MIXED FORTUNES

Sorry to those of you still house-bound by the weather, but here in the
UK it is still giving me enough chances to get out on the wheels.
Depsite some mid-week snow things eased for the weekend so I managed to
get two rides in.
I had my first problem with the valve extensions yesterday. It was only
a minor thing but the front valve didn't seem to want to open and
acccept any air. Eventually I had to unscrew the valve extension
while it was still on the tyre and press the valve down with an allen
key to loosen it. Once I had done this and replaced the extension
it all worked fine. This might just have been a dodgy valve on
the tube but I've never had this problem before.
It's been really gusty here recently and out on the road yesterday I
had a few quite hairy moments in the wind. The ride was an up and
down route through the local hills taking in some of the nastier
slopes. When I say nasty I mean steep, long climbs are non-existent in
this part of the UK. The FP-60s are not climbing wheels but they
are by no means a hindrance on the sort of climbs we get round
here. I have been unable to get any brake rub or noticeable flex
from them when climbing out of the saddle, something which I have
experienced with Mavic Ksyriums. Sadly, yesterdays ride was cut short
by a fairly serious problem with the new headset on my bike, so I was
forced to head back earlier than planned to catch the bike shop before
they closed. Luckily I made it home in time and the guys down the
shop were kind enough to replace the headset there and then.
Todays ride was a flatter route but the conditions were worse, between
0-2 ℃ all ride with the occasional sleet shower. Now
the winter is mostly behind us I am getting better as the rides get
more frequent. Once I get into some more consistent riding I will start
swapping wheels with other pairs to see if there are some more
noticeable differences between them.