South Bucks Midweek Cycling Newsletter - January 2023

Angela Feaviour a regular rider and leader with the EP group fractured her ankle late last year.  I am happy to report that she is back out on her bike.

We have received the news from Jane and Mac Crombie that their daughter Karen died peacefully in The Florence Nightingale Hospice on 24th December 2022 from cancer.  We send them our sincere condolences on their sad loss.

Brian Jackson spotted these handy helmet stickers which contain a tiny sheet of paper folded like a concertina on which to write emergency contact details, blood group, medical conditions, allergies or whatever might be needed after an accident.  They are weatherproof and stick fast to a helmet.  We have often discussed the best way to have ICE information available, on a list, in your phone etc, but this is an inexpensive (about £4) low tech way to do it, making it visible and available to police and paramedics who are unlikely to search your pockets or delve into your phone.

We manage to do it successfully most of the time without necessarily knowing the science, but it is quite interesting nevertheless.

Presenter Marnie Chesterton is on the case, tracking down a neuroscientist studying how our brains and bodies work together to keep us balanced whether we’re walking or trying to ride a bicycle. She learns about the quirks of bicycle engineering from researchers in the Netherlands who are part of a lab entirely devoted to answering this question. In the process falling off of some unusual bicycles and uncovering the surprising truth that physics might not yet have a proper answer. And we peer deeper into our brains to find out why some memories last longer than others, whether some people can learn quicker than others and the best way to learn a new skill.

In November I wrote this

"More recently I have used Finish Line Wax Ceramic Chain Lube which is white.  You apply it, one drop per link as a liquid, but the solvent quickly evaporates leaving a clean wax layer which does not collect dirt and grit.  You can clean the chain with a rag and then relubricate it.  I haven't found it necessary to use a chain bath to clean it, but I think you need to lubricate it regularly.  I did have a chain go rusty in winter so probably I should have washed it with soapy water to get rid of the salt, then dried and relubricated it.  Another benefit of the wax lubricant is that the cassette stays much cleaner."  When John Ingold noticed my clean, dry chain and I said "I think you need to apply these waxy lubricants more often" he replied "yes about three times a ride!"  Witty and wise I think! That chain lasted only 800 miles; a record low!

Asking around, there seem to be as many chain maintenance regimes as there are cyclists and plenty of overpriced products to suit all tastes.

I sought the opinion Richard Waring, a high mileage rider who does his own maintenance who said, "Currently I seem to find that the Shimano 105 "Siltec" chains are giving me the best life. I do try to keep the chain/chainrings/cassette relatively clean, by wiping with old washing up sponges, and toothbrushes dipped in degreaser, and also every couple of weeks or so by using a Parktool chain cleaner.

As regards degreaser, at the moment I'm using Screwfix Clean Spirit, which is quite economical compared to the various purpose sold products. For lubrication, I been using a Decathlon wet and dry lubricant, which has some Teflon in it. It's fairly non sticky, compared to some of the wet lubricants I've used, so it may help in stopping grit and grime from creating a grinding paste effect.

Astonishing my last chain I put on at the beginning of last August, and only changed it at the beginning of January, after approx 6200 miles."

I was happy to get 3,500 miles from 10 speed chains using my previous wet lube and chain bath clean every 700 miles regime, but over 6000 is something to aim for.  What sort of mileage do you get from your chains and how do you do it?