30 Years in Review...

It is literally 30 years to the day since an Austrian AuPair presented me with THAT book and my father relented to months of not so subtle hinting and THAT Holdsworthy built Claud Butler marked my thirteenth birthday.  Both Butler and Buxom woman have long since moved on...

These days Semi/compact geometry frames mean oddly proportioned riders, such as yours truly needn’t go the custom route and in real terms, prices have also fallen quite considerably.

Having Lee Cooper cold set the Teenage Dream’s rear triangle and replacing its pretty patchwork parts for a more contemporary groupset has often crossed my mind. Something along the lines of Shimano’s Tiagra, maybe Microshift...I have a Sun Race equivalent tucked away somewhere. A new rear hub and wheel build would complete the transformation. Calling in a favour or two, the cost implication is a very tempting £150...  

These thoughts call particularly loud when I’m out of the saddle. Powering along the climbs and dancing on the pedals, there’s some definite whip felt around the bottom bracket shell. Outclassed is sporting terms, these thin walled tubes still deliver a lively ride that has my soul singing and a massive grin engulfing my face.  

Ride quality is also determined by builder skill. The Holdsworth was built to a standard, rather than a price, which is very telling when hammering along at 35mph plus. By contrast and though technically made from a “better” tubing, the Teenage Dream’s build quality was decidedly “British Leyland” in places.

This was common to a lot of small manufacturers who were trying to compete with both the established masters and higher end volume producers during this era. That said; I recall a big French marque being plagued by similar woes. They too were offering complete machines for little more than the groupset, so even with their purchasing power; corners had to be cut somewhere.

Runny brazing, poorly reamed seat tubes and faced head tubes were commonplace. I even recall several customers getting the wrong paint job! Runny brazing, reasonable reaming and treat-like eggshells enamel demons were exorcised from my frameset in 2009.  

With this and the ill fated British motoring conglomerate in mind, it should come as little surprise to learn I also remain fascinated with the Kirk magnesium frames from this period.

Though these were flawed in many ways, I’d like one hanging on my wall. Frank Kirk came from an automotive background and sought to apply the same mass production techniques to lightweight bicycle frames. Seems they were also finished in house-powder coating, of course.

Simon Haydn http://www.kirk-bicycles.co.uk/Kirk.htm is particularly passionate about them. 

Under the metaphorical tutelage of Richard Ballantine, I love most genres of machine and also have a soft spot for rigid cross country mountain bikes. I spent many years thundering along the forest trails and getting seriously filthy on steel-tubed, fat-tired Kona and later Univega based builds.

Lights from this era fell into three basic types and in my view, grossly inferior to that available to us now. It basically boiled down to dynamos, home brewed Lead Acid masters blasters, or truly cheap and extremely nasty “Halogen” units, which were of the glimmer variety. These days, even a very basic LED blinkey is light years ahead, in every sense.

Some, such as this See Sense unit can even collect data about that potholed lane you would’ve only known about, having trashed a rim with those glimmer types. Once the preserve of suburban commuters, there are plenty of compact torch types packing 600 lumens plus.

Sure, there are still some minor limitations, usually in terms of run times in the highest settings. Here’s a few we’ve recently tested at Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com     http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-lx760-front-light  http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/moon-meteor-storm-pro-front-light

http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/sigma-buster-600-front-light

Elsewhere, having heard of my recent puncture plague, the good people at the inner tube shop www.innertubeshop.com sent me a batch of five. I have since discovered my not so friendly farm feline has, for reasons known only to himself, been biting the tyre sidewalls! 

He’s not been able to reach the Univega, or Teenage Dream, hence no flatting there.  

If recent commentators are to be believed, we’re due for a serious cold snap, involving a healthy carpeting of snow. Perhaps I should be dusting down these 700x42 42mm Continental and my Univega's Schwalbe winter spiked rubber...

Whoppers

Puncture season has well and truly struck and Tuesday’s night’s wet n’ windy lane-side pit-stop saw my endless gratitude for this helmet mounted BBB Scout light. 200 lumens doesn’t sound much these days but the really pure crisp arc of light made locating spare tube(s), tyre levers and Cool tool (not to mention the job itself) that bit easier.

It also ensured I didn’t lose anything, or litter the verge when bunging everything back in. Talking of lights, while there are some minor compromises, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Xeccon Zeta 1300r Wireless Front light http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/xeccon-1300-wireless-front-light

This was the second flat in two successive evenings, so has me questioning whether unbranded tube bundles are little more than false-economy. Fine for getting back on the road and other contingencies, but not as everyday staples; neither puncture seemed the result of a sharp piercing the Clement USH casings. Both rim tapes are pristine too.

Graciously the supplier is sending me a replacement bundle, in case these are a rogue batch.I’m likely to revert to a thicker gauge butyl, possibly a Kenda thorn resistant on the rear, store branded goo-filled model up front.

Having reviewed the contents of my wedge pack, I retrieved a CO2 inflator and spare cartridge to further minimise roadside indignity on a wet and blustery night. That said; I never ride anywhere without a decent pump riding shot gun on the bottle mounts, or in a jersey pocket.

Research suggests the brain is in fact, phenomenally active when we are consciously resting. Talking of customisation, I awoke on Wednesday morning with the idea of a tyre swap. A 35mm Vittoria Voyager hyper at the rear and a 42mm Maxxis Roamer 2ply up front…Hmm, well best laid plans…

Despite the MkII Ilpomopino’s rear triangle supposedly swallowing 35mm sections (sans guards), the voyager hyper was tickling the chainstays at their narrowest point, so I reinstated the 35mm Continental.

I suspect, given their portly profiles, the Voyager’s 32mm counterparts would still be in fag paper territory clearance-wise. Shame, since they’re a really, nice compliant tyre with magic-carpet ride quality. We reviewed them in issue 7 when Seven Day Cyclist was a monthly, downloadable PDF publication. http://www.sevendaycyclist.com/pdf-reader  

https://issuu.com/vortexcreative/docs/sdc_7?e=0/14991072SDC8

 

The 42mm Maxxis and Kinesis fork proved a much happier marriage.

Grotty roads, oily finger prints and similar caked-on spatter also presented opportune moments for further testing of The Pro Green MX triple pack. Having sprayed the drivetrain degreaser on the ring and sprocket, before working it into their inner side and then into the links using an old brush.

Most bike cleaners are marketed as kind; or at least safe on plastic, composites and rubberised components. Experience leads me to conclude, some are kinder than others so I took this opportunity to give the tyres a really good scrub too. 

Though a big fan Green Oil’s bicycle brush this Oxford tyre scrub continues to grow on me.  The rubberised contoured handle sits naturally in the palm and allows really efficient cleaning. Sculpted nylon bristle plot is angled perfectly for lifting impacted gloop and sharps from the casings, restoring the aesthetic and greatly reducing the likelihood of punctures and other damage. 

Generally designed for mud and other organic contaminant, the relatively gentle cleaner continues to impress, shifting oily finger marks and even some internal frame preserve that oozed out from the bottom bracket shell.

The drivetrain degreaser has also shifted more sophisticated petrochemical chain lubes and caked on residual stuff clinging to the cranks inner spider. Having dried and re-lubricated the chain, it was time to give everything (bar contact points, disc and rotor components a misty blow-over with their all-over shine formula.

I could easily lose 30minutes to polishing-often it’s a therapeutic, reflective exercise. However, applied in a gentle mist, this formula cures to a really jewelled like effect within thirty minutes. A gentle breeze certainly helps but isn’t essential. So far, judging by my Univega, it isn’t attracting a dirty patina in the usual places-fork crowns, bottom bracket shell and rear triangle.       

Polished Performance

Well, the wetter weather has arrived, meaning dirtier bikes and presenting an ideal opportunity to put this Pro Green MX triple pack through its paces. 

These are a little different to the classic bog standard, blow, scrub and rinse staples.  

Devised by a team with Moto Cross roots, I was expecting something a bit special from the Coventry based brand and generally speaking, I’ve been impressed. First up, we have their hi-performance cycle wash, which is a super rich, lathery, surface-friendly brew. Now, park bikes in your usual scrubbing spot, flick the trigger and apply top to toe from around thirty odd centimetres away.

Give ingrained gloop a quick tickle from your favourite soft brush, then leave marinating for five minutes, yes-five minutes before rinsing off with tepid water. I’d deliberately left the Univega’s middleweight PTFE infused chain prep cultivating gritty, lumpy contaminant to see how their drivetrain degreaser would shape up.

This one is also supposedly surface friendly, although clearly contains some mildly corrosive nasties given the warning labels. It can either be decanted into a clip-on chain bath, or brushed into the chain, cassette, rings and jockey wheels old school mechanic style.

Calling their bluff, I basted a light coating around the tubby tourer’s Shimano dynohub shell, rings, derailleurs and went in search of fresh water. This also needs five minutes to marinate. Time up, I sloshed water over the transmission parts. A tsunami of dull grey sludge pooled by my feet, leaving behind a gleaming chain, cassette and rings, which just needed a quick wipe-dry before being treated to some fresh lube. 

For the grand finale’ I treated paint and bright work to the brands’ After Shine 101. This is a blend of “emulsion silicones and waxes” designed to be applied in a fine mist and left air drying for thirty minutes-without any owner input.

Again, I was a little sceptical about the streak and sticky-free claims, especially since the pump-spray nozzle deposited splodges, rather than a fine mist, resulting in some unsightly runs.

These evaporated within a matter of minutes, almost before my eyes, imparting a really smooth, glossy coat. Not that the enamel was in poor shape but the after shine 101 masked some very minor imperfections and battle scars that come with eighteen years and 113,000 all weather miles.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be testing their prowess on different kinds of grot, more sophisticated lubricants and of course, seeing how effective the silicone infused film is at repelling spatter. 

In my experience, many silicone-based products produce a rich glossy shine but are ultimately sticky, attracting a grimy patina after only a few damp rides, so we’ll see...

Picking Up The Pace

As the daylight hours become shorter and autumn takes command, Seven Day Cyclist has been receiving bigger and in most cases, brighter bike lights for testing. The other week, we took delivery of two Xeccon big guns from Moore Large (www.todayscyclist.co.uk) and formative impressions were favourable. 

This sub £100 Zeta 1300 continues to grow on me…Compared with bargain basement ebay specials, the beam is more focused giving a purer, useable spread of light. This picks out the detail when cornering at speed. There seems sufficient flood for overview and presence too.

Doing the decent thing and dipping down isn’t difficult either-medium still has enough bite for the backwaters and though a bit overpowered for town, low certainly hasn’t incurred anyone’s wrath.

Now, along with the usual helmet strap, O-ring bar mount, charger etc, there’s a remote trigger. Primarily intended for when it’s atop your lid, I was amused to discover it will operate the light from a distance of eight feet, or so and through solid brick walls!

I’ve since tethered it to the bars via the Velcro strap (otherwise I’m running the risk of loss, possibly to the washing machine) playfully staircasing through the settings by prodding my pocket drew some curious glances. I’m pleased to report it doesn’t interfere with my Tom Tom Bandit, or other, bar mounted tech.

So far, run times seem pretty faithful to those quoted-with the usual variance associated with factory batteries.

Genuine replacements are available for £29.99, though experimentation confirmed suspicions that it would pair up pretty well with other pattern batteries. I’m not suggesting the OEM model is anything less than reliable but spares can be slipped into a saddlebag or poachers/jersey pocket for extended, high output fun.

Run for the first hour or so, the diminutive aluminium alloy shell does get decidedly warm, although not in the digit singing sense synonymous with high end halogen/lead acid systems some twenty years back!

On a more serious note, I’m starting to think all systems should have a trigger that can be wrapped around the hoods for sheer convenience.

Electronic shifters are nothing new (Mavic’s Zapp system, anyone?) but as integrated technology becomes widely embraced-in the general sense, it follows that lighting systems should also evolve into self-regulating “intelligent” entities, commanded by and collating a wealth of information via smart-phone apps.

Given the potential to leave ourselves under surveillance and possibly vulnerable to attack, if data isn’t securely stored, on a personal level, I embrace this technology cautiously. As with physical locks, all good locks/encryption does is buy time, there’s always a backdoor in, so the software component needs to be continuously evolving to fend off these threats.

Car security/engine management systems have become so sophisticated and will thwart thieves using traditional methodology but with the right hacking skills, its’ quite possible to remotely control one. Taken to its logical conclusion, who’s to say a rival pro team couldn’t tap into the race leader’s derailleurs and engineer a sneaky miss-shift or two….

Come October’s close, it will be thirty years to the day since my thirteenth birthday-I eagerly collected a Holdsworthy build Claud Butler from a local independent dealer and an Austrian Au Pair presented me with a copy of Richard Ballantine’s iconic bicycle book. I was also taken with the classic continental off season attire, which involved ¾ longs and wool, rather than Lycra...

No such thing as the wrong weather, just inappropriate kit. The commuter label (this also applies to motorcycling) tends to infer lower standards/quality. However, why would anyone want to arrive at work looking, or feeling anything other than temperate and confident?

Another editor has sent me this Altura Nevis iii waterproof jacket, which is shaping up quite well. Less racy than some, the fit works with all sides of the wardrobe, sleek enough with ¾ length Lycra, yet sufficiently neutral to be worn as a general outdoor jacket with jeans. Pocket provision means sensible segregation for valuables, tech, bike related kit and crucially, deep hip pockets for parking hands.

In keeping with other polyesters of this price point, moisture management isn’t on par with more sophisticated fabrics. I expected to feel faint dampness around the pits and lower back given twenty minutes or so at 18-20mph.

By this stage the fibres hit the appropriate temperature and wicking commences.  Thus far, I’ve never felt uncomfortably clammy at this pace, over distances of 15miles or so and with the air temperature in the mid-teens.

Right, talking of teens, time I was putting the finishing touches to my series of Children’s stories. November’s only just around the corner...

InSpyred

TRP Spyre mechanical disc brake is widely recognised as being the best mechanical system going and little surprise they were a popular site at last week’s Cycle show. Numb of bum and brain, I took a break from deadlines and fitted mine to the Ilpompino on Tuesday afternoon. Twenty minutes, a new inner wire, some perfectionist re-wrapping of the bars and shot of PTFE lube later, we were ready for the lanes. 

I’ve always rated Avid’s BB7 but the spyre’s just a much nicer system full stop.

Both have been popular sights on the cyclo cross scene for a few years now, although they are fundamentally different designs. The Avids are a single piston design, whereas the Spyre uses two, meaning braking force is shared equally between both pads, which are effortlessly adjusted via the barrel adjuster (or from the bars in a race context). Single piston adjustment requires dismounting, annoying on a long winter ride but potentially the difference between first and second on a muddy race circuit.   

Correctly set up, this ensures uniform pad and rotor wear. With a compression-less cable, like for like, the Spyre feels marginally more powerful but modulation and feel are the greatest improvements. I also prefer the sleeker profile, which may offer some negligible aero advantage but bereft of wind tunnel facilities, I’ll settle for a sharper aesthetic and 20g saving.   

Darker nights are seeing a procession of high power blinkies and main systems, including Moon’s shield X auto. It’s a sophisticated 9 mode model with a maximum output of 80 lumens and interestingly, a light sensitive auto on/off setting. This gives the option of the light engaging via a sensor, once the light dips beyond a certain level. Not a new concept; Shimano’s nexus dynamo switch and several others have used similar technology, although admittedly, its comparatively rare on safety lights. 

Arguably and it its simplest, all you’ll need is two functions-constant and flashing but I’ve always liked a selection, of varying output and patterns. There are four steady and four flashing, with another daylight setting. Thankfully a mode memory means it defaults to your last choice, which makes life easier, especially if you have a favourite.  

Rule of thumb says 15-20 lumens is more than sufficient for urban riding. Rural contexts call for something brighter.

Specification is comparable with other bells n’ whistles models. COB (Chips on Board) technology means diodes are placed directly onto the circuit board, thus creating a more intense pattern of light.

In this instance the Cree XPE+ diode is joined by another 20. A CNC machined aluminium casing serves as a heat sink, keeping them cool, for a long and productive life. Lens and reflector quality have a big part to play, this casts a 270 degree cloak of light, which gives plenty of peripheral presence, while the collimator lens projects a very strong spot to nail the attention of approaching traffic.

 I’ve used  and been suitably impressed by the original Shield and formative impressions suggest this version is a very capable safety light but we’ll have more to say a few weeks down the line.

I’ve also taken delivery of this four mode, Xeccon Zeta 1300 lumen front light, which the Chinese marque claims is designed for both mountain biking and city riding. The diminutive lamp is nicely executed from CNC machined aluminium alloy for durability and heat dispersing qualities.

This meets IPX6 for weatherproofing, meaning water-resistant unless fully immersed and houses a single Cree XHP50 diode and switch. This attaches to the bars via a surprisingly neat bracket, slightly reminiscent of Go Pro types and choice of sturdy O rings.

As we’ve come to expect, there’s also a helmet mounting option and the 8.4volt 5200aMH battery pack is both smaller and lighter than photos suggest. This is reckoned to fuel the light’s 1300 lumen mode for a very respectable 3.5 hours, although a full charge means 5 hours and 30 minutes-from the mains. Looking at the couplings, I am fairly confident that other, pattern packs are interchangeable.

Technically, the neoprene carry sack will play nicely with a top tube bag; though in the Ilpompino’s case, I’ve substituted mine for the cavernous Axiom Grand Fondo wedge pack.   

Depressing the lamps’ positive centre mounted switch for two seconds brings it to life, subsequent presses cascade through the settings. This also employs the familiar traffic light battery-life indicator and it’s perfectly aligned within rider eye-line.  There’s also a remote wireless trigger for convenience.

First impressions-a quick hour’s blast along the lanes, suggests a good hybrid spot/flood combining sufficient navigational clout for serious speed with a decent arc providing presence a plenty. Unlike the ubiquitous auction site specials, lens and reflector quality means there’s no dazzling of rider or other road users.

Other traffic, including SUVs have dips their beams from full to main at car typical distances too.  I was surprised by how warm the casing had become during the ride but then again, we’re not in digit singing territory. For now,  I'll leave  you with a link to some footage...https://www.facebook.com/Sevendaycyclistmagazine/videos