Pedalling Contradictions

Some rides flow seamlessly while others have very clearly defined beginnings, middles and ends-Sunday's mid morning meander being a case in point. With the strong autumn sun calling it was time for Ninja Blue and I to take advantage of the temperate conditions before weather more characteristic of the season took hold. Ninja Blue is my pet name for the Holdsworth-there's a long sentimental story underlying this curious moniker and maybe someday I'll share it.

Gliding through the village, attune to traffic conditions, yet equally consumed by my thoughts, we turned right into the tight and winding back roads to a warm "Alright mate!". Caught by surprise, I must've seemed unnecessarily aloof bordering on discourteous realising the second of two road riders was in fact addressing me. Tongue and manners rediscovered I managed a polite "Yourself?" before his "Yeah, not bad" concluded our dialogue.

My disconnected response left a twinge of guilt but then: I was in one of those very quiet modes that typify me-times calling for steady cadence, reflection and inner peace. Bowling along the lanes saw periodic encounter with kindred spirits before confronting Little Mountains Road. My ego whispered of how I flew up here in my teens-fixed or freewheel and mercifully powering a 79 inch gear, my legs met the challenge without hesitation despite road surfaces resembling treacle toward the summit. Unusually, body and soul felt no inclination to cruise beyond 20mph throughout our journey.

In retrospect this was just as well, entering another twisting turn and chasing onward I was greeted by a group of children playing in the lane. Given these paranoid times, I was reassured to see them so carefree. This was diluted by their desire to dart back and forth across the narrow stretch of road. Mercifully, a cautiously driven Renault MPV had tempered their passion for this curious game of dare, though my right hand hovered over the brake nonetheless. A quick kick of the transmission saw us steal a march on potential chaos. Clocking up the miles, I'm starting to notice small flaws in the build. Nothing monumental but the budget Stronglight crank shows discernible flex under load. Credit where it's due, everything turns smoothly and reliably enough and given the Holdsworth will be hibernating through the winter months upgrades are unnecessarily indulgent... Unless something irresistible presents itself at the right price.
Elsewhere the Teenage Dream is entering the second phase of its makeover but this has introduced a wealth of complications. It was an oh-so-simple recipe, purchase carbon fork, Woodman sealed bearing Aheadset and suitably refined bar and stem. Teenage Dram brought well and truly into the 21st Century...Then along comes chrome. Not just any old chrome mind, oh no. 531 race blades and a threaded steerer. This saves a good wedge of cash and worthy components from languishing in the spares drawer.
It's been seventeen years since I bought anything sporting chrome-the Teenage Dream's winter sibling had a fully chromed uni-crown cro-moly fork. Objectively, chrome plating is an awful process to subject delicate,precision components and thin walled frame tubing. I'll concede half-chrome chainstays are very alluring but this exterior beauty comes at a high price....Involving acid baths and other brutality, it's a process Dr Crippin would approve of and not the sort for a beautiful bicycle frame. Before any plating is added, substantial amounts of metal are stripped from the tubes ready for polishing. Later stages involve plenty of dunking in acid and other toxic brews before passing through a neutralising bath in the hope of purging any remnants. Any traces left here will result in internal corrosion and ultimately frame/fork fatigue.

Decorative chroming by nature is notoriously thin, made worse by modern platers forgoing the protective copper layer. This leaves a porous surface and the steel beneath vulnerable to rust-especially in coastal regions. Because paint doesn't magically stop where the chrome starts, finishers employ acid etch primers to cajole it to the slippery surface but longevity is poor and the paint ultimately recedes. Columbus strongly advise against it- ironic given most Italian marques sport acres of it!

Knowing this, why then am I still lusting after a pair? Well, £55 for 531 with a sloping crown is too tempting while allowing the channelling of precious resources into other projects. That said, the merest hint of a price hike will see me running to contemporary carbon faster than a tot with grazed knees to their mother.