Pips is very happy with his new Ultegra R8000 50/34 172.5mm cranks
- "the new cranks" - actually I bought them the other day second hand (second hand) for only 180 BGN ... :) but for the money they are in great condition.
EDIT: A week after that, I bought brand new Ultegra R8000 52/36 tooth cranksets with a 175mm arm + 34 teeth plate, and with them in the meantime I did the cult Rezovo 400 brevet . You can read about the unexpected problems I had as a result of changing the cranks just a day before the brevet in the travelogue here: Rezovo 400
In these constant rains, the chain needs extra more frequent care!
When I'm too lazy to "boil" my chain in paraffin, I quickly lubricate it with the Squirt alternative - a lubricant based on PARAFFIN of course!
Any type of lube other than pure paraffin or paraffin based lube simply does NOT exist in my world! :)
SQUIRT is really a very good lube!!! I recommend her!
I always have a small bottle of SQUIRT chain lube (yes, it's paraffin based) in my Pips saddlebags for a quick lube on long brevets...
By long brevets, I mean brevets over 400 km, because the paraffin lubricant holds super well 400-500 km in dry weather.
What's the point and why am I bothering to lubricate the chain with paraffin? - the point of paraffin lubrication is to keep the chain CLEAN and at the same time maximally well lubricated in order to minimize the friction of the metal pins of the chain against each other.
I used to oil it and if the chain happens to fall off after fixing it my hands or gloves get horribly dirty...horrible memories! I still wake up at night with screams from them .... :) ;) :)
In the photo on the right: Belka is very bored!
"He's washing the muddy Peeps in the tap again, then he's going to wipe him .. and look at him ... and he's going to PICTURE him again ... and WHEN is he going to scratch me behind the ears???"
;) :) ;)
How is the chain "boiled" in paraffin?
A very easy and quick procedure takes about 10 minutes in total:
1. wash the chain well in gasoline
2. with a hot air gun, I clumsily melt paraffin candles, remove the wicks
3. I soak the circuit in the melted hot paraffin for 5-10 minutes, during this time I periodically tap the circuit in different places to get the air out and the paraffin to get well between all the pins and elements of the circuit.
4. I take out the chain, wipe it lightly and hang it for 5 minutes to drain and the paraffin to harden.
Then I install the chain and drive :)
How do I lubricate the chain "in a hurry" with SQUIRT paraffin based lubricant
The procedure is when I'm TOANY to clean the chain (or it's relatively clean) or I'm too lazy to "boil" it in paraffin (the procedure described above)
1. If I'm at home, I put Pips on the stand, for more convenient work, if I'm at work, I act on the spot as best I can :)
2. I thoroughly SQUIRT the links and pins on both sides of the circuit
3. I grab and squeeze the chain from above and below with my fingers and start rotating the chain in both directions. In this way, I help the lubricant to enter more easily and quickly and as evenly as possible, mainly BETWEEN THE PINS and the chain links, which defacto should be well lubricated with the lubricant for minimal metal-to-metal friction.
4. I leave the chain for at least 2-3 hours for the lubricant to "absorb" :) and dry well
Then I drive :)
By the way - I am very satisfied with these pedals, which I bought a few months ago from AliExpress for BGN 80 and weigh only 240 g for the set.
Super sturdy and reliable!
I recommend them! :)
