Show n' Tell

Seven day cyclist www.sevendaycyclist.com was at the Cycle Show in Birmingham’s National Exhibition centre. Quite a lot caught my eye, although given the focus of my last entry and the recent sentencing of Charlie Alliston, I was very taken with the Cinelli and Condor stands. Unusual to see a linear pull brake these days, especially on a road biased fixed/single speed build.

Gravel and bike packing remains a big trend and another genre that strongly appeals to me.  The Cube stand also sported this Nuroad EXC; a convergence between gravel bike and lightweight tourer. Complete with dynamo lighting, disc brakes, full-length guards and a Tubus rack. 

Staying on this lightweight, versatile tourer theme, we stopped by the Isla bikes stand and had a closer look at their Luath, which is perfect for younger riders seeking an all-rounder.

Ready to tour, commute, or drop rack and guards and try a bit of cross. Sensibly proportioned crank length, gearing and contact points are definite plusses. This also serves to illustrate how serious the brand is about providing correctly fitting machines for younger audiences.

Often parents will fight shy, on the rationale their offspring will “grow out of it in no time” but in the longer run, decent quality machines hold their value. Even after they’ve been handed down two, maybe three times come resale; expect to recoup 50% of the original ticket price.

Isla bikes also have an interesting rental scheme called the “Imagine Project”. At the end of this lease, machines will then be returned to the factory, refurbished and leased again.

Theory goes; this “closed loop” system prevents raw materials being buried as landfill. We’re told these bikes will be rugged, utility machines, rather than thoroughbred lightweights but these have a vital role to play in a sustainable, mixed mode transport system.

I also dropped by the Halo stand and they have graciously agreed to supply me with a suitable (model) rim for my shutter precision dynohub build. Staying with lighting, exposure lights showed us their Strada 900. This uses the same kind of dipped headlight technology commonplace in cars, providing plenty of illumination for high speed outings but without dazzling oncoming traffic.

We’re told the Revo dynamo light is pretty much (graphics aside) unchanged from that adorning my Univega’s bars for the past five years. Some people criticise it for not having a USB charge port for smart phones and other tech. However, Exposure has apparently swerved this route and in my opinion, it’s the ideal lamp for long, steady, mixed terrain miles. Their revo dynohub also stirred some lustful yearnings... 

Elsewhere, I’ve made time to strip, inspect and re-grease my fixed gear winter/trainers FSA Orbit headset. There was a decent amount of Green Oil eco-grease (link) clinging to the upper and lower races. Reassuring and suggests it’s very much on par with PTFE infused formulas.

I’ve substituted it for the Pure bike grease to see how it copes with more demanding service. Lower, butter-like viscosity means it spreads effortlessly over bearings, races and other components but superficially, doesn’t bind, or cling to hosts with the same tenacity as the eco-grease it replaces. Time and miles will tell.

I’ve also been spending some time behind the dark shield-familiarising myself with John Moss’s Clarke MIG130 EN gas/less welder. MIG/MAG/GMAW welding was originally developed during the Second World War and used widely in munitions factories before finding favour in automotive contexts.

Filler rod is continuously fed on a spool, minimising interruption and in an industrial context, maximising output. I was taught on a 105 amp Clarke unit feeding from industrial Argon/Co2 cylinders.  

A failed spot weld on his stool (something of an heirloom, having been in his family for 65 years) proved the ideal candidate and was easily repaired, with a few relatively short beads.  

Flux corded weld wire produces a less refined weld compared with Argon/Co2 shielding gas and standard .6/.8 filer rod. Nothing judicious deployment of a grinder doesn’t sort, mind.  Right, time to put self-activating dark shields (Technology my grandfather would never put his trust in-I can almost feel him turning in his urn) down. I’m off to play with some post show test goodies.