Pre Festive Fettling

 

Replaced the bottom bracket and chain, yet the transmission was still a little noisy, especially when climbing. I’ve been running 110mm bottom bracket axles on my fixed gear builds for some years, problem-free.

I wondered whether the ring and sprocket were worn but both seemed in good health. That only left the chain line. For the uninitiated, the Halo Fix G track hub has two sides. HALO FIX G TRACK HUB | Seven Day Cyclist Tourin Tests Commuting 

One a traditional screw-on, the other a splined HG type (but while a Shimano HG sprocket will fit, it will damage the splines). This side is designed for Halo’s dedicated sprockets and spacers for an adjustable, precise chain line.  

Having diagnosed chain line, it suddenly occurred to me that the titanium sprocket fitted to my “spare” Halo Aero Rage rear wheel, which had a collar, broadly equivalent to that of the Fix G systems spacers.  

Wheel switched and a Schwalbe Marathon GT tyre TESTED : SCHWALBE MARATHON GT TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) levered aboard the Aerorage hoop and in the rear triangle. Chain tensioned, track nuts snugged tight and all seemed well on the stand. Hunch confirmed the following morning- silence even under load, which meant I could relax and concentrate on turning a decent cadence. Problem solved. I ordered a new Halo sprocket and lockring, so I can switch back to the Fix-G hoop at my convenience.

 

Acquiring parts, given the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty, has been less seamless than other times. Use what you already have-assuming its fit for purpose...Having spent several hours organising the garage, I concluded this orgy of discipline by stripping and reg-greasing my fixed gear winter/trainer’s headset.  

There was still a reasonable amount of Park grease doing its thing, but I was on a roll and now was the time. I opted for some Corrosion Block, which had been in my CK toolbox for over a decade. Took this opportunity to switch the Axiom Grand Fondo for this Kenekt waterproof wedge pack.   

I used a liberal helping of Green Oil Eco-grease TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com) (which is surprisingly stoical) when installing the UN300. Arguably the Park would’ve been a more obvious choice on the durability front.  

 I couldn’t find mine at the time, and there’s plenty of home-brewed frame preserve sloshing around the tubes. This liquifies in warmer weather, thus greatly reducing the likelihood of seizure. Lithium pastes are very long-lived. However, there’s the risk of galvanic corrosion striking between the steel frameset and alloy cup.  

Traditionally, I’ve taken a dim view of waterless cleaners (although arguably furniture polishes are precisely that) but given the present conditions, I’m appreciating their convenience. On a freshly (or heavily) soiled bike, you’re still better served by a sudsy bucket wash and rinse down.  

However, for light to moderately soiled machines, where the grot has dried on, they’re super-convenient. Blow it over, avoiding contact with braking surfaces and contact points, leave 30 seconds, and then buff with a clean, lint-free cloth. Done. I’ve since rescued the Univega from my temporary address (before that area slipped into COVID tier 4).  

The pandemic has once again increased in its intensity and presence, with a subsequent surge in cases (which scientific evidence suggested would result, given the relaxing of rules-at least here in the UK). The ineffectual tier system employed on these shores, coupled with an element of public mistrust in the present administration, has compounded matters. Another lockdown, in the New Year seems inevitable. 

 

Good to have the old girl back.  

Big section tyres and mudguards are another obvious draw during the depths of a very wet December. Treated it to a liberal helping of waterless cleaner, to remove some of the ingrained chain lube and greasy road spatter from the rear triangle and fork blades, since I had to remove the wheels, so it would fit in an elderly, but solid Micra. I’ll leave you with my review of the Kinekt 2.1 Suspension Seat post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and these FLR Defender MTB Dry Boot FLR DEFENDER MTB DRY BOOT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and hope Christmas delivers whatever we need from it.    

  

Chain Strain

I’ve found it difficult to get inexpensive, yet durable track chains these days. After 1500 miles, the 1/2link KMC is heading on up to the Great Bike Shop in the Sky. I’ve gone for two, another KMC-a Z510 and a Z1X hopefully, it’ll be as faithful, albeit potentially less durable than the Z1 X Inox SEVEN DAY CYCLIST'S 3000 MILE TEST OF A KMC INOX CHAIN The one minor niggle with the latter concerned the inox finish being too slippery, encouraging lubes to migrate from the rollers and to the side plates.  

Tension is a hotly debated topic and for some reason, I’ve found it trickier to get it just-so with ½ link models. I don’t tend to deviate from a 42x15 (ring and sprocket) configuration.  

The Z1X is a traditional single link design, so I had a wander around the web and discovered a chain-link calculator that promised to generate the correct (rounded up) length. (based upon chainstay length, ring, and sprocket size) ...Using said system, the chain for my set up should be 48 links long, which seems ridiculously short.  

Took a guess, using the dead ½ link, pruned and popped aboard. Tension adjusted and track nuts snugged tight, ready for the road again.  Roads are perpetually filthy but thankfully, the gritting lorries have been conspicuous by their absence. 

Post-ride examination of the drivetrain confirmed some minor but tangible play in its UN55 cartridge bottom bracket. I took this opportunity to replace it with a UN300, since the UN55 is seemingly discontinued. 

There’s one waiting in the wings for the Univega, once it’s existing gets the grumbles and a UN26 somewhere, just in case. 

However, while the latter units are solid enough, I’m not particularly taken with the plastic cup. Otherwise, this family is ultra-reliable, fit n’ forget units. So much so, Murphy’s law dictates they will expire when the bike shop’s closed.   

Elsewhere, I decided to add some more lubricant to the Kinekt stem spring and elastomer, using Slip. Slip is vegetable-based, contains no solvent, and therefore, leaves more, composite-friendly lubricant behind.  

Feedback from Kinket’s engineering team suggests this should be the cure for any squeaking/creaking.  I’ve always found elastomer-based systems are low maintenance but run happiest with a moderate helping of synthetic (rubber-friendly) grease. I also found the medium spring can lead to bottoming out on longer road climbs, especially on the fixed (where I’m out of the saddle and placing most of my weight on the bars and pedals). Replacing springs is straightforward but getting the upper spring guide aligned proved trickier with the firmer option. 

   

I’m keeping their seat post clean and protected via larger wedge packs and have switched to an Axiom Grand Fondo, which aside from being super convenient size-wise, offers precisely the surface area to protect the moving components from wet stuff thrown up by the rear wheel.  

I will switch to the dedicated Kinekt model at some point, over Christmas. However, I am interested in testing compatibility with other brands, shapes, and sizes, including bike packing luggage. (Especially given it’s a design that’s also marketed at gravel audiences).  

In common with other suspension posts, including Cane Creek Thudbuster TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com)  there’s an aftermarket boot option to shield moving parts from the elements.  Elsewhere, while unpacking and investigating the storage boxes, I hit the helmet light jackpot, courtesy of this 550lumen Silva Pave’ Front light hailing from 2015. The lightweight, fossil shaped light gives a much purer arc of light than 550 lumens would suggest.