Although it’s still February, there are some slight indications that spring is on its way. So, I’m beginning to think about my plans for cycle tours for this summer. There are a couple of routes I had considered last year, like the Scottish coast to coast or completing the Caledonian Way from Oban to Inverness. I’d also like to continue with the islands theme. When I cycled round Arran I had thought about continuing on to Kintyre and from there to Islay and Jura. As these are islands I’ve never visited I think I’ll work out a circular route to also include Colonsay, from where I can take a ferry to Oban then the train home.

Looking forward to it already.

After I published my previous post this morning, I realised that a lot of the commentary on my bike building efforts has been about re-doing or replacing components. Some of these have been down to me wanting to upgrade some parts but others have been just a case of not researching enough to learn which bits I needed before I went out and bought them.

So if I ever build another bike from scratch (there’s a good chance I will want to as it’s something I really enjoy doing), I will spend more time researching just how I want the bike to turn out before I go buying parts.

As my poor health is still keeping me off the bike I thought I would spend some time looking at different methods of maintaining my bikes, including lubricating the chains. I usually use a good chain oil. cleaning the chain between lubes and this has always done me well. I did notice an article about immersive waxing and thought I’d give some thought to it. The process of waxing seems to protect the chain better and for longer as it leaves a hard coating on the chain, keeping dirt off.

It was then I noticed that the process should be carried out every 3-400 kms. No problem, I thought but it went on to say that it would need to be done after a wet ride. The old wax will need to be completely stripped off and the new coating applied using a process involving heat. This will entail the chain being removed each time. Oiling my chain is done by wiping it clean, maybe using a de-greaser and re-applying more oil. Living in Scotland, where the weather is wet most days, using a process which takes so much longer would seem to be a complete no-no! Does anyone in this country ever consider using wax?

I think I’ll be sticking to using oil although I have seen a product from AbsoluteBlack which is a wax based oil and after initial treatment is applied like any oil. That maybe warrants further investigation.

It’s 2025 and I don’t normally make resolutions as a rule but this year I really need to get out more on my bike. I’ve done all the upgrades I want so there’s no further tinkering to be done. Just riding!

So although I have been experiencing some on-going health problems I’m hoping these won’t stop me getting miles done in ’25. I may even get a couple of camping trips organised.

While I’m getting things done (and spending money), I’ve ordered another thru axle for my touring bike’s front wheel. The one that came with the forks is a quick release whilst the rear was a hex socket. There’s really no difference in the efficiency which they hold the wheels in place and the QR lever does away with the necessity to carry the correct hex key size. But, when I’ve got the loaded front panniers on. the position of the QR lever can get in the way of mounting the panniers. The best position for tightening the wheel is not the same as for the mounting of the bag. I found a few times on my last tour that the bag would snag on the lever and one time it even loosened it. So I’ll fit the hex one and see what difference it makes.

In a previous post I said that I was going to replace the crank-set on my MTB. While I was doing that and for no other reason than looks, I also wanted to swap the black end caps with red ones. I got the non-drive side one removed and the new one fitted with no problem. The drive-side was not so straightforward. I downloaded the instructions, read them carefully and went to remove the original cap. The instructions are to loosen the cap in a clockwise direction but as you can see from the picture below, the cap seems to indicate otherwise.

I finally worked out that the directional arrows on the cap are not for the cap itself but for the hex bolt which it covers and tightens up the crank on to the axle!

As I’m in the mood for doing a bit of re-modelling and up-grading I’ve decided to address an issue with the wheels on my ALICE. When I was building the bike I messed up when ordering the wheel-set. I ordered wheels before the frame arrived and bought a set of Hope 35W fortus wheels. These were used, although they were in perfect condition, so were non-returnable. When I tried fitting them to the frame, it turned out that the ideal tyre size for the rims was too wide to fit the frame. I had, at the same time ordered new Hope wheels for my MTB so did a quick about turn and changed that order to sizes that would fit the ALICE.

When both sets of wheels arrived and I tried fitting them it turned out that although the ALICE forks took non-boost wheels, the rear wheel should be boost. I managed to fit them using spacers on the hub but these are really difficult to hold in place while fitting the axle. A task which really needs three hands to complete as the spacers have to be held in place while the wheel is held in position and the axle fed through. It’s one thing doing this when the bike is up on a stand but I dread ever having to do it while I’m away touring and need to repair a puncture.

So I’ve decided to change the rear wheel to a boost axle one. This will make removing and fitting it a lot easier. I’ve never had a puncture yet since fitting the Schwalbe tyres but I really don’t want to chance it while touring. It’s extra expenditure but I should be able to sell the one I’m taking off as it’s still in very good condition and this will off-set the price. The two wheel hubs wont be the same colour as the rear I’ve ordered is in black but I’ll also keep an eye out for a matching front wheel at an affordable price.

UPDATE: I found a front wheel on e-bay. It’s ex shop-display so was going for almost half the price of a new one. It’s a PRO 4 rather than the PRO 5 that I bought for the rear wheel but as the main difference in the two is the ratchet for the rear one so this will suit my needs perfectly. It just meant that I bought it and a second black rotor sooner than I had expected to. It is Xmas after all so that’s my excuse!

FURTHER UPDATE: Parcelforce seem to have lost/stolen my wheel so it looks like it’s going to be a protracted fight trying to sort this out never mind getting any recompense. I may just have to go with buying a new PRO 5.

FINAL UPDATE: The parcel has finally been traced to a different building. So I can now fit the PRO 4 wheel along with the matching disc and so that will be me for now!

It’s that time of year when the interval between named storms seems to be down to days rather than weeks. So, with less opportunities to get out riding, it’s giving me more time to do some further upgrades to my bikes. (and spend more money!)

ALICE, my touring bike, is complete, at least for now until I get a few miles done on it and see just how it’s working out. The change to a x2 front derailleur has meant one thing. There is now no point in keeping drive-train components interchangeable between the bikes. So I can now look at doing an upgrade to my MTB which I have been considering for some time.

I have been toying with changing my crank-set from Shimano to Hope and have finally made my mind up to go ahead. I’ve ordered crank arms, a direct-mount chain-ring and a larger diameter bottom bracket. I’ve decided to go to 165mm length cranks. I had considered going down to the shortest ones that Hope do which is 155mm but think that may be just too big a change as I’m currently running 170mm. I’m hoping that this set-up will be stiffer than the Shimano I have fitted currently. It will be neater with the spiderless chain-ring and will definately be lighter. Once it arrives and it’s all fitted I’ll do a report.