Leading From The Front

Equipped with carbon fork and super-smooth needle roller bearing Aheadset with aluminium cups that wouldn’t look out of place on an XC mountain bike, it was a quick forty- minute drive to Justin Burls’ workshop. The warm spring day encouraged further unexpected belching of Waxoyl from the Holdsworth’s bottom bracket shell but mercifully I had lined the Ka’s footwell with cardboard-thus defending the interior from the muddy brown discharge. After ten minutes marvelling at the size and refinement of the headset, Justin worked his magic with the headset press, installing the cups and fork crown with consummate ease. Forgetting to bring the Aheadstem means I will need to pop the bike into the work stand and cut the steerer to the desired length myself. Still, this a comparatively straightforward task and I will err on the side of caution, cutting less rather than more and filling the gap with spacers.

The new fork means I can take advantage of a modern shallow reach dual pivot brake calliper and 700C wheels. Mercifully the Woodman doesn’t employ the irksome star fangled nut but an interesting bung-type assembly. If I’m not totally happy with this, I will opt for a headlock bolt- ideal for carbon steerers, heavier and/or more aggressive riders.

Being as it was still early afternoon, we took the opportunity to go for a blast in the spring sunshine- I aboard his Russian TI fixer and he aboard “Old Faithful”. After some brief pre-ride preparation- the inflation of tyres and in his case, the taming of a rogue mudguard (fender) bolt, leading him to reflect upon a rebuild after 20,000 winter miles. Five minutes later, we were blasting through the outskirts of Harwich and into the long and winding rural landscape.

Following as close on Justin’s wheel as my legs and a 67-inch gear would allow, we cantered up the climbs and dived into the descents, the bright, tranquil landscape deceptively still as we battled into an unrelenting headwind. Two thirds of the loop completed, he stopped to tend to a missing mudguard eye bolt whilst I contemplated a loose stem cap. Justin jokingly remarking that old faithful might well explode before we returned to the safety of the workshop!

Mercifully neither men nor machines expired and after resuming civilian dress, it was quick cup of tea and a look at his wife’s new bike. Mila can’t ride a solo so Justin built this delightful frameset out of Columbus tubing he’d had lying around. The fork, also fillet brazed by him is slightly shorter than standard suspension corrected designs. Crank arms need shortening by 20mm to 155mm but he has this all in hand.