On a Budget

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…

Pedalling Contradictions

Some rides flow seamlessly while others have very clearly defined beginnings, middles and ends-Sunday's mid morning meander being a case in point. With the strong autumn sun calling it was time for Ninja Blue and I to take advantage of the temperate conditions before weather more characteristic of the season took hold. Ninja Blue is my pet name for the Holdsworth-there's a long sentimental story underlying this curious moniker and maybe someday I'll share it.

Gliding through the village, attune to traffic conditions, yet equally consumed by my thoughts, we turned right into the tight and winding back roads to a warm "Alright mate!". Caught by surprise, I must've seemed unnecessarily aloof bordering on discourteous realising the second of two road riders was in fact addressing me. Tongue and manners rediscovered I managed a polite "Yourself?" before his "Yeah, not bad" concluded our dialogue.

My disconnected response left a twinge of guilt but then: I was in one of those very quiet modes that typify me-times calling for steady cadence, reflection and inner peace. Bowling along the lanes saw periodic encounter with kindred spirits before confronting Little Mountains Road. My ego whispered of how I flew up here in my teens-fixed or freewheel and mercifully powering a 79 inch gear, my legs met the challenge without hesitation despite road surfaces resembling treacle toward the summit. Unusually, body and soul felt no inclination to cruise beyond 20mph throughout our journey.

In retrospect this was just as well, entering another twisting turn and chasing onward I was greeted by a group of children playing in the lane. Given these paranoid times, I was reassured to see them so carefree. This was diluted by their desire to dart back and forth across the narrow stretch of road. Mercifully, a cautiously driven Renault MPV had tempered their passion for this curious game of dare, though my right hand hovered over the brake nonetheless. A quick kick of the transmission saw us steal a march on potential chaos. Clocking up the miles, I'm starting to notice small flaws in the build. Nothing monumental but the budget Stronglight crank shows discernible flex under load. Credit where it's due, everything turns smoothly and reliably enough and given the Holdsworth will be hibernating through the winter months upgrades are unnecessarily indulgent... Unless something irresistible presents itself at the right price.
Elsewhere the Teenage Dream is entering the second phase of its makeover but this has introduced a wealth of complications. It was an oh-so-simple recipe, purchase carbon fork, Woodman sealed bearing Aheadset and suitably refined bar and stem. Teenage Dram brought well and truly into the 21st Century...Then along comes chrome. Not just any old chrome mind, oh no. 531 race blades and a threaded steerer. This saves a good wedge of cash and worthy components from languishing in the spares drawer.
It's been seventeen years since I bought anything sporting chrome-the Teenage Dream's winter sibling had a fully chromed uni-crown cro-moly fork. Objectively, chrome plating is an awful process to subject delicate,precision components and thin walled frame tubing. I'll concede half-chrome chainstays are very alluring but this exterior beauty comes at a high price....Involving acid baths and other brutality, it's a process Dr Crippin would approve of and not the sort for a beautiful bicycle frame. Before any plating is added, substantial amounts of metal are stripped from the tubes ready for polishing. Later stages involve plenty of dunking in acid and other toxic brews before passing through a neutralising bath in the hope of purging any remnants. Any traces left here will result in internal corrosion and ultimately frame/fork fatigue.

Decorative chroming by nature is notoriously thin, made worse by modern platers forgoing the protective copper layer. This leaves a porous surface and the steel beneath vulnerable to rust-especially in coastal regions. Because paint doesn't magically stop where the chrome starts, finishers employ acid etch primers to cajole it to the slippery surface but longevity is poor and the paint ultimately recedes. Columbus strongly advise against it- ironic given most Italian marques sport acres of it!

Knowing this, why then am I still lusting after a pair? Well, £55 for 531 with a sloping crown is too tempting while allowing the channelling of precious resources into other projects. That said, the merest hint of a price hike will see me running to contemporary carbon faster than a tot with grazed knees to their mother.