Tuesday 2nd saw
me meeting the CEO of a small scale bike brand outside Bermondsey tube station.
Never one to waste a few minutes, armed with trusty workhorse Sony Alpha SLR, I
snapped these working fixers/single speeds shackled obediently to nearby
stands.
Moments later my host
arrived and whisked me off to a classically authentic and highly hospitable
Italian café’ restaurant several streets away. Six hours hence, our meeting
drew to a mutually favourable conclusion and I re-joined the sea of equally
purposeful commuters, weaving through platforms and cramming themselves sardine
fashion into a slowing procession of tube carriages.
Dark by 1500hrs, tis the
season for day glow overshoes and potent dynamos. Those genuinely unique and
capable Shower’s Pass covers fit in a flash and are one of the few readily
compatible with broader street-styled shoes (although you’ll need to cut their
sole to accommodate recessed cleats).
While belting along the back
roads aboard the Univega, its rear wheel began an ominous “self-destruct”
symphony some ten miles from home, announcing its oft maligned M475 freehub
needed emergency strip and rebuild surgery.
Aside from regular cassette
replacements, sporadic skewer greasing and generic polishing; mine has been
fending for itself these past 5,000miles. New bearings, Teflon based grease and
freehub body hence; we’re sorted for another year or so.
Despite my best efforts, one
of the front hoop’s stainless spokes has succumbed badly to the salt monster’s slimy,
caustic tongue, thus necessitates replacement sometime in the New Year-before
it “twangs” unexpectedly.
I fully intend to upgrade
the tubby tourer’s cheap but relatively cheerful Aheadset in favour of
something better sealed and with higher quality cartridge/needle roller
bearings.
These distribute loads much
better than standard balls, thus wear slower and run buttery smooth. Sadly,
Woodman’s Saturn (Fitted to Holdsworth and Teenage Dream) is no longer in
production. A Tange needle roller and Stronglight annular unit, both giving
change from £25 have caught my eye.
Decathlon opened its latest
store in Harlow last week and I was lucky enough to get a press invite. More
famous for its cycle museum and college of Journalism, I hadn’t been to the
town for over twenty years, although the retail park was easily found.
Smaller than some, there was
still plenty to see. I am particularly taken with their (in house) Btwin
clothing range-especially their mid/upper end 500 and 700 series. Hopefully,
I’ll have some samples and their junior series for testing early in 2015.
Christmas is one of the
busiest periods for logistics companies with ever greater demands being met by a
reserve army of seasonal labour. However, two, maybe three consignments of
relatively valuable test kit have mysteriously “vanished” in the past six weeks.
One carrier had the cheek to
record these as delivered (and signed for!) suggesting they’re helping
themselves and/or running a lucrative side line-might have a gander on the auction sites later..
Having served as a seasonal dobbin
at various points, I have witnessed boxes containing flat screen plasma TVs,
lightweight bicycle frames and other fragile items launched shot-putter fashion
across warehouses and slammed into wire mesh cages.
A wonder we receive
anything, let alone in serviceable condition. Interestingly and in keeping with
other un/semi-skilled production/assembly line contexts, you’ll meet the nicest
and nastiest ends of humanity.
I’ve noticed close parallels
with the sentiments expressed by men working the line at Ford’s Halewood plant
in Huw Beynon’s 1970s study “Working for Ford”.
“They’re all working here but they’re just really hanging around,
waiting for something to turn up…” Hmm, haven’t seen a set of Tenn Gloves,
Overshoes too by any chance folks?
Never mind, issue 2 of Seven
Day Cyclist has just hit the digital stands http://www.pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1038&category=Sport&subcatid=234&subcategory=Cycling&title=Seven+Day+Cyclist&titleid=2582&issueid=92567#close
.
