"Credit crunch" is by far the most overused expression of the moment but with the sudden evaporation of my temp job (Pivotal for cash flow) sinking its incisors into my Lycra and money stretching as far as size eight knicker elastic, we certainly live in interesting times. Adapt and survive is a prudent philosophy and more of us will return to barter-skills as opposed to money being traded-I’ll undertake your photographic requirements if you refinish my frame/ car panel/wall or whatever the arrangement may be. This doesn’t help with liquidity but ensures a sense of collective resourcefulness and the notion of things getting done.
Justin (Burls) has come to the rescue once more. The Holdsworth build has entered a tricky phase and one undoubtedly abhorrent to the purists. We’ve discovered the fork steerer is cut much lower than initially thought, too shallow even to accommodate the Levin, leaving three options. (a) Resort to a Shimano headset (b) Replace the steerer (c) Throw away the rule book and plump in favour of a carbon front end and Ahead configuration.
I chose the latter. Before everyone throws their arms skyward in despair, I am retaining the originals but deviating from the script given an inexpensive carbon pair have come to my attention. This isn’t a credit card build; neither will I permit bodging, rather, lateral thinking will result in a complementary blend of modern and classic. Undeniably beautiful and ornate, the existing fork isn’t original so doesn't equate to an “authentic” frameset in the purest sense. A modern fork with more generous rake will improve handling-especially over longer courses, reduce weight, provide greater cock-pit rigidity and entertain a short reach dual pivot brake calliper. There’s always the option of returning to the period unit should a suitable headset come into my possession and/or the carbon model lose its flavour. 
On a lighter note, Justin installed the bottom bracket with his trademark precision, noting an impossibly small imperfection along the top-tube! He’s kindly invited me to pop back with the new front end at a mutually convenient time.
Elsewhere, liquidating some unwanted stock released some capital allowing completion to budget without dipping into very shallow reserves. There’s a ninety day wait for the wheelset but this allows me plenty of time to think and plan. Other than a test of my patience, it serves to illustrate shoestring builds needn’t be synonymous with cutting corners or bad workmanship. The reflex action of sliding a credit card across your friendly bike dealer’s counter undoubtedly provides a warm glow for all concerned but from my perspective, low budget, highly imaginative projects cultivate resourcefulness and other peripheral skills.
Another cliche’ is the throw away society. The number of people paying lip service to this whilst generating waste in shocking quantities never ceases to astound me. In a world full of quick fixes, skilled repair is regarded unfashionable and inconvenient, recycling as eccentric or stooped in pseudo hippy overtones. However, it’s amazing what serviceable and moreover, sharp looking things can be fabricated from scrap. Old frames, especially low-mid range plain gauge Cro-moly mtbs are plentiful, languishing in skips, abandoned on street corners or in back yards and make great foundations for versatile second or “working” bikes. Even damaged examples can be cut up and re-born, as neat cargo trailers-all that’s needed is a weekend and some basic skill with a MIG welder.
Heavier, plain gauge frames are ideal for this, having greater tolerance to MIG than thin wall tubesets (e.g. Tange Prestige, Reynolds 531 etc). MIG, unlike other forms of welding is a semi-skilled process developed during the Second World War to address a shortage of skilled labour and a need for fast production techniques within munitions factories. Given it’s versatility and ease of use, it quickly found favour with the automotive industry and good hobby units cost a very modest £140 (Gas bottles are about £15 and factor in £15 for a serviceable dark shield). Crudely, with about ten minutes instruction an absolute beginner can produce some serviceable, if agricultural looking welds- if you can draw a straight line using a board marker you can quickly master the basics of MIG. Before long you’ll be whipping together bike storage, trailers and all manner of useful stuff from scrap and finished in powder coat, they’ll look new.
Accommodating the Holdsworth has necessitated the donation of my late father’s hub geared and braked Pashley to David Hunt, our local agent for Recycle. Recycle are a charity shipping unwanted bikes to Africa. Here in the west, it is easy to overlook the inseparable link between transport and development. It can be very difficult for a children in more remote villages to access education. Providing them with a suitable bike doesn’t eradicate inequality but provides one fewer obstacle and empowerment at a wider level. In Namibia, old roadsters stripped of mudguards and ancillaries ensure AIDS workers and ambulances can reach remote villages.
Bikes like Dad’s Pashley, lower end Mtbs etc are sold to finance containers and other shipping costs. David, a former motor mechanic stumbled across Recycle quite accidentally, couldn’t resist greater involvement and so became an agent. These days his garage is bulging and it has become an informal community resource, entertaining a procession of villagers during my relatively short visit. His generosity and warmth of spirit extended to a very nice looking headlamp that will plug straight in to my hub dynamos. He even supplies stands, panniers and other spares for the local post-office fleet which would otherwise take months to arrive.
