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Denise, 12 Months Down the Trail …
Bars, Brake & Drivetrain Developments
Twelve months and many happy miles hence, Denise has evolved slightly. Yes, we knew this would happen, despite my claims to the contrary here Gravel on A Dustbowl Budget PT V Lesson | cycling-not-racing. I took a spill on an icy stretch back in January and this claimed the right hand Tektro RL520 brake lever, a favourite pair of bib tights and softshell jacket. We’ve also gone through an external cup bottom bracket, two chains, three brake inner wires, two gear inner wires and a mysterious spate of flats claimed some tubes. Otherwise, subtle evolutions, not wholesale change. Then one urge led to another!
Bars – Big ’n’ Buxom
While awaiting some rim tape and new tubes (having deduced it was these, not a foreign object within the tyre casing causing a series of punctures) I was compelled to switch the very likeable Soma Condor XL shallow drops for these WTB road dirt drops- a very voluptuous mountain bike design discontinued in 2010. The Condor and their successors SOMA CONDOR 2 SHALLOW DROP BARS | offer a decent amount of control off road and their shallow design is also particularly suited to smaller riders with shorter reach. This lends it equally well to touring and similar duties, not simply cyclo cross, mountain bike conversions and gravel builds.
I'd last used the WTB with Ursula and their leverage was particularly welcome when towing Joshua on the tagalong, or hauling my laden, low slung Bob Yak homage and was very glad I hadn't passed them on. I’d toyed with the idea a few times, but something told me not to. This bar swap also coincided with the need to replace a fraying brake inner wire, and a computer sensor battery. Little jobs that may as well get done in one lump.
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Despite their width, I was pleased (although not surprised) to discover the Wolf Tooth Supple tape would easily dress the WTB drops without diluting its impressive 5mm density. The WTB drops also provided more real estate for things such as handlebar cameras, should that urge strike, although I took this opportunity to port the Orp Smart Horn to the right side, being as I'm right hand dominant. With everything correctly aligned and torqued, I headed out along the lanes and in search of some gravel.
Big, flared models do result in a wider surface area, meaning more resistance when battling headwinds, but I'd forgotten how much control they offer, whether climbing hard, towing trailers and more crucially across the trails- immediately apparent when I'd crossed from a mile's worth of disused airfield and through some singletrack. Cue big grin and lots of enthused nodding as we cantered through the variable hardpack, weaving and flicking around ruts, roots, woodland life and similar, unexpected hazards. Staying with drops and conversions a moment, if you’re struggling to reach and ride the drops comfortably, or are perhaps thinking, if I pop some cyclo cross style interrupter levers on the tops it’d be perfect, your stem height is wrong.
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Talking of stems, it’s still possible to get hold of the Gooseneck LD types designed by Cunningham and Ibis, which were found back in the 80s when some cross-country racers preferred to run drop bars. Then of course, there was Specialized’s short lived Rock Combo and Muddy Fox Trailblazer that blew my teenage mind in the late 1980s…However, these didn’t feature the ultra- convenient stem plates we take for granted and were either 25.4. Velo Orange produces a modern version designed for 1/18th threadless steerers and 31.8mm bars. I have a little height to play with, should I want to raise the bars.
New Rings, Mechs & Retrophilia
I’ve toyed with going the double route for some time, something about honking on a gravel bike, or touring being undignified. Enter a 36/26 Deore crankset at a too tempting price, followed by a top pull front mech and some Shimano outer cable (I already had a Microshift bar con and some spare inner wires).
I know we can pretty much justify anything we want on some levels. However, the full ensemble was had for the price of two replacement rings, so made sound economic sense and too good to pass up.
Now, the proposed front mech is an old, NOS SR Suntour triple, of a similar vintage as Ursula's STX and in my experience, these can be tuned to play very nicely with modern configurations, especially when commanded by bar end shifters. Sometimes, judiciously nipping the cage up using beefy pliers can result in snappier shifts but I've found the STX plays very nicely with a 2x10.
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Decision made, although the cables didn’t arrive on time, so I postponed fitting the front mech and took the bike for a quick twenty-mile loop using the existing 106 link KMC, (which was registering .5 on the chain checker) just to check my hunch. Even running big to big (a no-no, we know) the rear, medium cage Tiagra wasn’t stressed, so a 106 replacement it was.
The bottom bracket was replaced last September but I have a 39mm Shimano XT Hollowtech II for next time. The significance of mentioning this is because standard Hollowtech II units employ a 16tooth, 44mm tool, which is too big, hence this FC25 pattern plug-in insert.
Theory & Practice - pulling me up sharp
That was the theory. Problems arose when I tried to bolt the Suntour mech in situ and discovered the design positioned it too close to the tyre. A few moments reflection spun me in three different avenues (a) Buy an alternative- a Shimano Deore, LX, STX used, or (b) I could do a switch around. Spoiler alert, I went belt and braces and did both, not least since I was able to secure period mechs at fair prices. The Though I had a Deore in post, a quick recckie suggested ample clearance if mounted to Ursula, and Ursula's STX switched to Denise. Chain off, cable out, STX mech gently removed, I popped some grease on the SR Suntour's mounting bolt and wrapped the clamp around Ursula's seat tube (which had helicopter tape to protect paint from clamp "bite marks").
Some subtle realignment and I'd snugged the clamp bolt to 5nm confirmed ample clearance and generous throw. Next came a fresh inner wire, pulled taught, in order it could stretch, while I tackled Denise.
Having mounted the STX mech, clearance between cage and chainstay seemed perilously close but a little lofty around the rings. Mercifully, this was unfounded, a trick of the light and the cage swung cleanly back and forth without fouling. Just a matter of the acid test- pruning cable outers and feeding a fresh inner wire. Front mechs though simple, can be tricky customers and I initially feared further compatibility woes with the 2x11 rings, 10 speed chain and 7spd mech. Relaxing the cable tension very slightly saw the cage swing back and forth from 36 to 26 without straying too far.
Home straight I thought, adding the 106-link chain and feeling the magic links click together. Cage height was bang on and once again, the cage scooped the chain between the rings, needing but a quick turn of the high and low screws to cure some intermittent dropping of the chain.
Just a question of taming the travel a little further before pruning the inner cable and ultimately, taping the cable to the drop and redressing the big swoopy bars with Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape.
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The Suntour XE rear stopper had been something of a mixed bag. I was drawn to the design’s technology and the fact one was again, going for pennies.
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However, they’re also a little trickier to setup and in my experience, require more fine tuning. I wanted to retain the retro narrative and also knew I had some Tektro CR720 doing something close to nothing. The CR720 wide arm design, traditionally popular within touring and cyclo cross circles, although there are better options for smaller compact geometry framesets and big panniers, such as these Lomo Zephyr Waterproof , or Oxford Aqua V20 models.
These eluded me but then I spotted some NOS (New Old Stock), boxed KORE for a fraction of the price. These were very nicely finished and a doddle to set up. 5mm Allen key, 10mm spanner and 3mm to tweak the balance screws. I needed to replace the existing inner cable and do a routine re-grease of the bosses in any case, so then was the time.
I should point out, true to the philosophy of the original build, these components owed me nothing and were upgraded/replaced in tune with other scheduled maintenance intervals.
Test Rides & Moments of Truth
Having glued the cable ends, lubed the chain and left everything stretching overnight, I woke the next morning donned Lycra, emptied my bladder and headed out for a quick twenty-mile loop. After some tentative shifts from 36 to 26 ring and back again, I relaxed and enjoyed some improved cruising prowess and dignified, knee-friendly winching along the climbs. Everything behaved, much as I’d expected, I needed to wind the rear Tiagra’s barrel adjuster in three quarter of a turn but that was pretty much it.
Second outing, I took to the trails and unsurprisingly, found the lower ratios very welcome when powering through more technical sections and of course, sneaky ascents. Using mid-point, rather than high end cables, I wasn’t surprised by some minor stretch during this phase, meaning the front mech wouldn’t sweep the chain from small to big ring. An easy fix. As the saddle shot illustrates, the rear mech’s outer run wasn’t as smooth as it should be, so I replaced that, eradicating any mischief.
Bearing Up & Smaller Refinements
The steel Stronglight A9 runs caged bearings but is surprisingly smooth. I've no intention of replacing it in the short term, will probably replace the bearings, repack with Juice Lubes Bearing Juice and after that, upgrade to a Tange Seiki unit when the second set get the grumbles.
Perhaps predictably, since they have a reputation for seizure, the quill stem adaptor has turned a little stubborn, particularly during winter, so to keep things mobile, I've stripped and regreased using either Wolf Tooth WT-G Precision Bike Grease or Oxford Mint Assembly Grease quarterly.
Another inexpensive mod, which I've employed pretty much across the fleet are crank protectors.
Though I'm not prone to catching arms, they're an easy means of protecting expensive examples and pretty finishes from accidental and unsightly damage. I'm particularly fond of these Zefal Crank Armor but have also been presently surprised by some cheap but very cheerful patterns from the Far East. Pedals-wise I'd originally run Shimano PD ED500 which though technically a road and touring design with a broad, supportive platform, are sturdy, easily serviced and surprisingly comfortable for mixed terrain riding.
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Even with relatively long cranks, grounding has been a moot point. However, I fancied saving a few grams, so first went over to these silver Wellgo MO94B and more recently, was offered some very sturdy, though relatively svelte and buttery smooth Leatt (review to follow).
Finally, the bottom race headset boot which I fashioned from scrap butyl has done an excellent job of locking stout grease in and the elements out, while remaining in surprisingly rude health.
Luggage & Lugging
Luggage changed to reflect testing. I’d substituted the mighty Carradice SQR Tour and Carradry SQR Bag siblings for bike packing models.
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Lomo 13 Litre Bike Packing Seat Pack is a particularly impressive option but like similarly large models, are best paired with a stabiliser. The smaller, stiffer 11 litre Zefal Adventure R11 Waterproof Saddle Bag is my preferred default for day-to-day lugging-plenty of room for pumps, tubes, tools, technical jacket and other rider specific accessories for those times when the weather’s changed unexpectedly.
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​I’ve bound old butyl around the USE SX suspension seat post to ensure a tighter, sway-free union, while ruling out premature wear of fabric, or finish. I should also point out the post is a narrower diameter than the contemporary 27.2 and 31.8 defaults. Though not a primary motivator, the increased torque also gives realistic scope for trailer tugging, should desire strike.
Michael Stenning
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PUBLISHED JUNE 2025
