True Wheels & Fine Tuning

The opportunity, coupled with my philosophy of not procrastinating, saw me leave the Teenage dream’s MA2/Athena wheelset with Mick Madgett of Madgett Cycles in Diss Madgetts Cycles | The Cycle Specialists   

Turnaround was particularly quick, given Mick had a workshop full of machines awaiting repair/servicing. A  family-run business with a great pedigree and willing to undertake anything from a puncture to a complete restoration. I rarely need a shop’s services but a good one is worth their weight in gold. In short, the wheels are beautifully true once more. 

Not procrastinating shouldn’t be confused with impulsive. 

I’m not advocating sending an important email that hasn’t been proofread or commencing a rebuild at midnight. Rather, effective time management.  

It is cost/time effective for me to strip and regrease a set of hubs on the weekend, I’m not going to make a decent job of truing a set of wheels and in fact, run the risk of trashing them. Therefore, outsourcing to a highly skilled wheel builder is an obvious move. Cheaper, quicker, smarter, essentially.  

Closer scrutiny revealed the tubes were also past their prime, the sealant-filled front spitting orange goo from its long valve stem. Velox rim tape still seemed solid, so stays.  Seen in a broader context, the little n’ often discipline is incredibly efficient and greatly reduces the risk of becoming overwhelmed.  

I am presently working on a longitudinal piece, starting in 1992 and running to the present day. Another example where I could easily be overwhelmed by its magnitude.  Applying myself and time in set blocks/word limits means a steady, continuous progression-to the point of habit, so the results, rather than efforts are what’s noticed. 

 

On a more basic/general level, emptying a kitchen waste bin and taking it out, rather than allowing the contents to overflow and thus create more work is time better spent. Several weeks’ testing the Bat Wax, I’ve decided to switch back to the Weldtite Ceramic Lube WELDTITE CERAMIC LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           

Not least, since I needed to assess the Muc Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser Chain & Cassette’s prowess on chain lubes, not just liquified lithium greases (although this was a very good indicator of its purging prowess on more intense, impacted lubes).  

Wax lubes can become quite congealed in places, particularly along the side plates and around the derailleur jockey wheels, even when the rollers are bare. In common with the Weldtite Jet Blast Degreaser WELDTITE JET BLAST DEGREASER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) These are powerful solvents that work very fast on residual stuff but require subsequent agitation with a stiff brush.  

To get Ursula’s transmission clean enough for the ceramic wet, I needed to introduce some Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate SQUIRT BIKE CLEANER CONCENTRATE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) agitate, then rinse with warm water.   

 

This also presented an ideal opportunity to give Ursula a wash and subsequent paste waxing. In this instance  The Naked Bikes Pro Wax Special Edition Special Edition NAKED BIKES PRO WAX SPECIAL EDITION | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)           was closest to hand and rather good, in my experience.  I also gave the saddle a light feeding to keep the hide supple and protected. 

 

Wheels trued and transmission cleaned, now was the time to treat the Teenage Dream’s frameset and components a thorough wax polish and evaluated otherwise neglected component health. Specifically, brake pads, cables and bar tape. 

 Aside from some brake dust and subsequent grime, pads showed no sign of wear. I replaced the rear inner cable and ferrules, which brought braking up a couple of notches. I refitted the now gleaming Sachs chain and treated it to some Tru Tension Bannaslip Tungsten All Weather Lube TRU TENSION TUNGSTEN ALL WEATHER LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

There wasn’t very much remaining in the bottle, it’s very clean and easy to apply, so an obvious choice. Zefal Pro Dry Lube ZEFAL PRO DRY LUBE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) was my other option and I’d probably go this route, as and when Spring brings warmer drier conditions.   

The existing Widget Premium Silicone wrap looked decidedly jaded, so merited replacement. In common with other genuine silicones, it’s naturally grippy, no call for an adhesive backing.  

Easily removed without the mucky clean up associated with adhesive backings. Perfect for cable replacement and like-for-like bar swaps. Uniformly bleached, the wrap was still useful, so I tickled it clean with my Green Oil Bicycle Brush GREEN OIL BIKE BRUSH REVIEW (sevendaycyclist.com) dipped in Squirt Bike Cleaner Concentrate. On the subject of cleaning, Steve’s been impressed by this Dirt Doc Bike Cleaner DIRT DOC BIKE CLEANER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) 

Cleaned, rinsed, and dried, I bagged it up and put in my contact points box- in case I can’t find anything suitable. I’ve toyed with a few colourways , including celeste. Black is the most obvious contrasting colour. Ok, so Black is a shade, not a colour but you get the general idea. Green is actually more versatile than might be thought. Yellow, grey, white, olive to name a few. Were the Teenage Dream a winter/trainer then a fluro green/yellow would be another obvious compliment. A two-tone fade effect also has potential. Watch this space... 

Released & Regreased

 

A slotted “screen break” and the arrival of this Park FR4 freewheel remover presented the ideal opportunity to tackle the Teenage Dream’s Regina freewheel. I’d applied several helpings of PTFE lube and left it marinating for several days, so a sporting chance of it budging and without taking the Athena’s hub threads into the bargain. I switched the Shimano head on this Cyclo tool for the Park, gave the freewheel another firm blast of PTFE lube, then engaged the tool. No surprise that the Park’s splines meshed beautifully with the Regina’s.  

However, despite some considerable effort, nothing was moving. Another blast of PTFE-based lube was followed with a few deft taps from an “engineer’s” mallet to the tool handle. Holding the wheel firmly with my left hand, applying considerable pressure to the tool with my right while grunting like an 80’s shot-putter secured movement and ultimately release.  

Threads unscathed, I decided to give the freewheel a liberal helping of Muc-Off fast-acting degreaser to remove congealed brown gloop. A mix of propellent and strong solvent rapidly bites into the grot, breaking it down but still demands liberal stiff-brush agitation.  

Dinner plate clean required a subsequent helping of Squirt Bike Wash Concentrate, some further agitation, and finally, a warm water rinse.  same story with the hub threads. As I’ve said in an earlier post, they’re not badly “out of round” rather nuisance value, and now is the time to correct that.  

At this stage, deadlines were my priority, so I packed everything away, penciling in the hub strip and re-grease for another time. Not least as I couldn’t find my 14mm cone spanners and am “on the clock” during the week. Sure enough, I found my cone spanners and got busy on Saturday afternoon, following my first AstraZeneca COVID shot.  

Everything came apart reasonably easily, although the existing grease had turned the consistency of gravy. 9 bearings each side and the cones were decanted into a magnetic parts bowl. I gave everything a liberal blast of the Muc -Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser - Chain & Cassette and a quick clean rag scrubbing later brought everything up to spec.  

No signs of pitting/similar damage, so I pumped a load of Park into the races, repatriated the bearings, setting them into the thick green gloop, before adding another generous piping over the top. Same story with the hollow axle before sliding this through and winding the cones and other components home.  

Getting the tension bang on took some perseverance-so close each time but still a fraction too tight/slack. Paid off in the end. The front wheel was much easier, although again, the grease had turned to an oily brown gravy. Two blasts of the Muc -Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser - Chain & Cassette dismissed this and evaporated I the time required to locate the Park Grease.   

I’ll drop the wheels to a well-respected local builder for truing, as opportunity presents.  Common side effects (head cold type symptoms-aching limbs and minor headaches etc) kicked in that evening. I managed a ride beforehand and another the following morning but felt distinctly rough during the day, then onward. 

 

Mornings remain cold and crisp and at the lower end of single figures. I’ve stuck with tights and winter booties and alternate between winter weight, long sleeve jerseys and summer weight models with these Primal Comic Book Thermal arm warmers PRIMAL COMIC BOOK THERMAL ARM WARMERS | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and a technical jacket. This 7mesh Cypress Hybrid Jacket 7mesh Cypress Hybrid Cycling Jacket | Seven Day Cyclist being a great default. Gilets are another wise investment.  

The really thin, shell types are great for contingencies and very changeable conditions since they pack small but I’m rather fond of middleweight designs with a laminated fabric, which will keep the torso temperate and relatively dry. They often have pockets, which is another welcome touch. My preference is for those with the classic three terrace rear, zippered breast up front, perfect for stowing compact camera and similar tech, I’d want ready access to.