Salt, Spray, Slush & SLRS

As winter slips into spring and forecasters threaten a bitterly cold Easter, I’m reflecting on the Ilpompino’s two-tone powder coated finish. Regular visitors will know that I’m a firm fan of powder coating, which is both extremely durable and these days, available in pretty much any colour you’d care to mention. Some with equally bewildering monikers too and I’m suddenly very taken with this orange....

However; overall effects and longevity are dependent on the quality of materials and sprayer skill. Given Maldon Shotblasting and Powder Coating (http://ctc-powder-coating.co.uk/pedal-bikes/) offer a five year warrantee against corrosion or defects as standard, I wasn’t surprised to discover my beloved MK2 remains resplendent.

Unlike the Teenage Dream (refinished in May 2009) the fixer is not a fair weather member of the fleet, it serves year round and in all but snow. Six months and a few thousand miles spent navigating slippery backwaters carpeted in soggy dung, salt, stones and other caustic, nasties have made zero impression.

In the interests of critical evaluation, I’ve been uncharacteristically slack when it comes to cleaning, allowing grime, filth and spatter to cultivate and solidify around the down tube, bottom bracket shell and rear triangle for several weeks at a time. 

With this in mind, its worth noting that any imperfections resulting from reasonable use would be honoured under warrantee. After all, winter, ‘cross and mountain bikes serve in contexts where a grimy patina is to be expected. Several months’ ride-into-the-ground neglect is not.

Do not expect a spray shop offering and enduring warrantee to cut corners.   

Critics of powder cite weight as being a major detraction and yes, compared with a 2pac it does pile on the grams, which could be a deal breaker for race whippets and other bikes on calorie controlled diets. This leads some finishers to skip the zinc phosphate primer and go straight to paint at customer request.  

Many mass produced racks/accessories are painted this way as it keeps costs competitive, In the event of stone chip/similar damage, the frame/fork's parent metal is left vulnerable to the elements. Moisture can sneak beneath, the colour coat, which then peels/flakes-especially if corrosion/oxidisation has been able to thrive unnoticed.  

Never ask, let alone attempt to cajole a project finisher to do something they know to be poor practice.  

Elsewhere, I’ve finally found a suitable body to replace my elderly Sony Alpha workhorse SLR. This enables me to retain my range of Minolta lenses, which are still quite plentiful and relatively inexpensive second hand.

In the hands-on sense, I’m fond of Sony’s A & NEX systems but irked by the Japanese firm’s tendency to discard, or change spec, seemingly on a whim and compelling owners to abandon or upgrade. Such practices might be acceptable for enthusiast armatures but a sure-fire way of alienating semi/pro audiences. 

Talking of electronics, my Hudl2 tablet computer has also gone the way of my previous KA’s exhaust baffles and arouses suspicions that inbuilt, software induced obsolescence was responsible.

Tesco, the retail giant was quite public in its intentions to discontinue and therefore, no longer support the range. I had it repaired under original guarantee at the close of November and this work carried a further 90 day warrantee.

Said Android powered device suddenly expired while I was entering the soft corridor of sleep a few days outside of that period. Annoying yes but lesson learned and I’ll acquire a different brand, when one presents at the right price. Bert Wagendorp’s “Ventoux” has just landed on the Seven Day Cyclist test bench, so I’m off for a read before drawing up a shortlist for potential design interns...

Wrapping up for Winter

 

So, after some deliberation, I plumped for this very fetching honey coloured Bobbin bar wrap to replace the venerable Mpart. Arguably, black would’ve been more obvious given the Ilpompino’s new colour scheme but I’m rather taken with the warm, tan contrast.

Cursory inspection of the end plugs suggested it was a rebranded shop variant and one that had served me well. However, the hide seems superior-much thicker, though still very supple, so sharp effects are achievable with minimal effort and the absence of lever strips posed no problems.

Despite the strong adhesive, correction is similarly effortless, which was welcomed when doubling up at personalised points. While the end plugs looked pretty, tenure proved poor and prompted swift substitution for a set of plastic Cinelli-sorted.

Initial thoughts are of a luxurious, grippy and fatigue reducing covering that should weather reasonably well; nourished with Nikwax or similarly good quality leather proofing on a quarterly basis. On our second outing, I was convinced the tube gremlin had struck again.

A very low but persistent hiss tore through my serenity, a mere 700 metres from home. Psyching myself up for another tube swap, I was elated on discovering it was merely the sound of carbonated drink escaping my bottle valve. However, I wasted no time in plugging a small but significant nick in the Vittoria’s casing with superglue.  

There’s no such thing as too many when it comes to spare tubes, patch kits or Co2 cartridges and Murphy’s Law guarantees they’re never to hand when you need them.

More than two patches and butyl gets recycled as seat collar/headset boots, shims for lighting brackets/similar accessories. 175-2.1 inch MTB sizes are much easier to slide into place but bigger 30-38mm road sections also work reasonably well.

Confounded by the mysterious disappearance of those bought during my last decathlon dash, fastidious foraging unearthed a fully loaded repair kit, so the wounded tube has been sorted and relegated to the serviceable spares stash. I also rediscovered this handy folding stand. Lacking the outright stability of the PRO types, it’s much neater than improvising with a Perspex jug when photographing bikes.

Knog’s biggest Blinder Arc-the 640, continues to impress, with its combination of versatility and output that frankly outshines many budget models claiming much bigger numbers.

This goes to substantiate the point, that reflector, diode and lens are pivotal when talking useable light. Weather resistant to IPX6, (everything bar full blown submersion in layman’s terms), ours haven’t missed a beat when subjected to my five minute hose-pipe torture test.

This isn’t an act of vandalism, I’m not seeking to destroy these, or any other lighting system. Rather, when manufacturers claim something is waterproof, then I pursue accordingly but within reason, obviously.  

Elsewhere, wedding season here in the UK supposedly fizzled out with September’s swansong but I’m delighted to be covering some Indian ceremonies in Bedfordshire before October’s through. This month will be the last real opportunity to get some serious miles in on the “teenage dream” too; so I’ll be taking full advantage.  

 

My mother’s car port commission has also generated a steady stream of interest.

Prices start at £250 for my stock, rural scenes blown up on 5x3ft weatherproof canvasses. Bespoke works and other sizes are also welcomed-just contact me by email with your requirements and we’ll take things from there.

Continuing the photographic theme, I’m still hunting a suitable replacement Sony Alpha (Minolta pattern) body and at Seven Day Cyclist magazine, we’re recruiting interns to assist with production and marketing.