Lateral Thinking & A Saunter Through The Spares Bin

Bank holidays are a great opportunity to relax, reflect and therefore be more productive as a consequence. That said; self-employment in any capacity/context requires long hours, forward planning and oodles of self- motivation- I’ve seldom seen bed before 1am these past few months. Presently I’m working on my collaboration and specifically cover designs, which is a different but extremely rewarding challenge with intense flashes of inspiration.

Further investigation revealed the Ilpompino’s GXP cranks and cups had become sitting tenants, though three timely blasts of penetrant spray and gentle persuasion from this ACOR wrench accelerated a tidy eviction.

Obviously closed cup pro grade designs hold the winning cards when it comes to absolute precision, though open type enable loosening of the non-drive side, facilitating release of reticent two-piece Truvativ without recourse to more forceful techniques.

Much to my surprise, several salt strewn winters had infiltrated the chain-ring bolts, leaving their threads unexpectedly brittle. Hence I’ve introduced an understated but worthy sealed square taper bottom bracket and low mileage Stronglight 55 crankset for the short to medium term until such time the latter’s non-detachable ring becomes bin fodder, or I acquire something more glamorous.

110mm long axles might sound another curious choice for fixed gear builds but the chain line’s bang-on, those extra few millimetres breathing space prevents arms fouling cadence sensors and similar electrical gizmos.

Dropping a couple of teeth has lowered the gearing slightly (from 81 to 77.6 inches), lessening joint strain on more intense climbs and improving acceleration without hampering cruising tempo or inducing quasi comedic spin-out during long descents.

Such moments had me thinking about chain life. Derailleur set ups ascend the stairway to heaven between 800 and 1100 miles depending on rider sensitivity, standards of maintenance, lube and riding conditions but things seem considerably less prescriptive with single speeds. Obviously the former variables, not to mention chainline are significant players.

However, theoretically at least (given the additional loading associated with braking, track standing and explosive acceleration) one would reasonably expect this to be level pegging with their variable cousins.

I’ve had a brown 3/32 Sedis expire somewhat fatally nigh on 25 years ago while hurtling along at 42mph, inducing unwelcome mirth and interesting rider antics. Aside from last year’s infamous crush injury, there’s never been a spiteful moment or sense of impending expiry using 1/8^th track fare. 

The Ilpompino's  KMC is starting to shed its purple finish in places and I keep a generous length of links lest disaster strike miles from home but we’re well into three thousand miles. My preference is for half-links since they allow more precise pruning, especially on conversions where tensioning can prove tricky (vertical dropouts being a case in point) and some whisper 10,000 miles plus is readily attainable.

Galvanised coatings according to others are show-stopping must-haves, particularly but while taint resistance is pretty good, those I’ve used have lacked finesse unless fed a wet lube diet and eventually the zinc layer flakes away, leaving links exposed and therefore equally vulnerable to Joe n’ Joanna rot. Perhaps Inox is the answer to these particular prayers…    

Subversive Streak

Well the present administration, despite being so openly critical of police states and similarly repressive regimes seems determined to snoop with free abandon on the email, skype, Internet, text and telephone activities of everyone in the UK. Some folk have retaliated by infiltrating government websites or being party to other civil disobedience. Tongue firmly in cheek, I have chosen to procure a transcript of Mr Gadaffi’s Little “Green Book”. Rather akin to the ancient Sanskrit texts and Antonio Gramschi’s prison notebooks, its authenticity is somewhat questionable but interesting nonetheless. By the same token, surveillance is hardly a modern phenomenon in this country-the authorities monitored many, many people (including my late father) through the late 1950s and beyond. Many cold war installations, thought to be dormant and abandoned were anything but… Further afield, Poland and neighbouring countries are dotted with mysterious ex military bases, which I’ve always yearned to photograph but for reason or other haven’t had the opportunity. Time to badger family in these regions more convincingly perhaps…

As for Muammar, he has little to say on the subject of riding fixed, let alone perfect chainline- a shame since some gut wrenching sounds emanating from the Ilpompino’s newly appointed Gusset implied a rogue or stiff link. Stopping at a convenient point by the roadside, I whipped out the Ice tools wrench, slackened the track nuts and drew the wheel further back along the frame ends, improving chain tension-restoring serene silence and rider confidence. Cantering up to 25mph, we rejoiced in the near empty lanes and chill, spring sunshine. Dyed in the wool traditionalists will justly remark that the S link and comparable half-link brethren are notably heavier than the Miche it replaces but phenomenal rigidity is immediately apparent whether accelerating hard on the climbs, stealing away from the lights or transmission braking. For the time being, it’s dressed only in the factory drizzle, not least as thee seem notably more resilient than the aftermarket potions we put our faith in.
Elsewhere it seems there are infidels in the postal service with items taking some considerable time to arrive. Any organisation of this magnitude is likely to attract a small rogue element and the majority of postal workers are as honest as the day is long. However, things are likely to worsen thanks to widespread use of email, fax and courier services and the apparent inevitability of privatisation. Raleigh have sent me a delightful book celebrating the marques 125-year history. Some have said the brand lost out to sexier marketing but their specialist division produced some iconic top-drawer mounts through the 70s, 80’s and 90s.

Ridden to victory by professional teams, frames carried other manufacturer's decals too. Raleigh also brought Univega to these shores for a short while, although I’ve always enjoyed importing unusual frames, components and clothing from overseas for personal consumption.

Talking of the tubby ruby red tourer, something wasn’t right as I twiddled along the climbs recently. With the crank at the bottom stroke, my legs appeared correctly extended. As the miles clicked by, my suspicions were aroused-the new seat collar’s binder bolt had stretched minutely, allowing the post to creep frustratingly inside the seat tube, marking the dun finish slightly-nothing serious and easily hidden but annoying nonetheless... Shame 400mm carbon posts don’t come in 26.0 diameter. Slackening said bolt and raising the post (with contrasting zip tie marker) by fourteen millimetres and nipping everything tight with the torque wrench solved that issue and prompted a wholesale checking of its other fasteners. Want has a set of eight- speed Microshift or Sun Race brifters in its sights but need suggests another thousand miles, or ten weeks will call for a replacement bottom bracket. Only the front mech, Ultegra bar cons and headset remain of the original build. Wondering how many Alpina 506 are still whizzing along the highways and byways and moreover, in what guises, I had a quick sprint around the web, confirming a high OEM spec (Deore LX/XT) back in the day, with a few pleasingly updated in cross country mtb dress but nothing more intriguing.