Get some nuts, temp work and install a new bottom bracket while you’re at it!

You at the back, stop guffawing! I’m referring to the track variety and more specifically these electroplated beauties from the good folk at Edinburgh Bicycle. These are designed so their sadly defunct Cargo trailer can couple with fixed, or indeed other steeds using solid axles. Might need to revise that eighty-one inch gear though…Time will tell. Falling leaves also signalled the boxing up and return of their Audax bike-its been a very welcome, albeit temporary addition to the fleet and I’ll confess to shedding a farewell tear as I drew the gaffer tape taught around the box. However, akin to ET, it didn’t belong in my world/workshop indefinitely.

Experience suggests there’s a fine line between complimentary, dare I say comforting clutter and that countering creative flow. A healthy sense of organised chaos permeates my workspace and on a day-to day basis, this works just fine. However, a post features/testing binge calls for cathartic cleansing of papers and where appropriate, repatriation of equipment. In common with most teenagers, I had dreams of professional recognition as a successful author-name in lights stuff. Fundamentally nothing has changed and these remain a central focus or paraphrasing Tom Simpson, “Something to aim at”.

Both book projects continue with a gentle, lapping tide of progression. However, a sense of pragmatism dictates that freelancers adopt other flexible income streams. While something of a frustration, it is impossible to remain relentlessly creative, nay productive on a 24/7 basis

Many, myself included have a notion that if we’re not locked away in our studios or  ivory towers; then by definition we are not working. Creative forums can serve as useful  springboards but all too often descend into habitual and moreover dis empowering grumble fests sapping morale and moreover ingenuity. Thankfully a temp opportunity arose which helps with short- term liquidity while allowing investment in other areas.

Speaking of which, I’ve discovered Green Oil can supply their chain degreaser in workshop quantities (forms the basis of their miraculous citrus based bike wash when diluted) so I’ll be investing in some. They’ve also sent some second generation “White” clean lube. Devoid of petrochemicals, the original was good (at least while it lasted-we were averaging a mere forty road miles per application) so it’ll be interesting to see how the new formula compares.  

Dressed in black patent leather, I feel so much better…as the weather starts becoming more inclement and nightfall descends around 19.30, I’ve resurrected these Bontrager twin bolt commu-tour types. Low “ deft lick of the Jey cloth” maintenance, grippy soles and neutral colours compliment both ends of the wardrobe, although their footbeds were firmly in wallpaper stripping territory given a few season’s service! A fresh set of cleats completes the makeover and the design is just narrow enough to accommodate traditional overshoes should things turn decidedly damp…Shame they’re no longer current-although online retailers seem to have healthy stocks at generous discounts…

A penny shy of £70 this rather fetching Dhb EQ 2.5 jacket continues my black theme. It’s an affordable weatherproof model with a sportier than average, tailored cut that still entertains the time honoured base layer and race jersey combo. Red/black or grey/green are the similarly subtle alternatives, which may not be to everyone’s taste in murky weather and a few moonlit miles saw me don a Sam Browne belt or reflective tabard for enhanced road presence. On the flip side, the darker colours and Teflon coating slows the advance of grimy patinas in between low temperature machine washes.

Moisture management is pretty much on par with competitor models, keeping pace with my own at steady cadences and to around 20mph. Upping the tempo closer to chain gang speeds sees it struggle, especially when the mercury creeps into double figures but its available in gender specific cuts and seems ideally suited to winter proper (November-March).

 Much is made of China's status as an economic powerhouse and its implications for the West. Schools in particular have been quick to leap on a dogmatic bandwagon of teaching Mandarin. However, thanks to an ageing population and one child policy, the numbers of economically active adults fuelling its corporate engine will be greatly reduced with crippling implications.

Arguably next in line are India and Brazil, so Punjabi or Portuguese might be more prudent. Some within the cycle industry are suggesting the rising costs of imports from the Far East may be fuelling a slow but steady return to large- scale domestic production of lightweight frames…

Right, I’ll leave you all to ponder this while I whip out my big 13-½ inch (33.5cm) Lezyne CNC rod and replace the Univega’s cartridge bottom bracket. 

Three Wheels on My Wagon

2012 has been something of a moderate year, characterised by peaks and troughs, minor tussles and triumphs in equal proportion. The UK has the Olympics but more significantly, a Tour DE France champion in the guise of Bradley Wiggins. I’ve made no secret of the fact most of my heroes hail from earlier decades, some reputations more notorious than others but with the notable exception of Cadel Evans, few among the pro peleton have captured my imagination so I was heartened by Wiggins’ success and to discover myself warming to him.  

Labelled a “Mod” seemingly by virtue of pronounced sideburns, it wasn’t long before some within the broadsheet press found a darker side courtesy of his late father, a former professional who apparently lost everything and died in sinister circumstances.

There are exceptions to every rule but I’m fairly convinced that today’s pros are more grounded, dare I say self-aware than their predecessors so such cataclysmic falls from grace are now comparatively rare. Racing pretensions very much the stuff of history, I like to observe from the sidelines, report as appropriate and where commissioned to do so.

Cycling as always been central to my identity but words and pictures has long been my career passion. “Someone might question your opinions but they should never be able to challenge your facts” was a phrase uttered by my lecturer in print journalism some twenty odd years ago and one that always resonates with me, whenever my fingers grace the keyboard.

Journalistic licence often becomes the stuff of popular mythology and none more obvious than in the context of Tom Simpson’s demise at Mont Ventoux in July 1967. Reputedly Simpson’s final words were “Put me back on my bike” but these were a fabrication, invented retrospectively by Sid Saltmarsh, a journalist covering the Tour for the Sun newspaper.

 As I intimated at the close of my last entry, I’ve been having a blast on Edinburgh bicycle co-operative's Revolution Audax these past few weeks. Its one of those bikes that offers plenty of smiles per mile with a persona closely mirroring that of a knowing club elder-well mannered and reliable on the one hand, yet extremely playful, requiring little effort or excuse to break into a spirited canter.

I even hooked ours up to the shops’ now sadly defunct cargo trailer and fifteen kilos of kit to see if I could persuade it to misbehave- the answer being a resounding no. Single-wheel trailers are most suited to solos with short chainstays and although a longer turning circle might dissuade some, the low-slung genres are in my view, a better option than bulging panniers for weekend touring. 

  

An unapologetic homage to the mighty Bob Yak, the cargo had some notable advantages. Half the price, fitting kit was less vulnerable to fatigue and the chassis fabricated from plain gauge High tensile, rather than 4130 Cro-moly steel meaning it should prove easier to repair in the unlikely event of failure since, contrary to popular mythology, the latter responds badly to MIG welding.

I’ve owned both and am yet to find another shop brand or pattern example that comes close in terms of handling and moreover durability.

Discontinued because of spiralling production cots and exchange rates, it will be interesting to see if recent contractions within the Chinese economy will see a reintroduction in the longer term. My one frustration common to both concerns the deployment of sixteen inch hoops.

Quality was adequate and small wheels maintain an appropriately low centre of gravity but the availability of decent  tarmac friendly rubber (aside from Schwalbe’s charming Kojak slick) seems as prevalent as Lord Lucan or those proverbial rocking horse droppings. Virtual rummaging has unearthed this 16x1.95 Kenda that I’m hoping will counteract the OEM knobbly’s slightly skittish persona when navigating wet asphalt, while simultaneously reducing rolling resistance into the bargain. Who knows, it might even inspire a new and unlikely branch of racing. 

Returning to the subject of chain gangs, I’ve noticed an annoying and potentially dangerous trend for swooping past my bars with only millimetres to spare. Now my ego’ won’t disintegrate upon copping an eyeful of pristine cleats but this and the related practice of swinging straight into my path without acknowledgement is elephantine ignorance personified.

I should establish none concerned (*photograph for illustrative purposes only*) are known to me in a professional or indeed social context…I’m just staggered by the lack of road etiquette/phenomenal arrogance displayed by those who should arguably know better. Concluding on a philosophical note, I guess we all have our lesson(s) to learn…

One most of us grasp very early on is that winter is harsh on components, especially chains. Enter KMC Z8XRB, a heavy duty, heat treated offering dressed in a heavyweight-galvanised finish. Arguably a decent quality nickel plating coupled with proper little n’ often lubrication keeps tarnish academic but the less polished plating might have a beneficial effect upon durability in a wider, everyday context.

Aside from the “missing link” expiring within he first few pedal strokes, things look promising despite the wet, humid conditions that have defined the past few weeks. 1250 miles and a chain tool reading of 0.6 seems par for the course so I’ll be monitoring its progress closely.