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| "Grax" Chain Lube from Allied Bicycle Works |
It was only a matter of time, but now we have a specific lubricant just for gravel travel. It is a wax based lube, so 'gravel' + 'wax' = 'Grax', I guess. (Note- I'm not going to dig all the way into their technical docs, but feel free to if that is your jam)
Ironic, innit? I juuust got underway with another round of the 'Lube-Off' and here we have a perfect contender to check out. So, I figure here we are, all set up for Round 2 of 2021 since I have been requested to try the Silca lubricant and now this looks like ........well, I have to test this, right?
They also purport to have an excellent chain cleaner, so maybe that will have to come along with the "Grax" stuff for further review. The lube is said to last for up to 350 miles. In 'extreme' conditions that goes down to 100 miles. It costs about a buck an application. (20 bucks for what Grax says is a bottle worth for 20 applications.)
They say this is better than most stuff out there. Hmm...... Maybe we will see. Maybe......
Andy's Bike Shop Adds Spoke Cutting Machine:
New Tool Day was Tuesday this week. Andy ordered in this brand-spankin' new Wheel Fanatyk Spoke Cutting Machine. Now we can cut and roll threads on spoke blanks in most any size for bicycles that you can imagine.
This is cost effective if Andy's sticks with it long enough to make not having to order in specific spoke sizes worth the machine's cost. That should pan out since we need spokes for repairs all the time. Now instead of boxes and boxes of spokes in black and silver in sizes from 250mm to over 300mm in 2mm increments, or serially in some cases, we can now just have one box of each color and order more as needed.
And of course, if you are a fan of mechanical gizmos, this thing is right up your alley. One lever cuts the spoke to length according to a gauge you set for length. The other lever rolls the spoke threads. Andy and I figure that one could cut a wheel's worth of spokes and thread them in less than five minutes using this machine.
It even has a port where the cut ends are directed down a PVC tube to a receptacle which you can place underneath the 'exhaust' tube and you could collect scrap for recycling. It is all rather well thought out, and very well executed, from what I can see. I really am looking forward to using this machine on a wheel build soon.
This will also come in super handy when we get weird requests for spokes such as recumbents, BMX bikes, or for odd wheels on older bikes. This machine will also cut a heavier gauge spoke for HPC (e-bikes to you) vehicles and the like. So, I think we will have spokes covered in terms of needs at Andy's.
Now there still are the really oddball spokes, like straight pull, double threaded, ball end spokes, bladed spokes, and probably a few more I am forgetting that this machine won't help with, but if you are running something like that, you shouldn't expect to find 'unicorns' just anywhere. So, there is that.....
Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Bar Review Up On Riding Gravel:
Well, if you have not seen this, I finished up my review of Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Handlebar on Riding Gravel recently. Short version: I really liked it. Longer version: It is a must to incorporate the grips called "Cruise Control" grips when you get this bar. The real benefits come with the total package.
One thing I thought about afterward was how I missed elaborating upon the "Really Long Bar Tape" which Redshift has for this set up. As far as bar tape goes, it is definitely longer in length, so those big, wide drop bars that are out now would be no match for this tape. It'll cover it. But that is not what impressed me about that tape.
I tried some tape from Marque Cycling, an offshoot of Irwin Cycling, and it was a grippier tape with these little 'nubs' every so often that gave your mitts more 'traction' for the action. In fact, it is still on the bars I am using on my "Orange Crush" BMC bike. Anyway, that tape has a remarkable resemblance to this 'Really Long Bar Tape', minus the nubs. This Redshift Sports tape is very grippy, just like the Marque tape, and the finishing strip has a very strong resemblance to the Marque finishing tape.
My guess is that Marque/Irwin makes this for Redshift, but I don't know that for sure. And whatever, right? the point is that that Redshift tape is some really grippy, nice bar tape. And I just wanted to get that out there. I'd buy it for my other bikes too, but I only wish that they had more colors than black and grey. I like my colors.
So, Kitchen Sink Bar- grips, bar tape..... Good stuff. Read that review. Nuff said......
B.O.G. Series Drawing To A Close:
Two more weeks to go and I'll be through all I have to say in my beginner series for gravel going cyclists that I dubbed the 'B.O.G. Series'. I figure on wrapping up everything on May 19th.
When the series concludes I will set up a page with links to every article in the series for future reference. That way if you, or anyone you know, is looking for a good guide for starting out with rural cycling, you could maybe point them in this direction.
I've received some great feedback on the series every week, and some great criticisms and suggestions were also dropped my way. My plan upon ending the series is to review all of that feedback and write any follow-up articles as necessary. So, if you had a comment in regard to deeper dives on certain subjects I touched on here, I should be responding to those in the near future. That probably will continue as a Wednesday thing until I feel I have exhausted all the inquiries and suggestions.
What then? Who knows? Regular postings should not cease regardless. So, don't worry about missing daily content just yet. Thanks as always for reading 'Guitar Ted Productions'!
And that's a wrap for this week. get out and breathe some fresh air on a bicycle ride this weekend.
As a lover of gizmos and niche tools, that's a really cool spoke cutting tool!
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