying Ursula’s new configuration, it occurred to me I needed to bolt a disc rotor to the spare Ryde/XT rear wheel along with a cassette. My intention has always been to keep two sets of wheels prepped, one with cross country mountain bike rubber, the second shod with spikes for when winter turns decidedly slippery.  

 

Luckily, I’d a six bolt 160mm rotor and mounting hardware sat in their storage pot and just whipped everything in situ. I opted for a new 12-25 cassette having spotted some NOS offered at a very tempting price. Slot that aboard the freehub with a light lick of assembly grease, snug tight, slot in a skewer and mount the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro, ready for when the weather turns.  

  

The Oxford Mint Assembly Grease continues to impress with its corrosion inhibiting and seemingly tenacious properties. A few months down the line, these cleats released easily and without need for replenishment. Cleats and hardware lead hard lives and are easily neglected. Over the last thirty years, I’ve only had to drill two sets out although this was also down to dog eared threads, rather than corrosion alone. Galvanic corrosion (where two metals of different parentage e.g. steel and aluminium alloy, or steel and titanium chemically bond together) can prove more problematic.  

 

In some respects, titanium compatibility was already being tested, courtesy of Ursula’s bottom bracket cups, but I also found myself with a seat post conundrum, wanting to switch the fixed gear winter/trainer back to the SQR Carradry. I’d received this 6 litre Topeak Backloader, which was pride of place on Denise’s USE XCE post, saving a few grams, compared with the venerable SQR Tour.  Grams aside, though I love Cotton Duck, it’s trickier to keep clean, at least compared with the Carradry series, which can be wiped down with a damp cloth. 

  

Contenders were Torus titanium Layback model. This is made from plain gauge 3AL-2.5V tube, has 15 degrees of layback and is 350mm long. There’s an inline version too, for time trialists and others who want to be positioned directly over the bottom bracket for optimal power transfer. My default, as I’ve said before. Then of course, there were the boingers. I had a Redshift Sports, the Thudbuster ST G3TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST that seemed ideal candidates-similar weight and travel. This would add a little extra comfort without too much added heft.  

 

The combined weight of SQR luggage, mount and post was around that of the Topeak Super Tourist DX and the MTX Trunk bag…Decision made, I plumped for the G1, switched the Ritchey WCS perch over, applied some Zefal tape where the SQR clamps would rest against the post. Nylon straps from other luggage had worn through the black anodising at one localised spot and I didn’t want further erosion. I’d bought some new stainless-steel fasteners for the block since they were inexpensive. No sense going this far, only for fastener fatigue to strike at the least convenient moment.   

 

Having slid the SQR block in situ, I introduced some Mint Assembly Grease to the fasteners, then snugged these down. Post out, I delivered a quick blast of waxy corrosion inhibitor inside the seat tube, since opportunity presented. A final light coating of grease to the Cane Creek and I slid everything in situ. At this point I discovered too little space between SQR luggage and Gravel Hugger Guard. Hmm...  

 

In the zone, adrenalin flowing and overriding hunger, I decided this Axiom Oceanwave City + AXIOM OCEANWAVE CITY+ SEAT BAG | cycling-not-racing was the way forward. Where’d I put the mount...To my surprise, I’d fitted it to the rails of Ursula’s Ergon SR All Road Men’s Saddle Ergon SR All Road Men’s Saddle | cycling-not-racing . Switched over and fixed gear specific tooling, tubes and spares transferred to the Axiom, I decided it was time to quit while ahead.         

  

I noted some light abrasion damage to the underside of the Carradry bag, so covered this with some high-quality, very stretchy, strong, and sticky Duct tape, nipping any further potential deterioration in the bud. Black also complimented the original area, so not a glaringly obvious repair.  

 

With temperatures beginning to tumble and conclusions reached regarding the Madison Trail Gloves, I’ve been grateful for these Gore Wear C5 Gore Tex Thermix Gloves. Black might not be the most obvious colour given the season but ultra-practical I every other respect. These are a thin pile design for dexterity, wind, waterproof and breathable, which sounds like Nirvana but as ever, real world, potentially snowy miles on and indeed, off-road will reveal more.   

 

I’ve been defaulting to the Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube  Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lub | cycling-not-racing for the last few months and have run the first bottle dry, so will be interesting to see how long the second lasts through winter. One the main benefits aside from durability, is that it is self-cleansing, so hopefully this will extend chain and ultimately drivetrain life without undue involvement on my part. Right, I’ll close here with my review of the WTB Exposure Road Tubeless Tyre WTB Exposure Road Tubeless Tyre | cycling-not-racing 

Jealousy within the fleet

 

No sooner had I believed the fleet was sorted, Denise got jealous and rejected her bottom bracket. I discovered this while replacing her chain, which was reading close to .7 on the chain wear indicator. Two chains had just arrived, so no sense putting off the inevitable. After a fit of pique, I found an (unused) mountain bike bottom bracket within the transmission box, gave the non-drive side a liberal helping of Muc-Off Bio Grease TESTED : MUC-OFF BIO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com), the drive side, Oxford Mint Assembly Grease. This was just to see how the two would compare, in a like for like context. 

Since I had the cranks off, I stripped the axle and reached for the Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) which is palpably lower than most on the friction front and is surprisingly durable into the bargain. Even though the existing KMC wasn’t completely spent, the replacement translated in much snappier shifts, too.  

Hopefully, that’s the last of the drivetrain consumables for a while, though. Depending on how rough winter plays, I’ll get 3-4 months from chains and at some point, I'll get another (XT grade) bottom bracket or two in, should something get the grumbles. Stuff usually goes pop at the least convenient moment, so keeping staples is good practice.  

Ursula succumbed to the first post-rebuild flat- couldn't find anything inside the Continental’s tyre casing, having washed and scrubbed them as part of a more intense generic bike clean. The tube had a hole around the seam, so I switched to a fresh one and pondered whether I should patch or retire.  

I seldom consign these to landfill since they make great chainstay protectors, headset boots etc. Denise’s lower race boot is proving highly effective at keeping the slime at bay. After some deliberation, I ultimately decided to go the former route with Ursula and placed some along the downtube, where the Ravemen XR6000 Ravemen XR6000 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) battery rests.   

Talking of batteries, I wasn’t getting any readout from the Giant computer, which basically boiled down to an exhausted CR2032 sensor battery. I’ve also tackled some alignment issues with the front Mudhugger guard and have decided to go the original rear Mudhugger route.  

These are shorter than the MK2 and I didn’t feel the need for Velcro, since I’m unlikely to be removing them- just a question of liberally applying helicopter tape and some old tube atop that to rule out any paint damage, then pulling the cable ties very snug.  

Another definite plus about the mud hugger and their gravel hugger cousins is both feel secure and rigid aboard the bike. The fixed gear winter/trainer’s hasn’t been touched, save for a replacement tie and yes, I also clean beneath the guards to prevent potentially abrasive and/or corrosive stuff building up. I took my time when fitting both, fitting things loosely, getting alignment spot on before pulling the cable ties snug. Talking of ties, the OEM are 3.6mm (about 0.14 in) thick-I’d lost a couple, so employed some slightly thinner examples as a meantime measure.   

 

Otherwise, it's aesthetically much sleeker than the generally serviceable, if slightly whippy post mounted unit it replaces. Staying with mucky stuff, I’ve been getting plenty of miles aboard Denise and the 120tpi versions of the WTB Nano WTB Nano TCS Tyre | cycling-not-racing.  

 

Though not wildly different to their 60tpi siblings, ride quality feels more compliant, and they feel slightly friskier, too. Too early to say whether the SC2 puncture repelling belt is superior and indeed, that of the Maxxis Ravager Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres | cycling-not-racing but there’s plenty of gloop around and winter’s cranking closer, so we’ll see. 

  

The Madison DTE Men’s Isoler Thermal Long Sleeve Jacket continues to impress. Well, it’s a middleweight jersey by another name with a thin pile fleece lining to keep the chill out and a DWR waterproof coating. In common with similar garments, the latter should be thought of as resisting misty, light showery stuff and extending the time before you need to don a micro jacket/gilet, not battling rains of biblical proportions. The fit’s great, ditto the pocket layout and design.   

 

While the Topeak Gravel Two-Stage Mini Pump Topeak Gravel 2 Stage Mini Pump | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is a reliable staple, I’m leaning toward mini compressors for roadside rescues and CO2 inflators as a third, contingency option. Muc-Off has just sent me their Airmach electric mini-inflator. Its more compact than the CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max Epump CycPlus AS2 Pro Max E.Pump | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) or indeed, the Fumpa FUMPA PUMP | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)    which has its pros, obviously on the space front but I’ll reserve judgement for now, see how it performs in the real world.  

Lighting continues to arrive, and I’ve just received this Ravemen K1800. As the name suggests, it’s another master blaster pumping out 1800 lumens. Probably the most notable feature is the AI technology, which allows the light to adjust output according to your riding style and environments. Theoretically, this will leave me free to enjoy the ride and get the best balance of performance and economy.