Roadside Recoveries

 A wet, greasy outing on the fixed gear winter/trainer and my serendipity was rudely pierced by a wet hiss- the front CST Pika had succumbed. I drew alongside a farmhouse which had a decent fence, meaning I could rest the bike upright and tackle the flat. I’d taken delivery of a fresh batch of tubes recently and popped a fresh spare in the Kinekt Waterproof Saddlebag KINEKT WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), so though annoying-one of those things and easily fixed. The rain intensified, which didn’t do much for my mood but off came the wheel, out came the fresh tube, tyre lever and pump was to hand... 

Well, riding shotgun on its bottle mount bracket. I uncoupled it, plugged it on the fresh tube’s Presta valve. The first stroke suggested it had become waterlogged at the valve. I pulled it away and tried again- like the piston had been immersed in treacle. Now, I keep a mini pump stashed away in the wedge pack for such emergencies-pedestrian perhaps, but infinitely preferable to the long walk home.  

Where art thou??? I rummaged. A few seconds later, I’d found it. To no avail though as the new tube would not inflate-flaccid despite three attempts and 3 minutes. I slipped the pump, tubes etc. back into the wedge pack, reinstated the front wheel and ran the 6 miles home. 

 

I switched the tube and rummaging unearthed another decent pump and bracket. It also presented the opportunity to re-grease the fasteners with some Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease Topeak Road, PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and I ended up switching the composite Tacx cage for this winged carbon Burls.  

I’d checked the Lezyne HP Drive- a high-pressure model with threaded head and integral analogue gauge beforehand and slipped another micro pump into the wedge pack for emergencies (although I’ve rekindled my attraction to Co2 cartridges for rapid roadside rescue).   

The HP drive is reckoned capable of 125psi, although in my experience 95 is more realistic. Easily up to the job of delivering 70psi- the Pika’s maximum and typical of several commu-touring favourites. The new forks mean 700x33mm (about 1.3 in) is the comfortable maximum and I’d be interested to see how well Maxxis Re-Fuse fare in the real world- they're reckoned to be “The perfect cycle training tyre” and extremely puncture resistant.   

Inflating the wounded tube revealed a tiny hole, so not a valve issue and suggesting it was a flint that had worked into the tyre. Easily patched and left curing overnight, could be added to the good spares pile, or returned to the wedge pack.  

Back to Ursula and someone waved a set of mtb guards designed for 29- inch wheels under my nose for a price that would’ve been stupid to pass up... The rear offers 80mm (about 3.15 in) of coverage at the widest point, which should cater for 2.2 inches without oodles of spatter caking the top, or indeed the rear triangle.  

No issues with compatibility-cantilever brakes, or indeed an SQR bag and the post clamp seems secure. These can wander/slide annoyingly-even some high-end models.  In keeping with my experience of budget models, the plastics are of decent quality, but the fitting kit is where pennies are saved. I had to switch some Allen key fasteners and find a suitable shim for the 25.4 Kinekt 2.1 Aluminium Seat post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Thankfully I had both, so no issues.  

I had toyed with the idea of cutting down an old 26inch full-length chrome plastic to the seat stay bridge (or a few cm proud), mounting here and at the dropout eyelets. However, I didn’t have a suitable scrapper to make good and doing so would also restrict tyre choice.  

I’ve also been confounded by the Sigma BC9.16 SIGMA BC9.16 ATS WIRELESS CYCLE COMPUTER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) sensor’s refusal to communicate with the head unit.

Ultimately, I cleaned everything, including the contacts. I also sprayed some Muc-Off HCB1 on them, to rule out corrosion later down the line- the rubber O-ring seal had deformed (as they do, over time), changed the sensor battery. 

 

I repositioned it, and the magnet higher up, reducing the gap between them. Still nothing. Last thing on the list- the head unit battery... I reasoned that while the display was relatively strong, it might be depleted, and transmission affected-Bingo. Sometimes it’s the little victories. Had this intervention failed, I would’ve switched back to the Cat eye Quick- a remarkably simple model and that’s part of its’ charm.  

My first cycle computer was a wired Cat-Eye Vectra back in Christmas 1988 and I’ve had a particular fondness for the brand since.  Ending on a fond note, here’s my review of the Lazer Chameleon Helmet Lazer Chameleon Helmet | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Spring- Sunrise & Strip-downs

  

Yes, inspiration doesn't just strike in the saddle-the small house is another chamber of innovation, and Eureka moments. I discarded the hard-working but progressively deteriorating SKS Blumels Shiny Mudguards SKS BLUEMELS SHINY MUDGUARDS | cycling, but not ususally racing (sevendaycyclist.com), and gave the frameset a deep clean. A good polish and rear wheel switch followed, and I also took delivery of this Mud hugger guard.  

I’d tested their gravel hugger cousins MUD HUGGER GRAVEL HUGGER MUDGURADS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and remain impressed with their build quality and coverage. Obviously, protection doesn’t rival that of full length, traditional chrome plastics but it does broaden Ursula’s off-road potential and indeed, tyre choice. I could, for example, run the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro albe Ice Spiker Pro Tyres | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) comfortably at the rear.   

Now, look closely and I’ve had to trim the mounts since it was fouling the fork’s cantilever mounts. I initially mounted them with two cable ties each side- a 4.8mm and two slightly thinner OEM. I ultimately switched these for two 7.6mm example for improved, vise-like grip.  

 

The Mud hugger would also allow bigger section, trail-orientated rubber and exploit the machine’s true off-road potential. No rear guard? Mud Hugger are designed as disc-specific, so incompatible with Ursula’s rear triangle.  Traditionally I’ve not taken to clip-on MTB guards, save for the legendary Crud models.  Others have either had an unappealing aesthetic and/or tended to rotate and ultimately, warp and fail.  I have something planned on the tyre front but will leave you guessing for now.  

I was still testing the Weldtite Bike Cleaner Concentrate and was getting a funny feeling about the XT hub’s freehub, so this presented an obvious opportunity to remove and the cassette, strip and inspect the freehub and upgrade the bearings.  

Everything released nicely-not surprising, given I’d not long stripped and re-greased the bearings with Juice Lubes Bearing Grease. The freehub seemed fine-I just wiped with a clean rag and drizzled some Peaty’s Speed Grease PEATY'S SPEED GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) into the freehub bearings and threaded fastener.  

For the bearings, I went for something a little thicker, but lighter than the Juice Lubes Bearing Juice. Muc-Off Bio Grease TESTED : MUC-OFF BIO GREASE (sevendaycyclist.com) was to hand and in my experience, is reassuringly durable.  

Little and often maintenance is the best way of staying on the road or trails and breakdowns/component failure and costs to a minimum. However, things are a little more nuanced than this. I (and many other riders) run two sets of wheels on their daily drivers/working bikes, meaning I can switch while I service and to a greater extent take more time, should components require replacement, or similar service staller strike.  

Similarly, there is a point where the convenience, economy and satisfaction of working on our machines (be they bicycles, motorcycles, cars, boats etc) can tip over into an all-consuming orgy of continuous improvement. Time, other duties all evaporate in the quest to metaphorically (and sometimes literally) “tune beyond perfection”. That’s fun and resonates very deeply with me. However, when it comes to everyday maintenance and overhaul, tasks are best confined to certain, disciplined timescales.   

Plan ahead, be organised, have the correct tools to hand and quit while you’re genuinely ahead. Maintenance courses can be a sensible investment if you’re a beginner, or just looking to improve. There’s always something to learn and skilled instructors to guide and inspire confidence.   

Conditions have felt a little more spring-like, not that I’ve brought out the ¾ lengths and lightweight, long-sleeve jerseys just yet. I have regrettably had to pension off the Altura Night Vision Waterproof Gloves, which had done around 35,000miles (about 56327.04 km) over the last 5 years.  

Again, with heavy heart, I also consigned a pair of the brands’ bib tights to the bin. The pad was past its prime and the Lycra was also showing signs of abrasion damage, so thanked and read their last rites. Talking of reading, here’s a guide to the river Rhone Cycle Route THE RIVER RHONE CYCLE ROUTE GUIDE REVIEW (sevendaycyclist.com)