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Well, after some false starts caused by an online retailer breaking delicate components in their warehouse; John Moss has worked his magic, on my titanium seat post. 

Clarke lathe correctly calibrated, it took him 60 minutes to remove the excess metal. Residual blemishes were smoothed by hand using increasingly fine grades of emery paper.

In common with similarly skilled engineering trades, John’s background  means he is meticulous in his approach and seeks to continuously improve everything. A philosophy that I share but John’s skill and helpful disposition I greatly admire. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/love-resurrection-john-moss-s-tandem
 

He expressed quiet disappointment upon hearing of my intention to paint the exposed section. Having clapped eyes on the freshly polished post, I’ve decided to leave it raw.

Coventry was once the UK’s motor city, much like Detroit in the US. Car manufacturing, at least on a mass scale, has long since gone and the economic impact has been quite apparent.While the loss of the factories hit people of all socio-economic groups hard, engineering and technological skills remain in demand. 

Coachbuilders, tool makers, textile engineers and skilled machinists had transferable skills and were able to port themselves over to other, related industries. Any subsequent retraining was minimal and easily recouped either by themselves, or new employers.

I was taught to weld by a Dagenham coachbuilder named Terry and George, a giant tool maker who had worked for many years at the Ford motor company. Dagenham was also another motor town that has suffered greatly since the automotive giant relocated.

Their transition to teaching was arguably an obvious one. I was also interested to learn that the old divides and office politics (between traditional academic and technical) so prevalent in manufacturing; had also been ported over.  

Tuesday morning, having returned from a quick twenty mile blast, restoring my faith in those 30mm Vee tyres (which are starting to win my over in pretty much every context); I decided I may as well introduce the Univega to its new post.

This also presented another opportunity to put Blackburn Switch multi tool through its paces. Sent to Seven Day Cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com  from Zyrofisher http://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/  the switch is a very minimalist, though equally well conceived 8-function design with some very neat touches.

The wrench is doubled ended, meaning it can be deployed as a T or L shaped Allen key for torque, or alternatively, screwdriver fashion. Ball ends ensure easy access to bottle mounts and similar fasteners. Newbies and those seeking a single, comprehensive tool for several bikes are, in my opinion, better served by the brands’ 19 function wayside http://www.zyrofisher.co.uk/products/detail/BLTWAY19  

Nonetheless, the past fortnight has seen me warming to its charms and we’ll have both reviewed in the coming weeks. Tubby Tourer’s BBB skyscraper post removed, I decided to give the seat tube a top-up shot of waxy corrosion inhibitor.

Next, with the saddle in place, I introduced some PTFE based grease to the post and was delighted by how precisely the post slid into the frame. Teflon based grease! ? but titanium needs a very specific blend...

Yes, I subscribed to this for several years and it’s true that titanium can form a very permanent union with other metals. However, consulting engineers and Justin Burls http://www.burls.co.uk/ , who has built titanium framesets for many years, suggests any good quality synthetic grease is fine with titanium contact points/fasteners.

In keeping with other metals, inspect and replenish this at least annually. More regularly on mountain, cross, or road builds shunning mudguards, mind.