Thursday 5 November 2015

It Shouldn't Happen To A Photographer

 
“Riiiiip; Oh-no!” isn’t the most auspicious starts to a wedding, even if it strikes within the privacy of a bathroom. Mercifully, my salwar Kameez (Indian suit) trousers had only succumbed to a very slight and unrevealing tear, which was easily hidden (along with my blushes) by the long flowing gown.

No further wardrobe; or photographic malfunction struck during the four days of celebration and I virtually filled a16gb card to capacity.  The bride graciously agreed to some candid shots being posted here and on my photographic site. www.stenningphotographic.com

October 25th also signalled the end of British Summer Time (BST) and being something of a night owl, I was delighted by an abundance of blinkies/related equipment sent for my testing pleasure from various editors and distributors.

Courier was very quick to compliment me on the weatherproof canvas commission and unusually, keen to talk cameras. He seemed to have a genuine appreciation of their mechanics too; which is heartening given widespread perception that photography is merely a question of pointing and shooting.

“What camera is that? Takes good photos mate!” Hmm, nothing to do with understanding of light, control of aperture, ISO and shutter speed, or the ability to spot a pivotal moment/ expression then... 

The Teenage Dream is one of those framesets typical of small scale builders during the early 1990s. I am of course referring to the practice of adding eyeletted dropouts-without altering geometry one iota. This permitted the same frames to be marketed as winter/trainers.

Consumer appeal was obvious too-a really spirited frame that would induce massive ear to ear grins, while still managing mudguards and 23-25mm section rubber… Aside from the legendary Salmon Profile models, persuading the narrowest of full length chrome plastics to fit without binding required patience and considerable ingenuity

Thankfully its lowlier cro-moly sibling (built the following year from a hotch potch of components swapped or salvaged from a recently deceased fixed gear conversion) was more accommodating...
Fast forward 23 years and these arrived from Widget. Being able to slide the front through said bike’s aero fork crown and tight rear triangle while still maintaining enough gap for 25mm tyres induce a state of delirium.
That said; fitment still demanded painstaking precision and minute adjustment. Pruning the stays by matter of millimetres at each point was the only means of maintaining this delicate equilibrium.

We are firmly in fag paper territory with these 185tpi, 25mm Vee Rubber Rain Rubber. Operating pressures range between 100 and 145psi, so despite having a midi pump capable of delivering a genuine 100psi plus, I won’t be popping out without a Co2 inflator nestling in my back pocket.  These also fought back, registering a cool six on the struggle-o-meter.

Cajoling them aboard a very unremarkable set of MA2 hoops required the combined forces of three composite levers and dexterous digits. These were accompanied by the sort of primal grunting and panting more commonly associated with the final stages of labour.

My workshop tyre wand would’ve been the speediest solution but evaluating ease of re/mounting using standard fare was crucial given we’re most likely to flat by the roadside, miles from said labour saving gizmo. Initial impressions are of an extremely quick, supple tyre with leach like cornering prowess and  

Halloween probably wasn’t the best time to commence fettling and the spirits certainly seemed to be conspiring against me. First the Teenage Dream’s rear dual pivot calliper got the sulks; prompting a thorough strip, clean and refit. Next up, cable replacement. Having spliced a decent quality mid-range Jagwire housing to length, to my horror I’d run out of equivalent inners. 

Budget inner wires tend to be very serviceable, although have a tendency to stretch, hence I leave a couple of hours, overnight where possible before pulling through and finally guillotining with razor sharp snips. Alas, malevolent spirits intervened again and as I squeezed the Jagwire cutters decisively, those budget Bowden erupted ruinously-both times.

Not to be outdone, my Hudl2 tablet computer suddenly succumbed to charging failure-something supposedly linked to the recent software updates. In practical terms, this means ringing their customer helpline and hoping it can be rectified before the warrantee elapses in a few days…

Feeling decidedly jinxed, I cut my losses, popped the bike back on its hook, ordered some mid-range inners and fresh bar wrap. Felt the urge for a bargain basement rummage-some Bike Ribbon with a slightly unusual colour scheme. Nothing fired my imagination, so I settled on this wallet-friendly black Deda and decided I’d upgrade the venerable Cane Creek SC5 levers in favour of some Shimano 600 since opportunity presented.

Aside from a lighter action, their slender profiles are arguably more in keeping with the bike’s early 90’s flavour.  Well, with the Cinelli mini tri bars dressed in recycled Ritchey, time I was shortlisting some people.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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