Striptease

A colder, though dry streak has seen me pluck the Holdsworth from hibernation for some fun along the backroads. The arrival of this Stem Captain clock, also proved an ideal opportunity to strip and re-grease the Woodman Saturn headset’s lower race and needle roller bearings.

The Stem captain is a range of mounts, from clocks and old school compasses to Garmin GPS.

These turn the “dead space” into something more useful. It’s a concept that has grown on me, not to the point where I’d consider it a must-have across the fleet but being able to glance down, rather than grapple with a sleeve, or scroll through a bar mounted computer.

Working on the basis, you’re running the classic star fangled nut configuration and your Aheadset is properly pre-loaded…It’s literally a question of whipping out the 5mm Allen screw and replacing the top cap with the Stem captain and snugging it down as usual.

Next, seat the clock into place with the clear silicone grommet. This holds it snug.  

Things aren’t radically different when it comes to expandable wedge types, common to the Woodman and obviously, carbon steerers.

However, performing said swap at 10am on a cold Saturday morning, on “The soviet -block” (a section of 70’s concrete designated for bike washing and messy fettling) I managed to get the lowest, threaded assembly lodged in the fork’s alloy steerer. 

I attribute this lamentable scenario to the shock of hearing my neighbour, offering their heating engineer de-caffeinated “coffee”.

Think silent scream of revulsion. Said scenario was all the more surreal on account of him hollering from the chimney stack and I “dressed” In Marvel superhero lounge pants and duvet type, hooded cardigan.

Fork and threaded section retrieved, using a scrap mudguard stay (a spare spoke might’ve been a few seconds quicker), I reassembled the bung in its correct order and retouched the forks’ alloy ends with some quick drying gloss black hobby enamel.

Ideally, any retouching should coincide with a few days curing but since the brand in question dries quickly, I risked it for the proverbial biscuit. I’ll build it up in thin coats while it’s tucked away for winter.

Finish line ceramic applied to the lower race, I reinstated the front end, refitting the front brake and double checking the Aheadset was free of unwanted play. Some fresh finishing strips-colour coordinated electrical tape, completed the tune-up and satisfied with the hour’s efforts I headed indoors for sustenance.

Frames are pretty durable. Said frame has been repaired-new bottom bracket shell, minor pitting and small dents addressed. Even carbon composites can be fully rebuilt following some jaw-droppingly serious crashes https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/a-visit-to-carbon-fibre-bike-repair .

This steel frame intrigued me for several reasons. I was initially struck by the smooth fillet brazing and something told me it was one of those frames that had been passed through several club riders. Looking closer, I was surprised to discover fractured “ear” around the seat collar, yet extensive and recent brazing is very apparent at the Bottom bracket shell, down tube bottle bosses and mech hanger.

From the photo, Lee Cooper www http://leecoopercycles.webs.com/ reckoned the work was repairable and around the £30 mark, although worth blasting first to assess the frame’s overall structural integrity.

Elsewhere, those Rock N’ Roll goodies have again, been intercepted. No fault of the supplier, rather seasonal pilfering, within the postal system which, sadly, isn’t that uncommon this close to Christmas.

Most communications workers and delivery drivers are honest people, who work incredibly hard. This also applies to seasonal operatives-I’ve been one, so know. 

Unfortunately, during periods of high demand, there will always be a small, feckless minority, who will steal, or just take them back to the sorting office/depot, because they cannot be arsed to complete their round. 

Right, ending on a positive note. I’m off to sort some reflectors and other lighting ready for next week’s model shoot down in sunny Sussex.

 

 

Carbon Fibre Repair

I headed down to Carbon Bike Repair in Leatherhead. A fascinating visit that dispelled many of the myths surrounding composites. Not least, their capacity for successful, permanent and moreover, cost-effective repair. You can read the full feature here https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/a-visit-to-carbon-fibre-bike-repair .

I was surprised to learn that 99% of damage is repairable on a good-as-new basis and yes, that includes dropouts. Obviously, economics are a determining factor.

Basic repair starts at £80, which is viable on a set of forks blades costing £300. Not so, a set commanding £100, let alone a £35 seat post with aluminium head.

This TT frameset was involved in a particularly gruesome collision with a car. One which ultimately claimed the rider’s arm and broke the frameset into 27 pieces. A bystander had painstakingly salvaged these, placing them in a bag.  

Ultimately, Rob’s team were able to piece it (including the fork!) back together. Rigorously and meticulously tested, it is structurally sound, the rider recovered and returned to racing. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they bought a new frameset and gifted this one to CBR.

Their 2pack paintwork is of phenomenally high standard too. However, there wasn’t a safe opportunity for me to capture this being applied, on account of the paints’ cyanide components. Another reason why manufacturers/refinishers seldom offer little bottles of touch up paint these days.

Shortly afterward, I headed north to work on unrelated photographic assignments, which also coincided with Coventry’s motofest. Oh and a commercial quality TIG welder with AC/DC settings…

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is another welding technology that came about in the 1940s and a good alternative to oxyacetylene. It’s also credited with making aluminium and magnesium credible choices for structural works.

Much greater skill is required compared with MIG and the Arc’s intensity is also significantly higher; hence a grade 10 shield/setting and gloves are a must. However, the relatively slow, precise nature rewards with much cleaner, slag-free welds.

It can be used at any position and with the correct shielding gas, is highly suited to titanium and Cro-moly steels. Little wonder how it became so widely used in frame and component construction.

My involvement? All will be revealed another time…

Talking of TIG welded frames; having re-greased the Ilpompino’s headset and seat post, all was buttery smooth and serene. While hustling along the lanes this morning, my internal processes were shattered by a high-pitched “baaaaaaaaaaang!” This was swiftly accompanied by a shimmy; my senses screaming with alarm.

The rear tyre had rolled from the rim. Closer inspection revealed the tube wall had failed- caused by fatigue, rather than foreign object. Thankfully, fresh butyl and Lezyne Micro-floor pump https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/lezyne-micro-floor-pump spared my blushes.

The latter is capable of delivering a road credible 100psi fairly swiftly with only moderate, mere mortal effort. I limped home at 15mph with a wobbly rear hoop. That’ll be a trip to my friendly, local wheel builder tomorrow morning!

Oldie but Goodie: Fuquay Transformed

Remember the battle scarred red frame I got so excited about during my last visit to Maldon Shot Blasting & Powder Coating? (http://www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk/) Well, as I suspected, it was a genuine Greg Fuquay.

Fuquay was an American builder, trained by Serotta cycles, who spent much of the 1990s crafting some very unique road and mtb framesets, before returning to Alabama and his earlier aerospace career. This one features his trademark combination of TIG welded and brazed construction.

Sure, most TIG welded steel framesets, especially production bikes have brazed bottle bosses, cable guides, mudguard eyelets and carrier mounts. Few combine the two structurally.

Speaking of which, the tatty aesthetic was apparently down to extended indoor trainer slavery-hence, sweat induced corrosion/pitting along the top and seat tubes. The dent damaged seat stay was filled with brass and smoothed flat for a modest £18, before passing through the iron-oxide blast cabinet.

Structurally sound, there was little trace of internal corrosion, so threaded areas masked and on with the phosphate base coat. While this baked in their curing oven, Graham heaved a huge box of chrome effect powder across the workshop and fed this into the gun. Several minutes later, the frame emerged ready to receive said electroplate effect.

Graham weaves around the tubes, shrouded in a silvery mist. Within five minutes, he’s done, given a quick visual twice-over with extra powder added around the bottom bracket shell. Then it’s returned to the oven for another round of curing prior to receiving a protective clear coat.

While generally an advocate of protective lacquers, in this instance it tempers the sheen, giving a nickel effect under normal light.  

However, when properly applied, polyester powder coating will trump wet spray finishes like stove enamels and 2pac in the durability stakes. Therefore, clear coat is very much optional. Total cost for his transformation came in at £116.40 including VAT.

As for the the Rosso Red Oscar Simonato Columbus frame; it re-emerged in this extremely fetching metallic blue. Another specialist finish, which brought the price to £110 including VAT-£45 over a standard gloss blue such as my Holdsworth’s-RAL 5024 (assuming no post blast remedial works are necessary).

Right, that’s enough distraction for me. Time I was back at my desk, penning some more adventures for the characters in my series of children’s stories.  

Hooking up with the Holdsworth & Other Steel Frames

Spring has sprung and the Holdsworth emerged from seasonal hibernation. Much as I suspected, adding two 2mm spacers beneath the stem sorted the minute but very annoying play in the beautifully sealed, Woodman Saturn Aheadset.

Staying with the front end, gone are those BBB aero bars for a less cluttered cockpit; saving a few grams while freeing up space for high power lights and other gizmos.

The bargain bin pink/black fade bike ribbon bought originally for £2 in a clearance sale has also been substituted for some Genetic Silicone (off-cuts from my Univega’s moustache bars). Though delightfully easy to clean, the bike ribbon’s glossy texture is also seriously slippery and damping doesn’t compare with mid-range modern tapes either.

Discovered said fixer’s colour-coordinated Knog Nerd computer display blank and unresponsive- nothing more serious than dead CR2032 and LR44 cells; thankfully they hadn’t leaked. This also presented an opportune moment to pop its silicone blankets in with some training kit for a decent low temperature spruce up. 

Lick of Vaseline, new cells, recalibration and back on the bars!

This particular Nerd is a simple, five-mode unit-easy to read and arguably all that’s needed for a general riding, though won’t win bragging rights down the clubhouse, or deliver in-depth scrutiny of riding performance demanded by elite racers. Backlight would’ve come in handy too.

Nonetheless, that huge, touch screen display is extremely clear, allowing me to focus upon maintaining decent cadence and average speed. Accuracy, even when riding close to strong electro-magnetic fields has been consistently good too. Not everyone’s cuppa but works for me.  

I also came across some these grey, magnesium bodied BBB Keo pattern while undertaking a much-needed bin/sell/keep inventory. Lightweight, low profile and slightly unusual...Temptation to reinstate was strong but the Wellgo are lower profile, recessed cleats permit dignified, safe walking and more importantly, don’t chew holes in very expensive lino...

Talking of which, the old 96 Shimano patterns were looking decidedly dog-earned, so I pensioned them off before sometimeish or dodgy dis/engagement struck with embarrassing consequences. Besides, shoe cleat hardware is an excellent test of a lubricant’s anti-seize properties and I’d just received Green Oil’s revised formula Eco grease.

Like many projects, the baby blue fixer was conceived as a simple, fun classic. I’ve always loved the road path concept-bikes that were practical for daily service, yet equally capable on the track.

Arguably borne from necessity; (the average post war club rider could only afford one machine) this genre and indeed, cycling’s mass appeal was extinguished by the abolition of petrol rationing in 1957.  

Gifted by a friend and respected bike journalist, the frameset had been languishing unloved in a garage, hidden behind old Land Rover parts. To complicate matters, it seemed the garage was owned by a friend’s ex-wife, who wasn’t particularly willing to co-operate with its release; prompting all manner of sneaky retrieval plans.

The initial brief was new paint, 700x28c tyres, full length mudguards and a hotchpotch of carefully selected parts to make it stop, go and handle in good proportion...However, new bottom bracket shell, minor dent filling, and other remedial works hence, it will remain my sunny days plaything.

Love of old steel framesets established; you can imagine my excitement upon spotting this tatty Fuquay. Judging by the distressed enamel, someone had either left in languishing in a highly corrosive environment, or had been attempting a DIY paint strip using DOT or similarly corrosive fluid.

Look closely at the seat stay, which sports some serious battle scarring. Structurally sound, the obvious solution is to fill the affected area with brass, then sand flat prior to blasting. Metafil; an aluminium based filler is another option and worked wonders on my Holdsworth’s corrosion induced acne. 

However, in this instance, the dents are too deep and would show in the new paintwork. This also illustrates the importance of giving your paint-shop a ring once your frame’s been through the blast phase...