Now there’s a phrase that pretty much embodies the times we live in and I’m going to stick with its positive, as opposed to negative connotations. A childhood friend has recently fancied dipping his toe into the road bike pond and invested in this cheap but very cheerful shop branded model. Plain gauge 7005 series TIG welded aluminium frames with hi-tensile steel forks aren’t going to set anyone’s Lycra ablaze and don’t merit wholesale upgrading. However, dressed in a pleasant starter groupset give a taste of spirited riding, plenty of smiles per mile and can be relegated to a serviceable winter/trainer when the time comes thanks to sensible clearances (700x25 inc fenders).
The only obvious low-point are the resin Shimano 600 pattern copies with ultra agricultural bearings but he plans to substitute these for double sided SPDs at the earliest opportunity. Bonding with one’s bike is a crucial part of riding and subsequent days have seen the introduction of bottle cages, mini pumps, wedge pack and a seat collar cosy crafted from off cut of redundant MTB inner tube. This will prevent dirt and ingress thrown up by the rear wheel entering the seat-tube and causing corrosive havoc, although fenders are likely to follow as fall advances. It’s nice to see a newbies develop as the bug bites that little bit deeper with every turn of the cranks so we’ll pop back and forth to sneak a peek at their blossoming relationship.
Leaving dry cells dormant inside nearly destroyed this brilliant budget One23 blinky. Mercifully genocide was narrowly avoided with some contact surgery, replacement cells and cursory lick of Vaseline. The Good folk at Moore Large (http://www.todayscyclist.co.uk/) have sent me One23’s three-mode Intense bright 1 front lamp. Closer inspection suggests it’s markedly similar to RSP Steradian- by no means a bad thing, neither is the collimator lens which is increasingly approaching industry standard these days. 
First impressions suggest peripheral illumination is among the best of this genre but some serious late night testing will give a better flavour of it’s capabilities. Curiously we’ve been promised a bitter winter here in the UK and “snow” (as distinct from that familiar to the populations of Scandinavia and North America) could be knocking at our doors come October. Heeding this warning and while opportunity presented itself, I’ve applied a liberal helping of Waxoyl to the KA chassis and inside ferrous framesets. BRRRRR!
My classic road bike has just turned twenty-one and I’m looking to complete the makeover with some good quality vinyl lettering and a set of Crud Racer II full-length fenders. Think it’s time those Magnesium bodied Genetic keo patterns made a return too…
Talking of retro, this Rossin frameset dating from the late 1980s arrived at Maldon Shot blasting &Powder coating ready for a makeover. Built from Columbus Gara, a thicker walled, lower end Cro-moly marketed at the touring and training fraternities and dripping in period chrome detailing (Ironic since the Italian tube maker forbid electroplating) it presents a wealth of potential headaches since the shiny stuff doesn’t magically end and paint commence
Enamellers typically employ acid etch primers to forge good union but the slippery electroplating eventually wins. Slight fading and inevitable chipping aside, this had been well loved and everything was basically sound. To avoid pitting, Graham mummified the chainstays and lower fork legs in electrical tape before passing the frameset inside the smaller blast cabinet. This uses less aggressive aluminium oxides to remove the enamel while providing a decent key for the chrome/paint overlap. Fifteen minutes later, it emerged clean and ready to receive zinc chromate and subsequent colour coats. Timeless gloss black, although hardly flamboyant is classy, affordable and extremely practical nonetheless. Here’s to another twenty-three years faithful service… 
