Useful advice

Subject 1: Lubrication

Finish Line Ceramic lube may well make your chain run well, but it is the dirtiest, nastiest, messiest rubbish I have ever used!

Thanks to Steve and Lee's confirmation I will now throw the bottle in the bin.

Don't spend your money on it.

Who knows a good clean chain lube?

Mike the ceramic lube is as you said, crap! what i've recently found is Morgan Blue Lifeline race oil and degreaser. You can get both from Wiggle, highly recommend..........Not badly priced either.

Cheers Steve.

Order placed.

I blame the ceramic stuff for my chain derailment. It makes me feel a bit better about today's ride!

I will leave it for another 23 years before I do that race again, unless there's a 3/4 cat race there, in which case...sign me up!

I find the Purple extreme very good for the road bike.

Odd because I bought if for the MTB. Runs really really clean and good for 400miles

The best chain lube I've ever used is, not chain lube.

It's gear box oil. I use Millers competition grade gear oil cause I figure if it can withstand my rally cars gear box and diff it can handle a bike chain.

The best bit is it doesn't get dirty, so your chain runs very sweet and clean. I use diesel to clean the chain as it leaves oils behind.

Seriously, look to the car world for oils, bike stuff generally, is expensive rubbish.

BTW, I've got gallons of gear oil if anyone wants a bike sized bottle filling?

I'll take you up on the offer! There's an empty chain lube bottle at the shop waiting for you!

Cheers Chris,

I'll have a drinking bottle full. If I mix it up with my SiS PSP22....and I go faster...then I might need a bit more.

Great tip!

Here's a question:

Is there a device available that can keep my shimano gear cables together below the handlebars? You know, where the left and right cables curve towards each other from the levers.

I guess it would be like a figure-of-eight, or a small piece of plastic with two holes in it.

Any advice will be gratefully accepted.

Tie wraps, or shorten the cables so they don't touch and slap together. Or altenatively buy the new 7900 groupset- problem solved!!!!!
Don't whatever you do use nokon cabling on the gears, It doesn't work, trust me!!!!

Yes, Mike, there is! It's a figure-of-eight piece of plastic that used to come with cablesets and levers. Tried to find one in the shop the other day as my cables are just too long and rattle against each other. No one has seen any for a while, so finally made do with a ziptie (not the most elegant solution, but it works) to save the bother of cutting half-an-inch off the outer cables! Will keep my eyes open for you.

Or get some proper gears in the form of Campagnolo

Lee wrote:Or get some proper gears in the form of Campagnolo

On behalf of all my bikes, I agree.

Shimano make fishing reals, Campagnolo on the other hand made the wheels for the Lamborghini Muria, one of (if not the) coolest 60's car of all.

Good advice guys.....slowly drifting into useless advice. Thanks.

To fix my cables, I need an 11 speed Lambo.

Isn't that what Tom Boonen wrapped round a tree?

SRAM will settle the issue, but a cable tie could be a bit cheaper.

Campag also made all the Alloys for Ferrari.

Since I have campy wheels should I get a bit worried about the Ferrari 328 GTB? I might have to grow a moustache Magnum P.I. Styli

Apparently not! The 'ferrari' in Magnum was actually a fake. Ferrari wouldn't allow their marque to be used , so the producers made a replica. I think Ferrari spotted the potential risk of being associated with moustacheod Hawaiian shirt wearing camp PIs.

Not so useful, but interesting. I thought I was the only 15 yr old who spotted the campy wheels. They would have looked much better with the campag signature logo than the block lettering though!

Those of you who read the weekly may be aware that Zipvit are currently doing BOGOF on their various energy drinks. In their catalogue our lass found they are doing a box of stuff (http://www.zipvit.com/success/) which itself is free but is £3.99 postage.

Phil, good spotting!
I think I'll give it a try. I might go a bit faster.