It fits! It fits! Some of you would argue on account of and due-to but the new seatpost does indeed fit. In keeping with quite a few budget models, it seems quite tight but from another vantage point this means water and ingress are unlikely to find their way into the seat-tube. Not that the Zephyr is a winter mount but I treat all my bikes very much the same-a liberal application of Framesaver or similar sloshing around the tubes, a stout greasing of all contact points etc, etc.
Need an old fashioned Campagnolo or Miche saddle bolt to secure it in place (obviously) before I can turn my attention to a suitable headset- seen a nice FSA unit with a suitably low stack height(in black oddly enough) which will take care of the front end but I fear this might still prove on the tall side and the venerable Tange Levin, a faithful Campag Record copy might just save the day...
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Harwich is frame builder Justin Burls (http://www.burls.co.uk/). A background in classic vehicle restoration and metal forming has equipped him with an unsurpassed attention to detail making the transition to frame building a surprisingly easy one. He still has his first frame- A TT mount built for his own pleasure back in 1997 sporting super smooth fillet brazing and deep, luxurious blue livery. Typical of many artisan craftspeople, Justin speaks with a very genuine modesty. Self taught, he believed the mythical black art would demand several attempts before he produced anything remotely ride able but from the outset, he clearly found it a very natural process.
Amused by the horror in my face at the sight of his battle weary, salt encrusted winter bike, Justin confesses his passion lies in building and engineering to the highest standards at the detriment of his bike’s maintenance. This, his second build, again crafted from Columbus tubing still retains an air of majesty beneath the grime. His experience as a coachbuilder saw him finish his early frames in cellulose paints topped off with clear coat two-Pac. However, cellulose attracts every airborne imperfection, demanding laborious application and rubbing between coats.
Leading me through his enormous workshop (which is close to, if not larger than his house) hangs another frame- a road fixed built to Manchester track specification but with drilling for a front brake. Used predominantly for time trailing, it sports deliciously machined ends and a custom made chain-ring.
Elsewhere forks stand in neat line along the floor and a Brian Rourke track frame adorns the wall. Whilst busy taking orders from the UK, Ireland and as far afield as Finland and Canada, Justin is reticent to perform cut and shut frame end surgery.
Less conscientious builders might be satisfied with simply extracting the old road dropouts and brazing new track units in but Justin’s attention to detail demands he makes an exacting job complete with fresh enamel and in many cases this exceeds the donor frame’s value. Similarly, whilst cheerfully fabricating bespoke forks to complement a frameset, he has a preference for carbon models.
Amused by the horror in my face at the sight of his battle weary, salt encrusted winter bike, Justin confesses his passion lies in building and engineering to the highest standards at the detriment of his bike’s maintenance. This, his second build, again crafted from Columbus tubing still retains an air of majesty beneath the grime. His experience as a coachbuilder saw him finish his early frames in cellulose paints topped off with clear coat two-Pac. However, cellulose attracts every airborne imperfection, demanding laborious application and rubbing between coats.Leading me through his enormous workshop (which is close to, if not larger than his house) hangs another frame- a road fixed built to Manchester track specification but with drilling for a front brake. Used predominantly for time trailing, it sports deliciously machined ends and a custom made chain-ring. Elsewhere forks stand in neat line along the floor and a Brian Rourke track frame adorns the wall. Whilst busy taking orders from the UK, Ireland and as far afield as Finland and Canada, Justin is reticent to perform cut and shut frame end surgery.Less conscientious builders might be satisfied with simply extracting the old road dropouts and brazing new track units in but Justin’s attention to detail demands he makes an exacting job complete with fresh enamel and in many cases this exceeds the donor frame’s value. Similarly, whilst cheerfully fabricating bespoke forks to complement a frameset, he has a preference for carbon models. Most recently he’s been importing high-end (grade 9) Titanium framesets from a supplier east of Moscow (His wife, Mila being Russian, is pivotal in this side of the business and negotiating with suppliers). These feature drillings for brakes, one set of bottle mounts, fender points and 23mm tyres. Titanium whilst expensive, is very given to winter duties thanks to the wonder metal's corrosion and fatigue resistance and I found myself salivating at the low weight and minimalist splendour of his personal machine, complete with Reynolds carbon fork. He used to offer a unicrown Ti option but this has ceased thanks to a lack of continuity from the supplier and the fact Titanium in his opinion shows its best qualities as a frame material .
Elsewhere there’s a Dawes Galaxy tandem on which he introduced Mila to Cycling- it’s needing some light TLC and a wheel re-build so is out of commission for the moment. A chill coastal wind brought us back into the comfort of the house where more frames including a bespoke MTB frameset for Mila crept from behind sofas and televisions. There’s a real sense of old world charm, an interest in people and the desire in seeing a job executed to perfection which drives him and so many others above financial gain. We’ve promised to meet for a ride sometime soon and the only downside to meeting Justin is a sudden and irrational yearning for a Russian Ti road fixer!
Elsewhere there’s a Dawes Galaxy tandem on which he introduced Mila to Cycling- it’s needing some light TLC and a wheel re-build so is out of commission for the moment. A chill coastal wind brought us back into the comfort of the house where more frames including a bespoke MTB frameset for Mila crept from behind sofas and televisions. There’s a real sense of old world charm, an interest in people and the desire in seeing a job executed to perfection which drives him and so many others above financial gain. We’ve promised to meet for a ride sometime soon and the only downside to meeting Justin is a sudden and irrational yearning for a Russian Ti road fixer!
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