Gorrick 100 is approaching

this weekend and training this week should include a couple of horribly wet and muddy MTB rides, a criterium Wednesday night if the weather is kind, a CX smash Thursday and hopefully another MTB Friday evening.  I don't do tapering for the short races as I find my legs get stiff and heavy, I will back the intensity back a bit though.  Each to their own.

Lets see what work dictates as now my colds have gone.

Oh, there seems to be this orangey yellow sphere in the sky as well.

S

Weldtite TF2 a full report

Well as part of the official test team I have been given the TF2 All weather lubricant to test and I have been doing exactly that.  For a little over a month I have used it in dry and slightly dusty conditions to wet sodden conditions with trails running like streams.  It has been used on my SS MTB's, my CX and my roadie, and it is safe to say I really like it.  I also ensured I considered everything from application to performance.

One of the many sprockets the TF2 has been protecting.

There are a couple of other brands I have used and even compared directly with the TF2 as I still have some laying around and these comparisons were the real eye opener.

The TF2 is easy to apply, the consistency of it allows you to get it on the chain easily, work it in to the links and wipe off what little excess there is.  With some other lubes I find myself cleaning the rim, chain stay and wiping the excess off many times.   The long application lid makes it easy to get into jockey wheels and other places without covering everything in lube.

Some of the trails I have ridden on in the last month have quite a bit of grit on them and after a few k's riding (particularly the SS) you get that familiar grinding sound.  With the TF2 this seem to take a lot longer to occur. i.e. the grit isn't sticking to a gloopy lube on your chain.  After my first ride with TF2 in the wet I was surprised by this and checked that my chain was indeed lubricated properly and it was, it just didn't attract as much rubbish.

In the dry and the wet, TF2 just works and I have to admitted to being a little surprised about the difference when I did a back to back test on the same loop on the same bike in the same conditions.  First using TF2 on a sodden trail ride I returned and the chain had not collected as much mud and grit as it would on the next ride using another leading brand.  I had ensured I cleaned the and lube the chain appropriately between each ride to give a balanced test.  The other leading brand lube, collected more rubbish than TF2, not huge amounts, but it was noticeable even without inspecting the chain.  This of course has the adverse affect that we use lubricants for, so we really want to reduce this as much as we can, TF2 does and keeps the chain lubed.

In a test with another brand, which I was using when I received the TF2.  The other brand works as well once applied and even helps clean things up a bit, it does go everywhere due to its viscosity and requires a few passes with a dry cloth to clean off excess.  TF2 did not and this also meant less TF2 was used.

Pros:
So TF2 is easy to apply, not messy and doesn't leave excess on the chain, it keeps the chain lubricated in a variety of riding conditions and is not a magnet for crude and grit.

Cons:
I should ideally find something in this area as well, but I have to say I can't. I guess some lubricants work others don't and some work better than most.

Cold Training

As winter seems to finally have hit the UK, ironically after I return from an ice climbing and skiing trip in France, the training takes on a new dimension.  It's cold, burning air on the night rides as you gulp that big breath at the top of each climb and now some soggy snow to make the going hard for the next few days, and the probability of icy patches on the trails.

So what to do? Well ride of course, it builds character, strength, determination and is bloody good fun (this being the important part).  With the road bikes shelved the MTB will being seeing normal use, but now the CX will be seeing more k's, more mud, maybe more snow and probably a few little offs like yesterday when I dived into a small gap between Clive and a fallen tree, the gap DID exist, so did the log on the ground, oh well!  If you're not crashing you aren't trying hard enough.

So the cold weather has seen some subzero night rides and Baltic morning starts, and one snow day, so far (fingers crossed for more).  Riding in the cold is as much fun as riding in the 30 degree heat on the dusty trails of the Adelaide Hills, even if they are extremes.

You don't need a turbo trainer in this weather, just a MTB or CX and motivation. :)

S