Originally Posted by
noglider
On Wednesday, I did a really good job cleaning the drivetrain on my commuter bike. Then on Thursday I rode to work in the rain. Argh. My spouse is away for a few days so I took the liberty of cleaning the drivetrain again. The second time wasn't as messy. I'm not normally fastidious with this, but there was enough grime and grit that I knew it was about to affect the longevity of many components.
Whenever I would decide the weather is nice enough to clean the wheels on my commuter bicycle (which I do very frequently, because I ride it in all weathers and absolutely hate any dirt on the braking surfaces), it would inevitably be raining when I ride that bicycle again.Usually within a couple of hours after I cleaned the wheels. I mean, it rains in London quite frequently, but I refuse to neglect the wheels.
Speaking of wheels, today I found a moment to lace another wheel. It's time for Matsush|ita to get her own Superbe wheelset back. The wheelset currently on is built on Ambrosio Excellence rims and Suntour Sprint hubs and meant for my commuting bicycle. Matsush|ita originally had Ambrosio 19 Extra Elite and Suntour Superbe hubs. Whilst the rims still have some life in them left (after 40 years!), I was getting rims for other projects anyway, so got an extra set of Ambrosio Excellight in 36H drilling to save a bit on the shipping cost. Wish I got more.
I had laced the front one before (it's still waiting to be trued and tensioned), so this evening I've laced and removed some slack from the spokes on the rear one. Now just to find some time to finish building them. These hubs will never cease to amaze me. Absolutely unbelievable, they just seem to spin forever once set in motion.
The rims I currently have on my commuting bicycle are Mavic MA40 laced on Shimano 6207/08 hubs. These are going to be laced to Normandy Luxe Competition for my all-French (well, almost, the brakes are going to be Weinmann Carrera, the saddle is going to be probably Turbo and the seatpost is going to be whatever fits) Motobecane C5 build. Or Maillard 700 large flange, to be decided when I overhaul the hubs and see the state of the cups and cones. My commuting bicycle will be getting Suntour Sprint derailleurs, brakes and crankset. Ambrosio 19 Extra Elite are probably going to be laced to large flange Sansin or Normandy hubs for a winter wheelset.
