A colder, though dry streak
has seen me pluck the Holdsworth from hibernation for some fun along the
backroads. The arrival of this Stem Captain clock, also proved an ideal
opportunity to strip and re-grease the Woodman Saturn headset’s lower race and
needle roller bearings.
The Stem captain is a range of
mounts, from clocks and old school compasses to Garmin GPS.
These turn the “dead space”
into something more useful. It’s a concept that has grown on me, not to the
point where I’d consider it a must-have across the fleet but being able to
glance down, rather than grapple with a sleeve, or scroll through a bar mounted
computer.
Working on the basis, you’re
running the classic star fangled nut configuration and your Aheadset is
properly pre-loaded…It’s literally a question of whipping out the 5mm Allen
screw and replacing the top cap with the Stem captain and snugging it down as
usual.
Next, seat the clock into
place with the clear silicone grommet. This holds it snug.
Things aren’t radically
different when it comes to expandable wedge types, common to the Woodman and
obviously, carbon steerers.
However, performing said swap
at 10am on a cold Saturday morning, on “The soviet -block” (a section of 70’s
concrete designated for bike washing and messy fettling) I managed to get the
lowest, threaded assembly lodged in the fork’s alloy steerer.
I attribute this lamentable
scenario to the shock of hearing my neighbour, offering their heating engineer
de-caffeinated “coffee”.
Think silent scream of
revulsion. Said scenario was all the more surreal on account of him hollering
from the chimney stack and I “dressed” In Marvel superhero lounge pants and
duvet type, hooded cardigan.
Fork and threaded section
retrieved, using a scrap mudguard stay (a spare spoke might’ve been a few
seconds quicker), I reassembled the bung in its correct order and retouched the
forks’ alloy ends with some quick drying gloss black hobby enamel.
Ideally, any retouching should
coincide with a few days curing but since the brand in question dries quickly,
I risked it for the proverbial biscuit. I’ll build it up in thin coats while
it’s tucked away for winter.
Finish line ceramic applied to
the lower race, I reinstated the front end, refitting the front brake and
double checking the Aheadset was free of unwanted play. Some fresh finishing
strips-colour coordinated electrical tape, completed the tune-up and satisfied
with the hour’s efforts I headed indoors for sustenance.
Frames are pretty durable.
Said frame has been repaired-new bottom bracket shell, minor pitting and small
dents addressed. Even carbon composites can be fully rebuilt following some
jaw-droppingly serious crashes https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/a-visit-to-carbon-fibre-bike-repair
.
This steel frame intrigued me
for several reasons. I was initially struck by the smooth fillet brazing and
something told me it was one of those frames that had been passed through
several club riders. Looking closer, I was surprised to discover fractured
“ear” around the seat collar, yet extensive and recent brazing is very apparent
at the Bottom bracket shell, down tube bottle bosses and mech hanger.
From the photo, Lee Cooper www
http://leecoopercycles.webs.com/
reckoned the work was repairable and around the £30 mark, although worth
blasting first to assess the frame’s overall structural integrity.
Elsewhere, those Rock N’ Roll
goodies have again, been intercepted. No fault of the supplier, rather seasonal
pilfering, within the postal system which, sadly, isn’t that uncommon this
close to Christmas.
Most communications workers
and delivery drivers are honest people, who work incredibly hard. This also
applies to seasonal operatives-I’ve been one, so know.
Unfortunately, during periods
of high demand, there will always be a small, feckless minority, who will
steal, or just take them back to the sorting office/depot, because they cannot
be arsed to complete their round.
Right, ending on a positive
note. I’m off to sort some reflectors and other lighting ready for next week’s
model shoot down in sunny Sussex.
