Grease, Shims & Stoppers

The recent episodes of creaking led to methodical re-greasing of fasteners and other easily forgotten parts- across the fleet. Grease guns, though not essential, gets gooey stuff exactly where it’s needed and minimises wastage. 

 

I'm the first to admit I tend to set a glob of something suitably synthetic and waterproof into hub and headset races, giving a luxuriously sticky bed for the bearings. However, the top layer is always carefully piped in.  

Threaded stuff and contact points, such as bottom brackets, derailleur hangers, pedals and seat posts also get the piping treatment. When it comes to posts, Hollowtech cranks axles and skewers, I distribute evenly with gloved digit afterwards.

A Finish Line model has been my go-to for the best part of a decade now.  

It threads nicely on most brands’ tubes and delivery is very precise, although the flow rate can be a little slow. Enter this System EX Grease Gun. Made of metal (Stainless steel and powder-coated aluminium alloy) the nozzle is particularly giraffe-like-perfect for trafficking greasy goodness into freehubs and other recessed parts. Still summer, so I’m continuing to enjoy the Teenage Dream’s charms.   

The CST Cito have continued to impress, and we’ve had some sudden heavy downpours to test their road holding in the wet. Spoiler alert, they’ve gripped winding bends and greasy tarmac like the proverbial leech.   

Greens aren’t everyone’s choice of livery and admittedly, had I been having the frame restored now, I’d probably opt for a chrome effect base and rosso red topcoat- giving the look of a chrome rear triangle but without the nasty processes, compounded by the need for acid etch primers to make the paint stick. Oh, and the electroplate always wins, eventually. 

Now, you’d never (or at least, shouldn’t) electroplate thin wall tubing such as 531c given the filing and acids involved but some did and with the inevitable structural damage. I recall experienced frame builders recounting tales of them emerging from the methyl chloride tank disintegrating before the eyes. 

 

Some folks have suggested 531c was a good bet for smaller riders and lightweight touring. Not sure I subscribe to that. A compact bar bag and a post-mounted SQR Tour-type saddlebag are pretty much where I’d stop. I’m 70 kilos and there’s some small but tangible whip around the bottom bracket shell when powering away-especially climbing out of the saddle. Experienced frame builders have suggested additional “braze-ons” are not problematic, so long as silver, not brass is employed.  

Anyhow, I still love the RAL 6010 green, it’s a little different-not a colour I’d generally default to. I also had flashes of inspiration, ideas of going for a pursuit-type bar- I had a set of Carbon TT levers knocking around somewhere... 

However, this was also switching for its own sake. Unless of course, something suitable landed in my lap...Higher-end brake pads might be a better performance upgrade. Not that the existing aftermarket Fibrax Wet Weather and Jagwire pairings are lacking but pads and cables often reap surprising and very inexpensive performance benefits.  The Holdsworth’s Miche Primato and BBB Tech Stop pads offer superb braking, with excellent modulation and feel. No need to change here.  

I’d recently switched to the Ravemen LR 1600 Ravemen LR1600 Front Light | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) up front. It’s a light I’m very fond of, and despite using the LR500’s “watch strap” type mount, slippage hasn’t been a problem with 31.8 bars. However, this wasn’t so with the Salsa Bell Lap which are 26.0. Obviously, this would be a moot point with its lighter LR500 stablemate.RAVEMEN LR500S FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Indeed, since I’m not doing dark roads proper, rather wanting something to be seen by, the LR500’s flashing setting would arguably be ideal.  

Anyhow, some experimentation with shims did not offer the vice-like tenure I was seeking, and though safely packed away, the OEM LR1600 mount wasn’t to hand so I opted in favour of Sigma’s 700-lumen Buster. This, along with its 2000lumen stablemate SIGMA SPORT BUSTER HL 2000 | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) employs a thumbscrew clamp, which sorted things.  

Oh, and the flashing mode is 700lumens, so no issues when it comes to being conspicuous on dawn blasts. Rear shifting had suddenly gone off mid-ride slipping-a cable tension issue by my reckoning. I returned and found the inner wire fraying, so replaced it. A particularly quick switch on old-school, friction shift downtube levers.  

Five minutes and that included snugging down the Campagnolo Victory mech’s cable bolt and pruning the inner wire. Yes, that is a bolt, not an Allen bolt. Thankfully, I had my trusty 34-year-old Y wrench handy, so easier still. 

 

Creaky Cradle

 

Phantom creaks, squeaks, and rattles crop up every now and then and the root cause is not always obvious. Sometimes it’s just some threads begging for a lick of grease, other times it’s a fastener that’s loosened just enough to permit some minute play- seat post cradle, handlebar stem, old school square taper crank bolt. Titanium to titanium can also prove a slightly creaky combo, so I tend to employ some Finish Line Ti-prep where bars meet stem and saddle rails meet cradle. 

 

Then of course, there’s mudguard (fender) and rack mounts. Adding a bit of Thread lock to proceedings holds them tight and gives you a sporting chance of keeping them, should they unexpectedly vibrate loose. Aside from racking up some miles on the Teenage Dream, while the sun shone, I’d been pondering a strange and unsettling creak from the fixed gear winter/trainer. Initially, I’d thought this was the Halo Fix G lockring letting me know it had slackened-nope.  

Chain tension was also about right. VW ran a commercial back in the 1980s where a driver is being driven to distraction by a phantom squeak, which a roadside mechanic diagnosis is the wife’s earring. With this in mind, I was beginning to think it was something similar- small spare parts jingling in the Kinekt Waterproof Saddlebag KINEKT WATERPROOF SADDLE BAG | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  All drew a blank. I got out of the saddle- silence. I’ve not had difficulties with the Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G3 TESTED: CANE CREEK THUDBUSTER ST SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com) in the past.  

Everything seemed snug. Unlikely perhaps (but not unheard of) I reasoned it might be an issue with the saddle rails. Either way, I concluded, after a two-hour blast on the teenage dream, the best approach would be swapping saddle and post for now and diagnose at leisure. I went for this Genetic Syngenic TEST & REVIEW: GENETIC SYNGENIC SEATPOST (sevendaycyclist.com)  

It's an inline model, aimed primarily at racers, placing me directly over the bottom bracket, which is my preferred stance. As for the perch, it’s a Selle San Marco Concor Super Corsa. This one’s a revised version but otherwise faithful to the original, launched in 1978 BS (Before Sibling). 265mm (about 10.43 in) long and 140mm (about 5.51 in) wide, so a good fit for yours truly. Either way, no creaks, or squeaks. I just needed to raise things by a few millimetres, since it felt slightly off during our first outing. Not significant enough for me to hoist it mid-ride, but not quite right, just the same. 

No sooner had I addressed this, the Teenage Dream piped up. However, this creak was traced to a cleat not fully engaged with the mechanism. Easily cured with a quick shot of GT85 to the single-sided A530 (Tiagra to you and me).  I’d toyed with switching to the Wellgo RC713, which has nicely sealed bearings and small surface areas.

The latter are great for aggressive cornering, whether you’re riding a criterium, or fixed (although  I still prefer double-sided designs on a fixed, meaning I can clip in from any angle and scoot off) while the Cro-moly axles might lack the exotica of titanium but represent excellent value for money and excellent power transfer...Maybe next time I’m tweaking something... Meantime, here's my review of the Funkier F70 Pro MTB M250 Shoe FLR F70 Pro MTB M250 Shoe | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)

I also discovered, while troubleshooting why the bike’s computer wouldn’t register readout (LR44 sensor battery) that I hadn’t tightened the front quick release adequately (which I initially believed was down to sloppy bearings). One of those occasions where the fork ends “lawyers’ lips” were worth their weight in gold.  

Upon returning from my ride, a quick once-over. I performed a quick tweak of the bike’s front Miche dual pivot stopper and found a tiny amount of play in the Woodman Saturn Aheadset, so dialed that out, giving the stem bolts a light lick of Peaty’s Bicycle Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) since the bolt’s threads felt slightly arthritic.  Sorted.

  

Rounding up contact points for now, I’m still impressed by the KranX Stretta Primo-High Grip Anti-Shock Handlebar Tape KRANX STRETTA PRIMO ANTI SHOCK BAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) adorning the Teenage Dream’s Salsa Bell Lap bars. Its grippy, durable, and at 2.3mm thick, offers decent defence against low-level vibration (although may feel a little direct, coming from natural silicones, such as the Acros Silicone wrap Handlebar Tape Acros Silicone Wrap Handlebar Tape | Seven Day Cyclist. Those wanting something a bit thicker, for gravel, or touring might prefer something like this Ergon BT Gravel Bar Tape Ergon BT Gravel Bar Tape | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)