Blow Out Sale!!!

"Funny expression that one, especially when it’s used by bike retailers. Why would anyone want a blow-out?!!!!!" my mind raced, as pressure roared from the Univega’s Vittoria Street runner and we squirmed into the bend. Luckily I was able to tame the samba-dancing front end and drew to a dignified halt.

Flaccid tube removed from the comfort of a churchyard bench, the otherwise dependable semi-slicks’ centre strip was absolutely peppered with deeply embedded thorn cuttings. 

Exorcised with the steely determination of a teenager squeezing a puss leaden pimple, I made a note to pack tweezers, which would hopefully make any future purging a whole heap easier.

New tube in place and pressure restored with the surprisingly efficient Lezyne mini pump, I reinstated the wheel and whizzed the final mile or so home. I like the convenience of CO2 inflators, especially when its cold but always carry a decent pump as back up.

Damage sustained by the Street runner rendered it scrap, so I resurrected another Panaracer RIBMORE from the tyre rack. Spotting a sharp flint peaking out from one of the water-chanelling grooves, I purged, then plugged the hole with gel-type glue.

Tube stocks weren’t nearly so healthy, so I ordered another small batch of 26x1.75 via smartphone.

This also proved the perfect opportunity to install some Kryptonite Wheel Boltz. These are part of the security brands’ gravity range. Gravity in this instance, refers to the use of a pin mechanism, engineered only to release with the bike upside down.

Obviously, this makes tackling flats and similar roadside mechanicals, requiring wheel removal less convenient. Designed as secondary security, used in conjunction with a suitable lock, I'm curious why Kryptonite has taken the 5mm Allen, rather than Torx route. 

Both are common sights on better equipped multi-tools but turn out an opportunist tea leaf's pockets and chances are, you'll find a set of Allen keys. 

To date, Atomic 22 tribe is the only system I would risk forgoing a second lock with. Budget models were easily foiled using beefy pliers but might be fine for quick stop-offs at the bank/off licence. That said; ideally a decent security system should defeat potential crooks on looks alone. Otherwise, even if they can't foil your defences, frustration might lead them to destroy your bike out of sheer spite.

Hard core, organised criminals with vans will carry a full compliment of power tools and other brute force technology. These will generate quite a bit of noise, presenting a greater risk of them getting caught. Others  tend to have one tool for defeating a specific genre of lock. All things being equal, chances are they’ll walk on, when faced with both armored cable and U lock.

Talking of tooling, John Moss is just awaiting a final component for his lathe. Once that arrives, we're all systems go and the posts diameter can be reduced...  

Constant exposure to water logged back roads meant washing the Univega would've been pointless, so I deliberately allowed the fork legs, chainstays and rear triangle to get covered in acres of slimy crap. Fortunately, a big box of test goodies arriving on Thursday, included  M16 extreme bike clean and pro finish#2.

The former’s pale blue consistency looks like car screen wash but with a much nicer fragrance. Crucially, it shifted that accumulated grot with nominal effort. Speed freaks should note, the bike wash needs three minutes standing time, ten times longer than some popular pink brews.

This is still two minutes less than my present favourite, Pro Green MX formula https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/pro-green-mx-triple-pack . By the time I'd rounded up bucket, sponge and brushes, the witches brew of residual chain lube, impacted silty dirt and yes, waxy frame preserve pretty much slithered away on contact.

The inner chainstays still needed a soft brush tickling to tease some impacted stuff out but so far, I'm impressed. The pro finish counterpart is similarly easy to use, although unlike the Pro Green, it needs buffing with a bit of kitchen roll/ old, lint free sock/ microfiber cloth. No more demanding than beeswax furniture polishes, mind. All will be revealed in the coming weeks...

Random Tandem

It’s been a roller coaster week. A full cable refit to Graham’s recently refinished mid 90’s Timberline concluded my test of those Super B TB-WC30 Pro Cable Cutters https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/super-b-tb-wc30-pro-cable-cutters. I was also rather excited by a freshly blasted racing tandem that prepped and plugged, ready for a zinc rich epoxy base coat.

Turns out it’s an early 1950’s Rory O’Brien. Part of the refurb involved removing braze-ons, including the bottle bosses, which struck me as a curious move-even if the machine was being used for short-distance TTs.  

While the forks follow the traditional lugged and brazed construction, the frame is beautifully fillet brazed. Some would say this was an obvious choice for a pared to the essentials race rocket for two, saving precious grams and making it harder to disguise poor workmanship.

Urban myth, on both counts; though not commonly practiced during this frame’s era, TIG welding still translates into a lighter build, saving approximately 340g on a typical tandem frameset.

Fillet brazing is a process where brass is built up in layers, forming a very strong, uniform bond.  A frame constructed this way stands a better chance of survival following a collision with a tree, or parked car.

Talking of cars, anything other than fusion welding will signal MOT failure but a decent coachbuilder could successfully join two old school Jaguars together without any fear of failure. Motorcycle frames were also fabricated using this method.  

Being more labour intensive, there’s a cost implication but less competent/experienced builders can still get away with sloppy work. Done properly, large, smooth even fillets are all you’ll see. Be wary of overbite (where the tube has been filed at the fillet). This creates a stress point, which can result in premature and potentially fatal frame failure.  

John Moss has been focusing upon getting the Mango’s Di2 and Alfine hub combo harmonious but a conversation about machine shops and this Chinese made titanium seat post ignited his curiosity. Staying wit the Di2, he’s been having problems getting the shifters to communicate as he’d hoped with the 11spd Alfine hub. John’s career as a highly skilled technician means he loves to diagnose, fault find and continuously improve equipment.

I explained I had a 27.2 Ti post doing something nothing close to nothing and was toying with the idea of having it machined down to 26.0. This could then replace the Univega’s otherwise likeable BBB skyscraper. After some calculations and precision measurements, he calculated with a carbide tip, he could shave 136mm from the bottom, thus it would slide securely into the tubby tourer’s seat tube. Modern social history, human geography and industrial decline are subjects that have always fascinated me. Most cities have their no-go districts, or at least those with ill-repute.

Hillfields in Coventry has an unenviable reputation for being the city’s red-light district. Levels of deprivation are high, just as some inner London Boroughs including Hackney (despite the latter’s superficial gentrification, some might say, socio-economic cleansing).

However, it’s renown for being the region’s red-light area, drugs and associated criminal activity being consequently rife. I had always presumed this had been a relatively recent phenomenon, a’la Dagenham intensifying when the car factories and similar business left.

Anecdotally John and several other reliable sources refute my hypothesis. I’ve heard tales from the 1950s of organised criminal activity, including protection rackets, money laundering and of course, drugs. During the 1950s a smartly dressed young man walked into a Café’ and was greeted with smiles and warm acknowledgement.

A few minutes later, a woman running said eatery heard a scream and discovered the young man’s throat had been slit-in road daylight. She called for an ambulance and applied pressure to the wound using a clean tea-towel until paramedics arrived. The man survived.     

Conversation with Graham at Maldon Shot blasting & Powder Coating suggested painting the exposed section satin black wouldn’t be an issue either. It was decided that because of the metal’s characteristics, attempting to blast the surface (giving the paint fighting chance of staying put) was a non-starter, so he’d use an acid etch primer instead...Stay tuned…