I’ll only be five minutes...

 

I’ve been here more times than I’d care to admit. I am unlikely to be the only rider who has a flash of inspiration and only to find those five minutes expanding to fit the time available. Midday, on Saturday, I decided I’d just tweak the Holdsworth’s brake lever positioning.  

A simple matter of unwinding the T-One MR Fantastic Handlebar Tape, slipping a long 5mm Allen key into the lever, moving upwards, then refitting the wrap around the Coefficient Wave Handlebars COEFFICIENT WAVE HANDLEBAR | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)   

Before I knew it, I’d switched the old but worthy Tektro for a new silver RL340 and fresh inner wire, and  the T-One MR Fantastic Handlebar Tape T-ONE MR FANTASTIC HANDLEBAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) substituted for this Ciclovation Grind Touch Bar Tape CICLOVATION GRIND TOUCH BAR TAPE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

I’d got past the point of being hungry, and my blood sugar was beginning to slide. Not ideal, nor my rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s “No Bone Movies”. Crucially, the job was done, and maybe it’s the successful recycling of bar tape, but the results pleased me. Lever perfectly aligned and sufficient power to bring the rear wheel off the ground-if that’s your thing.  

Now glue that freshly pruned inner wire and celebrate with some cake and diesel strength coffee.... Tyres inflated, good weather, check. Off for a dawn blast, which confirmed these subtle tweaks were well worth the time and unintentionally extended fettling.  

The soundtrack to this outing had shifted to Keith Richards’ Talk is Cheap, which hails from 1988 but still resonates very deeply with me. (Bought the Album (vinyl) in the summer of ‘92 and Main Offender, his subsequent album in the summer of 1993, in case it mattered) Had a few rabbits test the front stopper, which did its thing with palpable efficiency. It’s also smoother than the older Tektro lever.  

Much of this, I attribute to the RL340 being a more ergonomic fit for my hand.  The Knog Nerd Computer had also stopped working. Something I attributed to the head units CR2032 cell finally giving up the ghost.  

Couldn’t justify additional diagnostic time and indeed, time away from other tasks, so revisited this, post ride. I’ve a soft spot for the NERD, so was relieved to find the cell hadn’t leaked and caused contact/more acute damage.  

Battery switched, unit re-calibrated and back on the bars. The NERD in question is the baby of the now discontinued range and only has 5 functions. Current speed, trip distance, trip time, clock and odometer. Befitting of a pared to the essentials road bike-I love the simplicity and the NERDs seem solid too.  

The first cycle computer I ever had was back in 1989- wired 6 function Cat-Eye Vectra that I fitted to my fixed gear conversion, which was based around a 501 tubed Raleigh frameset. Fag sealed bottom bracket, very ornate GB quill stem, 42cm SR bars, SR track crankset, fluted polished alloy post, Turbo copy Suede saddle (worn smooth, eventually)  

I loved and rode that bike for four years, until the frame fatigued where head and downtube met.... Maillard double-fixed hub laced to basic but serviceable Weinmann rims and shod with Vittoria Roma 25mm tyres.  Back then, Cat-Eye and Avocet and Vetta were common sights on seasoned riders ‘bars.  

Wired computers were (and arguably still are) the most reliable. However, remember to remove, when performing headset strips, otherwise you’ll snag and ultimately, rip the cabling. An unenviable feat and one I achieved twice. By that point, the gap in terms of prices and reliability between wired and wireless had closed considerably.    

I’ve seen a few doing the rounds on auction sites and at sensible prices. If I was wanting to add the finishing touch to a bike from this period, maybe. Wouldn’t pay classic prices for one, though. I occasionally get drawn to framesets, such as the magnesium Kirk Precision. Interesting, and often maligned framesets but much of this comes from a misunderstanding of the concept.  

These were conceived as a mass-produced and very inexpensive racing frameset. Casting wasn’t the best and there are few left these days. I was offered a frameset (new) with headset, seat post, and bottom bracket for £99.99 back in 1990. I sometimes reflect on that being a missed opportunity, but I also recognise, at the time, it was a distraction purchase.  

A distraction from teen angst and unrequited love. Serious things at the time and felt very acutely. Talking of concepts, I’m finding myself increasingly warming to TPU tubes, as a serious alternative to butyl. Weight and ride quality are the main draws, price and ease of repair are two turnoffs. I’m running some on the Teenage Dream, fixed gear winter trainer, too (with butyl tubes in the wedge packs, in case of flats. Some, including Eclipse can be patched, but curing times aren’t rest-stop friendly).  

Strip Club

 I needed some mental downtime, and provided I’m not under undue pressure, immersion in a mechanical project can be extremely therapeutic. I’d intended to decompress by giving my fixed gear winter/trainer a midweek sudsy bucket clean and top up the now thirsty looking KMC S1 chain. However, one thing led to three successful missions.  

I was suddenly compelled to check whether Ursula’s RL340 would pull sufficient cable, thus removing any need to disturb the cockpit, save for a new cable and obviously, the bar wrap.  Having measured the TRP compresionless cable set and pruned to approximate length, I placed the wheel and forks into a stand, paired everything together.  

Drum roll...Engaging the lever proved a welcome surprise- decent modulation, travel and feel, no mushiness, sponginess or bottoming out. Hmm...Spotted a primer patch peeking through the School Chair fork, so on went a thin layer of black. Midweek...Should be nicely cured come the weekend... 

Fixed gear winter/trainer washed and rinsed, I topped up the Bike Medicine Purple Extreme Synthetic Chain Lubricant| cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) and gave the saddle a lick of hide food to keep it nourished.  Ditto Ursula’s Cycles Berthoud Soulor CYCLES BERTHOUD SOULOR LEATHER SADDLE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)    

While rummaging through various boxes, I resurrected the Infini Sword Super Bright 30 COB rear Light, which pumps out a maximum of 50 lumens and a super frugal flashing mode, genuinely good for 200 hours. No, you read that right. Not that I have any issue with the run times on my current batch of rear LEDs, but a super frugal backup is a serious boon.  

Halo Aerorage Track hub rebuilt; I’ve mounted the Kenda Kwick Roller KS Plus KENDA KWICK JOURNEY TYRES | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). It’s a super dependable and seemingly durable model well suited to a winter/fixed-especially one forgoing a mechanical rear brake. Dusk’s cloak had well and truly been cast by this point, and I had a business meeting in Milton Keynes the following morning, so I quit while ahead, carefully repatriating everything to the garage.

Overnight Thursday had been extremely wet, with ample red, dusty rain coating cars, windows and garden furniture. Ursula was the obvious choice, especially given I’d just deep cleaned my fixed gear winter/trainer.  

Swift, compliant serenity was rudely interrupted by front mudguard stay chatter-just catching the tyre sidewalls over washboard tarmac. Annoying though. Having addressed another phantom click on Friday morning, I returned from Saturday morning’s blast convinced now was the time to switch the front end.  

Tools, cable, grease, and other essentials lain out, I commenced surgery. This took longer than intended and was defined by contemplative belching, barely audible agricultural utterances, and of course, diesel strength coffee. Wheel off, bar wrap peeled back, I slid the Univega’s triple-butted blades out and placed them gently to one side.  

Next came generous carpet of Peaty’s Assembly Grease PEATY'S BICYCLE ASSEMBLY GREASE | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) to the school chair fork’s crown race and everything was going to plan. The Gusset Headshock system also got a lick of grease before I introduced the mudguard and dialed the top cap’s preload, just to hold everything together. Ryde Andra 40/ Shutter Precision SD8 wheelSHUTTER PRECISION SD8 HUB DYNAMO | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) securely in place, I pruned the TRP cable outer further, remembering the measure twice, cut once mantra, and then fed the inner through the Tektro RL340 lever...

Fed into the outer and TRP Sypre SLC caliper, I was relieved to discover the pads hit the rotor with minimal lever travel. I then discovered that the mudguard stays weren’t long enough to connect with the Día Compe eyelet adaptors. Momentary dejection didn’t linger but my flash of initial inspiration (Bolting the left hand stay to the adaptor mount) caused caliper alignment issues.  

After some faff, I reached for some stocky black cable ties and tethered everything securely to the fork legs. No rattle, no flex. Aside from some minor cable and caliper tweaking, we were on the home straight. Bar dressed and tape secured with a spare finishing strip, I tweaked the Aheadset bearings. A couple of readjustments and rock-tests confirmed all was right, so I reattached dynamo cabling and Sigma BC9.16 computer sensorSIGMA BC9.16 ATS WIRELESS CYCLE COMPUTER | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com). Tyre pressures checked, it’s time for some shakedown rides and to bed in the stopper...Oh but before I do that, here’s my review of the Shimano Alfine Hub Dynamo Shimano Alfine UR700 Hub Dynamo | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)