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…    

Mixing it Up

2014 continues with determined pragmatism, seeing professional restructuring of my various CVs, a much greater grasp of self- promotion and striving for new commissions/ventures plugging the gap left by a publication’s virtual implosion. Said approach has already reaped rewards but needs further, intensive nurturing, especially since I’m keen to explore other creative avenues, running them in parallel to cycling specific journalism.

Competence, integrity and professionalism are three (of many) values dear to yours truly, hence disappointment when others cannot reciprocate. For example, I care whether something works, how closely it achieves its objective/design brief and experience suggests most manufacturers appreciate constructive, critical evaluation.

While not an “engineer” in the classically accepted sense, hailing from a manufacturing past means I take a keen interest in metallurgy/fabrication, pure and applied. Late night surfing induced impulsive purchase of titanium tubing from a supplier in South East Asia. However, said wonder metal will require minor machining. Lee Cooper and Justin Burls were obvious, extremely helpful first ports of call, though unable to undertake such on this occasion.

Laughably, a few local “machine shops” were either completely ignorant to customer service and/or anything beyond mild steel! Heading out for a chat with Trevor Lodge at Maldon Shot blasting & powder coating proved the most fruitful enquiry and allowed me to document the resurrection of this tarnished 531 frameset. There’s no denying decorative chromium plating’s aesthetic allure but in my book, acid baths and similarly harsh processes have no place on thin walled bicycle tubing. Thankfully blasting confirmed only superficial corrosion, hence it’s rebirth this chrome-effect powder with acrylic lacquer topcoat.

Staying on an industrial thread, much has been made of the likelihood of large scale manufacturing returning to these shores. Arguably as standards of living/costs increase in the Far East, outsourcing becomes less attractive. However, while call-centres and similar service based sectors are easily repatriated, I am less convinced this applies so readily to manufacturing’s sharp end. My own research suggests there remains a wealth of highly skilled technical grade craftspeople whose have transferred seamlessly between industries and with minor retraining.

Others saw opportunities within teaching or pursued their trades solo as self-employed entities. On the flip side, I remain sceptical that semi/unskilled assembly line roles will return in significant number. Senior managers at Ford’s now defunct Dagenham body plant remarked some twenty years ago that (contrary to endearing misconception) the average local school leaver would have “A cat’s chance in hell” of being considered for the most menial jobs. Similarly, Peugeot’s Ryton plant was the most productive within Europe but transferring production to Slovakia in 2006 appears to have been instigated by simple cost- of- labour economics...  

Back in the saddle and with January fading into February, flooded, silty roads have been licking chains bone dry in a matter of rides, demanding reintroduction of more sophisticated, “little goes a long way, anti-fling but not too syrupy” wet formulas – in this instance Muc-Off’s imaginatively but appropriately christened “wet lube” which leaves the spout as a washed out blue before assuming a clear, tacky consistency. Grit and similarly foreign bodies put in occasional appearances but there's no hint of it becoming a tenacious, transmission chewing mess. Older motor oils are another cost-conscious option, though modern semi/synthetics designed to  regenerate while orbiting an engine's oil pump make poor transition to chain duties.    

These biblical conditions also explain why my tubby tourer is presently assuming primary test-rig service and sporting Keo pattern Wellgo RO96B pedals (Another catchy name ;)).These wallet friendly powder coated aluminium bodied units turn on CNC machined Cro-moly axles with B denoting needle roller, as distinct from ball bearings and a £3 cost implication over their RO96 siblings.  

On paper my Ilpompino is a more obvious host, especially far from the madding crowd, though I still prefer the outright convenience of dual sided systems on fixed gear builds. Speaking of said steed, some oversized Midge flew under my radar; this time in very fetching anodised titanium but Murphy’s Law dictates the Sheffield marque’s all out of 17degree, 80mm stems. Ever resourceful, I’ve put word out while exploring comparable, budget conscious alternatives online.   

Once again, the Univega sports Schwalbe Winter for improved traction, simultaneously prompting fitment of Axiom’s Journey DLX disc compatible front pannier rack. Perhaps not a completely novel concept, the latter is nicer to fit and shares the same hollow 10.2mm T6 6061 aluminium rod as its rear counterpart. We’ve not come close to bluff calling territory load-wise (reckoned to be thirty kilo- close to that boasted by Bob Yak homages!) but things seem decidedly favourable thus far.    

Cometh The New Year, Cometh The Man-Flu

Quite a bit has drizzled my way these past few days, from this T-shirt gifted me by Richard at Urban Hunter, some Sugru silicone putty and Guy Andrews' " The Custom Road Bike". Alas, with notable exception, riding has been somewhat limited to the virtual kind thanks to the sudden and deeply debilitating onset of sabre-tooth man-flu. Us don't work, don't eat contract types tend to be fairly stoical so I'm pleased to report nominal impact upon features/copy/photography. After a few months' break, Joshua has resurrected his passion for cycling, taking the trail by storm while demonstrating maturity and confidence beyond his years on public roads. Children outgrow their wardrobes with alarming regularity so these Altura Cruiser Winter tights have replaced his season-too-short Polaris. Made from a rugged fleece-lined polyester; these winter versions incorporate a water-repellent (shower proof) coating for comfort and practicality while a looser cut transcends road, mtb and touring genres nicely. Sensibly positioned Scotchlite detailing provides welcome nocturnal visibility-especially at higher cadences and young protege's find stirrups easier to negotiate than zippered ankles.
Early impressions of this Sugru silicone putty seem favourable, effecting good repair/modification of light brackets and similar lightweight resin accessories. Conceived by Jane, it's basically soft touch rubber reckoned to mould and set permanently with/to aluminium, steel, ceramics, glass, wood and some fabrics/plastics...Not simply "Make do and mend" making a fashionable return in these times of austerity but a creative tool powerful enough to improve existing products.
With this in mind, I've been creating some DIY "cable cuffs" to prevent unsightly and damaging abrasion where outers make contact with the frameset. Claimed operating temperatures between minus 60 and plus 180 degrees suggest a wealth of applications around the workshop. Run around the seat-collar it could provide as weather-tight seal for bikes run in all weathers without mudguards (fenders) thus preventing water, salt and ingress channelling inside the seat-tube.

Peeling open the packaging reveals twelve complimentary/contrasting colour sachets containing the goo. Make sure your desired surface is free of the usual contaminant (dirt, dust, grease etc) before moulding the soft putty around the surface(s) and allowing twenty four hours curing at room temperature. Other possibilities include the semi permanent fitment of cable guides and other low-stress applications. However, don't be telling me tall tales of reuniting broken frame tubes by the roadside...For that you'll need a welder and a wealth of skill.

Transferable skills and plenty of 'em are the way to successfully weather economic nose-dives. MIG (Metal inert Gas, or more accurately Gas Metal Arc Welding seeing as oxygen isn't an inert substance) wouldn't be my tool of choice for constructing lightweight bicycle frames as the temperature is less controllable than oxyacetylene, inviting premature fatigue or simply blowing gaping holes in thin tubing. That said, I've seen some very fetching framesets built this way using off-cuts and leftover paint. Crudely, MIG is a semi automatic process-if you can draw a straight line using a marker pen, then you're capable of producing passable welds with a bit of practice and basic tuition.

The real skill lies in metal preparation- clean, well-mitred joins, dexterity and a decent quality weld unit. The difference between cheap and expensive models is ease of use- on the lowest settings, I have been able to fashion prototype touring trailer chassis from basic grade Columbus tubes with a 140amp semi pro model. Seasoned coach builders and similarly skilled metal workers might achieve the same results using a more rudimentary 110amp unit but it's a lot harder and frankly, we always reach for the tools nicest to use.

Devised for use in WWII munitions factories, the process quickly won favour within manufacturing and later, auto-repair shops thanks to it's ease and speed of use-especially on relatively thin car panels. It's possible to build all manner of nice things from scrap steels-work/storage stands, racks, chairs etc. Many motorcycle frames are constructed this way too...

Ten years on from my early prototypes, I am looking at returning to trailer design on a hobby/cottage industry basis. This time from electrician's conjugate which is of comparable weight to basic Cro-moly, yet so much easier to weld. As a rough and ready reckoner, conjugate is like comparing Peugeot's in-house Carbolite 103 with Reynolds 531- the former was marginally lighter, easier to mass produce but lacked the outright responsiveness and strength to weight ratio. Touring/utility trailers need good handling characteristics and while 4130 of the same weight is less likely to fail, basic hi-tensile steels can be repaired in the back of beyond by pretty much any roadside garage...