“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.
