Falling Leaves

Been a productive but tough couple of weeks, “Belgian Mix” has been satisfactorily reworked, so I’ve turned my attentions to some children’s fiction since I’m on a mission to explore additional horizons and opportunity presents. Autumn is showing visible signs of its imminent arrival and with it, renewal of the workshop roof in favour of something more substantial before renewal becomes urgent.

Other creative opportunities have presented themselves and are being pursued with renewed tenacity coupled with a sense of tentative optimism. Not exclusive to the “creative” industries but seemingly endemic is the expectation that people will supply goods and services for nothing- I’ve had several encounters of this nature recently, treating them with the contempt they deserve. I have often accepted payment in kind, or on a barter basis but refuse to indulge in the sweat shop mentality-doing so, encourages a downward spiral, rather akin to buying stolen goods and wondering why one’s home/business becomes a target for theft. Remunerate fairly and skilled people will reciprocate. 

Commissioning solely on price has major repercussions-many an “Uncle Bob” with “professional looking equipment” has shot their niece’s wedding with disastrously second-rate results, copious tears and family rifts. Sure you can get a gas combi boiler refit for £500 but don’t expect to find recompense when carbon monoxide or major explosion rips through your lives-said contractor will have saddled their horse, ridden off into the sunset without so much as a tax code, let alone public liability cover and Corgi accreditation. Never mind, household insurers are bound to be sympathetic…

For the time being I have shelved the idea of qualifying as a masseuse, since singular, professionally recognised qualifications seem rare as the proverbial rocking horse dropping and I don’t want to pursue a three year beauty therapy route, only for my extended skillset to be mooted by gender. However, opportunities can materialise unexpectedly so I’ll continue along other paths for now.

Toyed with re configuring the Univega’s front end to include an Alpina dynohub with disc mounts but the practical advantages are outweighed by unnecessary retirement of perfectly good components, while serving to increase its theft appeal. Nonetheless, I’ve invested in another Dcup lower race and Weldtite have sent me their steerer cutter, so front end surgery is definitely on the cards. Thirty thousand miles and countless shifts later it’s eight speed LX rear mech has been pensioned off in favour of this remarkably competent Microshift M45, an 8/9spd unit broadly on terms with the Japanese giant’s Alivio but a wee bit cheaper.

Ours was the long cage model for seriously wide ratios (11-34 teeth anyone) though, there’s a shorter cage sibling, which will save scarce few grams but might canter across the block fractionally faster. No surprise to see its now sporting the LX crankset, which is better finished not to mention (258g) lighter than its Alivio predecessor’s drive side alone, largely attributable to aluminium alloy rings. 

So then, we now have an eclectic ensemble of eight/nine speed mech, commanded by 8/9speed brifters, 9speed crankset, eight speed chain, cassette and fifteen year old STX front mech.  Everything was pretty much plug n’ play, save for the latter but even this this complied when fed a fresh cable and tweaked judiciously. Quintessentially crude, models of similar calibre appear pretty tolerant of mixing n’ matching and serves to scotch popular lore suggesting such configurations will never work to genuinely acceptable standards.

We’ll see how far it lags behind in another fifteen hundred miles or so, by which point I shall put the existing Sun Race and KMC consumables out to pasture, marking 108,000 miles on the tubby tourer and its continued evolution into nine speed-by default, rather than design. Well, that brings this entry to a natural conclusion-time I drafted a few pitches and copied my late father’s Open University series from VHS cassette to DVD.    

Another Fait Accompli

Well frankly it was, credit card materializing within my fevered fingers as if driven by occult forces. £29.99 lighter and several minutes later, said square taper LX crankset was winging its way here. 

Presently cocooned within bubble wrap, I’m denying child like urges to undertake transplant surgery since the Alivio remains in extremely rude health. Once the existing chain, cassette and late middle-aged LX mech sing their swansongs, I’ll give said tubby workhorse’s Microshift brifters responsibility for an extra sprocket and take advantage of readily available mid range consumables. Besides, time management will be a familiar concept to most freelancers. The ability to escape for a ride, introduce new equipment etc on my own terms is deeply liberating but with such reward comes great responsibility/discipline.

Submitting successive, decent features/book proposals is exhausting, it can take several weeks for their recipients’ response, especially during what’s dubbed “The silly season”. In press parlance this has traditionally referred to freelancers stepping in to fill the boots of more established anchor folk while the world and their offspring are reading trashy airport novels on a beautiful beach somewhere or just mingling at late summer barbecues. For some it’s an ideal opportunity to demonstrate their true potential, though easily leads some people punching above their weight.

I regularly listen to Women’s Hour while slaving over a hoit keyboard, primarily because I find the differing perspectives on a wealth of subjects are delivered with considerable insight and ownership by Jenni Murray/Jan Garvey.Alas, I found myself increasingly irritated by Kirstie Allsopp’s feature exploring women's childbirth choices. Clearly very passionate  she couldn't execute with sufficient authority and the piece felt closer to the standards I'd expect from an A level media studies student than seasoned broadcast journalist. 

More convincing than the recent litigation brought forward by supposedly disillusioned readers of Lance Armstrong’s inspirational works though. I read the first while holidaying in Rome but never really bought into the franchise or fairytale. Suing Armstrong on the grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation strikes me as little more than a deeply cynical means of financial gain and marginally less irksome than a decidedly aggressive young man who ploughed into my  Endura engined Ford Ka back in 2006.

He (successfully I might add) sued me for “hurt feelings”. Against this and a backdrop of increasingly fractious road encounters, I lost no time in renewing my third party cycling cover. Pragmatically, I have little qualm about this since it reinforces the message that bicycles/tandems/recumbents are vehicles with equal rights/responsibilities when navigating the public highway.

Parallels with Armstrong’s case might be somewhat tentative, though illustrate how eager people are, especially in less favourable fiscal circumstance to seek easy financial remuneration.  Negotiating some deeply deprived neighbourhoods on a daily basis for many years left little doubt that people would wantonly stray into my path, seeking damages, spurred on by the relentless barrage of television advertisements.

Collision with a car could also result in the owner/driver seeking financial redress for repairs. Simple and relatively inexpensive cover is often available through clubs/organisations, typically with some sort of legal support. Obviously, this wouldn’t stem the claims culture outlined above but it might go someway to muting disturbingly mainstream assertions that people choosing to use human powered vehicles are reckless reprobates needing institutional help. Sadly, we have it seems, also reverted to an insidious “Asking for it” misogynist mindset-even amongst young women, some of whom would readily identify themselves as feminist. ...

. 

Sharper Focus

Resisting a New Old Stock square taper Shimano LX crank spotted for the paltry sum of £29 required phenomenal resolve but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Univega’s existing Alivio unit. Steel rings might well be regarded as low rent  though have some considerable advantages on a bike turning big mileages in all weathers-longevity being the most obvious. Lowlier groupsets aren’t nearly so seductive to light fingered types either, especially those with shopping lists who might pop back with reinforcements/appropriate tooling another time. Monies are better deployed on new/upgraded photographic equipment-reflectors, ring flashes, backdrops and contemporary editions of Photoshop right now.   

Progression continues on the book front too, with contact from a well-known US publisher showing promise but this is no time for self-congratulatory back slapping, or complacency for that matter. Have also been reaching out further into the US market features wise with mixed results-some only to keen to explore possibilities, others a pronounced indifference and in some cases downright hostility.

This latter emotion is something all too prevalent within twitter land, where distinct, troll-esque cyclist hatred has developed. Most of the commentary is vile, inarticulate stuff from those bright young things who, despite supposedly unprecedented academic results fail to recognise that bragging about assault and driving while under the influence of alcohol/ other, prohibited substances on social media has severe consequences. I have also noticed an insidious and equally disturbing misogynistic undercurrent flowing with phenomenal force. Once considered the preserve of bitter middle aged men, young women seem to have bought into this wholesale, sickening nastiness making its progression all the more clandestine. 

Steering back from the brink, there’s been some lovely kit arriving on my test bench these past few weeks.Recent “heatwaves” have underlined the importance of hydration.  Axiom’s ripple cages come in both stainless and titanium forms and show some obvious nods in the direction of Nitto’s phenomenally delicate-looking R series shown here adorning the Teenage Dream’s seat tube. However, 4.2 and 4mm diameter tubing respectively make better hosts to full 750ml bidons. Oh and while I’m on the subject, look elsewhere and to something carbon/composite if you’ve leanings toward aluminium SIGG or thermos types such as Elite’s Deboyo. The latter not only keeps tipples, soups etc at their desired temperature but is designed for cage and er, civilian duties -perfect for crisp December cyclo cross meets and long hauls in the car too. 

Sometimes I’m passed things with considerably more to them than meets the eye. Take this Strider. Cursory inspection suggests there’s a fag paper separating it from a host of similar hobby horses. However, Ryan McFarland (founder and current CEO) hails from a highly competitive, not to mention mechanically minded family.

Once a moto crosser, McFarland came over to mountain biking and gave us the mighty “thud buster” suspension seatpost before developing the Strider with help from his two young protégé’s. The Mk4 seen here now features powder coated livery, sealed cartridge bearings and improved EVA tyre tread for reduced rolling resistance. An undeniably brilliant teaching aid capable of spurring the quickest learners to bicycles proper in a matter of days, the inability to retrofit transmission is something of a missed opportunity. Depending on individual children, this may mean something like Frog’s aluminium framed 43 or Isla bikes CNOC represent better investments, especially for those nearing school age. 

Now to the issue of friction-we all know to drizzle magic potions on our chains but the numbers of folk who needlessly succumb to blistering/saddle sores never ceases to amaze me. Ok, so we’ve come a long way since the like of Coppi, Anquitel and Simson shoved raw steaks between their more intimate regions and not so supple genuine chamois. Most of us use synthetic pads with Coolmax wicking fibres and silver that not only keep us cool and relatively odour free but can be tossed in the machine wash at forty degrees without further ado. However, long hauls, especially breaking in traditional leather saddles can introduce a fair bit of discomfort. I’m not alone in thinking that natural ingredients are the way forward, especially on products applied next or directly to my skin, let alone genitalia. Home Scents, a small company based in the North East of England thought I might fancy putting their sensitive skin formula through its paces.  

Credit where due, they don’t fudge matters when it comes to full and frank disclosure of ingredients and some fairly long outings atop a virgin Brooks B17 suggest it’s a pretty good bet, on par with some household names I’ve done some serious time with.  Aside from the wedge pack friendly 100g tube, ours also came in thimble pots for quick top-ups-perfect for those weekenders. That said, post ride scrub offs in the shower are imperative to prevent blocked pores leading to potential infection. Right then, time to diiiismount and arrange another helmet for Joshua since he's just advised me his beloved Giro lid is about to collect its pension!