Glancing back but moving forward.

After a week of searing heat and serious fun on the Holdsworth, thundery skies and gusty winds saw a return to the Ilpompino. In my haste to repair a flat, I remounted its Vittoria Voyager hyper in reverse direction, inducing some mild, though tangible skittishness through waterlogged corners. High time I reinstated that front mudguard too…

While out running some errands, my eye was immediately drawn to a long row of club bikes shackled to café’ railings while their owners tucked in to hearty lunches. A flat bar build with discs stood out on account of its full length SKS guards with neatly angled stays.

These stays look an excellent option should my stay bending prowess prove lacking, so I’ve dropped their UK importer a quick email. Elsewhere in this line up, some cut down drops had me fishing for my Samsung CSC (Compact Systems Camera) However, I was conscious that loitering with intent ran the risk of inducing suspicion, so took a single shot and turned on my heels.  

The popularity of complete bike builds has mushroomed in recent years thanks t the economies of scale-purchase power and falling prices (a full carbon build with Dura Ace groupset at £1300 is very hard to resist!!). However, that tradition of “recycling”; upgrading tired framesets and swapping the components over, or  building a machine that stops and goes in excellent proportion using “what you’ve got” remains in rude health.

Juniors are better catered for in this new wave of complete packages too, although choice still remains comparatively limited. Many long serving enthusiasts are raiding their overstocked spares bins, giving once forgotten wheels and part worn groupsets new leases of life on 14 inch 6061 framesets.

Joshua’s rekindled interest in two wheels has seen me pondering such a project, which would also bolster the father/son bond. Not that this has become particularly strained, although that quest for increased autonomy and evolving sense of values can induce friction.

At the other extreme, I’m fast assuming MAMIL status (Middle Aged Man in Lycra) and while confident it would, was pleased to discover this Motorola team replica Jersey (Bought for my eighteenth birthday in um, 1991) fitted perfectly-phew!

Despite leaving team jerseys and mass start racing pretentions behind in my twenties, I retain a soft spot for this one. Sentiment aside, the shallow zipper and waffle weave polyester mean climate and odour control lags behind contemporary designs with 3/4length zippers and faster wicking polyester blends.

Nonetheless, despite countless thrills and numerous spills it remains in remarkably rude health. Pockets are deep enough for trade bottles, tubes and longer mini pumps too.

After a few failed missions, I’ve managed to catch up with John and his fantastic Peugeot tandem trike. He’d been having some trouble with the rear hub, which offers an infinite range of gears-possibly the Holy Grail for slogging up a really long climb with proverbial kitchen sink en tow.

With three (sometimes, five when their trailer’s added to the equation) wheels on his wagon, John reckons he can drop the speed to two mph without any adverse effect. However, while handling is generally pretty civilised, there are some limitations to the build. Potholes being the most obvious and some would argue, daunting examples. As he puts it:

“Even at a very modest speed, say 15mph you become very aware of it tipping, which is extremely disconcerting-especially for the stoker and with trailer following behind!” Talking of which, there’s rather a lot going on up front too. Alongside the usual suspects, I spot a sizeable set of Winkku mirrors with integral indicators and dipped “daylight” beams.  

Aside from the obvious observations, these also allow him to keep a watchful eye on their trailer, which can slide out when tackling tighter turns given the wheelbase.

Then I spotted an old thumb shifter resides on Jane’s stoker bars.

This commands a Deore XT linear pull, allowing her to gently scrub off some speed without any risk of it locking the rear wheel. It also doubles as a very convenient parking brake. We weren’t the only admirers, one of John’s cats decided he fancied some worship, swiftly followed by their neighbour’s Akita! Thankfully, Mr Singh was close by and his dog is uncharacteristically indifferent to the feline community.

We’ve a full interview with John and the fascinating story behind his special build shortly in Seven Day Cyclist (www.sevendaycyclist.co.uk). He’s also talking in terms of buying a fully faired Mango recumbent with electric assist for long solo efforts-watch this space…    

The (positive) Remains Of The Day

Delighted to report seasonally inclement weather has permitted extensive testing of those Schwalbe winter tyres. Tipping the scales at 998g apiece, 50epi (ends per inch) casings, Kevlar belts, tungsten carbide spikes and maximum operating pressure of 70psi denote ones designed to cope competently with the slippery season. Schwalbe recommend running them in for forty kilometres on metalled road before those studs bite predictably and I noticed some very minor cornering squirm on our maiden voyages but nowhere near change of shorts territory.

Having done so, traction on most surfaces is superb, although in common with similar designs, ice and shallow snow requires a steady, consistent riding style. More spirited acceleration; say at roundabouts and junctions can induce pregnant pauses before the spikes catch up but this wasn’t an issue at a steady 17mph along winding rural backwaters.

Once accustomed to their gravelly serenade, I rather enjoyed the training benefits of increased resistance and the smugness of knowing that stretches of iced dung were unlikely to see us clattering across the rutted carriageway in an undignified heap. Provocative over inflation and long, greasy descents couldn’t cajole shimmy or similar bad manners either, even with trailer en tow. Aramid has long been the standard by which puncture repelling casings are judged but the chevron pattern tread expels glass, flints and similarly evil debris with remarkable aplomb while Kevlar belts provide further peace of mind.

Studs wear much faster (especially in regions where snow is an occasional winter visitor) but with negligible effect, tempered by the availability of aftermarket replacements and seasonal use. At seventy odd quid, it’s tempting to suggest they’re an indulgence but means I have the option of heading out in otherwise unfavourable conditions after a hard day’s typing or temping without doing myself and/or machine a mischief. 

Continuing this theme, having heard of my recently demised levers, Paul Winn at Weldtite www.weldtite.co.uk was kind enough to send me two sets of these banana- shaped Cyclo Ezytech. Sharing striking similarity with Pedro’s, they’re made from a lightweight and supposedly super durable polymer.

Broader profiles and more aggressive scoops suggest they’re dependably tenacious with tight beads but I’m going to push the boat out and invest in the British marque’s laughably understated workshop tyre removal and fitting tool and chain rivet extractor for home duties. That said; both cool tool and Specialized EMT are still doing surprisingly well (I nearly said sterling job but that’s inappropriate given the nation’s recent credit downgrade).

    

Ever since spotting a child’s home brewed ‘cross build based around a scrap HLE Peugeot frame that had been chopped, MIG welded together and dressed in leftover paint and parts, I have wanted to create something similar for Joshua. From a purely economic standpoint, the amount of labour involved in sourcing, cutting and fusing such a Franken bike far outstrips its worth. Timely then that Frog bikes have sent me their model 62, a lightweight kids bike tipping the scales at just under ten kilos.

A TIG welded 6061 aluminium chassis (designed for 62cm inside leg), steel fork and 24-inch wheels mean it’s not only light but versatile too thanks to generous frame clearances. OEMs are 1.75 but there’s ample clearance for 1.9 knobblies and trail riding courtesy of a surprisingly lofty bottom bracket. Components are proportionally sized, addressing maters of reach, comfort and control. Transmission wise, a single ring, seven-speed twist grip system offers a decent spread of ratios without being unnecessarily complicated or hefty. However, Joshua will have the casting vote in a few weeks.

Taking an inspirational wander round the web in search of people’s bare bones budget bike builds I happened upon a blog called “Lovely Bicycle” written from a uniquely feminine perspective by a freelance consultant, designer and photographer, who embraces everything from frame building and classic roadsters to dressing beyond Lycra without being biased in any particular direction. I also admire creativity skill and entrepreneurial spirit. Something in plentiful supply at Dill Pickle gear owned and run by Emily O’Brien.

Emily is a mile-munching Massachusetts lady who not only loves pickles and Limericks but also makes a beautiful range of saddlebags; U lock totes and even mud flaps- for your fenders, or guards as we say in the UK. Well, until her (luggage) sample arrives, I’m going to upgrade the Univega’s stoppers, draft some more copy, watch a Korean film or two and scour temp land for something suitable.     

Snap, Crackle.... My Rack Went Pop (aka Midnight at the Lost and Found)

Pride is said to signal a fall from grace. Quietly smug at my ingenuity in devising a lighting bracket from a retired under saddle bottle caddy, the Univega and I were hurtling through the lanes at warp-speed when our serene silence was rudely interrupted by a disconcerting tinkling. Believing it a rogue mudguard stay bolt we drew into the siding but to my surprise,said oh-so-clever lighting bracket had proven too much for the Topeak's LED tab, shearing it clean off! The immediate solution was to pop the light, complete with bracket into the rack pack, closing the zipper tight enough so the corpulant light remained visible.

Being a resourceful hoarder, a recent rummage through storage recovered this very fetching 4130 aircraft grade cro-moly rack complete with a rear bracket ready drilled to accommodate dynamos and lights of similar proportions. Finished in durable satin black powder coat, it boasts phenomenal rigidity and greater heel clearance with bulky expedition panniers. Fitting was surprisingly straightforward, although the stainless steel arms required cutting to size and some longer hex bolts. Twenty minutes, a quick furniture polish blow-over and we were ready for a twelve mile back-roads tester. In short it's transformed the handling under load and adds extra refinement to the build as does the return of these SPD.

Recent muddy green laning has seemingly taken its toll upon the otherwise charming Ritchey copies (manifest in an infuriating squeak suggesting the goo has got to the bearings) so, they've been swapped for the arguably superior 2003 Shimano. The front Dia Tech linear pulls came out in sympathy too-just a question of stripping, cleaning and purging the hidden witches brew of congealed grease, gunge and grime. Last but not least in my catalogue of resourcefulness comes an unexpected replacement for my beloved four dollar Timex. Hunting through a bedside drawer for a replacement CR2032 computer battery, I stumbled across this Chinese made Heart RateMonitor.

A blank display confirmed suspicions of battery demise but carefully opening the back plate and inserting a replacement cell brought the display surging into life. Ensuring this surgery hadn't dislodged the tiny but significant weather seal, I refitted the casing and whizzed the tiny screws fully home. A new watch cum training tool for the princely sum of £3!

Never sans camera, I happened upon two very different, yet equally compelling machines while going about my business. This Cannondale was found loitering, fully dressed in a town centre alleyway secured only by the flimsiest of cable locks. Reasoning the owner had been dancing to the full bladder shuffle and popped into the toilet opposite, I took a few shots before dropping by the bank. To my astonishment it was still there, unmolested with the full complement of "steal me" accessories when I returned some thirty minutes later. Another machine that caught my gaze is this Bianchi conversion. While familiar with the brands' crossers, we don't see to many here on UK roads and I thought the eclectic mix of Celeste, black and baby pink showed remarkable reciprocity. Racing days seemingly over, parred to the essentials it remains a very attractive and practical working bike. Front and rear cantilevers might seem overkill but the Mole Valley is an area of extreme natural beauty, long climbs and breathtaking descents so a rear set is quite welcome-especially in the event of sloppy shoe cleats... Joshua has taken delivery of his new Cro-moly single-speed. Neatly finished and with basic but serviceable components, it tips the scales at a moderate and ultimately manageable twelve kilos. Being a semi compact geometry frameset, it leaves him less stretched while providing all important stand over height. Single-speeds with rigid forks offer rugged simplicity-perfect for younger children while alloy wheels and cheap but cheerful linear pull brakes keep things lively and dependable. Feedback suggests the saddle and post are due an upgrade but replacements are plentiful-especially in the 25.4 diameter. Maybe we'll have some photos next time..

With lighting up times getting progressively earlier, this season's LEDs have become so good to the point where there's precious little to choose between them-great news from a consumer's perspective, albeit a little bewildering. Those with a robust sense of cynicism would argue this is down to widespread badge engineering, models emerging from the same factories with the same internals but different packaging and pricing accordingly.

These RSP flexlights are amongst my favourites, light, simple, weatherproof and very bright relative to their size. Weighing a mere 20g, they're just the ticket for those one coffee, one tall story too many at the post-ride cafe' stop. Output is good to around three hundred and fifty metres, burn times (at least in flashing mode) are impressive, returning ninety hours from a single CR2032 and they work perfectly when fully submerged.