Shot Bearings & Long Walks Home

 

 

No sooner had I got everything as I'd wanted, the SP PD8 HALO CLASSIC RIM & SHUTTER PRECISION DYNOHUB DISC WHEEL BUILD dynohub bearings got the grumbles- I couldn't christen the sound mid ride but having gently spun the wheel on my return, some grumbling and play was tangible. I love the SP units in terms of value and performance, but the need for factory rebuilds every few years (typically 20,000 miles) is inconvenient, especially since it means tearing the wheel apart. I've decided I'll switch the Ryde/ Nexus wheel from Denise longer term and get a Shimano Ultegra built into another Ryde Sputnik hoop. For now, I’ve fitted the Halo/SL9 HALO EVURA & SHUTTER PRECISION SL9 DYNOHUB BUILD pairing to Muffin, so all good.  

A straightforward job, until I discovered my Cyclo Cassette remover had gone AWOL. I wasted no time in ordering a replacement, but knew the Cyclo tool couldn’t be far away. True to form, it emerged the following evening, but by then, I’d also ordered a pattern replacement. However, being as these things are inexpensive, it’ll come in handy-I’ll store it safely away in my cantilever toolbox.

Otherwise, Muffin and I are bonding very nicely. The bigger head and down tubes seem to offer greater stiffness and improved power when accelerating and indeed, climbing, without trading any of steel’s trademark compliant zing. Warmer days and lighter evenings have allowed me to enjoy a different riding pattern, dare I say perspective, not only when it comes to testing products but winding down from the wider world, contemplating and compartmentalising other things.

A quick 15 miles confirmed all was sorted and another thing off my list. It also presented an opportunity to get some miles in on Denise with the Leatt SPD pedals. At least this was the idea. 10 miles into our first outing, I succumbed to another rear flat and the spare tubes also blew their last-weakened seams, in case you were curious.  Looking closely, I concluded that the rim tape was beginning to slip, this exposing the spoke head, causing a pinch flat. There were two by the point I’d concluded the rim tape was to blame. I decided to go for tubeless rim tape, since I’d gone this route before with Ursula, following a spate of flats.

Being thicker and adhesive, there’s little chance of a spoke-induced hiss. While awaiting delivery, I decided I needed to switch bars and replace a cable. I was due to give the stem bolts a re-greasing, but before I knew it, had switched Denise to the WTB Mountain Road Drop Bar. This also necessitated a longer outer housing for the front brake, and I also noted some fraying of the inner wire, so replaced while I wasn’t going to be using the bike. Though I’d expected the Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape to be sufficiently long, the WTB drops have more flare than the Soma they replace, so a slight gamble. One that paid off on this occasion.      

As a side note, the Leatt are Shimano compatible, although the entry and release lacked the same finesse with the XT and M540, which came as a slight culture shock at the close of our first outing aboard Muffin. Continuing the gravel narrative, I've been sent these full finger Lomo Mountain bike gloves, which are available in two colourways and, in the tradition of Lomo, appears phenomenally good value for money.    

 

Rides have always helped when it comes to reflection and putting issues into perspective.  The sense of leaving everything behind. Exam stress, broken relationships, crap jobs, difficult housemates, relationships etc. Richard Ballantine reflected on this construct within his books- difficult people, neighbours and anything else that impairs one’s sense of equilibrium and well-being.

I’m very adept at dealing with difficult people and situations professionally but will not invite anyone into my world who doesn’t bring a sense of positive, genuine peace.  I’ve always been a gang of one. I certainly don’t shun people, but I don’t collect them, suffer fools gladly, nor am I prepared to go through the motions to fit in. Despite this, I was surprisingly “put out” at being blanked by a man who rides a carbon fibre Bianchi in these parts. I don’t expect much- a simple nod in acknowledgement-from one human to another…Go figure.     

Muffin Racks up The Miles

 

Having tweaked the chain tension and tightened the ring bolts to 10nm, I was feeling more confident with Muffin and keen to gently rack up some miles to bed everything in properly and possibly reflect on further modifications/upgrades. Frankly, I’d built with everything I’d intended, rather than older parts and compromises.  Consumables such as chains, sprockets and bar tapes will be replaced but nothing major.

After some deliberation, I found myself pruning the chain by two links, sliding the frame forward in the dropouts and getting the chain play to 1/2inch, which is the textbook suggested ideal. I also found myself replacing the inner brake wire, then dialling in the TRP Spyre, which improved stopping somewhat. Presented the ideal opportunity to play with the Park torque wrench some more.  Simple tweaks can often make huge differences. I also run a little scrap butyl where the frame fit pump rests against the top tube’s underside, protecting it from unwanted rub and ultimately, paint damage.

Though the V2 was always fun and predictable, Muffin’s bigger clearances, improved lateral stiffness and general modernisations make for a very well-balanced machine with a magic carpet ride-especially with the Continental. These clearances also mean I can run 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Winter (spikes) during the darker months. Features that better suits my riding style. That said, I remain fond of the V2 and its geared, first generation Kaffenback (Think Café’ & back) cousin (which would also take 32mm tyres including mudguards). Think winter/trainer cum working bike, although some folks report theirs were reliable lightweight tourers- I can well believe it.

Talking of small jobs, shoe cleats are often neglected, and these Shimano had served me very well but were showing obvious signs of deterioration. Mercifully, the bolts, though slightly arthritic came away with a quick shot of Muc-Off MO94 Muc-Off MO94 Multi Use Spray | cycling-not-racing. I had thought one wasn’t going to budge, calling for the drill bity but thankfully this also shifted with a T25 Torx. I instated the new Leatt cleats with a liberal helping of Oxford Toque Assembly Grease Oxford Mint Assembly Grease | cycling-not-racing and torqued them to 4nm using the Velo Tool Torque Wrench.

 I’d also been keen to test the effectiveness of some degreasers on waterproof grease. Ironically, Ursula’s Shimano XT seemed slightly reticent to budge. A quick shot of MO94 helped with this reticence. Some Park Tool PL1000TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES still remained on the threads, which is impressive, since it had been a year or so since I removed them. I treated them to a modest helping of degreaser, reinstating them with a liberal lick of Oxford Torque Assembly Grease. 

Ursula and I have also been enjoying further exploratory meanders far from the maddening crowd. The CST Patrol is running behind, the Continental Cross King Black Chil up front. There’s a method to this, primarily since the CST Patrol are slightly narrower, thus giving greater clearance at the rear triangle. The Patrol are also 80g heavier than the Cross Kings and I’m wondering if this has any connection to the EPS (Extreme Puncture Safety) belt, which is 4 on CST’s scale. It also allows me to compare rolling resistance and similar performance characteristics.

 I’m genuinely impressed by both at the moment and in similar contexts, although there’s a substantial price differential between them. The Patrol (at least in 26inch guise) aren’t tubeless ready, which may be a consideration, nay dealbreaker for some. I can appreciate some very palpable advantages of tubeless setups but on balance, still prefer tubes, whether the humble butyl, or TPU.   

 Either way, both tyres are providing a dependable, compliant ride over some very badly surfaced gravel roads and farm tracks. Longer excursions also confirm I’ve got Ursula’s saddle height absolutely right.      

      

 

 

Shakedowns & Subtle Tweaks

 

 Built, checked and tweaked, it was time to take “Muffin” the Mulo for a quick 15mile shakedown ride. I’d erred on the side of less chain tension with a view to dialling it in, rather than too tight.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my switch to 40mm tyres, the ride quality was much smoother, though it wasn’t difficult to coax “Muffin” up to speed and keep on the boil- 41cm chainstays certainly help. The front end also feels more responsive, without being twitchy, and the frame’s lateral stiffness is also an improvement over the otherwise very loveable V2.

Predictably, I needed to tweak the Aheadset bearing tension and found myself switching the TRP Spyre for its loftier SLC stablemate, having given the calliper a good clean and replaced the pads. Three rides in and I detected the ring bolts needed snugging down slightly. A small, insignificant job…

However, my Park pattern tool that holds the collar still while you tighten the 5mm/T30 Torx bolt wasn’t arresting the collar properly. This prompted purchase of a T handle design from a well-known London bike dealership that I frequented regularly when living in the capital.

Given it was a bank holiday weekend, I had to wait a day or two, which presented an ideal opportunity to hop aboard Ursula and get some miles in on the Continental Cross Kings. Having enjoyed a frolic through the forests, I found myself being chased by an incredibly determined goose. Mercifully, I was able to outpace-either that, or the goose recognised I wasn’t a threat.

550 miles racked up with The CST Patrol, I’m generally impressed by their capabilities as wallet-friendly all-rounders, although I’ve noted the Continental Cross King Black Chili require less effort to coax up to speed in comparable contexts/conditions. Puncture resistance, specifically vulnerability to hedge clippings and similar sharps was an issue I’d had with earlier incarnations of the Cross Kings, so it will be interesting to see how influential the Black Chili compound is. While testing the CST Patrol’s prowess, I happened upon a completely deserted stretch of unmade and sometimes quite technical gravel road.

I’d had a quick exploratory hoss along the bridleway on previous occasions but was deterred of further exploration due to farm traffic and general agricultural activity. The Patrol coped handsomely, offering excellent traction, control and indeed cushioning over the lumpy, bumpy and sometimes pot holed route, which ran for a mile or two.    

I’d also switched from the Motorex Wax Lube to Peaty’s Link Lube All Weather courtesy of Dynamic Bio Drivetrain Detox. The Link Lube All Weather is best thought of as a bridge lube for those conditions where you want something more substantial than a wax, or dry formula but with a friskier shifting and feel than traditional middleweights.

Wax chain lubes may be less stoical than other types, but in my experience, they can congeal quite stubbornly, particularly on rings and cassettes. While the Dynamic was visually engaging and crucially stripped the rings and cassette clean with nominal effort, it was slower acting than some degreaser stocks I’ve evaluated over the years.

Water must be applied to the hosts beforehand and The Drivetrain Bio Drivetrain Detox left to marinate for two to three minutes, so one of those formulas seemingly best suited to holistic bike cleans, rather than situations where the bike’s fundamentally clean, but you just want to change lube.  It’s also reckoned sufficiently potent to strip waterproof greases, so we’ll see. 

Back to “Muffin” Chain ring tool in hand, I whipped out the Park Tool Wrench, dialled it up to 10nm, introduced the crank bolt tool-Huzzah! Another little job done. Talking of torque Wrenches, here’s my mini budget model group test Three Budget Torque Wrench Test | cycling-not-racing

 

 

  

Emerging from the Garage

 

A busy week. Having got Meg, the Magic Micra serviced and MOT’d and narrowly avoided acquiring a 1992 Suzuki GS500E project, I sought solace in the garage and continued stripping my fixed gear winter/trainer, cleaning parts before transferring them to the Mulo frameset. Some things were bin fodder, others model specific. The Mulo’s head tube is tapered, 1.5 inches at the base, which wasn’t problematic since I had an integrated Cane Creek cartridge bearing headset and compatible fork that I’d bought for metaphorical pennies a year or so back.

The problem being, I didn’t have a suitable setting tool (rammer, in casual parlance). I didn’t want to purchase another, spending money and wasting time, so headed out to my local mechanic brandishing biscuits. They kindly set the crown race down, while I was doing a Tour De Morrisons and I returned the favour with a twin pack of chocolate digestives.

I returned and began building the frameset, having applied helicopter tape and old inner tube to select areas, coupled with liberal helpings of waxy corrosion inhibitor within the frame’s inner sanctum and allowing it 24 hours to cure. Liberal helpings of Juice Lubes Bearing Juice to the bearings, a lighter application to the crown race. Elsewhere, I opted for Oxford Mint Assembly Grease Oxford Mint Assembly Grease | cycling-not-racing since it’s a sturdy, carbon compatible blend.

Everything came together surprisingly easily, save for a schoolboy error-me mounting the new ring inboard of the crank spider, bring everything flush against the chainstay. An easy fix but consumed some time. Wheels and chain followed- I’d gone for the 40mm Continental Pure Contact since clearances allowed.

I’d opted for the beefy Izumi 410 and the 17tooth Halo sprocket means a gear of 69inches. Easily tensioned, I fitted the Gravel Hugger guards, then the Topeak Super Tourist DX 2.0 Topeak Uni SuperTourist 2.0 NonDisc Rack | cycling-not-racing- a light coating of Oxford Mint Assembly Grease on the treads and forming a seal so the elements couldn’t sneak past and cause mischief.  I decided to call it a day, popped the Mulo away. I revisited with fresh eyes two mornings later.                     

Some Leatt SPD arrived for testing but for the time being, I'm sticking with the ultra-dependable and long serving Shimano M540, switching the Leatt between Denise and Ursula to assess their mud shedding trail capabilities first.  The Leatt Endurance 6.0 are intended at cross country mountain bike and gravel audiences and have a reassuringly high specification. 6061T6 aluminium alloy bodies (shot peened to prevent stress fractures turn on cro-moly axles) and more interestingly, a LSL self-lubricating bushing, a needle bearing, and an industrial roller bearing. Quad seals promise to keep the grease in and elements out. Stainless steel bindings and Shimano pattern cleats continue the durable narrative.   

On the topic of mud, I continue to be impressed by the CST Patrol, which though not the lightest of cross-country rubber, seem to perform consistently well across a broad range of conditions, while proving highly puncture resistant. No punctures to date.

Loosely comparable with Continental Cross King- another cross-country design with quick rolling charms and modest weight but in my experience, prone to flats-flints and hedge clippings specifically. Continental have sent me the latest versions, which now feature the brands black chili technology. This is a sophisticated polymer promising to improve grip, rolling resistance and wear. It will be interesting to see how they compare with the CST Patrol, particularly on the reliability front. The Continental sport a similar tread pattern and also feature a fibrous puncture repelling weave beneath the belt.

Staying with puncture resistance, I’ve experienced two pinhole flats over the course of two consecutive rides with the rear Pirelli Cinturato, leading me to switch the rear for Maxxis Ravager Maxxis Ravager TR Tyres | cycling-not-racing Thankfully the tubes only succumbed to a tiny pin-prick, so easily patched and returned to the Zefal Adventure R11 ZEFAL ADVENTURE R11 WATERPROOF SADDLEBAG | cycling-not-racing . The Muc-Off Airmach Mini Inflator Muc-Off Airmach Electric Inflator Pro | cycling-not-racing has proven an absolute godsend on these occasions, especially since I needed to be back pronto to facilitate a few things.

During this phase, I removed Ursula and Denise’s seat posts, blasted some Supertrol into the seat tubes, added another lick of grease to the posts, refitted, nipping them to 5 and 6nm respectively with the Velo Tool Mini Adjustable Torque Wrench. This also gave opportunity to refine Ursula’s saddle height, raising the Kinetic 2.1 Suspension Seat post KINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing a further few millimetres.

 

Bearings, Blowouts & Broken Frames…

 

Good Friday came along and after a couple of weeks whizzing along the lanes and unmade roads aboard Denise, I decided it was time for a good clean, polish, and some light rest. I also reverted to the Peaty’s Link Lube All Weather, since it’s a bit more stoical than the Motorex, but without attracting much grot.

I’d bought some replacement bearings as a standby for when the OEM Stronglight balls get choppy and indeed, this sealed cartridge bearing Tange come time the Stronglight needs retiring. It was only a few quid dearer than the A9ST.  

The generally dry spell had presented opportunity to top up the waxy corrosion inhibitor on the KA and Micra chassis, underbody, door and sills. It would cure quickly and lock the elements out.

Naturally, I also treated my steel framesets a quick blast through their “breathe holes”, since I was on this corrosion busting mission. These and similarly small jobs sorted, I decided it was time to dust the fixed gear winter/trainer down and give it a few outings. Our first confirmed I’d the chain tension a little too tight, inducing minor faff but I was more irked by myself not getting it right first time.

It was tempting to replace the budget chain for the higher end Izumi in some respects, but this was making unnecessary work for myself, especially since the budget brownie hadn't covered any significant mileage and would probably sit unused. Just a matter of sliding the wheel slightly further forward in the dropouts and fine tuning with the chain tugs.

Or so I thought… Regular washing, waxing and lightly lubricating stuff extends component life considerably. However, even simple drivetrains wear out and though I’d regularly replaced chains, I’d not changed the ring, or sprocket in a while. During this inspection, I also noted some corrosion around the frame’s chainstay bridge, which had also spread to the right-hand stay. The only sensible option was to strip the components and scrutinise properly, rather than speculate.

I generously grease stuff during installation, so bottom bracket and other threaded components all spun free with only modest effort.

Deep degreasing and close inspection of the Genetic Tibia ring revealed some hooking and related wear, so I ordered a replacement along with a 17tooth Halo fat sprocket. I’d a fresh UN55 bottom bracket in stock, so plucked that out, since it had been over four years since I last fitted one.  The biggest surprise was a healthy layering of Park Polylube TESTED: PARK TOOL POLYLUBE 1000 LUBRICANT FOR BICYCLES clinging to the chain ring bolts several years down the line.

The Mulo is arguably closer to a gravel, rather than cross build. Room for 700x40c, tapered head tube and bigger downtube for additional stiffness. On-One also opted for a more traditional mudguard bridge mount, albeit behind the wishbone mono-stay. The top tube cable run is also very different, but interestingly, On-One has retained cantilever (or V brake) posts.  Legally, fixed doesn’t require a mechanical rear brake, since the transmission is recognised as a secondary stopper. Hence, I only use a front brake.  More about that later…

Easter Sunday brought a blowout. I was a few miles from home, really enjoying Denise’s responsive but reliable persona. A loud pop was followed by a rapid and similarly audible hiss. Rummaging through the Zefal Adventure R11 ZEFAL ADVENTURE R11 WATERPROOF SADDLEBAG | cycling-not-racing I found four tubes. However, seems I’d not patched two of them, evident when I began introducing some pressure from the Muc-Off Airmach Pump.

Having found suitably sound butyl and checked the rear Pirelli Cinturato for sharps and similar damage Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M Tyre | cycling-not-racing   I whipped everything back together and got busy with the Muc-Off Airmach Mini Inflator Pro. 55psi later I was homeward bound again. Having returned, I needed to adjust the Suntour SE rear brake slightly. An easy fix-done in three minutes with a 16mm cone wrench, 5mm Allen key and ring spanner.

I’m pleasantly surprised by the Velo Tool Mini Adjustable Torque Driver.  Preset torque wrenches have been around a while, but adjustable models are, in my view, what we need and becoming increasingly affordable.  

Ok, some folks will argue 4,5 and 6nm are still limited but they cover the sort of routine adjustments we’re likely to make mid ride. Raising, re-aligning (or dropping) the saddle a few millimetres, tweaking cleat tension, nipping stem, mudguard, bottle cage bolts tight etc. Oh, obviously you’ll still need a multi tool for slackening duties, otherwise (and in common with workshop models) you’ll risk damaging the mechanism.