By The Lorry Load

With temperatures creeping into the low 30’s, I’ve been re-bonding with my multi-colour fixed gear along the rapidly melting lanes.

Two full trade bottles maintaining my hydration levels and this UPSO stirling seat pack holding its essentials-tubes, tools and other essentials. Serendipity brought me a white/green version, which blends surprisingly well with the builds’ increasingly hap-hazard, yet strangely endearing colour scheme.   

So, the UPSO Stirling...Measuring 20x9cm, its part of a luggage range, made by hand, on solar powered sewing machines, using high quality recycled materials.  

The main fabric is Lorry tarpaulin, the zipper tags are fashioned from off cuts of fire-hose. Tethering to seatposts via an easily replaceable toe strap and stocky Velcro straps isn’t the only option either. 

I’ve combined ours with this passport frequent flyer wedge pack. The frequent flyer is made from a surprisingly hardy 600d codura nylon, which also moulds compliantly around the Cane Creek Thudbuster ST post.

The frequent flyer is another single compartment model designed to swallow the essentials-multi tool, spare tube, tyre levers, CO2 inflator etc. Efficient packers should be able to slip two 700x25c tubes plus the other basics without straining the zipper. Velcro straps might not be the sleekest arrangement but is as near universal as you’ll get.

The main reason why I’ve bar mounted the stirling boils down to my Pedros’ trixie tool. I mislaid/lost my Cool Tool which, though limited in terms of Allen keys, was blessed with a high quality adjustable/cone wrench with chain tool on the reverse.

It was also surprisingly compact, whereas the trixie favours leverage. Lock rings and similarly torque dependent tasks. It will just sneak inside the Stirling without causing mischief but prevents the tarp from forming a compatible arc.

Sway is one of those things that drive me (and many others) nuts. Thankfully, both tether very tightly, so a moot point.

Approaches to LED tabs are very different. Passport has taken the semi rigid plastic, UPSO the more traditional, webbed nylon strap route.

Both seem good, practical hosts to bigger blinkies and given the UPSO’s present location, compact commuter lights packing 200-350lumens.

The Stirling commands £30, which isn’t cheap but very reasonable when the cost of skilled, UK labour is factored into the equation. I also love the fact that otherwise scrap materials have been used to create a high quality product. 

Detailing is equally sharp where it isn’t so obvious. The zipper is highly water repellent, rather than proof but I haven’t noticed any ingress when tickling it provocatively, at close range using a high pressure hose.

That said; even taped and welded seams aren’t 100% waterproof. I’ve been known to line expedition panniers with refuse/garden waste sacks on really wet commutes, or weekend mtb excursions.

It’ll be a few weeks and several hundred miles in changeable weather before I approach any definite conclusions but thus far I’m certainly warming to it.  Elsewhere, in spite of the heat, John Moss has built; tensioned and trued the replacement, Mavic wheel to a meticulously high standard.

Characteristic of his generation of craft trained engineers; he is perfectionist in his approach and seeks to continuously improve a design or concept. Given I am not particularly heavy-in terms of weight, or riding style and the bike’s function, he seems confident  the tension and two-cross spoke pattern should prove reliable.

Next stage is coaxing that EAI sprocket free from the defunct Inbred hub threads, remembering a carpet of high quality grease (not to mention yearly replenishments)  rim tape and a 30mm section tyre.

Then I’ll start running it in. Mavic recommend sections between 19 and 28mm but I’m confident a couple of millimetres won’t cause any mischief. That said; despite the trend for increasingly large volumes, I wouldn’t chance anything wider.       

Tart's Handbag?

 

Spare cone cum spacer arrived for the Halo Aerotrack hub, so I wasted no time in drizzling some green oil eco grease on the threads and winding it home. After a bit of deliberation, I opted to run the Titanium sprocket, checking this had a generous helping of waterproof synthetic grease.

Sat between it and the hub’s aluminium alloy threads. In this instance I’ve gone for White Lightning crystal grease https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/white-lightning-crystal-grease  which seems particularly dependable. However, given this bike serves year round, I will be inspecting more frequently than those adorning the On-one Inbred hub. Remiss of me.

Seems the right hand EAI sprocket and lockring have formed a particularly stubborn union with the aluminium alloy hub threads.  I’ve tried liberal marinades of high quality penetrant/release sprays before introducing lockring spanners, chain whips and primal grunting. Nope, won’t budge. So I’ve put it down and will revisit when inspiration strikes.

Where possible, I like to keep components going-if they’re basically in good order but I’m beginning to wonder-if I’m going the wheel build route, salvage might be false economy. The last thing I want is a freshly built wheel, only for the hub to conk out in spectacular fashion shortly afterward!

So, I am researching alternatives. System EX units were nicely executed budget options, though it’s not clear if they’re still in production. Three times the price but Surly also produce some nice small flange double fixed hubs with more sophisticated bearings…Nonetheless, in the meantime, I’m relieved I held on to the Halo and will make very good use of it.

Staying on the subject of lubes and other fluid tooling, Green Oil have sent us their new Ecospray lube. PTFE and petrochemical free. PTFE (often known as Teflon), was discovered by accident in the 1930s are remains pretty ubiquitous. Not just in engineering applications either; non-stick cooking utensils, carpets and socks being three that immediately spring to mind.

On the plus side, Teflon lubes and greases are cheap, surprisingly effective and reasonably durable. However, it’s not kind to organic/aquatic life and is widely thought to be connected to heart, thyroid and lung conditions.

Repacking hub bearings, headsets, pedals and bottom bracket threads every few months and doing so eight hours a day, 5/6 days every week for thirty years present two very different levels of risk.

The same goes for classic car/motorcycle enthusiasts and professional mechanics, when talking exposure to swarf and other carcinogens found in used motor oil.

I wear latex/similar examination gloves when working with petrochemicals. I must admit that I’m not so fastidious when giving cables and mechanisms a quick squirt, or lubricating chains.  

 So then, to the maintenance spray.

Well, I wasn’t surprised to learn the stock is that, used in their wet chain lube. However, achieving the spray-able consistency requires a greater ratio of plant based solvent.

Some folks will argue that butane/propane propellant put a dent in the eco-friendly credentials but I’m assure quantities involved present minimal impact to environment and user alike.

So far, I’ve used it on the teenage dream’s Regina freewheel, cleat mechanisms and assorted brake cables. The rich yellowy layer could almost pass for a heavyweight PTFE potion, the sort that will, in a pinch double as a summer chain lube. Several weeks and more varied use should give a better indication of its strengths and, where appropriate, weaknesses/limitations.

 

Search & Rescue

Wheel on the jig, we were surprised by how wobbly it had become and there was clear evidence of a flat-spot. A few deft tweaks later, it was running true. Back home, tyre and tube reinstated, I introduced a modest 85psi and the rim literally warped before my eyes.

Seconds later, the 30mm Vee Rubber tyre followed suit and I was powerless to stop the tube exploding. The long serving and otherwise, ultra-reliable DN6 hoop was completely spent. It had served almost 12years faultlessly and only been trued twice in that time, so owed me nothing.

Buying a like for like replacement was an obvious, indeed sensible default. However, money was committed to other things and therefore, in short supply... 

Then I remembered I’d stashed a 32-hole Mavic Open Pro rim somewhere...

A few minutes’ foraging unearthed the hoop from behind some tyres. Having double checked it was a 32 hole; I brewed a sudsy bucket, grabbed my favourite brush and tickled the rim clean.  

The double sided inbred hub remains in rude health Even if the spokes were of correct length, reusing them would’ve been false economy, so I cut the hub free in a matter of minutes, using a small set of bolt croppers. 

John Moss has very kindly offered to build me a new wheel, provided I supply the correct components.

I also recalled having a set of Halo Aerotrack wheels doing something close to nothing. The Aero track in question are eight years old and weigh almost 1 kilo apiece. However, they are very stiff and strong.

I don’t run a rear, lever activated brake on fixed set ups, so the non-machined sidewall works fine for me and the fluro green powder coating is of decent quality. Despite the track label, the super smooth, double sided hubs are well-sealed from the elements. I may strip and service them with Green Oil Eco grease. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/green-oil-ecogrease-long-ter-test   

Mine seemed to be missing a cone and integral spacer on one side, so I emailed their UK importer. Ison Distribution www.ison-distribution.com Lloyd responded promptly, some photographs were shared and he graciously offered to send replacements in the post, which I gladly accepted. His generosity didn’t end here.

For the Mavic build, I needed to calculate spoke lengths. Some online research unearthed a very user-friendly database cum calculator. Entering the rim and hub combo, it came back with 282mm, based upon a 2 cross lacing pattern.

Once upon a time 3 X was the default, 4 for heavily laden touring but since 1990, 2X has ruled the roost-for general road, or trail duties. Having spotted Halo spokes this length and in black, I approached Lloyd to check he had stock. He did and moreover, generously donated 32 along with the hub components!

While I await their arrival, I’ve plucked the Teenage Dream from seasonal hibernation. Bikes with complete, period groupsets are nice and I can appreciate truly original builds. However, it’s not my particular route.

Mine are either built, or evolve to suit me. Hailing from 1991, I have upgraded to more modern cockpit, fork and dual pivot brakes are for me at least, a marked improvement upon the originals. Some would say it’s ironic that I haven’t replaced the early 80’s 6speed Campagnolo mechs.

Sentiment aside, they’re in great shape, the machine isn't raced and I like the present blend. Wellgo SPDR pattern pedals may also offend some folks but I find recessed cleats are more practical. Then of course, their smaller surface area entertains more spirited cornering.

Dancing up the climbs, the old fashioned, tubing and lugged construction might feel a bit whippy around the bottom bracket region but it still delivers a responsive and engaging ride. Some would dub it a real mongrel, others a Heinz57. I say, my machine and just as I like it.              

Carbon Fibre Repair

I headed down to Carbon Bike Repair in Leatherhead. A fascinating visit that dispelled many of the myths surrounding composites. Not least, their capacity for successful, permanent and moreover, cost-effective repair. You can read the full feature here https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/a-visit-to-carbon-fibre-bike-repair .

I was surprised to learn that 99% of damage is repairable on a good-as-new basis and yes, that includes dropouts. Obviously, economics are a determining factor.

Basic repair starts at £80, which is viable on a set of forks blades costing £300. Not so, a set commanding £100, let alone a £35 seat post with aluminium head.

This TT frameset was involved in a particularly gruesome collision with a car. One which ultimately claimed the rider’s arm and broke the frameset into 27 pieces. A bystander had painstakingly salvaged these, placing them in a bag.  

Ultimately, Rob’s team were able to piece it (including the fork!) back together. Rigorously and meticulously tested, it is structurally sound, the rider recovered and returned to racing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they bought a new frameset and gifted this one to CBR.

Their 2pack paintwork is of phenomenally high standard too. However, there wasn’t a safe opportunity for me to capture this being applied, on account of the paints’ cyanide components. Another reason why manufacturers/refinishers seldom offer little bottles of touch up paint these days.

Shortly afterward, I headed north to work on unrelated photographic assignments, which also coincided with Coventry’s motofest. Oh and a commercial quality TIG welder with AC/DC settings…

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is another welding technology that came about in the 1940s and a good alternative to oxyacetylene. It’s also credited with making aluminium and magnesium credible choices for structural works.

Much greater skill is required compared with MIG and the Arc’s intensity is also significantly higher; hence a grade 10 shield/setting and gloves are a must. However, the relatively slow, precise nature rewards with much cleaner, slag-free welds.

It can be used at any position and with the correct shielding gas, is highly suited to titanium and Cro-moly steels. Little wonder how it became so widely used in frame and component construction.

My involvement? All will be revealed another time…

Talking of TIG welded frames; having re-greased the Ilpompino’s headset and seat post, all was buttery smooth and serene. While hustling along the lanes this morning, my internal processes were shattered by a high-pitched “baaaaaaaaaaang!” This was swiftly accompanied by a shimmy; my senses screaming with alarm.

The rear tyre had rolled from the rim. Closer inspection revealed the tube wall had failed- caused by fatigue, rather than foreign object. Thankfully, fresh butyl and Lezyne Micro-floor pump https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/lezyne-micro-floor-pump spared my blushes.

The latter is capable of delivering a road credible 100psi fairly swiftly with only moderate, mere mortal effort. I limped home at 15mph with a wobbly rear hoop. That’ll be a trip to my friendly, local wheel builder tomorrow morning!

All Terrain Escapes

Forty miles in and I’m beginning to bond with those Schwalbe Marathon GT 365. Although a hefty pairing, they complete the Univega’s all-terrain persona, which has also swept me back to the early 80s spirit of UK mountain biking-go anywhere machines that were light, fun and enabled the rider to leave everything behind.

Escapism is a positive thing and not to be confused with sticking one’s head in the proverbial sand. It’s a chance to reflect, figure things through and return with a cohesive, pragmatic strategy. Does wonders for episodes of writer’s block, or those occasions when paragraphs simply merge into a tangled, congealed mass on the screen.

Full-length mudguards naturally limit the machine’s true off road potential. That said; in its present guise and with those tyres; loose surfaces, unmade roads, forest trails and yes, disused railway lines are easily passable at a decent tempo.

The line in question doesn’t go any distance now, thanks to extensive housebuilding, it’s essentially been reduced to a short strip of woodland. Undeterred, I tried the lane in parallel, mindful of getting over-enthused, taking a wrong turn and hammering through someone’s back garden!

I’d been that particular route some years before while rejoicing in a stretch of super smooth forest on my’ cross bike around midnight. All of a sudden, my 1000 lumen headlight picked up two large plastic receptacles and our presence triggered a security light.

Hmmm, wheelie bins… Prod right brifter down two cogs, turn and sprint back was my MO then. Back to those Schwalbe, well, run at 65psi, they held their own with plenty of feedback and no hint of skittishness across the loose, gravelly surface. 

Back on metalled road, more effort was required to overcome the additional rolling resistance but unlike an MTB knobbly, cornering is vastly superior. Two inches wide, they literally smooth over bumpy, battle-scarred rods like a steamroller-the tarmac laying type, not Surly’s iconic plain-gauge fixed frameset.     

Staying with Seven Day Cyclist and the tubby tourer a moment, this storm sure flexible repair adhesive has successfully salvaged its wedge pack’s torn LED tab. https://stormsure.com/  

Composite and plastic materials can be tricky customers but when applied on a warm spring day and left the full 12hours, the repair seems pretty dependable-at least I’ve been happy enough to slip this Moon shield in situ.

Rediscovering my stash of rubber solution permitted a butyl mending binge. These days we can pick up a bunch of tubes for a fiver, almost disposable but where possible, I repair, or recycle them.

Talking of storms, a few showery rides saw enough grime adorning my winter/trainer’s tubes to warrant testing some bike wash and giving the bike a quick once-over. Bike wash did its job in a competent way and closer inspection revealed the rear crud guard’s 5mm fastener needed nipping tight.

In the zone, I decided it was the ideal opportunity to inspect/re-grease strip the seat post and repack the headset bearings. Out came the fix it sticks https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/fix-it-sticks-t-way-wrench .

I was pleasantly surprised by the thin but stoical layer of green oil eco-grease https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/green-oil-eco-grease  still coating both components, although the lower race was definitely due a liberal top-up.

Having wiped the races and double checked for any signs of corrosion, I cleaned both with a rag dipped in solvent before flooding top and bottom races.  The yellow goo’s flow rate is broadly comparable with petrochemicals, although it’s particularly good when temperatures creep into the high teens.

Super smooth again, though I’ll probably strip and replenish every 9, rather than 12months-6 if you’re a rough stuff tourist or mountain biker who can’t resist river-riding.  

Last Train to London

Schwalbe UK likes what we do at Seven Day Cyclist www.Sevendaycyclist.com so I was delighted to discover their Marathon 365 awaiting me, having just returned from a quick reckkie of that disused railway line.

 

As their name suggests, Schwalbe designed these to cope competently in all conditions and year round. 2 inches wide and a portly 1048g apiece, the 365 are to my surprise, heavier than their spiked winter siblings. We’re slipping into summer at this point but it’ll be interesting to see whether they can genuinely deliver when conditions threaten a face-plant at every corner.

Though the UK doesn’t get snow in the Scandinavian sense, the spiked versions will tackle snowy back road in full confidence and at respectable speeds. Frankly, I’d rather be relaxed at 17mph and enjoying the ride when roads are under several centimetres of snowy stuff than risking a face plant at every bend.   

Staying with their similarities, both tyres are wire beads and generally speaking, incredibly easy to re/mount- I experienced some minor creep while fitting the 365, so squeeze the sidewalls while reinstating the remaining sections to counteract their initial tendency to roll off shallower rims.

Even though I’m a dynohub devotee, I was delighted by the sidewall’s dynamo track and retro-reflective detailing. The dual guard puncture preventative system bodes well for dependability. As the name implies, dual guard employs India rubber and nylon belt. Should a sharp pierce the casing; these flex, pushing it out before it nicks the tube, causing a flat. 

Operating pressures for the 365 are between 35 and 65psi, lower than their winter specific siblings and more typical of two-inch trail rubber. Formative impressions suggest there’s less rider-sapping drag, or squirm over metalled roads compared with common or garden knobblies. 

Nonetheless, rolling resistance was something of a culture shock coming from the excellent marathon GT I was testing earlier this year https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/schwalbe-marathon-gt-tyres  A few hundred mixed terrain, all weather miles will give much better insight as to their persona, strengths and weaknesses.  

Elsewhere, we’ve a review of the back bottle https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/the-back-bottle-water-bottle , route guide https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/cycling-the-loire-cycle-route  and some shots of Mick Ives on his solo giro d’italia mission https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/m16-podium-stage-system-complete .




 I was in the capital on business this week and was pleased to see fixed remains popular. Plenty of Specialized, Genesis and less prosaic one-cog hacks shackled to street furniture. Well, I got excited!

So, that railway line...It’s a long forgotten service that was derelict and overgrown forty years back. We lived locally then and my father would often hoist me atop his shoulders to get a closer look at the track that nature had largely reclaimed.

Having awoken to discover the Ilpompino’s front Vee Rubber had a slow flat, I prepped the Univega and fifteen miles into a loop, took a left turn along a narrow, unmade road. The street specific 1.75 Panaracer coped surprisingly well along the loose gravel-even at 75psi and sure enough, the banking was still fully accessible. Hoisting the tubby tourer over my shoulder, I ran to the bottom.

Track long gone; it was more like a green lane. A bit much for the street-centric Panaracer, so bike back on my shoulder, I ran diagonally up the banking, nettles and other foliage ravaging my exposed legs and remounted cyclo-cross fashion.

A narrow, little used lane, just wide enough for a small car presented, so we followed that a mile or so before rejoining the main road and the final seven miles home. The ability to escape and explore on a lightweight but durable machine was mountain biking’s biggest draw for me back in the 1980s.

Arguably my cream and black friend is the closest to that era’s ideal. Amateur psychologists (of which, there seem plenty) would suggest I’m yearning to revert to those times. However, I felt acutely alienated during my teenage years and have no desire to revisit them.

This also proved an ideal opportunity to test the claims of a repair product. Look closely and you’ll see I’ve glued the LED tab on its wedge pack. Left curing for the 12hours cited, time will tell just how effective and indeed, permanent the repair really is.

Back in the midlands, I had a tip-off about some long abandoned, derelict buildings, so headed off early morning with CSC and lenses. Following my nose and commanded by bladder, I found a stretch of wasteland. The external barrier had been flattened, allowing easy access.

Timely too, since Police with dogs had passed seconds before! Walking through the undergrowth, I was soon greeted by obvious signs of recent substance misuse, so continued carefully, ears attune to any little sound, or movement.

Charred chairs and mattresses aside, no-one was home and the neighbours didn’t seem particularly perturbed by my presence. Guess they presumed I was working on behalf of a developer.

The building was very well sealed-squatters or metal thieves weren’t going to be another force to contend with, so I had a relaxed half hour’s mooch. Bottom line, if asked to leave, I smile a lot and walk away pretty swiftly. Right, lots coming up and lots to get done, so back to the keyboard!