Mods n' Ends aka beating the shot bolt & temp job blues

So there I was belting along the dusky back roads, putting another days’ temp job frustration into perspective and seeing the bigger picture. This heady mix of serenity and pragmatism was rudely interrupted by the sound of metal bouncing across asphalt… Thankfully not the handlebar cam mount, rather this largely likeable Lucas king of the road front light.

Aesthetically pleasing, I’ve never really been convinced by the ornate clasp’s durability and found the knurled bolt uniting its resin bracket unnecessarily fiddly. The lamp itself is another commuter plus model that produces 565lumens in top, with navigational clout through sticksville to around 25mph and 2.5 hours from a full charge.

An easily accessible li-on cell and inexpensive replacements allow extended playtimes with minimal bulk. However, just entering dusk, mine was sipping reserves in flashing…

Meanwhile back at the roadside, I’d leant the Ilpompino against a gate and began foraging through overgrown verges, hoping to find said fastener gleaming in the fading sun. Several minutes hence, I resigned myself to its loss, popped lamp ensemble in my wedge pack and resumed a brisk cadence-mentally scouring Perspex boxes for suitable substitute.    

This materialised as a stray stainless fender eyelet bolt, which aside from improving tenure, makes the bracket harder to swipe. I also discovered another (!) helmet strap complete with Go-Pro mount, so have bolted the Knog pattern atop. These will be tethered to a lid and trialled over the coming weeks.

I’d deliberately allowed the Ilpompino to cultivate a grimy patina during this time to test the effectiveness of some eagerly awaited bike washes, foaming chain cleaners and lubricants of varying viscosity. Air temperatures are still holding around the 20c mark, thus sludgy black frame preserve continues to leach stubbornly from my fleet’s breathe holes and bottom bracket shells.

Ideal conditions for basting the KA’s underside and chassis with my medieval medicine…Previous coats have remained firmly ensconced; albeit slightly weathered, thus bi-annual top-ups stop anything nasty getting a foothold.   

Most cleaners are now designed with composites in mind, eliminating risk of solvent damage. Genuinely effective on light to middleweight summer lubes, filmy residual road spatter and organic stuff; heavy duty wet potions demand three, sometimes four helpings and concerted coaxing from medium firm bristle plots.

Freelancing is synonymous with competence-if you’re not, you don’t last. Very occasionally, we might receive a stiff, though constructive editorial rebuke. Critically evaluate, raise your game and avoid repeat offences.

By contrast, incompetence is one of my biggest bugbears. Present temp role mirrors that this time two years ago, though I’m channelling frustrations into creative endeavours, while assuming an economically pragmatic, means-to-end focus. Stressing the positive, I’m off to play with some rather exciting chain lubes, check progress with my collaborators and work on some drafts before Monday’s 5.30 awakening.

  

Muzzies, Mods & Movies...

I was meandering through Flickr the other evening when I happened upon a very fetching blue steel Marin Pine Mountain complete with moustache bars. Voluptuous; though not to extremes, its On-One Mungo stirred a yearning to revise the Univega’s cockpit. Generally endeared to the existing WTB/Salsa configuration that offers commendable rigidity and control in most contexts, said swooping revision might reduce fatigue on longer runs.

Cursory inspection suggests they may also demand a loftier, stubbier stem (35 or 40mm) and longer cables, since controls sit further forward. Hence, contact point popped in one’s virtual basket, I went foraging for a 35 degree 60cm version of their 3D stem but to no avail. Still, something’s bound to materialise when I’m least expecting it-watched inboxes and all that…    

While working on a winter-prep piece for a new, soon to launch publication, the Teenage 

Dream’s rear Miche dual pivot calliper developed an unexplained, intermittent binding habit. Short, liberal blasts of maintenance spray to the springs and inner housings failed to exorcise this demon, hence cable replacement and Sugru detailing, which has silenced irksome bottle chatter/tenure, especially across inclement surfaces. Incompetent, negligent people are one of my greatest bugbears, not least when they’re operating one ton plus of steel.

At approximately 11am on Tuesday (15^th July), I was negotiating a series of tight bends on the return leg of an hours’ blast when a cobalt blue Audi (BF12 XCV) swept past with inches to spare before wantonly swerving into our path. Water off the proverbial duck’s back in many respects but still decidedly unsettling. I am also fairly certain he was trying to provoke a response and that there was “just cause” for this behaviour- been laid off/ passed over for promotion/lost a bet/partner said “no”.

Two riders travelling in the opposite direction confirmed he appeared to point the vehicle squarely at them. Being wary of falling into the pop psychology trap, anecdotally it appears an increasing minority of drivers just seem to have psychotic tendencies and can largely behave as they please since road traffic legislation is extremely lenient and the authorities reticent to act. (“He was asking for it your honour, dressed in those tricolour (blue/white/black) bib shorts”)

Studies undertaken by the motor/cycling press some twenty odd years previously suggest there is something in the psyche of some drivers that regards “enthusiast” riders a challenge to be duelled with- put in their place perhaps?

You Tube hosts countless encounters and I can fully appreciate why. Well timed-explosive yells are an excellent release of tension, though red rag and bull spring to mind when some wronged riders advise said behaviour is being filmed and shortly uploaded to said medium. I miss not having a decent helmet camera-not for policing others behaviours but capturing rides in their full glory.

My last purchase was decidedly disappointing, not in terms of image but rather, build quality and manufacturer indifference. Essentially, I should’ve spent more, rather than invest in a discontinued line. Go Pro’s Hero is very much a benchmark and with good reason, though Garmin Virb Elite looks capable of delivering comparable performance for a few dollars less. Impulse buying is something I strive to avoid, although am apparently unable to resist silicone blinkies.

Bought these three from a Chinese supplier for £1.25 each, only to discover faulty switches-powering down necessitates battery removal. Thankfully, this new range of commuter lights from a well-known distributor based in derby has just arrived. Now to find an illustrator for my children’s stories and some models for another project…