Magic Midlands: Holdsworth in Safe Hands

Serendipity struck in the guise of an email from Lee Cooper, inviting yours truly and Holdsworth to his midlands based workshop for a chat. Fast-forward forty-eight hours, we were whizzing 120 odd miles along the M1 and to Ryton on Dunsmore just south of Coventry, a  once thriving city that has struggled with deindustrialisation and central government indifference for several decades.

Clearly a product of his environment, Lee is immediately likeable, extruding earthy eloquence and wry wit typical of those who served traditional craft apprenticeships. His career began on a work experience scheme with Triumph motorcycles, which by that stage limped along as a cooperative until its final swansong in 1983.

A passion for grass track motorcycling saw him assembling/repairing machines for Coventry competition motorcycles before graduating to the blast cabinet and later bicycle frames at a local builders in 1984. Quickly gaining enviable repute as a freelance trouble shooter meant he was in great demand, addressing quality control issues seemingly endemic amongst small marques during the late 1980s/early 90s. He then formed LA cycles before branching out on his own some eight years ago.

Surveying the fracture and ruling out other structural woes, he conjures an almost identical shell from thin air and explores surgery in greater detail. Peering inside, tubes form an almost interference fit, necessitating greater precision but nothing fiendishly problematic. Refinishing will be outsourced to Maldon Shot blasting & Powder Coating since, while a competent enameller, Lee prefers to focus on fabrication. Business concluded; he introduced some fascinating prototypes, including this fillet-brazed frameset designed around Shimano’s Alfine hub system.

Tucked beside his newly acquired lathe sat a series of freshly modified/repaired forks, rows of neatly organised tubing, oxyacetylene cylinders and arc activated dark shield, sparking reciprocal tales from manufacturing’s sharp end. Mindful of outstaying one’s welcome, I bid him fond adjure’ before scooting along to a neighbouring pub and a fruitful chat with its Landlady regarding former Peugeot employees for another book project.

Down south, there’s been continued pre winter fettling of one’s fleet. Tracing the Univega’s mushy rear brake to a missing cable hanger instigated a military style search through polycarbonate storage boxes. Forty-five minutes methodical foraging unearthed this fetching stainless steel Salsa unit, which literally transformed modulation/feel. Said tour de spares drawer also uncovered a 12-25 9 speed, nickel plated Sun Race cassette, prompting this heavy duty nine speed Gusset DHS9 chain reckoned to be 20% stronger than standard fare.

Nudging 357g, it’ll induce palpitations amongst some but is theoretically bombproof courtesy of extensive heat treatment and oversized upper plates. However, tool-free magic links can prove unexpectedly vulnerable so I’ll be keeping a close eye on things over the coming weeks. Revisions to the Ilpompino’s spec include Axiom ti and Inox cages, 1000 lumen One23 lamp since darkness falls with alarming haste.

Carbon has long been the dominant composite but I’m increasingly enticed by the idea of abandoning said steeds’ Topeak rack/Caradice bag for something sleeker and post mounted. Some folks might relish the prospect of A&E nurses picking shards from their buttocks but I’m gravitating towards Chinese titanium offerings floating around cyberspace at mid-range 6061 prices.

Staying with the global powerhouse, fondness for pattern blinkies requires little introduction, so imagine my delight having taken delivery of these CE compliant GLO units from Peter Marchant  (http://www.bicyclelightshop.com/).

USB charging seems almost mandatory these days, though button type CR2032 and AA/A cells have serious advantages when it comes to touring, Audax and reliability riding where plugging into ports isn’t an option. Initial impressions are favourable.

Construction and weather sealing, though elementary is adequate, contacts benefitting from a lick of silicone grease but seemingly non plussed by prolonged cloudburst. Output is crisp as distinct from retina tickling, grabbing attention from 150 metres but superb dynamo companions, or indeed stocking fillers. 

Weapons Of Mass Distraction & Managed Expectations

Justin Burls has been branching out into titanium components, specifically forks, headsets, seatposts and collars. Suffice to say all are beautifully executed to his exacting standards and once again, I find myself using sound economic rationales to quell urges compelling me to upgrade the Univega’s front end.

Said tourer has recently received this nicely nickel plated, albeit comparatively hefty 12-25 Sun Race cassette and KMC’s imaginatively monikered X393 chain, replacing the venerable BBB and heavily galvanised KMC unit that finally succumbed to a heady mix of high mileages and last winter’s particularly vengeful salt monster.

The latter (designed for 6,7 and 8speed transmissions) features an interesting nickel/brown finish, which is presumably a cost cutting exercise, since its loftier 99 boasts full nickel plating. Theoretically bushingless designs counteract accelerated wear, ensuring comprehensive free-flow lubricant on the one hand, while flushing salt, grit, sand and similar contaminant out in due course. In practice this seems to depend on prep quality and riders observing good standards of drivetrain hygiene

I’m leaving ours dressed in the factory drizzle for now to see how it behaves but have forgone the seemingly obligatory “magic” link joining system that irrespective of brand, seems blessed only with an uncanny ability to self destruct fifteen miles from the nearest chain tool.

Print as opposed to web titles have longer lead times, hence Moore Large www.todayscyclist.co.uk were kind enough to send over Knog’s new blinder family of blinkies and at the other extreme, some of their house band ballistic models boasting a combined firepower of 3000 lumens. The single lamp seems breathtakingly similar to Magicshine’s MJ808E right down to beam patterns and minor shortcomings but these pale into relative insignificance when you consider it gives change from £80 and adds a modest 335g to proceedings.

Producing 2000, its sibling is remarkably compact, although twice the output demands a more powerful fuel source-6.4amh compared with 4.4. Knog stuff is always interesting, if only from a funky design perspective but the past few seasons have seen the Australian brand twist the quality control knob a few notches higher. Big daddy of the blinder clan, the front reminded me of an old school twin lamp night sun unit that had been passed through a matter shrinking device by some batty boffin.

 Living up to their name, beam purity throughout the eight settings is certainly attention grabbing, though unleashing the stated two hundred does horrendous things to run times but crosses over into see with territory in suburban and less challenging semi rural contexts.

Traditionally USB rechargeable models were water resistant by middling degrees but a clever flip out pod combined with high quality silicone/ polycarbonate and aluminium construction enables easy connectivity with portable devices, while ensuring Mother Nature stays firmly outside.

Repeated five minute attacks using a high-pressure garden hose and salt water immersion testing failed to make any impression.  Some would reason this a little extreme but I reason if a manufacturer claims something is genuinely waterproof within prescribed tolerances, a diligent tester will always call their bluff and often as with bikes, this can take time. I run winter/audax models in particular for at least three, sometimes four hundred miles in a variety of weathers/contexts to see how they behave and to properly evaluate facets such as handling, build/finish quality.

Winter steeds and daily drivers lead harder lives by definition, regardless of rider compassion so those under my scrutiny are left under said slimy cocktail until their rightful owners send couriers to repatriate them. Most manufacturers/distributors are welcoming of this and I always supply photographs of their mucky states to substantiate my findings.

Suppliers and wider audiences are fully entitled to challenge opinions but should never be in a position to question factual stuff. Every so often I get PR companies expectant that I will take delivery of something one day and submit a glowing report the next. Conclusions can be reached within different timescales and these days, bad products are notable by their exception. However, I’m not prepared to consign my, or a publication’s credibility to the nearest skip by submitting rehashed press releases. At the other extreme, there are people wilfully determined to break stuff, taking belt sanders to pro quality bib shorts with the misguided view this somehow replicates the abrasive forces experienced in a typical tarmac slide, thus indicating levels of rider protection (!)

Hmm… any kindred editorial spirits needing a helping hand with their virtual, or indeed print titles are very welcome to approach me by email in the first instance.

Time I stripped the Teenage Dream’s chain of mothballing agent and drizzled some  Finish Line ceramic wax into its links. Think I’ll swap some components around and treat the front hoop to a quick tweak while I’m about it. 

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…