Front Loaded

 I was hoping to find the other Schwalbe 365 and whip that on the new dyno hub wheel but no sign of it in the rafters. I was in the throes of switching to a Schwalbe Marathon Mondial but discovered the casing was rather weathered, permitting flints and other sharps inside. 26-inch mountain bike wheels have now lost their dominance, meaning supply is less plentiful. I was still seeking something rugged, so got quite excited by Schwalbe Land Cruiser (26x2.0)  

Being an active line model, it’s a wire bead and puncture resistance isn’t on par with the Marathon range, but we’ll see. Better a slightly lower spec than top drawer rubber past its puncture repelling prime. The other options were   Continental Ride Tour (26x1.75), which on paper offers a similar tread pattern but superior puncture resistance. Then of course, there’s Kenda Kwick Journey KS Plus KENDA KWICK JOURNEY TYRES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which also comes in a 26x1.95 and in my experience, super dependable. One of these might replace the rear Schwalbe Marathon Mondial Dual Defense TEST & REVIEW: SCHWALBE MARATHON MONDIAL TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Several months down the line, I’m seriously impressed with how well the Peaty’s Speed Grease has stood up to the wet, greasy, and sometimes freezing conditions. I’d still stick with its Assembly Grease counterpart, when it comes to contact points, bottom bracket and pedal threads, hubs, and headsets-at least on winter, or working bikes. 

Nonetheless, a few months and a few thousand miles down the line, there’s plenty clinging to the Deore crankset’s splines and it’s also proving a great option for cantilever posts and of course, hybrid sprung/elastomer seat posts, including the Kinekt 2.1KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which I retain a very soft spot for.  

Other than Cane Creek Thud Buster ST 3.0 TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com), it’s one of the only serious performance options for an older mountain bike frameset. Back to the grease, it hasn’t been dissolved by sudsy bucket washes and citrus type cleaners and degreasers, which I’ve used to strip caked-on slurry from the bottom bracket shell, strip chains.  

Bearings are another component easily overlooked.   

I am particularly fond of headsets with needle roller, or annular/cartridge bearings. Thus far, with regular regreasing and full-length guards, Ursula’s Stronglight O’Light LX Aheadset is still in good health, over six years later. However, these parts can often fail at the least convenient times and lead times are longer courtesy of a pandemic and Brexit. Therefore, I’ve acquired its steel stablemate, which is slightly heavier but theoretically, even more durable. It was also offered at a price I couldn’t resist.  

Easier than registering for a COVID booster shot online, too, although perseverance paid off and I’ve been booked in. The implications for skilled clinicians and related professions already overworked before the pandemic now stretched beyond breaking point is chilling. An unresponsive, indifferent government (One seemingly unable to manage a drinking session in a brewery, let alone a national crisis) is simply exacerbating the situation.    

By contrast, the Purple Extreme is doing its thing and no less than I’d expect from a lube of its genre. 100 miles in, and it's staying put, much like a wet lube in characteristics.  

In common with some other favourites, including Finish Line Cross Country, Bike Medicine also recommends it for cleats, seat post and handlebar hardware, brake and derailleur pivots, spoke nipples when wheel building, and cable housings. Not sure it’d be my first choice for derailleurs or brakes for that matter- a touch too thick by my reckoning but we’ll see. A trace on recessed Allen heads/similar fasteners would be a good bet, though.      

It’s good practice to strip drivetrains surgically clean before introducing any new lube but Purple Extreme is one of those with a solvent content that will cause any residual lube and contaminant to rise to the surface, rather than floating away, or consuming them. Will be interesting to see whether the Purple Extreme will extend the chain’s life, longer than the 1100miles I get from a typical 10speed KMC.    

Yay! New Wheel Day

A couple of days after dropping the rim and Shutter Precision SD8 hub with Mick Madgett, he’d built the wheel! Much whooping and cheering (to coincide with The KA’s service and MOT pass) followed and I arranged to collect at my earliest, practical opportunity. Not least since I needed to put the hub through its paces.  

No sense spending good money on wheel(s) than skimping on rim tapes and inner tubes either, so I got some fresh Schwalbe and bought in three tubes, but the second Schwalbe Marathon GT365 TESTED: SCHWALBE MARATHON GT 365 TYRES WINTER UPDATE (sevendaycyclist.com) eluded me. Not the lightest by any means but extremely durable and dependable on and off-road. 

I’ve sent the PD8 over to the UK importer so they can organise servicing and once that’s back, I’ll get it built into the White Line rim and it’ll serve as the second/spare front wheel for my fixed gear winter/trainer.  

Now, one of the minor things about the Shutter Precision hubs is that they come sans skewer. Not sure what I’d done with the Shimano quick release, since I had defaulted to the Kryptonite Wheel Boltz security skewers, which though not impenetrable, offer decent defence from casual tea leaves- say when parking up for short periods- bladder, or colon smoothie stop anyone?  

I poached the gold  Halo, since that wheel was doing something close to nothing and I couldn’t find that belonging to the Nexus. I still have a soft spot for the humble commuter hub, it’s just the resistance and specification aren’t of the sort, conducive to the K-Lite lamps, or indeed the 800lumen Exposure unit that preceded them.  

The Nexus in question is a 6V 2.4-watt model. Sanyo and Shimano both produce 1.5-volt units and they’re very affordable, but again, inadequate for my riding needs. Staying with hubs, John Moss did indeed have an Alfine unit, but I’ve metaphorically missed the boat- he'd had a clear out, donated it and his tyre mountain to a cycling charity. Wasn’t meant to be.  

Another time, another place maybe a suitable hub will materialise. For now, I’ll enjoy the a ’la carte mix of Sputnik rim, XT hub, 11-25 cassette and Tiagra rear mech.  

Dynamos aren’t everyone’s bag, nor are they suitable for all contexts. I’m still very interested in powerful, rechargeable units, especially on pared to the essential's road bikes.  

Steve’s been racking up the miles with Sigma’s smaller Buster- the 700, which I also have a fondness for, although primarily as a helmet-mounted companion. The sensible range of modes and high-quality optics also caters for town and suburban work, with enough bite for letting off some steam along semi-rural escapes. SIGMA BUSTER 700 FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Up the rear, I’m still fond of the German marques’ Blaze SIGMA BLAZE REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and Infinity SIGMA INFINITY REAR LED LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)rear light, which are bright and in the latter context, very frugal, especially for a single, constant mode.   

Trail Distribution has kindly sent me some Bike Medicine Purple Extreme Chain Lube. It’s a synthetic blend, originally conceived for oil rigs and similarly harsh conditions. It's claimed to perform in temperatures between +400-100 degrees Fahrenheit, so the average British winter shouldn’t tax it. In common with some others, you can scoot off but ideally, leave curing overnight. 

Bike Medicine claim it will extend the life of older components, while enhancing the performance of packet fresh drivetrains, without attracting dirt and contaminant. Will be interesting to see how it holds up against some wallet-friendly favourites, including Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant TF2 PERFORMANCE ALL WEATHER LUBRICANT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)          

There is a school of thought which says dry lubes for spring/summer and wet for winter. Makes sense on some levels and keeps things simple. However, these things are nuanced. I err towards stay put synthetics on daily drivers and working bikes. Price aside, I’m impressed by Muc Off Ludicrous AF and have returned 700miles from a single application. The Peaty’s Link Lube Premium All Weather Chain Lubricant PEATY'S LINK LUBE PREMIUM ALL WEATHER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) is another decent default, ditto Rock N’ Roll Gold LV ROCK 'N' ROLL GOLD LV CHAIN LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which is also incredibly clean running-welcome any time, but especially winter.  

Ursula is the beneficiary for now. The chain is also in surprisingly good shape- at present rate, I’ve probably got 500miles before it’ll need pensioning off. I’ll wait until the Christmas break for the wheel- will likely coincide with other little, mid-point maintenance jobs. Gives me chance to get some spare cables and straddle wires in. Nothing worse than getting immersed only to be thwarted by a frayed/damaged cable, especially when you can’t just nip out and buy a new one.  

Cable-wise, I’ve gone for some Transfil, a brand supplying cabling to the French automotive industry and producing some decent, virtually maintenance-free cable sets. A great option for bikes in hard service. The outers are quite abrasive though, so be sure to apply some helicopter tape where they touch the frame/forks.