priboy

I have finally done enough miles (or rather km in my case) to join the conversation. I have done around 8600 km on my bike now and my rear D222 is now due for replacement. I must add that most of that was done riding 2 up with fully loaded bike. So I am ok whit the mileage on the rear tire. I was also happy how the stock tires performed in rain and cold. I have just returned from trip to Stelvio Pass, where the temperatures on the top of the passes were between 0 and 5°C and I had some snowy patches on the road. The grip on dry cold tarmac, as well as on wet tarmac was reassuring. Just the snowy parts wear a bit much for the tires . But I cannot compare the grip level with PRs, because I haven’t tried them jet. [span id=transmark][/span]I was just surprised that I managed to run down the sides faster the middle of the tire. Any way … because the front tire is still in good condition, I will replace the rear with RoadSmart II. After that I will probably try the PRs.

I while back I promised I will buy and do a review on Kettenmax chain cleaning kit. The time has come to make good on my promise. After a 3000km trip over dusty tarmac and some gravel roads my chain was really dirty and in need of some tlc. So I decided to try standard Kettenmax chain cleaning kit (17,99€). I also bought the S100 chain cleaner for 15,99€ (hmm, the cleaning liquid costs almost as much as the whole kit B-| ). [strong][/strong][strong][/strong][strong][/strong][strong] [/strong][strong]So what you get?[/strong] In the box you get: 1. Kettenmax (the cleaning box with brushes) 2. fill-it-yourself pump bottle 3. range of tubes and adapter for connecting the pump bottle 4. tube with adapter for spray cans (chain cleaner or lube) 5. draining tube 6. string and hooks for fixing the Kettenmax7. instructions [strong]How to use it?[/strong] Before the first use you have to trim the white brushes down to the right width of the chain. I just basically pressed the Kettenmax against the chain to get the marks and cut the access away (for details you can see the video below). After that you attach the upper and the lower part over the chain (there is just enough space on FJ between the exhaust and the rear tire), attach the draining tube and hook the small tubes to the black nipples on the Kettenmax and the pump bottle (that is filled with cleaning fluid of course). Fix the Kettenmax to the footpeg (or similar) with the hooks and string and you are ready to go. Than you just rotate the back wheel and squeeze the bottle until the chain is clean. After that I used a toothbrush to clean the rear sprocket. The sprocket was very clean but I made a mess of my rear rim. Dohh ! [strong]Result?[/strong][strong][/strong] The result is squeaky clean chain that is ready for some fresh lube. [strong]Pros&cons[/strong][strong][/strong] Pros: - Easy to use - Cleans good - Almost no mess - You don’t use a lot of cleaning flouid - Easy to clean afterwards - All the brushes are detachable and replaceable if needed - Not expensive Cons: - Fixing it in place with hooks and a string is not so easy, especially because it should be levelled and not crocked and there is very little space on the FJ between chain, exhaust and rear wheel - It is easier if you have somebody to help: one holds the Kettenmax in place and squeezes the bottle, the other one spins the rear wheel All in all I am happy with the Kettenmax. However I do not recommend it to be used to often. The cleaning liquid and the brushes really do a good job of degreasing your chain, maybe even too good, so the o-rings are almost totally dry. So make sure you lube your chain and sprocket extensively afterwards. PS: You can also use the Kettenmax to spray the lube on the chain. I haven’t tried it yet. I suppose it would be less messy, because the lube would not be sprayed all over the place, but I wonder how much lube would be scraped off by the brushes. Will report after I will try it. Kettenmax video for more info: [video src=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF1dKUZLQE4]

Race blue pushes all my buttons. But I can believe lave red (although it is a very nice color) is beating race blue. Perhaps because[span id=transmark][/span]e race blue isn't available in every country?

Just what I was looking for! Thanks!