Come Together....

Since I last put fingers to keyboard, pester power has provoked payment, allowing the purchase of replacement top cap and moreover, the Woodman specific tool. Elsewhere, decisions have been made and I've settled(for the meantime at least)in favour of sealed cartridge bearing Ritchey copy SPD pedals. I've been riding clipless, pretty much exclusively since 1992 but find the dual sided mtb type best for cornering and spilt second entry/exit.

Further foraging has proven very profitable with surprisingly rich pickings. With the constant mantra of "Use what you've got" resonating in my head, I plucked out some very fetching pink fade bar wrap. My mouse finger kept hovering on new, conservative blues and blacks but far from clashing, it complements the light blue/black livery perfectly-serendipity strikes again!

Purists will scoff at suggestion I have tried to keep the frame's original character and to some extent, given it's sporting a carbon fork with threadless steerer, they'd have a point. However, I fought shy of adding braze-on bottle and other bosses. While widening the frame's practicality at one level, I wanted to enjoy it's minimalist beauty. Initially the solution was to wear a hydration pack but in very hot weather, even the better designs can leave a sweaty back. A nifty seatpost mounted nylon bracket came to the rescue. This enables a cage to be placed behind the saddle and some further tinkering and exchanging the modern Tacx unit for a delicate stainless steel Nitto has enabled a min-pump to share the mount without fouling the bijou seat pack-Heh!.Removing the left hand brake lever and replacing it with a black end plug seemed sensibly minimalist but I decided I liked the symmetry so, unless it starts rattling relentlessly it can keep the other company. This is the final run now, the final build. I've the chain and CNC machined sprocket awaiting the wheels and what a wheelset I have planned. Keenly priced, black hoops with machined sidewalls turning on sexy large-flange track hubs....Alas, they'll have to wait 'till my return from holiday...

Poor Boy Blues

" My Daddy Said Son, don't you come to me cryin' cos money don't make you a happy man" Hmm, maybe not but it sure as hell makes bike builds less challenging....

Recession's a grossly over-used phrase and while the consequences of such are an increasingly uncomfortable reality for many, at one level it's a very convenient rationale' for firms avoiding or delaying payment. One such client decided to hold on to my invoice just that little bit longer, meaning I've had to postpone purchasing the replacement Woodman top race and fitting tool from the UK importer. Similarly, borrowed components by definition have to be returned to their rightful owners and so, in this reflective, yet purposeful mood I approached the bulging spares bin for components and on the whole this has proved a fruitful harvest. Resourcefulness has resurrected an inexpensive, yet unused Stronglight cranks which now sit proudly aboard the square taper bottom bracket, then there's a titanium railed Specialized Toupe' Gel saddle pride of place atop the shapely Outland seatpost while a fetching long-reach Miche dual pivot calliper takes care of stopping and my obligations under the road traffic act.

When it comes to pedal choice, I'm the child in the proverbial sweet shop. Not sure whether to stick with low-profile, sealed bearing track offerings, an ancient drum polished Look pair from 1992 or indeed Shimano and pattern mtb SPD. The latter are winning on the grounds of practicality-you can walk rather than hobble off the bike with recessed cleats. Then there's another colour-co-ordinated Look pair languishing in the spares bin....
There's a principle operating on two levels here. First and foremost why plough much needed financial resources into new stock when there's plentiful, cosmetically appealing and moreover decent quality stuff hidden away in spares drawers? The second is an exercise in skills sharpening. Being resourceful isn't exclusively fiscal, neither is it concerned with getting something for nothing. Being shrewd here means I can enjoy a nice, carefully built bike and enrol on a fully paid-up Diploma course in massage come the fall.

Regular readers will note a fair bit of barter involved in my projects. Both the Holdsworth and Teenage Dream's refinishing were undertaken on an earned basis-I might not have paid for their expertise but I exchanged my services for theirs. Simple economics dictate that while folk can't live on mutual respect and favour alone, such can go a long way toward happier, co-operative and moreover prosperous communities. However, I'm a firm believer in charity being dispensed at personal discretion and not upon demand.

Recently I've put a low mileage, well kempt BOB Yak up for sale and I'm astounded at the number of time wasters-they're not usually difficult to spot-asking a series of silly questions in succession before there's a pregnant pause followed by a sheepish email. This is entirely different from genuine potential buyers asking pertinent questions from which to make an informed decision but there seems an ever increasing army of window shoppers with nothing better to do than needlessly waste time.
Sermon over and returning to the Holdsworth, further joy comes courtesy of a decent track chain, CNC mirror polished sprocket and set of Halo twin rail "courier" tyres. I'm seventy-five per cent there save for an appropriate wheelset, lock ring and of course the replacement top race and fitting tool....