Christmas Closure

Nothing's ever simple, began my rant in a fashion mirroring that of my six year old as I tackled the Univega's makeover. Having performed the rush around and cut the cables routine before stripping cantilevers and cockpit, other gremlins presented themselves. It was one of those jobs for Boxing Day when respectable folk were leaping in their cars and heading for the holy grails of DIY and superstore but oh no, I had to plough headlong into this having returned from the temp job and twenty minutes before dinner... Having transplanted bar, stem and controls, it became immediately obvious that the curious, yet extremely effective star fangled nut substitute wasn't re-useable.

After some uncharacteristic sulking, my focus shifted to the twenty three year old CK toolbox containing all manner of ill sorted spares. A quick sift reveled a Gusset SFN replacement of exacting dimensions. However, while the black bung does a superb job of retaining precise bearing adjustment it obscures the fork crown fender mount. Some lateral thought resulted in judicious bending and filing of the stainless steel hardware, allowing the black bung to pass through while securing the fender securely inside the steerer tube.

Convoluted perhaps but it solved the problem and meant I could progress to the Dia Compe V brakes. These are surprisingly proficient stoppers combining great power with none of the mushiness associated with lower-middle range brakes-especially with Tektro's RL520 linear pull specific levers.

Continuing the best laid plans theme, the STX pods proved impractical thanks to torturous cable run and delayed shifts so it's back to the faithful Ultegra bar cons. I've always had something of a soft spot for STX components primarily because they offer a lot of bang for very modest buck. However, the marginally "Superior" STXRC front mech has proven one of the most temperamental I've known-fine on a day to day basis but the proverbial pig to set up.

Earlier in the day I'd driven cautiously through the icy lanes to the temp job via the bank and a bike shop that caught my attention. Paying cheques into the bank meant I'd financially survive the festive season and the bike shop provided some good, benchmark cables. Some gentle enquiry revealed he'd be happy to install the Teenage Dream's front end for a very reasonable sum. Frankly, these are very frustrating jobs-annoying because I can undertake them myself but available time and a missing tool eludes me. Therefore, the sensible solution is to outsource this while I attend to more pressing matters. As my late father often remarked, just because you can, doesn't mean to say doing so is the best use of time/resources. Needless to say, the Univega's upgrades have transformed the handling- not that the Nitto bars were remotely floppy but the WTB and Salsa stem make for a phenomenally rigid, yet comfortable cockpit.
Further success has been achieved on the wheels front. While drafting some copy for another publication, I had cause to contact Greyville enterprises. Serendipity lead Steve to suggest these 700x23 tubes with 60mm long Presta valves- just the ticket for the Halo Aerorage wheelset, meaning the original hoops can be returned to the Ilpompino complete with 38mm snow tyres. The ITM fork while undeniably gorgeous can wait for now- a fully operational and finely fettled fleet is what's called for in the depths of winter. Sure, I wouldn't dream of subjecting the Holdsworth or Teenage Dream to the horrors of salt and slush but I like the idea of machines being ready for action.