Silencing the stoppers & quieting the mind

A few weeks and 400 miles down the line, I’ve been delighted by the performance benefits offered by the Swiss Stop rotors. Oodles of stopping prowess, no squeal, or other intrusive noise. No loss of power on longer descents either and lateral stiffness means they haven’t felt whippy, when braking hard-say to avoid a mange et tois with red deer, who like to leave crossing to the last minute. They’re staying!  

Now the climate is becoming more spring-like, and the days longer, my thoughts are also turning towards getting some early morning miles in, on the Teenage Dream. When dropping the Halo White Line rim and Shutter Precision PD8 hub off with Mick Madgett, I was somewhat mesmerised by a late 70’s Mercian.  

Beautiful, with period proper components. Ok, so I’m anything but purist, though can appreciate this narrative and I was momentarily whisked back several decades. Non aero cables, down tube shifters, white bar tape.  

Contrast that with the Teenage Dream’s 531c frame, carbon fork, dual pivot calipers, Aheadset, Time ATAC pedals, Cinelli Sub 8 mini tri bars. I’ve switched the Freedom Thick slick tyre for this Schwalbe Lugano TESTED: SHWALBE LUGANO ROAD CYCLING TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) since I noticed some formative sidewall damage.  I had planned to switch the Selle SMP Strike for a BBB Echelon but I discovered (to my astonishment) that the Echelon’s rails were incompatible with the Thompson post’s cradle. 

 

Would’ve shaved a few grams from the build. Not that the Teenage Dream could ever be described as weighty (although the original grey Look pedals I bought in February 1992, as an introduction to clipless were decidedly “solid”). Nonetheless, I still have the ARC and some similarly solid Shimano SPD from that era-which by contrast, make an appearance from time to time.   

Easter brought with it some unseasonably warm, dry weather, so rude not to whip TD off its hook, pop some wind in the tyres, a shot of Jokker 440 on the cables. It's still dark at 5 am, when I head out, so on went this Magicshine  Ray 2600 Smart Remote Bike Light, which as the name suggests, delivers 2600lumens, top whack but thankfully, there's a fair bit of tunability and I find the 1300 lumen setting provides more than enough bite for the backroads.  

A wired remote, similar to that employed by Raveman (PR 2400 USB Rechargeable Front Light with Remote RAVEMEN PR2400 FRONT LIGHT (sevendaycyclist.com) and the PR 1200 RAVEMEN PR 1200 DUAL LENS FRONT LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Concluding the lighting theme, here’s my review of the Lelumia The Beast Rear Light LELUMIA THE BEAST REAR LIGHT | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) Oh, and a reminder to check older models for battery leakage. Luckily I was able to salvage the Teenage Dreams before any damage was done-a quick shot of Jokker 440 on the contacts and fresh AAA cells saved the day. 

 

It may look like it’s straddling two decades but the bike’s specification works for me, on a very practical level. It’s still a blast to ride-on dry, sunny days, naturally. Besides, there are so many memories tied up in that frameset- it's been with me throughout my adult life and through its twists n’ turns. It was built during a recession, which I was largely sheltered from, having the good fortune of two parents with solid, well-paid careers.  

I wasn’t alone in that respect, but I had it easier than many counterparts. Over thirty years later, I’ve seen living standards and expectations for many people-even those with solid academic/vocational backgrounds fall. I’m relieved to have been able to invest in myself, parents and friends who encouraged me. Though all things are possible, and there has always been rich and poor, I never envisioned a time when there would be large numbers of people facing food insecurity.  

Not to mention the soaring costs, of this and other essentials-energy, fuel (petrol and diesel, rather than home energy per se). Some commentators have suggested the UK is on the verge of civil unrest but in practice, this is unlikely. Aside from the reversion of people’s rights to peacefully protest, the UK public tends to grumble behind closed doors, rather than take to the streets. 

 

 

STEPPING UP

While politicians peddle their very stylised, polished and heavily choreographed campaigns in an attempt to woo a cynical electorate; we’re busily evaluating the options for everyday riding and putting several walk-able step-in systems through their paces.   

Various manufacturers/distributors have been extremely forthcoming but anything sent via a certain logistics company is guaranteed not to arrive. This appears attributable to a new breed of “lifestyle” parcel sorter/courier, seemingly supplementing theirs by “intercepting” packages. They even sign for them on your behalf, so show up as delivered on the tracking system (!)

In common with other kinds of pilfering, this behaviour is justified on the twisted logic of entitlement “it’s insured; so no victim”. My heart sank when I saw a large online retailer was sending my camera equipment via this firm, though thankfully our local postie arrived clutching it under his arm. Talking of which, I must pursue ebay purchases that haven’t materialised…

Other couriers have delivered these rather striking dual sided Genetic and composite bodied Time ATAC. Testing aside; the simplest approach is to choose a particular system and adopt it throughout your bikes. 

Designs may be different, reflecting riding purposes/genres and require at least two pairs of shoes-one specialist, the other for everyday. However, it’s one less distraction when getting ride-ready.  

Twenty years back, Shimano and Look were increasingly becoming the dominant systems, though several manufacturers were still offering their own unique cleat patterns. I snapped up a couple for silly money and enjoyed their build quality but replacement parts; cleats in particular were rare as the proverbial rocking horse dropping.  

Look’s ARC and Keo patterns were once my road bike default thanks to copious float and support. However, even the Holdsworth has now switched to SPDR for sheer convenience. Something of a homage fetishist, I’ve acquired some Wellgo RC713-cosmetically identical to Btwin’s now discontinued “Automatic Touring Pedal”; right down to their inscriptions.

I suspect they are genuinely identical, since VP and Wellgo supply a wealth of other brands too. Their magnesium bodied MG8 were more intriguing but unavailable at the time. Small surface areas work best with uber-stiff soles and offer improved ground clearance, which comes in particularly handy on a fixed. However, I find broader platforms more comfortable given 60miles or so’s steady slog.

Elsewhere, Mr Gandolfi’s widow has been in touch, thanking me for my tasteful photographic coverage of her late husband’s funeral in January. It was an unusual request and a tricky assignment to conduct-the last thing I wanted was to intrude upon mourner’s grief, or appear ghoulish; hence my use of a CSC with 50-200mm 5.6 lens.

I also found time to visit Rutland Waters in Leicestershire. We’d gone to explore the viability of potential venues for another significant occasion-one was ideal but thwarted by the other’s mediocrity. However, it boasts a superb, traffic-free 25mile circuit, where cameloids, walkers and riders co-exist harmoniously.

This reignited an interest in mtb derived production tandems. Hmm, I’m thinking along the lines of a low mileage mid 90s Dawes Kickback II would be ideal but there’s a serious storage issue. Something with S&S couplings would be better but hiring one as- and- when is the most practical solution for now.

Back down south, I tackled the Ka’s other sill and dropped in on Col Velo collective at the Church St HQ. Col Velo is a small but expanding club founded by Rob Harwood and Will Morgan in October 2014. Their ethos is upon inclusivity-people bonding over their love of cycling, bikes, coffee and other stuff. Regular rides through the still relatively picturesque North Essex/Anglia regions are underpinned by a strict no-drop policy.

Velo Café is run by Rich, an extremely experienced mechanic who wields spanners for recycle during the week. Classic frames adorn walls and ceilings and there’s even a beautiful, unrestored road/path bike with period components in the workshop window. The traditions of eclectic machines and members means there’s plenty on offer, assuming you didn’t harbour racing pretentions.