Parts & Pragmatism

Frustration with a small, print focused publishing house continues to ruminate, though I’ve reached a state of dispassionate pragmatism, choosing to divert creative energies into book projects and related business opportunities. Sample chapters have been submitted to a respected US publisher for consideration, which will determine whether I assume this traditional (preferred) path, or self-publish via online platform. Either way, such endeavours cannot be left languishing on hard drives/portable storage.

Elsewhere, the Holdsworth’s reincarnation prompted investment in another Czech made headset press, saving time and upheaval, though the Labyrinth nature of said steed’s Woodman Saturn unit proved something of a puzzle with few clues online. Woodman’s website was the first and arguably obvious starting point- PDFs simpered enticingly but several attempts at downloading proved fruitless. Mercifully, this exploded diagram materialised on my desktop’s hard-drive while trawling for some equally elusive photographs.

Twenty minutes and a liberal slathering of ceramic grease later saw front end reinstated with this exquisite Torus titanium stem leading the charge. Further foraging unearthed contact points and transmission components but its chrome plated, Campagnolo pattern seatpost binder bolt still eludes me.

Thankfully, these remain readily available and cheap as the proverbial portion of chips.  I’ve earmarked a set of rather fetching, deep section Halo hoops with powder coated rims and large flange hubs for their solid, yet sprightly charms. This and tyre choice will be contemplated further during that strange limbo land between festive Cyclo Cross meets and New Year.  

Temping was never intended as an economic staple (arguably the same sentiments have been ushered by countless numbers of people entering car/similar assembly lines) and while lacking the same degree of mind-numbing monotony, has nonetheless lead me down some distinctly dead-ends. Having acknowledged this and a desire to acquire a separate, skilled second/tertiary income stream to support scribing of various genres, I’ve decided to reinvestigate vocational qualifications in holistic therapies.

Massage is fascinating; although difficult to practice with any commercial continuity given my gender. However, I was recently invited to explore reflexology and believe this may well prove fruitful. Cost implications seem pretty reasonable too. Progression will depend upon my perceived suitability-standards of education certainly fulfil one set of criteria but those with directly related skills/qualification/experience are undoubtedly at an advantage.

Having spent several years experimenting with varying genres of photography, I’ve decided my commercial focus lies with industrial, product and portraiture. The latter seems a touch woolly/over-subscribed but I have a very specific target audience in mind. Knowing one’s market is the difference between success and obscurity. Swapping the Univega’s headset spacers has indeed cured the sloppy steerer bearing blues, so I’m off to ponder strategies from its saddle.    

Falling Leaves

Been a productive but tough couple of weeks, “Belgian Mix” has been satisfactorily reworked, so I’ve turned my attentions to some children’s fiction since I’m on a mission to explore additional horizons and opportunity presents. Autumn is showing visible signs of its imminent arrival and with it, renewal of the workshop roof in favour of something more substantial before renewal becomes urgent.

Other creative opportunities have presented themselves and are being pursued with renewed tenacity coupled with a sense of tentative optimism. Not exclusive to the “creative” industries but seemingly endemic is the expectation that people will supply goods and services for nothing- I’ve had several encounters of this nature recently, treating them with the contempt they deserve. I have often accepted payment in kind, or on a barter basis but refuse to indulge in the sweat shop mentality-doing so, encourages a downward spiral, rather akin to buying stolen goods and wondering why one’s home/business becomes a target for theft. Remunerate fairly and skilled people will reciprocate. 

Commissioning solely on price has major repercussions-many an “Uncle Bob” with “professional looking equipment” has shot their niece’s wedding with disastrously second-rate results, copious tears and family rifts. Sure you can get a gas combi boiler refit for £500 but don’t expect to find recompense when carbon monoxide or major explosion rips through your lives-said contractor will have saddled their horse, ridden off into the sunset without so much as a tax code, let alone public liability cover and Corgi accreditation. Never mind, household insurers are bound to be sympathetic…

For the time being I have shelved the idea of qualifying as a masseuse, since singular, professionally recognised qualifications seem rare as the proverbial rocking horse dropping and I don’t want to pursue a three year beauty therapy route, only for my extended skillset to be mooted by gender. However, opportunities can materialise unexpectedly so I’ll continue along other paths for now.

Toyed with re configuring the Univega’s front end to include an Alpina dynohub with disc mounts but the practical advantages are outweighed by unnecessary retirement of perfectly good components, while serving to increase its theft appeal. Nonetheless, I’ve invested in another Dcup lower race and Weldtite have sent me their steerer cutter, so front end surgery is definitely on the cards. Thirty thousand miles and countless shifts later it’s eight speed LX rear mech has been pensioned off in favour of this remarkably competent Microshift M45, an 8/9spd unit broadly on terms with the Japanese giant’s Alivio but a wee bit cheaper.

Ours was the long cage model for seriously wide ratios (11-34 teeth anyone) though, there’s a shorter cage sibling, which will save scarce few grams but might canter across the block fractionally faster. No surprise to see its now sporting the LX crankset, which is better finished not to mention (258g) lighter than its Alivio predecessor’s drive side alone, largely attributable to aluminium alloy rings. 

So then, we now have an eclectic ensemble of eight/nine speed mech, commanded by 8/9speed brifters, 9speed crankset, eight speed chain, cassette and fifteen year old STX front mech.  Everything was pretty much plug n’ play, save for the latter but even this this complied when fed a fresh cable and tweaked judiciously. Quintessentially crude, models of similar calibre appear pretty tolerant of mixing n’ matching and serves to scotch popular lore suggesting such configurations will never work to genuinely acceptable standards.

We’ll see how far it lags behind in another fifteen hundred miles or so, by which point I shall put the existing Sun Race and KMC consumables out to pasture, marking 108,000 miles on the tubby tourer and its continued evolution into nine speed-by default, rather than design. Well, that brings this entry to a natural conclusion-time I drafted a few pitches and copied my late father’s Open University series from VHS cassette to DVD.    

The Sludge That Would Not Budge!

Several weeks’ almost daily service in suspiciously wintry conditions saw the Univega’s usually hygienic drivetrain assume that thick, sludgy ruinous paste. Pressure of deadlines has meant post ride wash and rises to prevent the salt monster moving in on the tubby tourer’s livery and brightwork but leaving an extremely tenacious synthetic wet chain prep  unsupervised had invited the wrong crowd.

Green oil’s range is amongst the best lubes and cleaning potions I’ve come across-easily on par with petrochemicals but without toxins or noxious synthetic odours. Budgeting for an intensive twenty-minute race around, I’d hoisted my beloved workhorse aloft the workstand and nipped to the garage for degreaser concentrate, bike wash, long handled wooden bicycle brush and bucket of nigh on boiling water. Emerging triumphant, things were progressing nicely as I dunked bristles in bucket, introduced some concentrate and breezed round the crankset akin to a blue bottle on speed, bringing the potent citrus potion to a very satisfying barbers’ lather.

Left to fizz, I drizzled some further concentrate from a smaller, pocket friendly container into the chain links and outer plates, contaminating the cassette by shifting in both directions along the block. Confident of good progress, I immersed said brush and tickled the chain rings. Arguably cleaner (and doubtless acceptable under normal, everyday circumstances) things still looked a little feted, so I repeated the initial treatment but with little improvement.  

Time management dictated recourse to petrochemicals, in this instance unleaded petrol applied using a T shirt from he clean rag pile (never leave those contaminated with solvents bunched together, or you’ll run the risk of them spontaneously combusting-especially during summer). Something of a mechanic’s standby and more aggressive than leaded stuff, so reluctantly eradicated on these shores (because lacing with the heavy, poisonous metal meant additional lubricant, thus car manufacturers could use cheaper materials for valve seats/related engine components) the presence of benzene and xylene still presents some very real health implications. 

To my dismay, Tosco’s finest 95octane proved impotent against this vile residue, calling for removal and intensive parts washer marinate. Having located 8mm Allen key and wound the crank bolt free, it was time to introduce my faithful Sugino extractor tool, only it had inexplicably seized solid (!) Firing some penetrative spray at point blank range, wrestling them apart using two 17mm ring spanners solved this and with it, expedient removal of cranks from tapers. 

   

In full evangelist mode, I decanted the now tepid water from the bucket and added fresh concentrate, mixed with white vinegar for additional bite.

Some five minutes later sleet began descending from the skies so I relocated to the kitchen. Flicking on the radio brought chancellor George Osborne’s  carefully crafted, rousing budget speech peppered with expertly delivered empty  clichéd rhetoric, designed to whip Essex man and Worcester woman into an orgasmic frenzy. “Aspiration nation” and “hard working families” being this year’s slogans; although there seems little coherent strategy save for remaining in power and hoping a boom in new build housing with state underwritten mortgages will bolster morale’ and prove the antidote to a seemingly flat-lining “zombie” economy.

Nonetheless, well channelled anger can be power and five minutes frenetic scrubbing later, my cranks emerged suitably pristine. I took the opportunity of removing some congealed gunge from the bottom bracket’s splined interface, wiped the taper and sped the arms home again… Lessons have been learned.

Little Things

Inclement weather has limited my ability to clip in and go testing , so turbo trainer aside; its been a question of completing existing reports ahead of deadline, resurrecting the book projects with continued hunting of something suitable in temp land.

January’s close is oft regarded as the worst for morale, Christmas’ and New Year sparkle tempering quickly against cobalt skies and sometimes harsh, economic realities. Tired of well meaning but ultimately empty enthusiasm, I made contact with an accomplished author and editor (who I’d approached some twenty five years previously, eager to write for his newly established magazine) to see if he’d be tempted by my project outline. 

Fenders fitted to my favourite fixer; substituting its stocky Surly long haul trucker for a 6061 Topeak Super Tourist DX seemed an obvious move since it only hosted a cotton duck rack bag, shaving several hundred grams in a stroke. Reasonable payloads aside, wanderlust is limited to commuting, weekend touring and of course, Audax duties but then things seldom give trouble when built properly and used as per design brief.

Then came the big thaw, seeing the Univega plucked from its hook and introduced to the 933g Tortec epic, fitting with consummate ease having found a full compliment of stainless (as distinct from the chrome plated hotch potch) fasteners. However, doing so necessitated forgoing its Torch fender fit blinky and plugging the holes with silicone, bathroom type sealant.

To my surprise, the epic is only 40g heavier than Tubus’ legendary Logo with an identical payload. Repeated exposure to slushy, salted roads hasn’t given any cause for alarm, although are readily ingrained along with fingerprints and light dirt into the slightly dimpled texture. Warrantee wrangles aside, the tubus is more easily repaired or adapted with pump pegs, bespoke light fittings and similar nick nacks using brass, not fusion welding. 

Arguably a no-brainer but you’d be surprised at the number of folk who I’ve seen introducing a common or garden wire feed MIG/MAG unit to proceedings only to find their lugged and brazed frameset melts like the proverbial waxwork.  Keeping the cargo theme for a minute, having also spent some of this enforced confinement exploring home built homages to the mighty mono-wheeled Bob Yak (Most notably here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/My-version-of-a-YAK-Bike-Trailer/?ALLSTEPS

http://www.instructables.com/id/Single-wheel-bicycle-trailer-with-suspension/?ALLSTEPS)

It occurs to me that trailer racing would make a superb sub genre-whether fixed or freewheel, trail or tarmac. Categories could include custom/bespoke, production or backyard special with further segregation according to budget, wheel-size, extent of modification, payload etc. Making best use of slack time and with the help of a pop rivet gun and sixty odd 4mm aluminium rivets, I’ve been devising my own snow specific tyres from part worn rubber.

Taking inspiration from Continental’s Nordic spike, I haven’t put sufficient mileage on this little Kenda to comment as to its worthiness but it’s an interesting experiment nonetheless. If successful, I might extend this to 700c and 26inch mtb formats. Some months ago, I was lamenting the lack of (relatively) narrow, commercially available options-42mm and 2.2 inches being pretty much the limit. Kenda offer a Klondike in fender friendly 35,38 and 1.75 sections.

Alas, at the time of composition, they’re not a UK import. Temptation was to order a set from across the pond were it not for a relatively weak pound since snow and Ice look set to becoming increasingly frequent patrons of our winter landscape but then these Schwalbe “Winter” arrived on my test bench.

Available in the magic 1.75 diameter, these are reckoned to require twenty-five miles on asphalt before taking to skiddy stuff and look to be a fair bit swifter than most variants I’ve used to date. February’s always a tricky month weather-wise so, we’ll see how they behave after the initial run-in.     

Elsewhere, I’ve been chatting with Rory at Upgrade bikes regarding two very innovative Kinesis builds that follow in the convertible, yet ultra capable one bike does all road path tradition and at the other extreme, some splendid DMR coffee receptacles.

Dropping by Maldon shot blasting & powder coating revealed this slightly intriguing mid 80’s touring frameset refinished in a very tasteful orange. Initial impressions suggested something 531^st from the Holdsworthy works- Claud Butler Dalesman/ Coventry Eagle but some unusually (by production standards) intricate lugwork around its semi sloping fork crown infers something older/ smaller scale…