Pruned, Tuned & Shunned...

I resisted the cable pruning urge for all of 24 hours. Weary of bum and brain, I shuffled from my office chair and headed to the garage. Cursory inspection and some double checking later, I’d marked the cut point and removed the front mech’s inner wire. Measure twice, cut once, I performed a final check, snipped the outer cable and refitted. Save for pulling the inner wire through trimming and restricting the front mech’s throw, done in five minutes.

Oh well, might as well…I was compelled to adjust Ursula’s rear brake. The cable had stretched slightly, which also led to me realigning the calliper. 

This phase was a little more perfectionist- some might say obsessive. Having pulled the inner wire through a little further and snugged tight, I slackened the calliper mount, then used a rubber O-ring to bring the brake lever fully home. Theoretically, aligning the calliper, while I tightened it evenly. A technique that ultimately proved successful. No tickling, or rub, just smooth, progressive stopping. Yay! 

This was confirmed on several rides through the rough stuff- green lanes, gravel roads and the odd Restricted Byway. These are denoted by a purple arrow and open to horses, pedestrians and bicycles. Banned at least in theory to cars, vans, or motorcycles.  Frankly, you’d be doing well to get a single cylinder motorcycle through the stretches I was navigating.

There was sufficient clearance for my shoulders and a single pannier. I’ve been warming to the Topeak Pannier Drybag 16l and given the bag’s solid, weatherproof construction, wondered how well the Handleloc mounting system would handle unmade and roughly surfaced roads. Surprisingly well it turns out, but more about that in my upcoming review.

Timely, given the sudden heatwave, Castelli have sent me their Ultimate Sun Protection UPF Jersey. Ours is the vivid orange, although there’s a silver gray, should you prefer. Both boast factor 50 sun protection and there’s a log sleeve version for those seeking greater protection from the elements.

Son of a one-time serviceman, I internalised the importance of covering up and being mindful of the sun’s power from an early age. Consequently, I gravitate to long sleeves when I don’t fancy applying a high factor sunscreen.  This Cycology Summit Cycology Men’s Summit Lightweight Summer | cycling-not-racing remains a firm favourite, although mysteriously, I’ve been shunned by some Shetland ponies. Maybe they mistook me for a zebra….  

The front panels are lightly perforated for improved wicking prowess and Castelli suggest a temperature range between 20 and 38 degrees. Temperatures here have been in the high 20s and low 30s. Thus far, its delivering on the design brief and though warm, I’ve remained comfortable for several hours. Favourable thus far, but there’s still a lot of miles to cover before I reach any firm conclusions. The Summer of wax continues, courtesy of All Mountain Style Miami Glide Chain Wax.

250 mixed terrain miles on and the All-Mountain Style Miami Glide Chain Wax is also performing very well- clean and yet seemingly resilient. I’ve concluded that letting it cure for 7-8 hours reaps best reward. I was keen to hop aboard Ursula for a shakedown ride. After three hours, the child-like impatience got the better of me. The lube did its thing, but predictably, I needed to top up much sooner.   

Staying with lubes, I’m treating bearings, suspension components and indeed, contact points to the Juice Lubes Slick Juice. Specifically, the USE Sumo seat post elastomers and a titanium seat post.

Titanium doesn’t require a specialist prep (although I would avoid lithium-based greases on the grounds of galvanic seizures-at least when paired to aluminium alloy, or steel framesets).

 I’ve used synthetic greases, such as White Lightning Crystal TESTED : WHITE LIGHTNING CRYSTAL GREASE, Bio formulas, including Muc-Off Bio Grease TESTED : MUC-OFF BIO GREASE and Green Oil Eco Grease TWELVE MONTH TEST: GREEN OIL ECO GREASE all with good results. While primarily intended for moving parts, it’ll be interesting to see how well the Slick Juice resists the elements and keeps contact points mobile.

Michael