Having returned from the midlands, I wasted no time in
dropping the Holdsworth at Maldon Shot Blasting & powder Coating. Despite
considerable demand for their services, Chris made concerted efforts to
commence work on Wednesday morning, submerging it within their slightly
sinister looking chloride tank, which softens the existing finish in a matter
of minutes. Satisfied of even saturation, my ferrous friend is plucked free and
placed within the iron oxide cabinet ready for blasting. Starting at the bottom
bracket shell, these finer particles are projected at lower pressure, yet
dismisses the beleaguered blue livery with remarkable efficiency, leaving
behind a clean, lightly sanded texture perfect for receiving the new primer and
topcoats.
Obviously, this chemical romance consumes filler too, so
pre-existing superficial dents around the top and head tube will be given fresh
helpings of Thermabond putty beforehand. Job-lot finishers would go straight to
paint, attempting to mask these imperfections with heavier powder but this
always bleeds though and looks second rate. Traditional fillers are porous, so
will blow, ruining the finish as it oven cures, so the only other option would
involve filling the affected with brass and smoothing it flat.
Elsewhere, Uncle Benny came to my rescue on the coldest
night thus far. Swooping serenely past his house on the newly fettled
Ilpompino, our zen-like mood was rudely interrupted by the rear tyre’s sudden
loss of pressure. Carrying said steed sixty odd metres to his welcoming (not to
mention well-lit) veranda, I was extracting the rear wheel when he opened the
door, inviting me and stricken spherical into the warm.
Boiling kettles muffled impolite curses upon discovering
both tyre levers crumbling under moderate strain and several small but
troublesome lesions in the previously invulnerable 24mm Halo rubber (which
ironically had superseded 25mm thick slicks that succumbed to similar fate
twenty three hours earlier).
Having filled this with Bostick’s finest while slurping
piping hot diesel strength beverage, I introduced a fresh tube only to find my
ultra-efficient SKS hand-pump had also blown its last…Luckily enough, I’d a
fully loaded CO2 dispenser en tow-110psi reinstated in a matter of seconds.
Beverages consumed, pump binned and wheel repatriated, we were home in twelve
minutes. Naturally I’ve since added two replacement tubes, levers, canister and
mini pump to proceedings.
Despite forecaster predictions, artic winds have brought
freezing rain as opposed to snowfall, thus Univega has retained those semi-slick
Panaracer RIBMO for time being. Aheadset bearings have continued to slacken
every forty odd miles, leading me to repatriate the spacer below the stem. Theoretically
this configuration will increase the load exerted by its heavy duty headlock
(as distinct from star fangled nut) cancelling out further outbreaks of
unwanted play.
Experiencing creative fatigue, I noticed the rear
derailleur cable run from lever to first guide seemed a little strained so
re-routed and replaced its inner wire before drizzling some clever looking
Muc-Off C3 ceramic dry lube into each and every chain link. “Alien” green upon
contact, it cures clear and supposedly offers similar tenacity to a wet lube
but with much slicker, cleaner running. Seems delightful thus far, making easy
transition to cleat/similar mechanisms, doubling as a decent assembly paste on
mudguard/carrier bolts too.
Most potions tend to consist of two parts-a super invasive
polymer lubricant and boron nitride stopper/thickening agent that prevents
dismissal come the first puddle. There’s even a UV torch included, supposedly
ensuring comprehensive, unabridged coverage but while certainly different, in
practice it doesn’t seem to offer any real benefit since green is pretty
difficult to miss! Still, the next few hundred road miles will reveal this
particular formula’s foibles.
