I'm not much good at this Blog stuff, and if you have had the chance to read any of my so called Blogg's, you will probably agree with that statement!

But I came across a Product that has all been used by a lot of Builder's, DIY'S as well, Its Silicon Sealant!

Ahh, you might say, but I came across a New Type of Silicon Sealant, (well it is for me), this one is a little bit different, as it has different type of manufacturing process, now as I say I'm no professional on this subject, so will have to leave that to the technical Bod's and the sales Lady! or Man!

Bathroom Silicon will have the usual Anti-Fungicidal in it to prevent Black mould building up on it, so it should stay whiter for much longer, than one with out, in this product I'm going to tell you about it has Triclossan which is a powerful Anti-Fungal and Anti Bacterial agent, as stated on the Web-site, haven't got a clue what that is, but it's better than the old ingredient that go-into a Tube of Silicon, and sounds very impressive!

OK, if your still here I'll put you out your misery and tell you what it's called and by who,......

It's Made by a Company Called Silicon Master's, Who, I hear you say!
To save me writing a lot of stuff on who they are, check them out here....

http://www.siliconemasters.co.uk/

They also on Face Book as well, and Twitter! so, they know the importance of Net working a Product, any way, I'm getting carried away a bit here........

Back to the story here!

I remembered I was going to reseal around the Mother-In-Law's Bath, as I had not long a go replaced her electric shower for one that works! and noticed the state of the Bath seal, now, I for one know who important it is to have a really good seal around your bath and around the shower area, it was @juliesilicon that reminded me, we got chatting, she said have I used her silicon, and I had to admit I never herd of them before! (sorry)

Well she got right into the power of her Silicon, and must admit was impressed I went out to our local Trade centre and they had never heard of the stuff! , so back on to Twitter to tell Julie we don't have it down here, to be told the area is not covered yet! not to worry she says, ill drop one in the Post!

She did,as she said she would it arrived!

And here it is!
First thought was, "I's a Tube of Silicon"!
Straight away, i pulled the Nozzle off, and screwed it on the tube, and broke it! I know, I should have read the instruction's first before I mucked about with iy, it wasn't as bad as it sounds, I just broke a little tab that holds the Ex-tenable, Yes, I said Ex-tenable Nozzle in place!

Off to the Mother-In-Law's!

And this is where I now realise i cant add a Video of before and after! so its off to You Tube

If this works.....

The Before video is here

http://youtu.be/rZSHVfLwN0s

And the video of the area prepared is here

http://youtu.be/n-yIzj6LO7M

And one of the Bathroom sink and window is here all before

http://youtu.be/lH5bSJCzjzo

And the Finished video is here

http://youtu.be/DlN5V8JOiJk

Here you can see the Ex tenable Nozzle in use!

The Best thing I like about this Silicon, is when you stop the trigger of the gun, the silicon stops as well, unlike any other Silicon I've used, where it keeps coming out the gun!

Smoothing off is as simple as it gets! so easy to work with, and no nasty smells either, it goes off quicker as well, we had the curtains back up in place after a hour!

Marks out of 10, Ill give it a 10 any day! the quicker this come's to our local Trade center the better!

So Thank you @juiesilicone for the experience of using such a great product!

Raleigh Tyre Leavers

Every cyclist needs a set of tyre leavers in there kit bag, there are some cheap and nasty ones out there, and there are some good quality ones, a name that jumped out at us was the famous bike name of Raleigh Bikes UK

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/

There tyre leaver's have a great description on them, and that is "Made In England" ! I liked that, nice to see the name of Raleigh from Nottingham still in the Game!

A Set of Three tyre leavers

Raleigh

Nice packet

The three leavers with a interconnecting slot to hold them all in place

Nice soft slot to hold to the spokes

Smooth rounded corners to prevent damage to your wheels and tyres

Cheap set just broke under presure on a hard side wall bike tyre

There are Tyre Levers, and there are tyre levers!

The Raleigh Tyre Levers stood up to the test, the other cheap set just gave up at the Tip!

Make sure the Tyre Levers you have are a Good quality set.

Ideal Xmas Stocking Filler for any age.

See your local bike shop.

Review on Draper Bicycle Kit Bag

With Christmas on the horizon we thought, time to do a few reviews on Christmas stocking fillers!

Bicycle Tool Kit from Draper Tools

This is a nicely set out gift set, with the added promise of a Storage pouch, flip the packet over and there it is, neatly placed on the rear of the package. We thought this was a nice touch by the lads and lasses from Draper Tools, you can clearly see everything that will fit in to the pouch.

Above is a picture of the pouch, this is a nice compact design with good quality Velcro straps, the zip feels of a good quality too, and there are elasticated straps which hold the tyre leavers and multi tool in place, along with the puncture repair kit.

Room for the Bike pump in there as well

Various sizes of Allan Keys ranging from 2 to 8 mm, so will fit most types of bikes

10, 15mm spanner and 8, 9, 10, 15 socket set in there as well!

Multi Tool folded up nice and compact

Sockets 8,9, and 10mm sockets

Puncture repair kit, with glue patches etc

Pair of tyre leavers, well made and have a solid feel to them

Hopefully you won't need theses, but handy just in case you do!

Bike pump, handy just in case you need to fix that flat tyre, or someone else's.

This has to be one for Santa's list.
Ideal for a Christmas Stocking Filler, it has everything for the young cyclist stating out on his first bike, or the more experienced rider who just needs something small and compact, the tools are well thought out and fit snugly into the accompanying pouch, without flapping about like some tool sets.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-28723-Bicycle-Tool-Kit/dp/B009VYB87A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415214489&sr=8-1&keywords=Draper+tools+bike+tool+kit

https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/116050144859174334127/+DrapertoolsLtd/posts

http://www.drapertools.com/

Twitter feed https://twitter.com/drapertools

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drapertools

Muc-Off Bio Drivetrain Cleaner Review

Review of Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner for bike chains

As it is now coming up to the end of October and the wet dark days are drawing in, the group have been out on a few rides the bikes and all have had to have a good clean up afterwards, several people have asked me "How do I clean the chain and cassette on my bike?" so I thought what a great idea for a review!

so this is how the MUC-OFF Drivetrain cleaner review was born.

Muc-off comes in a spray bottle, but if you have a chain cleaner it can be poured in to the chemical holder, if you use a chain drive holder make sure to wash it out after.

I found the instructions were printed in a small print that could not be read easily, and I wear reading glasses, I also found it hard to read on the side of the bottle, again it was very small print, but there is plenty of information on there website, on how to use of the drivetrain cleaner, and a great youtube video!

Spray nozzle

Muc-Off

It is very easy to use, I used the 250ml size cleaner which was supplied with a trigger spray, and so it was just a case of removing the screw top and replacing it with the trigger spray. This had a safety On/ Off position and at first I had a bit of trouble working it out! I know it was a simple either On or Off, but it took me a while! once I had worked it out though, it was a case of just sliding the leaver to the On position.

The bike was placed into the bike stand, and then I sprayed a thin film onto the chain, the cassette, the chain rings, and dérailleurs.
Leave it for 2 min's to get to work, and then give the hard to reach areas a scrub with a brush or cassette brush, I found the cassette brush just didn't reach deep enough down between the cogs, so I use the old shoelace trick to get in between the cogs.

The Shoelace method

Once all the chain and dérailleurs cassette are covered and brushed, simply wash it down with clean water to remove all the debris, and then dry spaying with a well known water repellent spray.

Muc-off also sent us a bit of this to try!

What is it!

It's Chain Lube
With added nano ceramic particles and synthetic polymers.
Makes sense?
It's a bit special, after all if Team Sky use it, then it should be good!

How to use.

Clean and dry the chain then apply C3 Ceramic lube to inside chain link whilst spinning your pedals in reverse, then wipe away any excess C3 Lube with a cloth.

After that all you have to do is to get out there and ride!

There is some great in depth information and videos on Muc-Off shop website

http://muc-off.com/lube/179-c3-dry-ceramic-lube.html?ref_cat=10

One thing I did like was the write up on the Muc-Off website regarding the C3 is as follows, (borrowed from their website I will ask for permission to use)

"C3 Dry Ceramic Chain Lube maximises your power output by reducing metal to metal contact to a ground breaking, low level and provides up to 10 times the performance of conventional chain oils and lubes"

Well here it is Keith [one of the people who asked me how do you clean a chain] a review on the great Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner that has to the easiest to use, and a look to the future with the C3 Ceramic lube that is one of the greenest things we have ever put on a chain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiNwUtoPfwE&list=UUlU3DHvQC3Eis3oKgg49Liw#t=17

When needing a hand to do a professional job I asked the man from the local bike shop, so off I set to see Dave at our local cycle shop in Harlow, his details can be found here.

http://www.leevalleycycles.co.uk/

He is open 6 days a week, and a couple of hours on a Sunday morning for small repairs or spares 7am to 9am, (so if you plan a ride out, and in need of a inner tube, or anything, look him up)

Face Book page is here

https://www.facebook.com/leevalleycycles

Have a look at the Youtube video we did on the Drivetrain cleaning, and you will see it really brings out the best in the Muc-Off Drivetrain cleaner, it brought all the cogs and chain up like new, in fact I had forgotten what the original chain colour was!

Here is a video of Dave from Lee Valley Cycles cleaning the bike using Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiNwUtoPfwE&list=UUlU3DHvQC3Eis3oKgg49Liw

Thank you to Dave and Muc-Off

Link here for Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner

http://muc-off.com/clean/21-drive-chain-cleaner.html?ref_cat=8

As used by the Team Sky Cycle race group!

UPDATE 25/10/2015.

It has been a while since I cleaned the chain!

The weather has not been too good lately rain wise!

My chain was black as anything and I decided to have a go at the Drive Train Cleaner my self, after all it cant be that hard can it!

I'm about to find out.

The Spray bottle has not lasted long!

The trigger seems to have a problem and I cant seem to be able to make the trigger pump, it does not return, so I ended up using a spare sprayer from indoors that was empty!

Feel the spray bottle could have a better design of a trigger!

Black and Oily! Needs a clean!


Even the front was not much cleaner!

I Simply followed the instruction on the side of the bottle.

Spray it on and leave for 2 minutes, then wash off, I used the old Muck-Off chain cleaner that was attached to a spray can to get in deeper.

This little device works a treat! Only problem is you have to hold it in your hand as your spinning the chain! But it does the job!

Clean off with clean water.

Look at the results!

The Muck-Off Drive Train Cleaner works a treat!

I had to pick out a few heavy bits of oil.

I am no profesional bike mecanic but if I can get this chain this clean then so can you!

Still a great product that Muck-Off have produced, shame about my bottle not working on the spayer any more, but all in all what a difference it makes!

Don't forget to lube up after wards though.

Foot Note: This is not a Paid for Advert by Muck-Off

See.Sense Intelligent Rear Light Review

Review on the http://seesense.co/ Intelligent rear bike light,

I came across this rear bike light on the Internet a while back, but never gave it much thought, after all it's Just another Bike Light, isn't it? well no this is not just another bike light, this is a little bit different to the rest.......... "it's Intelligent!

A WORD OF WARNING

DO NOT have the http://seesense.co/ facing your eyes when it comes to life!
It is hard for us to show you how bright this light is on a review page, but be assured it is!
The clever part is, it will not dazzle car drivers, but it is still bright enough to be seen on the road.

Let me introduce you to the http://seesense.co/ Intelligent Bike Light.

http://seesense.co/, making great use of what we all ready have

Lets take a look at the box it comes in, all the packaging is recyclable

The Intelligent Cycle Light With Road Sense!

This light is Bright! And we mean BRIGHT
A 125 Lumens,

The most clever cycle light we have come across so far, it monitors your bike speed, the road conditions, and external light, very clever, quite amazing!

What is in the Box

Rear http://seesense.co/ Intelligent Cycle Light
USB Charging Lead
Instruction booklet

At first sight and you will think it is a Front light! No trace of Red anywhere, have they sent me the wrong one you may ask.

After a quick read of the instruction booklet on "How To Charge" and few hours later, I was left in no doubt this was a back light.

They use Cree L E D's, the very best.

The Intelligent sensor technology.

The rear light monitors the motion, orientation, and day light, it has a wide angle lens which means you will be seen from all angles as it gives out a wide beam of light.

This unit has no ON or Off buttons!
You turn it on by twisting it from side to side 3 times.
To turn it off, simply lay it down flat, and it shuts down, this is all achieved by motion sensors, great if your wearing gloves, it will also not turn itself on if it is in your bag or jacket pocket, it will stay off until needed, to save battery life.

Battery
The http://seesense.co/ light is fitted with a lithium ion battery that can be recharged from any USB socket. (Handy when at work and your near a PC).
The See.Sense has a "Fuel Gauge" (L.E.D'S) so it will let you know the remaining runtime/battery life, meaning your http://seesense.co/ will never run out of charge unexpectedly. Power consumption has been reduced in stand by mode, giving 12 times longer stand by time.
Depending on the power setting it is believed to last around 12 hours run time depending on how you use it, and the settings etc, before you need to recharge it, but the light will tell you when it needs to be done.

How many settings

It can be simply taken out of the box and charged up, no fiddling with settings, just charge, set it to ON and off you go.
You could also change the setting's to personally suit your type of riding and road conditions, you decide on the power levels, flash sequence, it's up to you how you want it.
The See.Sense bike light will change the rate of illumination depending on how fast your moving, slowing down, or waiting ie: at traffic lights.
When it senses darkness it will flash rapidly.
If left alone and not used, the light will automatically shut down, when you get back on your bike to ride off, it will start up! So clever and bright!

This link shows a good video of what to expect from your new light.

http://vimeo.com/109602342

The http://seesense.co/ is a very compact light which fits on to the rear of your bike, and weighs in at a measly 55 Grams, the Lens cover is made from the same material they used to make the helmet visor for the Apollo astronauts to wear in Space, this is called" Lexan", the case is made from a material called "Luran S", which is a very tough ASA plastic, so on paper it sounds indestructible!

Front

Left Side

Back

Right Side

Top

Bottom

USB Lead and 2 Straps

Straps

Instruction Booklet

Cover for the USB Lead

USB Connection

USB Lead connected to See.Sence

Top side view

http://seesense.co/ connected to laptop charging

Stand alone

Fixing to your bike.

Fitting is a very simple thing to do.
http://seesense.co/ light comes complete with two straps (one as a spare) this is then simply attached to the hook on the side of the lamp whilst held in position on the seat post and then affixed to the other hook, holding it very securely in place.

Out on the road.

I found that whilst cycling on the road drivers were passing me a little bit wider than they would normally have done, I thought it was just me until I mentioned this on Twitter and other cyclists who have purchased the http://seesense.co/ light came back with the same conclusion!
I am not saying go out and buy one of theses lights and you will never have a close pass by a driver again, what I am saying is it makes you feel safer on the road! The best and brightest light I have have tested so far this year, one that is so cleaver I am amazed no one has ever come up with this idea before, if you only have one rear light, make it this one, beats the rest hands down!

How did it come about the http://seesense.co/ Cycle light.

http://seesense.co/team/

Made in Ireland

Main Website
http://seesense.co/

If there is a bike light we can recommend, then this is the one!
One of the best bike lights we have ever had the pleasure to test out.

Highly recommended for any serious cyclist who want to be seen on the road.

Speak to them on Twitter at @seesense_cc
Facebook page link here
https://www.facebook.com/seesense.cc

We have just done a video on the angle you can see the http://seesense.co/ from Link here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OVhs_G_Kxo&feature=youtu.be

Want to buy one! Try here..........

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/see-sense-

www.tokyobike.co.uk

www.corridori.co.uk

Details from Google Maps

22 Ballybricken, Waterford, Ireland

www.altitude.ie

(051) 870 356

Old Church, Lower Kilmacud Rd, Co. Dublin, Ireland

www.fitzcycles.ie

(01) 278 4555

Unit 1, Rathmines Town Centre, Lower Rathmines Road,Rathmines,, Dublin 6, Ireland

www.thinkbike.ie

(01) 496 5314

Too many to list here so go to http://seesense.co/stockists/ has a great list of stockists on there website here........

http://seesense.co/stockists/