Topeak Tyre Pressure Gauge

Last night went to Mezda's house and brought home the goodies they brought for me from America.

Yet to be unpacked

Of course, I had paid for them but thanks to Gublai and Mezda/Boudi for the help in terms of buying them on my behalf and then carrying them here. I had procured three items. A pair of trekking poles from Black Diamond, an Anker solar charger and a Topeak smart digital tyre pressure gauge. 

The first item that I unpacked was the Topeak tyre pressure gauge.  The official name of the unit is Topeak SmartGauge D2. I attacked it first because this is the item that is necessary almost on a day to day basis. The most attractive feature of this gauge, which is why I bought it, is that it can measure the tyre pressure from both Presta and Schrader. It's digital and the measuring unit can be any three - psi, bar and kg/cm2. I chose psi because that's the unit we still use here in India (though every thing else is in metric system).

Features explained

The unit is battery operated. Last time when I had a puncture on the road I came home with 20 psi pressure in the front tyre. That's because I didn't realise how much air I had pumped. I just felt the pressure with my fingers and it seemed fine. Filling a tyre with 20 psi pressure when it requires nothing less than 60/70 is potentially dangerous. If you hit a pot hole or a stone you might get snake bite leaks. If I had this in my saddle bag that wouldn't happen. So getting a tyre pressure gauge for the saddle bag is a must. The problem with gauges is that in India you get only Schrader valve gauges - basically for cars. Presta pressure gauge is unheard of. Even in the West they aren't so common. My two bicycles have two different types of valves. Mampu's is an even third type but in terms of pumping or gauging it is as good as a Schrader. Technically it's called a Dunlop valve.  Life becomes easier if you have a gauge that can check both type. In fact if you think about it, I have a car, a motorcycle, three bicycles. I have to measure tyre pressure of all these. And this can gauge them all. Like one size fits all answer to my pressure gauging.

Therefore, when I saw that here was a gauge at $32 that can measure both the types I just grabbed it.

The unit feels fairly robust and well made, despite being made of plastic and in Taiwan. It runs on a small button cell battery (the supplied battery is a Sony). You turn the machine on, choose the valve type by turning the switch as per requirement. The valve shape is illustrated so that even confirmed idiots don't mess it up. Then you just hold it on the valve and press it in. Of course before that turn the cap of the valve loose, like you would if you were to pump the tube. This is for the Presta valve. There is a small beep and you can see the reading. There is a small amount of pressure loss when you engage the unit. But that, I suppose, is negligible.

I am yet to use it on my Schrader valve tube. But interestingly enough, the mouth of the nozzle does not change the shape whether you turn it to Presta or Schrader, like it does in a pump. I shall see tonight how it works on the car. I think I am going to carry this in my saddle bag from now on and also when I go long distance driving. I have asked Mampu to make a small cloth bag for it. Don't want to put too many scratches on it just yet.

The unit has another useful feature. Suppose you want 60 psi pressure and you find the tyre has 70, you can put it on the tune mode and slowly release the pressure bit by bit by pressing the yellow star like button and the display shows the change continuously - just like in petrol pumps. This will be convenient and useful for those who do not have a pump with a pressure gauge. My home pump has it but the road pump does not. But then overfilling a tube with that Park Tool pump is perhaps out of question.

Language, Timothy, language

Smart Entertainment

On Monday, 4th June, we got two new so called "smart" gadgets into the house. A smart LG TV for the drawing room and a smart turbo trainer for my room. The TV is 43 inches in size. Pretty big, compared to the almost pocket sized Samsung that we had. We bought it on zero cost EMI from Bajaj Finance. I think the final negotiated price was 40K+. We bought it from Great Eastern on Lansdowne Road.

The other smart thing is an indoor cycle turbo trainer from Elite. 

Finish Line Dry Lube

Finally bought this chain lubricant for the cycle. From the Firefox outlet in Bentinck Street. They charged me Rs 670 for this small tube. Each drop of this lube that falls on the floor will give me as much pain as each blood droplets that sometimes used to fall from an open injury in my childhood days when we would play on the streets. Jokes aside, as a percentage of the total cost of the bicycle it is an insignificant amount though. 

I had cleaned my bike fairly thoroughly a few weeks ago and at that time applied Motul motorcycle chain lube. Read about it here . Just a gentle spray which I wiped clean after application. I find that of late the chain looks dirty and sticky. It does not bend around the cogs smoothly. I think I should not have put the motorcycle lube on bicycle chain. Motorcycle chain lubes are supposed to be thicker as the friction generated by a motorcycle chain is very high. Bicycle chains remain a lot cooler and therefore require thinner grade oil. I knew this theory but I didn't think it would make much of a difference. But having closely seen the chain recently during wheel take off and on, I saw how the chain has become less flexible. 

I then bought a chain cleaning kit from IceToolz. Read about it here. It came with a bottle of chain cleaner concentrate. I did not use it because I didn't have the lube. Cleaning the chain thoroughly without lubing it up might be even worse than not cleaning at all. That's one of the reasons why I went to this store to get the lube. There is no online retailer that sells it. Getting Muck Off online is easier. That's also a big global brand but somehow I like the name Finish Line. It's the inventor of dry lube. Let me see how this works and I will update this review with more content after I actually clean my chain and lube it up.

Apparently this lube leaves a white mark on the chain which makes it easier to see which link has not been lubed. I am curious to see how that works.

Adidas Compression Socks

Bought a pair of running socks from Adidas. The official name is quite a mouthful. Unisex Running Essential Compression Socks. I chose size 404M for my UK 8 feet. These cost me Rs 499 with free delivery in a beautifully made cardboard box. The socks are black with yellow markings. They run up to the knees. 

The compression is not very hard and the feeling is very comfortable. There is cushioning under the arch, toes and heel. Even where there is no cushioning the material is fairly thick.  These are technical socks. So the left sock (marked L) is for left foot and the right sock (marked R) is for the right foot. The material is described by Adidas in this language. Made of 59% Polyester, 37% Polyamide, 3% Elastane and 1% Others

I wore them last evening in the office itself and didn't take them off because they were so comfortable. I have never worn any socks that are as comfortable as these. Even back home I didn't take them off and changed into my shorts and T and went for a round of skipping. 50x3 plus 27 of left right drill. Didn't feel the plantar fasciitis pain. I intend to do this every evening till the Stok Kangri trek. In fact I think one can easily take these for high altitude treks as well. Apart from being comfortable and giving compression to the feet, these might be quick to dry. I have to find that out though. 

Now I have to see how durable they are and how many miles they last. I would be happy if they lasted 200 km. At this price it's a steal. No doubt.

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.