Huzzah!

In swept the heat wave, so Holdsworth emerged from prolonged hibernation for some midsummer fun. Fresh gripper paste on its Tifosi carbon post, Specialized perch further forward, 125psi into the tyres and a quick beeswax furniture polish blow-over later, we hammering along the sweeping back doubles at 25mph plus.

Carbon fork, post, large flange hubs, CNC machined drive sprockets and stout KMC Onyx chain certainly help but despite being 60 years old, those plain gauge 531 tubes still deliver a responsive, rewarding ride.

This intoxicating serenity was rudely interrupted by the sudden and unexpected and almost comedic jettisoning of its newly fitted Altura wedge pack-straight into deep, roadside undergrowth. Closer inspection revealed the sprung Klick fix mechanism had gone the way of elderly underwear elastic and wouldn’t engage convincingly with the resin post mount.

This isn’t a reflection on the otherwise superb bag and said failure would be covered under warrantee. However, in my experience, sprung mechanisms per se (most notably smart heads on pumps and standalone pressure gauges) prove phenomenally reliable, serving us faithfully until they suffer sudden cataclysmic implosion.

Momentary, slightly indigent frustration was swept aside by risky pragmatism.

Resting my beloved fixer against a five bar gate, I slipped mini pump, 15mm wrench, tyre levers and glue-less patches into jersey pockets, hid the stricken tool caddy deeper within the undergrowth and thundered on.

Thankfully the puncture fairy smiled down upon me for the remaining twelve mile loop, though having re-entered the zone where physical exertion unleashes enhanced mental processing, the most convenient method of carrying it home still eluded me.

The light bulb moment struck while descending at 46mph. I decided simply to shove the stricken bag beneath my jersey for the remaining three miles. Admittedly, some folks (including a group of reservist fire fighters) stared in wide wonder at my newly acquired pectoral mass that could almost pass for backstreet breast implants.

Thankfully the shame was only fleeting given I was travelling at 18mph and quickly substituted with my own subversive sniggering...

Back in the bat cave, the most obvious solution appeared in the guise of this B’Twin 700 bottle caddy. Ride essentials ported across and mini pump riding shotgun on the bottle cage, it’s an unobtrusive, cheap as chips solution.    

Obviously, this means I either opt for another SKS cage mount adaptor, which might look a little Lego-like but seem superbly engineered, a hydration pack, or a less convenient Tri type-know there’s one in my bodge box doing nowt.

Talking of frames, the world of traditional frame building continues to contract. Yes, there will always be a market for bespoke steel framesets but small scale craftspeople are either working for specialist brands, designing and building higher end production bikes, or adopting a much broader retail model.

That’s not to say its romantic allure is waning the cycling publics’ consciousness-forums are wilting under the heat of people waxing lyrically about intricate lug work and impeccable brazing (although the former is also a clever way of hiding a multitude of flaws).

Shrewd builders with sufficient space (not to mention; patience) have tapped into this phenomenon, offering week long courses whereby keen enthusiasts can build their own frameset from one of the more user friendly Cro-molys-Reynolds 525 being a deservedly popular choice given the bewildering array of sizes and wall thicknesses.

Presented with such an opportunity, I would be delighted to enrol and hopefully come away, pleased as punch with the fruits of my labour but with no commercial pretensions whatsoever.

Then of course, interest in older frames has also mushroomed with a more generic retro revival encompassing “classic” cars, motorcycles, scooters, not forgetting clothing. During my teens, a classmate and self-appointed fashion guru made an unusually insightful remark. Chinos had just swept back in along with Flat tops and other styles with a 1950s flavour and he commented that fashion had reached the point where it couldn’t progress any further, so was and would continue borrowing from the past.

Frame fit pumps are also starting to gain a niche following too. Ultra efficient models capable of delivering 120psi are still very relevant. I still mourn a ¾ length resin Specialized model that was so cruelly nudged from its bracket and crushed beneath the wheels of an approaching double decker bus although I’ve gotta admit, Co2 cartridges are worth their weight in gold by the roadside.

Right, well you’ll excuse me while I do some forward planning for Seven Day Cyclist (www.sevendaycyclist.co.uk) and continue building my photographic website. Continuous development is crucial in a perpetually changing world, one that seemingly never sleeps.

The F Word: Frame Building Fact and Forum Folklore

Highly skilled metal working, though frame building in particular has always fascinated me. Most cyclists will share an interest in bespoke products at some level and once upon a time, towns and cities could take their pick of craftspeople.

Sadly, these days every online community has its resident “experts” some of whom couldn’t manage joined up writing, let alone differentiate lap weld from lap dance.

One commentator recently asserted Reynolds 531 is a low grade Cro-moly. Arguably superseded in sporting terms by 725, 921 et al, it still offers excellent ride characteristics and suits a wealth of applications from Audax to heavily laden touring.

Indeed, many framesets are truly a ’la carte-blended from different tube sets to deliver just the right characteristics. There are no short cuts. Any fool can blast metal together with heat understanding their relationship and translating this into competently engineered, fit-for-purpose structure requires considerable time and practice.

Contrary to popular forum folklore, the main reason for 531’s obsolescence boils down to manufacturing techniques, technology and consumer expectation. Giant’s ground breaking TCR semi/compact geometry concept divided opinion but meant production bikes fitted much better, especially those of us with a more feminine dimensions i.e. proportionally longer legs and shorter torsos.

Hence, fillet brazing became standard practice amongst custom builders, while mass production has favoured TIG for the past twenty five years. Since 531 cannot withstand fusion welding, the mixture was tweaked and 525/520 conceived.

These “lowlier” tubesets along with in-house blends of 4130 still enjoy a responsive, engaging ride quality but at a very affordable price-arguably perfect for starter race mounts, or indeed winter/training.         

“Ghost building”; batch producing framesets to shop specifications and under their name has been a popular staple for many sole traders. However, even this has been dwindling recently. Increasingly custom builders are designing and fitting frames here before commissioning fabrication to Taiwan.

Material choice is also far greater than ever before. Steel has seen meteoric revival, having fallen from favour during the 1990s but now competes alongside various grades of aluminium, carbon/composites and of course, titanium. These also require a very different skillset, not to mention tooling.

Therefore remaining competitive alongside volume producers, especially those in the Far East is almost prohibitive without outsourcing somewhere along the line.

Fifteen years back, having completed another professional qualification and feeling distinctly disillusioned within day jobs; I decided it was time to seek professional training in welding practice. Armed with some elementary, plain gauge 4130 tubing, I spent many hours under the close scrutiny of a giant scots’ toolmaker called George and Terry; a chirpy, straight talking coachbuilder.

Ultimately, while said Cro-moly boasted livelier characteristics, high-tensile steels such as Peugeot cycles’ HLE or electricians’ conjugate were of comparable weight, cost pennies and proved much easier to fusion weld.

Undesirable for frames perhaps but I was seeking to build a series of low-slung, single wheeled touring trailers with a view to small scale production. Prices cannot be levied upon creativity and skills development but attempting this as a commercial venture would be a fools’ mission given the prices of superior, mass produced imports.  

Spleen vented and KA’s fresh MOT certificate within my sweaty little palm, I’m headed up to see Peter Gabrielle at Birmingham’s LG arena…

Reactive Sparks

A business cum friendly associate once remarked that temping was little more than a heat sink for one’s energies and on many levels, I concur.

However, aside from the obvious cash-injection, it’s often proved a surprisingly good catalyst for creativity. During one gig, I created several characters, which ultimately evolved into a series of children’s stories.

Originally conceived for mine and Joshua’s amusement, I’ve recently resurrected them with a view to digital self-publication. Despite promising leads and noises, no animators came forward, thus I’m hunting some inexpensive, user-friendly cartoon/animation software.

I spotted some CDs white attending a computer fair during my last midlands’ trip but was deterred by tales of Trojans and similar malware infections.

Staying with this region, I was stunned Lee Cooper isn’t undertaking commissions just now. Far from turning off the gas and selling his Jigs, he’s been drafted in by Pashley cycles to craft their flagship models.

However, while demand remains high for bespoke builds, the global market place has changed consumer expectations. Increasingly custom builders are outsourcing construction to the Far East in order to remain competitive-just as volume producers did during the late 1980s and 90s. This calls supposed “re-shoring” into question and this trend certainly isn’t restricted to lightweight bicycles.

Niche classic/restorations markets aside, few consumers are willing to pay a coachbuilder to engineer, or repair vehicle bodies. Indeed, panel beaters are increasingly being superseded by body technicians. 

A revival of Fordist production methods also seems underway, judging by a steady trickle of marques offering any tubing you like, so long as it’s Reynolds 525.

Some folks get decidedly sniffy about less glamorous Cro-moly tubes, yet in many respects they deliver phenomenal bang for modest buck-ideal for winter/training and/or everyday riding.

525 was, to my my knowledge, originally conceived in response to modern TIG welded production methods and is available in a wide variety of diameters/thicknesses. This obviously lends it to a wealth of cycling genres/ applications, from lightweight trainer to kitchen sink touring lorry.

In common with its 531 predecessor (which can only withstand non fusion techniques i.e. brazing/soldering) it has also found favour in motorcycle frames, sports car chassis and suspension systems. Lowlier 520 is broadly the same alloy made under licence in Taiwan.

Elsewhere, autumn is in its rich, wet and somewhat windy glory. Great when ensconced at the keyboard, cooking up or redrafting copy but demands careful planning to avoid seasonal chills or rechargeable lighting dropping out unexpectedly. 

Rummaging through assorted Perspex boxes resurrected this fabulous Light N’ Motion blinky and two li-on cells; the latter seem fully compatible with the One23 Extreme and more powerful Magicshine lamps.

On paper (and indeed asphalt) there’s little call for exceeding 1000 lumens but in practice lends and reflector quality has greater effect upon useable output. Hence why some 550/600 lumen systems cast a more effective, useable beam for road, or indeed helmet mounted trail duties.

Experimenting with two Extreme Bright lamps (battery packs nestling bat fashion at opposite ends of the top tube) technically means 2000 lumens at my fingertips but identical beam patterns with minor imperfections are less useable than intelligent systems combining spot and flood, whether singularly or via two separate lamps.