When Shimano released their Di2 system I was interested. When I rode my mate's Ridley fitted out with Di2 I was reasonably impressed. But not enough to make me want to buy the system or even add it to my wish list. BUT... then SRAM released the eTap system and immediately I wanted it. Partly because I prefer SRAM anyway but mostly because it's wireless. No physical connections between the derailleurs and the shifters, no cable to route, no cable to snag, no unsightly cabling, just wireless. Add to that the ability to shift up with the right shifter and down with the left and even to allow the system to deal with sequential shifting of the front and
Maintenance
Tubeless Tyre Update – repairs and top ups.
Some people seem to have an impression of infallibility when it comes to tubeless bike tyres. I guess it makes sense having seen some of the marketing hype. Unfortunately some of that marketing hype makes other cynical types call it all hype and set their stall out at the other extreme. But in some ways I think that's just indicative of the days that we're living in today. The extremes taking entrenched positions and backing up their own views with a narrow slice of internet 'evidence'. Enough of the philosophy though, let's get back to bikes! I like to give an even and reliable account, so here's an update of my recent tubeless tyre experiences. When I was out riding
The Thorny Topic of Tubeless Tyres!
Single chainring on a road bike? Ah, go on then! – SRAM Force 1x Chainring
It has been several years since I reconfigured my mountain bike to run a single chainring and I haven't looked back since. Even running an old 9 speed rear setup alongside the single front, hasn't caused me any issues. So with the advent of SRAM proclaiming the greatness of 1x and now offering single ring conversion options for road bikes it's been something I've been considering for most of this year. September is my birthday month and so having received some birthday money I went ahead and bought myself a SRAM Force 42T X-sync chainring to fit to my existing crank. 1300
New Tyre – Hutchinson Sector Tubeless 700x28c
Even the most frugal rider who resists the urge to upgrade, will still eventually have to spend some money on his or her bike. Things do wear out after all and one of those things that wear of course is your tyres. Much like on a car, it's a gradual process that you don't see happening, a process that can creep up on you unexpectedly. Unlike car tyres though, there's no legal tread limit for bicycles, so forgetting to keep on top of things won't be bringing you a nasty fine any time soon. I for one am happy about this as my departing rear tyre would have been well beyond it's limit, with fabric casing showing through the bald
Headset Maintenence – Long overdue
Bike Maintenance - It's a love and hate relationship. Once I'm there with my hands covered in grease and parts removed and scattered (In a semi-organised fashion) across the garage, I really quite enjoy my bike maintenance. But up until that point there's the slight trepidation of 'have I got all the right tools', 'what parts will I need', 'will I be able to get it all apart' and possibly the most obvious one of 'will it all go back together again'! 979
Update on my Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season Tyres
It's always nice to receive comments on my blog posts. For one, it lets me know that people are actually out there reading what I write. But it also allows us to open up a bit of two way communication. So when a Jez wrote "I’m about to venture into the tubeless world and am undecided whether to go for these or the Schwalbe pro one tubeless ,id be interested to hear how the Hutch is wearing?", in response to my Hutchinson Fusion 5 tyre review, I just had to write a whole post in reply! But tyre wear might seem a little boring so I'll bundle my latest ride into this one too. 3
Hutchinson Fusion 5 All Season Tubeless Tyres 700x25c
I have a long ride coming up, 250 miles, in a single day. I'll post more about that in another dedicated post but for now I wanted to justify the purchasing of new tyres. My current tyres are starting to get towards the end of their life, I will aim to eek out some extra miles from them later in the year but for the big ride I wanted some that were wider and newer. So after much studying of the options I've decided to go for the Hutchinson Fusion 5 in the 'All Season' guise and in the 700x25c size. 789
How to patch a road tubeless tyre
I can hear it now - "I thought you didn't get punctures with tubeless!". Unfortunately this is not true. You get a whole lot fewer punctures and those that you do get are usually not disabling; so you can often complete your ride. But occasionally you get some bigger gashes, cuts and damage. And of course you can indeed patch them. 656