Not Fade Away

We’ve experienced some technical difficulties, leading to delays, a few tense moments and bouts of hand-wringing but with concerted effort; issue 7 of Seven Day Cyclist has now hit the digital newsstands. 

There’s a review of Frog’s junior friendly R70, an everyday/touring tyre group test, interview with Col Velo’s founding fathers Rob Harwood and Will Morgan, tours and much more besides. This Brooks’ C17 Cambium women’s saddle, Topeak waterproof wedge pack and a Waltz cap have just landed on our test bench too.

Ka and I headed up to the midlands for the bank holiday weekend. Generally speaking I’m never without a camera-usually a CSC but I found myself heaping gratitude upon my Samsung WB710 super zoom “travel” compact (a faithful belt loop /nelson pocket companion for several years) when this yellow tandem trike suddenly slipped into view.

Having asked permission, the couple were only too delighted to indulge my fascination and advised it was originally a Peugeot production model they’d bought new in 1979. The Newton conversion isn’t cheap (approximately £1500) but is fashioned from fillet brazed Reynolds 531 and handles much better than cheaper kits, especially over inclement surfaces. Cable operated discs and rear hub brake appear a sufficiently powerful combination for two adults and fully laden touring trailer.

Lovely couple, fascinating build. Knowing their locale’ I’ve dropped a business card and covering note through their door in the hope we can have a more involved chat about their machine and its history. Naturally, there was also further opportunity to capture urban artwork/graffiti porn in sunny Digbeth.  

Once upon a time, I held dear the notion that machines reflect their owners. I recognise this is somewhat over-simplistic and cringe at the suggestion they are extensions of our personalities. However, with time come component upgrades, fresh liveries and modifications that reveals something of our psyche.

Professionally, its’ imperative I remain current where technology’s latest developments, monitoring trends etc. On a strictly personal level, I find people’s winter bikes/daily drivers/workhorses truly fascinating.

So then; to the Ilpompino’s front-end conversion and after careful consideration I’ve concluded the superb TRP hydraulics over-engineered for the purposes of stopping a fixer. Besides, this would push the overall cost of the project to around £300, which isn’t really justifiable on an in-house 4130 cro-moly chassis.

The revised line up consists of user-friendly cable operated Avid BB7 with 160mm disc, which theoretically disperse heat and counteract fade better than their 140mm counterparts.

The front hoop will be an M-part Mavic/ Alex rim and Shimano M525 hub. Despite some concerted efforts to find some suitable forks on these shores, I’ll be importing some ‘cross friendly oversized carbon from the states. Then again, I’m a contrary figure, so spec remains subject to change without notice! 

STEPPING UP

While politicians peddle their very stylised, polished and heavily choreographed campaigns in an attempt to woo a cynical electorate; we’re busily evaluating the options for everyday riding and putting several walk-able step-in systems through their paces.   

Various manufacturers/distributors have been extremely forthcoming but anything sent via a certain logistics company is guaranteed not to arrive. This appears attributable to a new breed of “lifestyle” parcel sorter/courier, seemingly supplementing theirs by “intercepting” packages. They even sign for them on your behalf, so show up as delivered on the tracking system (!)

In common with other kinds of pilfering, this behaviour is justified on the twisted logic of entitlement “it’s insured; so no victim”. My heart sank when I saw a large online retailer was sending my camera equipment via this firm, though thankfully our local postie arrived clutching it under his arm. Talking of which, I must pursue ebay purchases that haven’t materialised…

Other couriers have delivered these rather striking dual sided Genetic and composite bodied Time ATAC. Testing aside; the simplest approach is to choose a particular system and adopt it throughout your bikes. 

Designs may be different, reflecting riding purposes/genres and require at least two pairs of shoes-one specialist, the other for everyday. However, it’s one less distraction when getting ride-ready.  

Twenty years back, Shimano and Look were increasingly becoming the dominant systems, though several manufacturers were still offering their own unique cleat patterns. I snapped up a couple for silly money and enjoyed their build quality but replacement parts; cleats in particular were rare as the proverbial rocking horse dropping.  

Look’s ARC and Keo patterns were once my road bike default thanks to copious float and support. However, even the Holdsworth has now switched to SPDR for sheer convenience. Something of a homage fetishist, I’ve acquired some Wellgo RC713-cosmetically identical to Btwin’s now discontinued “Automatic Touring Pedal”; right down to their inscriptions.

I suspect they are genuinely identical, since VP and Wellgo supply a wealth of other brands too. Their magnesium bodied MG8 were more intriguing but unavailable at the time. Small surface areas work best with uber-stiff soles and offer improved ground clearance, which comes in particularly handy on a fixed. However, I find broader platforms more comfortable given 60miles or so’s steady slog.

Elsewhere, Mr Gandolfi’s widow has been in touch, thanking me for my tasteful photographic coverage of her late husband’s funeral in January. It was an unusual request and a tricky assignment to conduct-the last thing I wanted was to intrude upon mourner’s grief, or appear ghoulish; hence my use of a CSC with 50-200mm 5.6 lens.

I also found time to visit Rutland Waters in Leicestershire. We’d gone to explore the viability of potential venues for another significant occasion-one was ideal but thwarted by the other’s mediocrity. However, it boasts a superb, traffic-free 25mile circuit, where cameloids, walkers and riders co-exist harmoniously.

This reignited an interest in mtb derived production tandems. Hmm, I’m thinking along the lines of a low mileage mid 90s Dawes Kickback II would be ideal but there’s a serious storage issue. Something with S&S couplings would be better but hiring one as- and- when is the most practical solution for now.

Back down south, I tackled the Ka’s other sill and dropped in on Col Velo collective at the Church St HQ. Col Velo is a small but expanding club founded by Rob Harwood and Will Morgan in October 2014. Their ethos is upon inclusivity-people bonding over their love of cycling, bikes, coffee and other stuff. Regular rides through the still relatively picturesque North Essex/Anglia regions are underpinned by a strict no-drop policy.

Velo Café is run by Rich, an extremely experienced mechanic who wields spanners for recycle during the week. Classic frames adorn walls and ceilings and there’s even a beautiful, unrestored road/path bike with period components in the workshop window. The traditions of eclectic machines and members means there’s plenty on offer, assuming you didn’t harbour racing pretentions.

    

Back on The Chain Gang

Receding weather fronts have permitted enthused riding/equipment testing, timely then that I should receive a helmet camera. I’ve always been taken by the breed from a documentary perspective but never had chance to play with one beyond the confines of a trade show counter. Size and weight have become increasingly immaterial- this little Easy Shot Clip HD is smaller than a micro multi-tool and comes complete with its own waterproof housing reminiscent of a diving bell. Riders using helmet cams have found themselves increasingly vilified by motoring groups and subject to more physical forms of attack/abuse from some vehicle operatives, so discrete dimensions will hopefully keep such confrontation to an absolute minimum. By the same token, small sensor sizes cannot capture the same degree of detail as larger models- an eight- megapixel camera phone will not produce the same quality images as a comparably endowed compact camera. More comprehensive testing in varying conditions and context will give a fairer reflection of its true capabilities and limitations…


Having run the otherwise fabulous Squirt chain wax for around 2,400 miles, the tell-tale metal on metal symphony chimed time so after giving the cassette a thorough comb-through to remove any residual sludge, I applied some of this Muc Off C3 ceramic lube. Ceramic blends have become extremely fashionable thanks to baron nitride and similar ingredients that are associated with longevity/corrosion resistance. Muc-off are very coy about the true composition, advising it’s a trade secret (think Coca-Cola) but it does seem slightly different to other leading brands’ and only requires a single, rather than two-stage application in the first instance.

That said, the instructions still recommend a four hour curing period so for most of us, this means applying the night before-a technique that comes as second nature coming from dry formulas but then wet lubes are ready to go straight from the spout. That aside, for it to impress, I need to return at least 220 winter miles from each application-a consistent average using another leading brew and for now I’m going to leave you guessing as to its identity. It seems equally fashionable-or lazy marketing on the manufacturers’ part to recommend their use on control cables but in my experience this works for a very short period, whereupon the brew solidifies, demanding solvent/water displacer bypass surgery.

There’s another school of thought suggesting that all bicycle lubes are over-priced-at least relative to those developed for motorcycle chains. Liked the idea of the Scott-oiler, especially in a cyclo cross/mtb context, although never got round to trying one but experimented with the O-ring chain lubes- Rock oil in particular. While the anti-fling properties were arguably way in excess of those required for a bicycle transmission turning at 100rpm, the consistency a little gloopy and prone to decorating the chainstays, a little went a very long way on fixed and cross country mountain bikes subjected to the ravages of winter. Other experimentation (of the legal and morally righteous kind) involved semi/synthetic two-stroke oils- Husqvarna chain saw type proving surprisingly useful (albeit relatively expensive) without attracting too much dirt or washing away in the first big puddle.

Sticking with old school for a minute, this post war tandem frameset (c.1952) arrived at the spray-shop in need of some serious TLC. A double diamond design, its once proud gold livery and decals have been somewhat consumed under a blizzard of corrosion. It’s worth remembering that in the inter/early post war years, the tandem was very much a utilitarian vehicle and everyday examples were made from heavier, plan gauge tubing which was not only cheaper but better equipped to shrug off dents and similar accidental damage. This goes a long way to explaining why this example has survived half a century or so. I’ve often toyed with a sleek utility build employing an eight-speed (Sachs Pentasport or Shimano Alfine) hub transmission hung on a bespoke, fillet brazed Columbus tubeset with every conceivable braze on- dynamo, disc mounts, bottles, cable guides etc, etc finished in battleship/dove grey (devoid of decals, save perhaps for my name). This was initially conceived twelve years or so back when drop bars were also unfashionable-at least to the light fingered but presented all manner of problems when it came to mounting the shift mechanism. Since frame and fork alone were nudging £700, experimental bodges were out of the question.

At the other end of the spectrum we have lightweight hybrids (Sometimes called North American Commuters) based around 6061 aluminium frames and occasionally carbon forks. Sensible clearances allow 700x35/38c tyres with breathing space while carriers, mudguards etc all slot neatly aboard their dedicated mounts. Hub transmissions and linear pull (sometimes disc) brakes ensure everything stops, goes and handles in reasonable proportion. However, while this level of trouser friendly enclosure makes for a long and happy union, I'd be inclined toward kevlar belted rubber, thorn-resistant tubes and a stout lock...