IceToolz Degreaser and Scrubber

This IceToolz chain scrubber came in with the other two items that I wrote about a couple of days ago - the Merida lock and IceToolz puncture repair kit. Same source. Exad Sports. It cost me Rs 700 plus a steep 30 per cent tax, thanks to the recently introduced GST. The pack comes with a scrubber and a bottle of concentrated degreaser. Looks pretty simple in the company video. Actual use will prove the real simplicity.  Here is a link to the video

The degreaser has to be diluted with water at 1:10 ratio. I don't know how simple it will be to attach the strap to the frame. But I realised that the chain should be on the smallest cog in the cassette. Otherwise there isn't much space. The Park Tool video on chain cleaning is, as usual with all the company's videos, very educative.

The first impression of holding the machine in hand is it's very delicate. The scrubber brush inside also looks very delicate and fine. The cover has to be done and undone several times to get a hang and feel of it. It's also very small. After this breaks I will possibly upgrade to a Park Tool scrubber.

Here is a basic step by step guide. First you remove the cover. Fill in a bit of the concentrate after removing the black cog over which the chain moves. Next add the cog and then water. Ten times dilution ratio is recommended. Apparently the degreaser is water soluble. Next, with the top cover removed, place the chain over the black plastic wheel/cog inside the scrubber in line with the two openings at the two sides. Then put the lid. The lid slides through a notch. Now you can attach the plastic strap to the frame. 

Merida Bicycle Lock

Yesterday I also got a lock for my bicycle (apart from the chain cleaner and puncture repair kit) from Extreme Adventure Sports. A Merida combination lock. Once again it is green, like my helmet :-) A colour that I hate. Exad are the official importers of Merida in India and I had got my red road bicycle from them. This lock cost me Rs 620 plus 30 per cent tax.

I set the combination to my usual combination for ATM cards. It came factory fitted to 0000. Here is the instruction set below. Nothing very difficult. Only thing to remember - when you set the combination, keep the other end of the rope out of the lock. It comes inserted inside the lock. 

Instructions for setting up combination

These locks are not thief proof. A serious bicycle thief needs just a decent rope cutter to steal anything locked with this. I bought it for casual locking during my day trips around the city. Like I want to go to a loo or some such short breaks like that. This is certainly not for overnight locking on the street or where you regularly go and keep it locked for hours in the open. Thieves notice all that and come prepared to steal. With the right tool it is a few seconds' job really. 

I believe it is 120 cm long, which is about 4 feet and 1 cm thick. I have kept it coiled around the seat post under the saddle. Looks a little ungainly there but it cannot be helped. If I ever go out on a multi-day tour I will have to carry a thick steel chain. That will perhaps be even more ungainly. 

Ice Toolz Puncture Repair Kit

Today I got for myself a small tin box from Extreme Adventure Sports. They are the India importers of various brands and products that I find very useful. I like the idea of their business. I got for myself an Icetoolz branded bicycle puncture repair kit (among other things). It cost me Rs 213 plus 30 per cent tax - so about Rs 275 I guess. I have one punctured tube at home and I found it difficult to get it fixed from ordinary tyre repair stores. Hence I bought this kit for myself. More out of anger at lack of availability for useful service than anything else. I may not require this very often. But I need my own stuff when I need it. Read about my trials and tribulations with trying to get a puncture repaired here in Calcutta. Click here

The kit comes in a smart and cute tin box. It has three tyre levers which can be clicked into one composite unit, a 10 ml tube of sealing cement, 18 patches of different sizes and a small thin tube which is technically known as valve hose. Our mechanics call them "valtube", a corruption of valve tube. There is also a small piece of sandpaper for filing up the punctured area. There are ten patches that require sealing glue.

And then there are eight patches like band aids, which are possibly glueless patches. I have to get a clarity on this as it is not explained in the kit. I have my Park Tool tyre levers but that will remain in my saddle bag for on road use. This tin is for home repair of punctured tubes. I don't know but if I ever go on multi-day trips I might carry this kit with me instead of carrying too many new spare tubes.

I have yet to use this. I intend to fix my own punctured tube tomorrow. Once I am done I shall report again.

This morning (Sunday 13th May, 2018) I fixed the puncture in my old tube. For the first time in life, of course. Very basic and easy to do. Obviously. Illiterates on the street also do it. But yes, they do it every day and several times a day. Will write down the steps.

The full kit

1. Get all the damn things in place. The repair patch, cement/glue (mechanics call it rubber solution), sandpaper, marker, pump, the tube and a mug of water. The mug should have a wide mouth. Else get a tumbler.

2. Pump the tube up. If the hole is really small, like in my case, pump the tube really fat. Push the tube inside the water starting from the valve (keep the valve above water). Once you locate the hole (bubbles would come out) mark a circle around it. I used a green marker. Next time I will use a chalk. Our mechanics insert a match stick in the hole.

3. Deflate the tube. The circle drawn with the marker will shrink. Better to make a larger circle. Rub the sandpaper gently over the circle. If you are buying your own sandpaper go for the thinnest grade meant for cleaning steel. They come in a deep blue, almost black colour. Certainly not the yellow grade meant for wood.

4. Apply the cement over the filed area. Keep it thin. Let it dry on the tube for 3/4 minutes. Meanwhile get the patch ready. There are three layers. The top cellophane, the actual patch (black round thing inside an orange round circle) and an aluminium foil. Take off the aluminium foil making sure the cellophane does not come off.

5. Once the cement is dry apply the patch with the cellophane side up. Use something to smoothen out the patch so that no air is trapped inside. I used the head of the tyre levers. Now take off the cellophane.

6. Pump up again and test it. Mine was successful in the first go and here is the result of my first fix.

My first repaired tube

Tuesday 15th May, 2018

The previous fix that I did – the first one in my life – was a failure. After the fix, I inflated the tube and tested it in watera. No bubbles. I left the tube inflated overnight. After some time the tube seemed to have got thinner. By the next day it was obvious that the patch had failed. I pumped it up and tested it again. Indeed bubbles were coming out. Very slow. One bubble per second or slower. But a failure nevertheless.

I saw this new video from the Park Tool website. They had a few tips that I did not know and did not follow. Tip number 1. Do not leave the tube inflated outside the tyre. It weakens the bond. 2. Do not scratch off the cellophane paper.

This evening I decided to have another go and took off the old patch. I got some lime from the pan shop infront of the office because the red marker that I had was not leaving any mark whatsoever. Wet lime when it gets dry can be a good temporary marker on any black surface which I applied with a tooth pick. About half an inch away from the puncture on the four sides of the spot

Sanded off the area. Applied glue and waited. Last time I had applied too much glue I suppose. Next applied the patch. I chose a slightly rectangular one, which is a mistake I made. This 23 tube is really thin. It was sticking out at the edges. The bigger patches are meant for mountain bikes.

I got a screwdriver to press the patch with (back of the handle, of course). The problem with the location of the puncture is that it is just behind the valve. A tough paper for a new examinee. Perhaps the most difficult spot. I cannot hold the tube flat on the ground or on some hard surface and press it really hard, as it should be. I had to hold it in my left hand keeping the valve pointing down between the fingers and press it.

I took off the front wheel and did a real replacement. By the way, I used a real stop clock and found I did the job of complete replacement in exactly 10 min 45 seconds. As I had said earlier, I will bring it down to 5/6 minutes. But I must admit that I didn’t use the small hand pump. I used the floor standing one.

I pumped the tube upto 100 psi and have kept the bike on the floor, resting against the wall. Waiting for the result to come in. It should be obvious by late night if not tomorrow. When the puncture first developed it used to go flat overnight or over a few days. I have time till Sunday. If it goes flat then I know it is a repeat failure. If it does not then I am fine with this repaired tube for rides around the city. In any case I have the spare in the saddle bag.

Wednesday 16th May, 2018

This morning the tyre looked tight enough to give me some confidence. Will check out how it holds out till the evening. I am in a slight dilemma as to what to do if the pressure holds. Do I keep this inside and let it be my principal tube or shall I replace it with the Maxxis? 

6:45 PM Update

The pressure is holding strong till now. I guess this is a success. I will see till Friday and then take a call whether to go out with this on Saturday or change it back to the new Maxxis.

Friday 18th May, 2018

I checked the pressure this morning at around 9 am. It was 90. Two days ago I had pushed it from 90 to 100 psi. I guess it's a success. Some air loss in a high pressure tube is to be expected. If it goes flat in a couple of days then it is a matter of concern. Otherwise it's fine.