Titanium & Timewasters

I’d done a couple of model shoots in Dovercourt but hadn’t dropped in on Justin Burls http://burls.co.uk/  for almost three years. High time we had a catch up. Down in the workshop, he was busily building a customer’s mountain bike, based around one of his legendary, custom made titanium framesets. I can hear some of you screaming Wot no discs!!!????

Well, the machine in question is being built for an epic, wilderness tour of Africa. A raw and punishing environment, where outright reliability trumps sophistication/exotica.

One of the many reasons I toured with 4130 Cro-moly racks, or trailer.

Worst case scenario; should a breakage occur, chances are a roadside garage would be able to blast it back together with either an oxyacetylene kit, or MIG welder. Talking of which (Probably has its origins in my childhood and many afternoons in a workshop) I was keen to inspect Justin’s new workshop extension and TIG inverter.

TI aside, Justin traditionally fillet brazed his framesets. I was rather taken with his frame jig. More with its rusty patina, than the contrasting, space age titanium road frame held within it.

He was also preparing a pared to the essentials fixed frameset with a beefy wishbone rear triangle. No drillings for brakes, let alone mudguards, or similarly civilian stuff here!  Hanging on the wall, was his Dawes Galaxy tandem.

Arguably one of the best production models, rivalled by Claud Butler (Holdsworthy) Super Dalesman during the 80s I also liked Dawes Double-edge mountain bike tandem. Look closely at Justin’s and you’ll notice shortened Shimano cranks and a very sleek adaptor.

This was so his daughter, Alex could do stoker duties. However, she’d had a growth spurt, thus this expensive adaption was now redundant! At least, until his son, Tom gets tall enough…

Now, being able to ogle another rider’s workshop space is an honour and a privilege. Its also fascinating and serves to illustrate that one rider’s trash, is another’s treasure. Swap meets sound like the ideal means of exchanging unwanted kit but for the moment, online auction sites are my default. Keeps personality and emotions out of the equation.

Back to my fleet. I’ve swapped the Vel SE cage, from the Holdsworth and to my cross/gravel fixed. Reason being, the twisting forces associated with a side-entry design, coupled with a large trade bottle, has proved too much for the former’s band on mounts.

It’s caused them to rotate annoyingly over the course of a ride. No migration issues with traditional, top entry cages and 750/800ml bidons. Something to bear in mind…I’ve also hit the 300mile mark with the Finish Line Dry lube, so have introduced some Joe's Dry, which arrived for testing, last week.

Been a frustrating week, with models cancelling, or messing about, prompting me to update my cancellation policy. The model who cancelled, is usually super reliable and was presented with a situation she had no control over. She also contacted me first thing, that morning.

I am a compassionate person and know only too well that sickness doesn’t stick to a schedule.

I also know, first hand that the most reliable and well-maintained vehicles, or childcare can let us down. However, I have no time for those, who book shoots and then hedge their bets, or don’t show.

A Bedford based model did just this. On the one hand, inconvenience and wasted time have really irked me but on the other, clearly a lucky escape. I’ve wished her every future success and promptly blocked her, from future email, or portal communications.

Communication is key and its one of the reasons I engage in a fair bit of pre-shoot correspondence. Any photographer, who cannot bolt together, a coherent and articulate paragraph is worth swerving. The same goes for models who approach, wanting to work but with no idea of what they want to achieve.

If someone approaches me with the opening line “Hi, I like your work, would you like to shoot?”; I’ll typically reply, asking what attracted them to my work and me, specifically. If they do not reply, or cannot articulate in reasonable detail, it tells me all I need to know.    

Graveyard Shift

Unseasonably low temperatures and weather fronts failed to relent through March and into April, so its been winter tights, booties, gloves, buffs and base layers as I’ve reclaimed the night. Sweeping through abandoned lanes between midnight and 2am unleashes a new dimension in riding pleasure and a genuinely better sense of perspective on life. Keyboard duties recommence at 9am until early evening whereupon a few TV/social breaks prove welcome.

Thus far, it’s done wonders for my mood and productivity. I’ve always found darkness the best time for evaluating bikes and equipment since it neutralises prejudice as we are guided by our senses. Riding blind, oblivious to whether a brifter is top flight or entry level gives a far more objective assessment of real world performance- I’ve often been surprised by how well budget components perform, even under some decidedly harsh contexts. Lower end derailleurs are a good choice for winter/daily drivers. First and foremost, they're relatively inexpensive to replace in the event of a bad spill and secondly, help disguise a bike's true worth from speculative thieves. 

Horsham based Atomic 22 sent me their revised tribe system, which are a set of sophisticated locking fasteners employing a unique key and can be “grown” to protect every component –including seat bolts, dropout hangers, bottle screws, quill stems and solid axles too. Precision made from aircraft grade titanium/stainless steel, they resist all the common forms of attack and go a long way to deterring the sort of crime where bikes are stolen, broken for spares and sold on through ebay/craigslist/gumtree etc. However, this doesn’t absolve the need for intelligent deployment of stout locks, location and street furniture.  

Took a drive down to Justin Burls the other week for a weapon’s inspection-for the benefit of global authorities, we’re talking titanium and beautifully brazed steel bicycle frames, not surface to air missiles or similar warheads. He’s been designing titanium frames with Torus bicycles and was keen to show me some new enamel badges and similarly exciting arrivals. www.burls.co.uk www.torusbicycles.co.uk/    

Testament to these exacting standards is “Old Faithful”; his first bespoke frameset dressed in the classic winter attire-old groupsets, Salmon Profil mudguards and smatterings of road salt. Those Rosso red two-pac painted Columbus tubes still ooze a quiet, timeless seductive refinement some fifteen years or so on. 

Cold doesn’t bother me per se, although I’m looking forward to some milder weather in order I can put these Revolution “tack” three quarter length baggies through their paces without donning extra long socks as a matter of absolute necessity. Statistically 3am is reckoned to be the most dangerous time to be navigating the road network, irrespective of vehicle (I’m usually cocooned in my duvet, cruising through the land of nod at this point in proceedings) but that aside, the standards of road craft demonstrated by some is terrifying, more so, the sense of bad driving being  a rite of passage and perfectly acceptable.

BBC three’s “Barely Legal Drivers” followed three sets of late teen/early twenty- something drivers who’s elephantine arrogance/ignorance goes a long way to explaining why insurance premiums are so high and accidents increasingly fatal. However, I was more gob smacked by  parental attitudes, which were largely accepting/condoning of excessive speeding, drunk/ hands-free driving (Oh bless, they’re clapping in time with the music). 

Seemingly desperate to reward their undisciplined offspring regardless, I strongly suspect said parents would blame a cyclist/motorcyclist or indeed another driver for being on the road in the event of a collision “S/he’s not at fault- you only have yourself to blame”.

Conscious of this drifting toward a tirade, my feeling is that we must all strive to continuously improve our road craft, irrespective whether we happen to be piloting a 15lb bicycle or fifteen tonne arctic.

In The Buff (Beware The Ides of March)

I am of course referring to the Uber versatile microfibre Coolmax polyester multifunctional headwear, not some subversive form of racing or lewd, “hacked” images supposedly compromising some Z list zombie.

This clever little do-rag has been with us in ever evolving guises since 1992 and can be worn in a variety of fashions-from the classic Marco Pantani "pirate" or Robert Shaw “bind your skull together” bandanas to flowing Lawrence of Arabia/ French foreign legion fashion to hide helmet hair or indeed protect against sun/heatstroke. This season’s fibres have been tweaked to block 95% of UV rays, while providing even greater odour control, courtesy of a silver yarn (if it works well in short inserts then it’ll do its thing pretty much anywhere!).

They’ve also added a nifty neoprene visor to proceedings, which doesn’t detract from the garments classic ‘stuff in a jersey simplicity and works rather well beneath classic road shaped helmets, sheltering eyes from the sun’s glare and winter’s wrath. Talk of the devil. He’s been making a swift; callus return following a few days’ bright spring-like conditions and local authority/highways agencies have been gritting fervently too, so I expect to see well dressed winter dobbins plodding on obediently for several weeks yet. 

Chrome is a slippery customer, quite popular on older steel trainers but contrary to popular opinion, extremely vulnerable to winter’s worst. Assuming you didn’t want the stained, distressed look or the hassle of regular waxing, a decent finisher could preserve forks under a durable powder coat lacquer (two-pac would be a good choice if you weren’t assured of the electroplates’ pedigree).

£10 upwards is a guide price, assuming no other prep’s required. DIY acrylic stuff works well enough on small areas such as carrier stays but simple economics says outsourcing is the best option- it’ll be applied in a sterile environment and won’t wrinkle, peel or yellow over time. I was recently writing a magazine feature about winter riding in its most holistic sense and had cause to query Justin (Burls) re Old faithfuls’ present spec, since it’s in many respects the archetypal winter trainer. Aside from this and friendly, generic catch ups, he happened to mention some very exciting titanium stuff on the brew, including forks- more about this when I’ve seen them in the flesh. 

Spring remains a busy time for builds n’ makeovers. However, there’s no shortage of Stetson wearing lassoers jumping on the specialist finisher/ powder coating bandwagon. Take this 6061 Cross-country MTB frameset with fresh polar white livery- cursory inspection suggests bubbles have formed during liquefaction in the curing oven-a particularly common but easily corrected fault that occurs among non ferrous metals. However, in this instance, overly aggressive application of/blast media has blown holes through the thin walled tubing. Prep elsewhere is equally slapdash-choked bottom bracket threads and head tube over spray is inexcusable, even by job lot standards.

Maybe its coincidence but there seems more riders than usual on the roads this past week or so, which is always heartening and raises issues of greeting etiquette. Notions of us all being “one big club” are perhaps, somewhat naïve-why should we wave inanely at perfect strangers. However, a reciprocal nod or similar acknowledgement is nice. 

Spain was passionately pro cyclist at one point but a new set of draconian legislation has been rolled out in their parliament. This might sound of little consequence to the UK were it not for the sudden emergence of fringe, single issue groups capitalising on voter indifference, or resentment towards mainstream, established parties. Little is known about their underlying agendas/ beliefs and what this means for a nation and its people…I for one am very perturbed. Cycling could then be banned from public roads, passed through on inaccurate road tax rhetoric; the national minimum wage could be circumnavigated or indeed abolished by use of unpaid internships to name but a few sinister scenarios. 

Ending on a more cheerful note, I’ve been recycling an old set of well travelled Schwalbe; most notably turning them into these voluptuous mud flaps. Cutting through the casings and to size was a doddle once I’d sawn through the folding Kevlar beads-sturdy kitchen scissors did the trimming. Mudguard mounting proved strangely convoluted though. I’d hoped to drill through the chrome plastic before pop riveting the flap in situ but those tough carcasses proved too thick. Eventually I bolted them aboard with stainless steel hardware and 10mm nut, trimming the former with croppers and filing flat. Being brutally honest, shop bought would’ve been more cost effective but there’s something deeply satisfying about making bespoke stuff from reclaimed scrap.

Dropping down to Dovercourt

Easter was once a time when folk would heed the call to Church, feasting and prayer. Now, the masses descend upon DIY stores in their millions, partaking in an orgy of frenzied bodging-whether painting the spare room, erecting pagodas, paths and patios or attempting full-on domestic re-wires. Accident/Emergency receptions brim with hapless heroes, who’ve discovered the human body is a mightily efficient conductor of electricity, dropped paving slabs on their sneakered feet or nailed themselves to the flat pack furniture they were trying so desperately to erect. Joshua and I took the opportunity to drop by on Justin Burls and take a sneak peak at those lovely fillet brazed prototype framesets I mentioned a while back. Both are fashioned from a lovely Columbus tubeset topped off in either electric blue or rich, ruby red. Construction is, as might be expected, flawless-evidenced by this road fixer chassis finished in a clear lacquer topcoat, that will no doubt catch on amongst the fixer fashionista. Timing (Justin had just returned from the Bespoke Bristol show) and the weather conspired against a preliminary spin but for now I’ll tease you with a few photos….
My own fleet continues to evolve, courtesy the Ilpompino's new S-Link chain and a very swish locking seatpost collar for the Univega. Now, the latter are built to order from aerospace grade titanium by Atomic 22- a small-scale manufacturer based in Horsham, West Sussex. This kit is unique, not only in terms of materials but in that they can produce locking fasteners for pretty much every component on your bike, whether road, fixed or mountain bike, brifters, brake mounts, pedals, derailleurs, crank bolts, you name it, they can protect it. Fitting is best performed using a good quality torque wrench and 8mm socket but a ring spanner will also do the trick, since most of us don’t pop torque wrenches in with the patch kit when heading out for a quick twenty-mile blast.
Early impressions are good, although I’ve had an attack of the vapours on several occasions, trying desperately to reclaim the tiny unique key from beneath the fridge/freezer. Obviously replacements are available (£30 each) and much easier to obtain since keys are automatically registered to the rightful owner at the time of order. Presently, they’re looking to employ alternative metals without compromising strength, thus lowering the cost and broadening appeal. However, it’s no substitute for a decent lock, insurance and similarly sensible precautions since a truly frustrated Neanderthal could wrap your pride and joy around some street furniture…

Theft, particularly of metals and central heating fuels is becoming endemic and almost normalised by the present economic climate but I find these rationale's a very convenient justification for wantonly criminal behaviour. A friend’s storage barn was recently ransacked of copper piping and similar raw materials associated with his plumbing and heating business. Subsequently, he spent a day making effective repair and relocating a project car and essential tooling for fear of subsequent visitation. A happier re-homing came for my faithful Specialized Air Tool track pump; this now resides with my mother and her partner’s bikes. I had a choice of two replacements, including this super sturdy twin barrel Zefal, albeit with defunct pressure gauge.
Back in the saddle and there’s been lots to play with. That BBB chain and cassette seem to be wonderful bedfellows with the Univega’s a’la Carte drivetrain, not so much as missing a shift in four hundred miles. Quality of electroplating appears equally impressive and the factory marinade tenacious for the first two hundred but I’ve since reverted to a wax based dressing. Then came these aptly named Knog Blinder, which belt out a whopping eighty and forty-four lumens respectively. Gone is the iconic medical silicone in favour of anodised aluminium faces and a choice of five funky lighting patterns.
We’ve got the standard “dice” but noughts; crosses, stripes and arrows are the alternatives. Tipping the scales at thirty-five grams a piece, they’re hardly going to cramp the style of even the sleekest of road/fixers either. Performance seems generally impressive, visible in the "bobby-dodger" see-by sense to around 750 metres and rechargeable run times between two hours fifty three and 78.47 hours in top and eco-flash settings respectively. Overall, aside from the slightly swanky price tag, I’m genuinely very impressed and the quality has been tweaked a notch or so higher than the otherwise loveable silicone types too…Back to the book…




.

Here comes the rain again.

Falling on my head like a memory, falling on my head like a new emotion
The wind, sleet and snow showers too by the look of things, which is ironic given I had been bowling along in bright fifteen-degree sunshine and some seriously swish and summery Vaude ¾ lengths arrived in last weeks’ post. The German marque is justly revered for its waterproof luggage and technical jackets but these are arguably the most civilian messenger style trews I've seen to date. Sure, Showers Pass, Protective, Polaris and Endura are hot on their heels but to the untrained eye there’s nothing overtly “technical” to give the game away when you’ve dropped in on the accountant or commercial client. I’m itching to give them a good run, probably wearing that olive green Bontrager commuting jacket for ultimate civilian effect. Alas, with temperatures firmly in single figures, I’ll stick with the winter wardrobe and seek solace in the chic warmth of this Rothera Hounds tooth cap. Handmade in Philadelphia, Mr Rothera clearly knows his way around a sewing machine judging by the immaculate stitching and flat seams-it works better than most winter types worn beneath a helmet without compromising sensory awareness. My late father was well-versed in the art of sewing having spent the first twelve years of his working life as a serviceman, so it's heartening to see the re-emergence of these and similarly traditional skills.

Speaking of pater, he regularly mused that writing a book is about disciplining oneself to spend hours chained to a desk (and comfortable chair!) composing chapters even when you really didn’t want to. Fundamental to any creative process is the ability to plough through inspirational ruts but having settled to write one book and researching another, I’m rapidly gaining an appreciation of the stamina required. Self-motivation and freelance are inextricably linked but nonetheless; a publisher’s commission and associated deadlines would certainly bolster this momentum and dare I say, a sense of progression. Far from running away, measured in-the-saddle escape is where creative solutions germinate and combining this with some banking, I happened upon this youthful looking Raleigh Dynatec. Closer inspection suggests it’s a budget model- pressed into service as a town hack judging by the plastic pedals, missing rear mudguard and seat tube bottle screws. Something of a design classic, without the corresponding price tag, their bonded construction was a big departure from the lugged and brazed steels of the era. Paint finishes were justly revered for durability, thus making them excellent second cum training bikes. One note of caution though, the glued joints cannot withstand the heat generated in curing ovens so, makeovers will need to be of an air-drying two-pac variety. Personally I’d opt for a 5/6 or 700 model for sprightly training and its more lowly 300 sibling as a winter commu-trainer/daily driver.

At one time there appeared to be a glut of cheap but cheerful, unbranded Chinese fixer frames cropping up on London street corners. On a technical level, they weren’t particularly special-we’re talking lower end Cro-moly or 7005 series aluminium but they had an air of mystery nonetheless. Spotted a couple of flat bar builds in these parts, one olive green with tan leather grips and saddle and this satin black model. Flimsy locks, poorly used seem all the rage too. Assuming a passing thief found themselves sans croppers, they’d still come away from this Specialized with a decent set of wheels. No, I’m not being smug; I just hate the idea of rightful owners making life easy for tea-leaves.
Followers will know I suffer discomfort in my left shoulder resultant from slight physiological misalignment and the inevitable spills associated with twenty-six years on two wheels. Having experienced the exquisite hot-stones and traditional therapies, I happened upon a teaching salon charging £10 for an hour’s holistic head and full body massage. Needless to say, while the settings lack the outright luxury of high street/Spa venues, cleanliness is extremely high and newly qualified therapists seemed both competent and professional.

Ah, what’s this? Justin Burls has just invited me to a sneak peek at some lovely fillet brazed prototype framesets…Watch this space…

Burls Next The Sea....

Took a break from the monotony of chasing invoices and writer's block to pop in on Justin Burls. He's recently relocated, albeit only by a mile or so to more spacious premises complete with centrally heated indoor workshop. Arguably still relevant as a frame material, steel has been eclipsed by unprecedented demand for his bespoke titanium range/complete bike builds. However, it was this ferrous fixer that captured my imagination Built in the late 90s using Columbus tubes, it's quaintessentially a road frameset with track ends. All Justin's work is one-off and made to measure but we live in times of extensive badge engineering whereby, often the only features distinguishing one volume produced frame from another are the groupset, livery and decals. Taking the pragmatic, market forces approach, this has kept things ultra competitive in the consumers favour. Ten years ago, road bikes boasting 6061 aluminium tubes, carbon fork and a low-mid range groupset would command £1500 whereas £550 buys the same specification today. Given a few miles and some gradual component replacement, said machines arguably evolve so long as the owner hasn't slavishly replaced like for like. Without falling into the over simplistic and hackneyed "Extension of the persona" cliche'; Justin is very matter of-fact about the build, suggesting it was conceived from whatever was lying around or available cheaply. Take a closer look at these Campagnolo track cranks which were found along with the seatpost unloved and under a covering of tar in someone's outbuilding.Judicious use of the grit blaster, coupled with a new ring restored them to their original glory- living proof that very fetching bikes are possible with imagination, skill and very modest outlay. Stopping is courtesy of this entry level, yet aesthetically pleasing Campagnolo Mirage calliper and New Old Stock Shimano Exage levers, whereas the cockpit is classic road territory-Cinelli quill stem and 44cm drops dressed in cork wrap. A wired Cat-Eye might offend his clean lines ethic but offers unrivaled accuracy without corruption from external currents.
Old faithful is the embodiment of those characterful winter hacks and a machine I would gladly re home and er, partially rebuild. The drivetrain has succumbed to the salt monster but otherwise nothing a good bath, hard paste waxing and some waxoyl sloshing around the tubes wouldn't sort. A mid range Microshift groupset would complete the transformation perfectly...Ahem, Thou shalt not covet another man's bike....

Tea flowed against a backdrop of gentle burbles and bleeps from his bread maker interrupted only by sporadic telephone calls concerned with the evening's competitive road run. Conversation otherwise revolved around the irony of skilled artisans earning a living from teaching/materials (DVDs, Training manuals etc) rather than commercial practice. Casual observation suggests these "Black Arts" have become fashionable pass-times amongst a well-heeled professional class seeking a romanticised distraction from virtual stocks, shares and bonds.

Having confirmed the precise location of the evening's run, Justin reasoned there was sufficient time for an enthused swim in the North Sea. Partaking in this ocean's dubious charms had as much appeal as immersing my testicles in acid so I remained on Terra-firma and clicked away at ISO 100....