Flashbacks & Fancies

While mooching around Coventry’s Fargo Village, I was drawn to “The Bike Box”. Initially, by a Surly pacer and this Salsa. Being Sunday, I wasn’t entirely surprised to discover the shop closed. However, peering in through the window, I noticed this Holdsworthy Claud Butler.

An early 80s, 531^ST frameset built around period sensitive, yet broadly contemporary components. Colour aside, the frameset was almost identical, to a 1982 Super Dalesman, that seduced me, and my paper round savings, 29 years 1 month ago.

It cost me £250 at the time. £125 of which, I borrowed from my mother. A tourer that handled beautifully, laden or otherwise and one I remember, with great fondness.

Thankfully, Sharon came to collect me at this point. Being an empath, she humoured me, then whisked us away to a very pleasant Turkish café’. Elsewhere, the Holdsworth and I have been enjoying the clement conditions.

Perky and pared to the essentials, there’s been plenty of smiles per mile too. I was tempted (when Lee Cooper graciously performed the bottom bracket shell replacement and other, remedial work) to have a set of bottle bosses added. However, while its far from period, I want to keep the frame original-structurally, at least.

Hence, I’ve gone the strap on route. (You at the back, stop sniggering!!!) The slightly dumpy, though extremely practical SKS unit, has been joined by Topeak’s infinitely prettier Versa mount.

I’ve whipped this carbon composite Enigma bat-wing design. On an aesthetic note, I should probably swap the Elite Ciussi, for the Boardman cage clinging to my Univega’s downtube.

The Versa mount can be mounted in a variety of ways, to entertain small/compact geometry frames and even folders-head tubes, seat posts, or even fork legs are a few obvious alternatives. 1.2 kilos, is the maximum payload. One trick ponies in some respects. You certainly wouldn’t deploy them as a P-clip substitute for 4point carriers.

Continuing the swapping theme… I’ve swapped my fixed gear winter trainer’s Syncros matchbox cage for this bright green Vel race cage. A much closer match, pattern-wise, to the Deva.

At 34g, its made from a composite resin, which in turn is painted and lacquered for a glossy, durable sheen.  I’ve also exchanged said machine’s Brooks swift pattern perch, for this BBB Echelon.

The Echelon has a unique, dare I say characteristically Dutch flavour.  It supposedly straddles mtb and road genres, suggesting it’ll be a viable option for rough stuff and gravel too.

This is the 141, which is slightly misleading, since its actually145mm wide, 265mm long. 2mm broader than the toupe’, which may prove a more suitable option for my ‘cross biased fixed.    

Another cutaway design, it features a carbon reinforced shell, EVA foam padding and a durable, faux leather cover. Hollow Cro-moly rails with adjustment scales strike a good strength to weight ratio and make setup straightforward. Especially, if you’re swapping it between bikes.  

Having done 400 miles on the Vee Tire Co Zilent and crucially, reached some tangible conclusions, I’ve switched to The Soma Shikoro upfront. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/s  A supple, compliant ride to match and indeed, compare with their 33mm Supple Vitesse cousins.

Talking of Soma, here’s my review of the Condor bars https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/soma and the Lizard Skins DSP https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/lizard-skins-dsp

Elsewhere, Sinner have been in touch with me, regarding the refinishing of Mango bodies. According to Melvin, these are in fact made from Gelcoat. A composite but not actually carbon fibre as first thought. We are advised that a decent car body finisher should be more than capable of repainting to a high standard.

I’m inclined to say that many will regard the Mango as specialist equipment and politely decline, as tends to happen with motorcycle components. A project finisher, or someone working with motorcycle GRP (fairings etc) is likely to be a better bet. John is also looking to upgrade the gearing to a triple, for greater range.

He’s opting for 28/40/70. However, we have discovered the Sunstar battery assist’s spider, will only accommodate two rings. Therefore, I have contacted Sunstar, asking if they produce a compatible pattern, capable of accommodating a triple.

John is talking in terms of making a custom model from stainless steel; or modifying the existing setup. No surprise, given he’s a retired engineer but I’m thinking a stock model will be a more efficient use. of time and other resources. Talking of models, here’s some more from last week’s shot with Krystal J.

Chopping n’ Changing

At the close of last week, my working fixed was struck with an infuriating phantom squeak. Cranks snugged, tight, stem bolts freshly greased, seat post cradle stripped and lightly greased, chain still sporting a filmy layer of lubricant…Still, something piped up, unannounced, and slightly unnerving.

I had wondered whether the UN55 was beginning to sing its swan song. Some gentle tugging suggested those single-sided Tiagra, pedals might be to blame. Will strip and re-grease, when time presents.

Meanwhile another grope around in the pedal box unearthed two sets of Wellgo RC 713 (Shimano SPDR homages) which feature buttery smooth, sealed bearings. One for the fixed, the others spun aboard my Univega’s cranks.     

Single sided designs aren’t the most obvious choices mixed terrain riding and less practical for click n’ go getaways on the fixed. Not that ground clearance is an issue on either machine but some additional won’t hurt. Could be one of my five-minute wonders…May even go old school, back to some first generation Shimano SPD from 1990. Watch this space…

On the testing front… There’s my test of the Vee Tire Co Baldy https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/vee-tire-co-baldy-tyres  while I rack up the miles on their Zilent cousins and of course, the Soma Supple Vitesse.

150 miles, or so in, and I’m warming to their swift, yet very compliant charms. The ride quality is very reminiscent of tubulars, gripping the tarmac liker a leach, while soaking up those light, washboard type imperfections, majestically. All without the gluing and stitching drama, associated with tubs.  

The unrelenting soggy spell consumed the finish line 1-step in 160miles, which isn’t bad for lube at the lighter end of the middleweight scale. Given the bike was grotty, I took the opportunity to strip the remainder using some neat Crankalicious Pineapple Express.  

I’m revisiting Smoove Universal chain lube to see how it performs in less taxing conditions https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/smoove-universal-chain-lube . We were also very pleasantly surprised by Crankalicious Science Friction ceramic chain lube. https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/crankalicious-science-friction-cera

The frameset’s accumulated filth, easily dismissed with a dilute, though custom variant.

I hold the belief (and, some would say, an almost religious observance) that cleaning is part of riding. To be done regularly and providing surfaces sport a decent quality, protective wax, we’re talking 20-25 minutes start-to finish, no drama.

 Although fighting the compulsion to fettle and tweak, often sees this task expand, to fit the time available...

A few months back, I was looking for an IRO Rob Roy frameset for a single-speed cross project but drew a complete blank. More recently my urges tugged me in the direction of Genesis Day One.

However, these are not available as a frameset option. So I’ve decided On-One’s Pompetamine, complete with disc mounts, is the next best thing. These had a fairly short production run. Bottom line, I’m looking for a sound, if cosmetically tatty example, at the right price. So, feel free to get in touch if you’ve a large, in need of a good home. 

For those of you who’d rather be out riding, Seven Day Cyclist has teamed up with route you https://www.routeyou.com/en-gb/route/view/5046397/recreational-cycle-route/to-tan-hill-and-over-the-stang

A sudden shift to summary weather presented my first opportunity to pluck the Holdsworth from hibernation, for some serious skinny tubed, skinny-tyred fun.  

Swapping hats a moment, models continue to come to me for port-folio building/development. Jersey Jones booked me for a glamour/boudoir session, with a bit of fashion mixed in last week.

Krystal J got in touch to refresh her port-folio. Another really pleasant, 3 hour shoot.  With the wedding season just around the corner, I’m also getting approached in the context of Punjabi and other South Asian events. Contact me (Stenningphotographic@gmail.com) if you’re a model, or bride and want to discuss your requirements.

  

Striptease

A colder, though dry streak has seen me pluck the Holdsworth from hibernation for some fun along the backroads. The arrival of this Stem Captain clock, also proved an ideal opportunity to strip and re-grease the Woodman Saturn headset’s lower race and needle roller bearings.

The Stem captain is a range of mounts, from clocks and old school compasses to Garmin GPS.

These turn the “dead space” into something more useful. It’s a concept that has grown on me, not to the point where I’d consider it a must-have across the fleet but being able to glance down, rather than grapple with a sleeve, or scroll through a bar mounted computer.

Working on the basis, you’re running the classic star fangled nut configuration and your Aheadset is properly pre-loaded…It’s literally a question of whipping out the 5mm Allen screw and replacing the top cap with the Stem captain and snugging it down as usual.

Next, seat the clock into place with the clear silicone grommet. This holds it snug.  

Things aren’t radically different when it comes to expandable wedge types, common to the Woodman and obviously, carbon steerers.

However, performing said swap at 10am on a cold Saturday morning, on “The soviet -block” (a section of 70’s concrete designated for bike washing and messy fettling) I managed to get the lowest, threaded assembly lodged in the fork’s alloy steerer. 

I attribute this lamentable scenario to the shock of hearing my neighbour, offering their heating engineer de-caffeinated “coffee”.

Think silent scream of revulsion. Said scenario was all the more surreal on account of him hollering from the chimney stack and I “dressed” In Marvel superhero lounge pants and duvet type, hooded cardigan.

Fork and threaded section retrieved, using a scrap mudguard stay (a spare spoke might’ve been a few seconds quicker), I reassembled the bung in its correct order and retouched the forks’ alloy ends with some quick drying gloss black hobby enamel.

Ideally, any retouching should coincide with a few days curing but since the brand in question dries quickly, I risked it for the proverbial biscuit. I’ll build it up in thin coats while it’s tucked away for winter.

Finish line ceramic applied to the lower race, I reinstated the front end, refitting the front brake and double checking the Aheadset was free of unwanted play. Some fresh finishing strips-colour coordinated electrical tape, completed the tune-up and satisfied with the hour’s efforts I headed indoors for sustenance.

Frames are pretty durable. Said frame has been repaired-new bottom bracket shell, minor pitting and small dents addressed. Even carbon composites can be fully rebuilt following some jaw-droppingly serious crashes https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/a-visit-to-carbon-fibre-bike-repair .

This steel frame intrigued me for several reasons. I was initially struck by the smooth fillet brazing and something told me it was one of those frames that had been passed through several club riders. Looking closer, I was surprised to discover fractured “ear” around the seat collar, yet extensive and recent brazing is very apparent at the Bottom bracket shell, down tube bottle bosses and mech hanger.

From the photo, Lee Cooper www http://leecoopercycles.webs.com/ reckoned the work was repairable and around the £30 mark, although worth blasting first to assess the frame’s overall structural integrity.

Elsewhere, those Rock N’ Roll goodies have again, been intercepted. No fault of the supplier, rather seasonal pilfering, within the postal system which, sadly, isn’t that uncommon this close to Christmas.

Most communications workers and delivery drivers are honest people, who work incredibly hard. This also applies to seasonal operatives-I’ve been one, so know. 

Unfortunately, during periods of high demand, there will always be a small, feckless minority, who will steal, or just take them back to the sorting office/depot, because they cannot be arsed to complete their round. 

Right, ending on a positive note. I’m off to sort some reflectors and other lighting ready for next week’s model shoot down in sunny Sussex.

 

 

Wheels of Fortune

This Shutter Precision SP8 dynohub has just arrived on Seven Day Cyclist’s test bench https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/blank-tyhn0 I’m very eager to see how it compares to my benchmark, Shimano Ultegra unit, which offers nominal drag and consistency of output. 

The PD8 nudges 400g and is surprisingly compact. 6v 3 watt output is pretty much what I’d expect from this price point, as are sealed bearings and low drag.

Paired to an exposure lamp, my Ultegra unit is good enough for light trail and dirt road duties too. Big S’s lowlier Nexus was my first, hands-on experience of hub dynamos. Inexpensive and adequate for commuting and general riding, provided you were preoccupied with being seen, rather than navigating with.

There’s no doubt it repaid the modest investment many times over. I paid a friend £80 in total for hub and wheel build back in 2001. Probably the biggest shock (amplified ten fold when compared to the Ultegra) was the hub’s resistance. Maintaining 17/18mph is relatively taxing but again, useful for winter training and moderate commutes.

During this period, high end MTB commanded £200 or so and LEDs, though increasingly better were still emitting a bluish tint and guzzling AA/A cells at a fairly rapid rate. I also liked the enclosure and sleek simplicity of the dynohubs, especially with modern, sealed bearings.

Some riders took that to its most literal, running their Nexus groups into the ground and seemed stunned, when these enslaved units inevitably gave up the ghost. Prior to that, my dynamo experience was a tyre driven Union model. This was light, cheap and very much of the yellow glimmer variety. Something similarly crude, equally dependable but more powerful was attached to a friend’s workhorse tandem.

Economical and, generally reliable so long as you’d routed the wiring carefully-these were cable tied and stuck to the mudguard’s underside using electrical tape. No problems with blown bulbs either, which was quite impressive given the speeds achieved on some descents. There’s also something deeply satisfying about generating your own lighting.

Aside from output and quality, dynamos have become increasingly sophisticated, capable of charging phones and other tech, which we are becoming increasingly reliant upon. Addicted is a loaded term and like any sweeping statement, inaccurate by definition. As a journalist, I’m fascinated by technology, shiny stuff and developments-even if it’s not necessarily “my” thing.

There’s a tendency, quirk of the human condition to reduce things to right and wrong. I believe there is the right tool for the job. Staying with bikes for a moment, anyone who has worked in a bike shop will know; one of the most common questions asked is “What’s the best bike”.

My response has always been along the lines of “The best bike is the one that does exactly what you want it to do”. My Univega is a go-anywhere, mile munching load lugging workhorse built for bad weather, rough roads, lighting on tap.

A rider of comparable strength riding a road biased machine will blow me into the weeds. Similarly and at the other extreme, my Holdsworth is built for sunny days’ speed and I’ve caught a fair few riders by surprise-especially on the climbs. I am also someone who can go ten miles on (very) controlled rage alone.

Money has always been a very finite resource, so I’ve become very resourceful, dare I say creative in how I manage these projects, often employing a system of barter and/or swapping unused and unwanted kit for something more appropriate.

Cameras and cars follow in a similar tradition. I was once queried about my attachment to Sony’s A mount (I also run the NEX E mount systems. These have some limitations but are very handy for street photography and candid wedding portraiture). 

Sony digital bodies, (sometimes referred to as Minolta) were an obvious transition after my Minolta film cameras and several lenses were destroyed in an “accident”. I was waiting at a red light when someone skillfully drove their car into the back of my borrowed red Kawasaki, killing it, cameras and leaving me trapped, in an undignified, leather clad heap. Talking of which, though from a totally different context; Crankalicious have sent me their pump spray leather lacquer and crisp frame hybrid frame wax.

The former isn’t a hide food in the traditional sense, so treat saddles, shoes, handlebar wrap requiring nourishment should get that first. However, leather lacquer will provide a water repelling, grippy barrier, protecting the hide, while improving purchase in the wet. Initial impressions are favourable. I generally give saddles and other leather kit a light proofing, every six weeks.

The crisp frame hybrid frame wax is, as its name suggests, a blend of synthetic and naturally occurring waxes. It’s a solid type, which minimises wastage, though is surprisingly nice to administer. It’ll assume a haze once cured and gives glossy results when buffed lightly. How durable these are, compared with similar potions, will become more apparent as the days become shorter and roads wetter.

 
John Moss is very intrigued by the SP hub. So much so, he's offered to build into a wheel. Help I have gladly accepted. Have my eye on a Halo hoop and suitable 14g stainless spokes; so watch this space...