Midwinter’s Chilly Charm

 

January crept in as it does and while others huddled beneath their duvets I headed out along the lanes, reflecting on the products I'd been testing and forming my conclusions about others. Temperatures had plummeted and with it came the blizzard of apocalyptic weather warnings.  

The tabloid press gets extremely excited about these things, steering people away from the significant issues affecting them, and the world on a wider level. The UK's press seems largely unfit for purpose, more concerned with giving platform to popularists with critical, investigative journalism a thing of a distant past.  

 

Back in the saddle, I'd been caught out by the unexpectedly icy spell, so hadn't yet switched Ursula back to the spikes. It was forecast but the sensationalism led me to overlook this. Took things carefully and the Continental Cross Kings provided sufficient feedback to avoid going rubber up, but I cursed myself for not being better prepared. All part of riding, I guess.  

 

Besides, I'd just have to get on with it, were the weather to turn mid tour I convinced myself. That was until I noted rainfall AND plunging temperatures for the week ahead, which would turn lanes and backroads to skating rinks. Visions of bent mechs, broken collarbones and back went the Schwalbe Ice Spiker ProSchwalbe Ice Spiker Pro Tyres | cycling-not-racing.  

 

Given the conditions, I’m sticking to Ursula on account of the riding position, big bars and 2-inch plus rubber’s contact patch. I’d toyed with switching Denise to the Schwalbe Marathon winter but can’t see the sub-zero wintry conditions lasting, so one bike shod with spikes is the way forward for now.   

 

Back went the Belgian cap, deep winter gloves and softshell jacket- yes, its pink and not my first choice but then, I'm very secure in my masculinity, it keeps me very temperate, so frankly, don't care. There have been some very chill spells, but the mercury hasn't slid below zero very often, so I've not had much cause to don the softshell and thermals.  Dress the bike and rider properly and the weather becomes less relevant. That said; always ride within sensible limits and give conditions the respect they deserve. Hypothermia, or at the other extreme, sunstroke are not to be taken lightly.  

 

A mechanic once told of a 'cross meet so bitter, they had to spray anti- freeze on rider's chains to keep them from seizing up. Though a moot point with sealed cables, I found standard gear inner wires turning unexpectedly arthritic in the cold, resulting in temperamental shifting (although easily remedied with a quick post ride shot of GT85GT85 ALL PURPOSE LUBRICANT /similar) 

 

I've resisted temptation to switch to winter weight wet lubes so far, primarily on the grounds they're durable but tend to attract dirt, which in turn becomes a cannibalistic grinding paste, limiting their charm.  I've drained every last drip from the bottle of WTB all conditions (which I really like, due to the self-cleansing properties) so will probably go for the next closest thing on my shelf- Peaty's Link Lube Premium All Weather PEATY'S LINK LUBE PREMIUM ALL WEATHER | cycling-not-racing.  

 

This is still stoical, similarly clean, and isn't hampered by a long curing time. It has similar characteristics to the WTB in that it purges grime and ingress as you ride, which given the conditions, is very welcome and theoretically cuts out the side plate cat-lick ritual.  

 

Given the price of chains and drivetrain components generally, I’m moving away from traditional wet lubes on 10 and 11 speed derailleur configurations given I’ll get between 1100 and 1300 miles (about 2092.15 km) from a bog standard10 speed chain. Old school 6,7 or 8 speed are less delicate in this respect, so I’d have less qualms about dressing these with a traditional hell n’ high water wet lube, such as Finish Line Cross Country. Petrochemical blends aren’t the only rugged choice either.  

 

One of the best blends we’ve come across is NZero NZero Lubricante Organic Wet Lube | cycling-not-racing and I’m also very fond of Green Oil Wet GREEN OIL WET CHAIN LUBE. Their Eco GreaseGREEN OIL ECO GREASE and Eco Spray Lube TESTED: GREEN OIL ECO SPRAY LUBE are similarly impressive benchmarks, although under no circumstances grease chains. Their Eco Spray Lube is just thick enough to serve as an internal preserve for steel framesets and summer weight chain lube, too.     

 

Talking saddles, I’ve become increasingly fond of the WTB Rocket, having racked up plenty of miles on and off road. Specification on paper might not set pulses racing or win bragging rights down the club house. We’re talking painted cro-moly rails, microtex cover, memory foam padding and a pressure relieving channel. However, standards of finish and construction are reassuringly high.  

 

Talking of which, I concluded that I needed to raise Ursula’s saddle height by a few millimetres. This can be all it takes between having something bang on and close-to. As with all thins, opinions vary but rule of thumb says the knee should be almost but not fully extended when the cranks at its lowest point. An easy post ride “while I remember” amendment that made all the difference. Right, ending on the foul weather note, I’ve been seriously impressed by how well this Oxford Aqua V20 Single Pannier has performed across the board. 

Oxford Aqua V20 Single Pannier | cycling-not-racing 

Filth=Fixed FGG

 

 

Winter sees me alternate between Ursula and my beloved fixed gear winter/trainer. Both have been with me for 26 and 19 years, respectively. Ursula wears the spikes when it's plunging below zero, or when I’m fancying exploring some trails beyond the beaten path. The fixed is frisky, fun and the simple transmission fares much better in winter’s slurry. The cyclo cross geometry means its nimble and fun but not skittish.  

I wouldn’t ride a track bike, even if drilled for a front brake as a winter mount due to inappropriate geometry, lack of clearance for mudguards and more importantly wider section rubber. This is the V2, with 120mm track spacing, the MK1 was markedly similar, save for 135mm spacing. 120mm means any track type hub slots straight in without any considerations, or mods.  

The 135mm version allowed hub gears, or indeed, single speed mountain bike hubs. There’s a lot to be said in favour of both (indeed, On One returned with an evolution called the Pompetamine designed to be run with discs and hub gearing). I toyed with one before getting Denise, although would’ve gone for a lighter (carbon) fork.   

I had been browsing the Condor website and was looking at framesets. The heyday of fixed's popularity was 15 years ago, which means frames have become less ubiquitous, but this also has a knock-on effect pricewise. Spa Cycles Audax Mono is probably the most practical, contemporary off the peg framesets for general road duties.  

It features Reynolds 725 tubes, rear facing ends, carbon forks, mudguard and four-point carrier mounts and drillings for dual pivot brake callipers. Kona's Paddy Wagon, albeit the earlier models 2006/7 being my preference Kona Paddy Wagon 06 review | BikeRadar Deda Cro-moly frameset, two sets of bottle mounts, guard and carrier mounts, clearance for 700x28c-32mm if you were prepared to forgo mudguards.   

Pearson Touche. Ridgeback Solo World and Dawes Mono were all good off the peg, complete build options from a few years back. Reynolds 520 might not set pulses ablaze, but it's a decent Cro-moly that's well suited to workhorse duties without having a lumbering tank-like ride quality.    

I’m presently running 28mm Schwalbe one365 at the rear, a 30mm WTB Exposure up front WTB Exposure Road Tubeless Tyre | cycling-not-racing  both are engaging yet still handle very well in wet, slippery conditions and the ability to slow by holding back gently against the cranks, rather than applying the brake ups the control in situations where engaging a brake might result in going rubber up.  

Saddle Back also sent me this Feedback Sports Compact Fixed Torque Driver, which is a tiny, pocket-sized torque wrench fixed to 5nm comprising of 4,5, 6 and T25 bits, which fit beautifully into the composite driver handle. Being ¼ inch design, it's also compatible with a wealth of other sizes, so can be built up to suit your needs, which is another definite plus. There's an extension pole, for those contexts where you might need a little more leverage. Bits are fashioned from S2 steel, the torque driver is reckoned fully accurate to +/4 for up to 3,000 cycles and the limited lifetime warrantee inspires further confidence.  Suffice to say it's unobtrusive enough and accompanying me on pretty much every ride   

 

I've primarily stuck to riding the fixed, since winter's slush and slurry is all consuming and the simple drivetrain keeps things simple and economic. There's also the more direct sense of connection. This has been said to the point where it's become cliche' and arguably meaningless. However, there's a sense in which you must predict changes in gradient, bends and other factors more readily than a geared configuration, which is more forgiving of misjudgement. In this regard, the ride and that union between rider and machine becomes closer, more direct. Not that I'd want to go everywhere on a fixed, rather it's a configuration I'm very fond of. 

The only thing to keep in check is the chain tension- too tight equals noisy and inefficient coupled with more rapid drivetrain wear. Too slack and it’ll run the risk of jumping off and jamming-usually at the least convenient moment. Chain tugs are a definite help here. I’ve had to switch from the Genetic to a discrete but seemingly effective pair (bought on Ali Express a year, or two back) since they were impeding the Topeak Uni rack’s hardware.  I didn’t want to stress the screws, or worse still, the frame’s eyelet threads.   

This also proved an ideal opportunity (read no excuse) to give the bike a well-deserved wash n’ wax clean-purging grit and gloop, while leaving a protective wax layer behind. During winter, at least when the gritting lorries have been out in force, it's best to give bikes a cold-water rinse first. Hot will simply accelerate the caustic process.  

Just organic muck in this instance, hence a quick blast of higher strength, custom mixed bike wash to dissolve the ingrained grot, while I’m filling those buckets.   Since we’re here, a lot of people think high foam (though visually convincing) is the most effective. However, formulas that cling to the host surfaces are more effective and get my vote every time. I've switched to Peaty's Link Lube Premium, since I was running low on the Wolf ToothWolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lub | cycling-not-racing

I’d also had this PDW (Portland Design Works) Radbot rear light expire- seems to be a corroded switch-I've tried flushing it through with water displacer but to no avail. I also had the back expire on another long-term favourite-Topeak Redlite Mega. I’ve got busy with the superglue and left that curing overnight, so hoping that sorts it, even for the short term, while I hunt down a replacement.    

I find there's a temptation to sleepwalk into the New Year, so prefer to keep structure and busy, albeit at a more moderate pace, enjoying the sense of peace and calm, but drawing parallels with riding fixed, maintaining momentum.