Switches & Ursula's Return

 

I’d returned from the puncture marked ride and decided it was time to give Denise another deep clean, make some gentle tweaks and switch to the fixed gear winter trainer for a little while. This proved an ideal opportunity to put the Green Oil Massive Brush to good use. The added length and softer bristle plot mean it’s effective for all areas of the bike and kind to all surfaces, including paintwork.  I’ve always been fond of the original, standard model but the stiffer bristle plot means it’s better suited to wheels, tyres, bar tape and drivetrain components.    

As for the fixed, well I need to get some serious miles on the WTB Exposure, especially to assess their wet weather prowess and puncture resistance. Getting the balance between ride quality, reliability and durability is a difficult one. A tyre that delivers a spirited, engaging, and compliant ride but without flatting at the first hint of a flint is no mean feat. I’m generally fond of Schwalbe One 365 but have some quiet reservations about the puncture repelling belt, which only covers the centre strip.  

A moot point during a dry summer but wet roads serve as a lubricant. Sure, rolling resistance will drop but the water gives sharps easier passage inside the tyre casing. Anecdotally, others have praised the WTB Exposure’s compliance, speed and puncture resistance, so we’ll see. I’m hoping so. Formative impressions are of a very swift, compliant ride with excellent feedback when cornering on wet roads. A few hundred miles will reveal more. Wetter, characteristically autumnal weather has also presented an opportunity to get miles in with the Madison Flux Waterproof Trail Gloves.  

Flat palms are something of a bum steer. Padding density though uniform, is generous, giving excellent defence against low lever vibration without compromising connection with the bars and controls. Silicone detailing is less extensive than some but effective nonetheless and the detailing on thumb and fore finger make for excellent connectivity between touch screen devices. However, rummaging in pockets and operating trusty compact camera is proving trickier- especially on the fly. Thus far, the waterproof backs are doing their thing with similar aplomb and the extensive terry panel is great for taming runny noses etc.  Here’s my review of the Cycology Life Behind Bars MTB Gloves Cycology Life Behind Bars MTB Gloves | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  

As or the Shimano MW7, well I’m equally smitten. I remain a major fan of the MW5 but the MW7’s boa closure ensures a precise, almost custom fit. The sole is palpably stiffer, much closer to the RX7, which is particularly apparent when accelerating hard or keeping a high, smooth cadence, especially on the fixed.  

I’ve decided to raise the fixed’s saddle height by a centimetre or two and, having removed the post’s binder bolt was amused by how well the Weldtite Carbon Gripper held everything inline! Thankfully, it moved with minimal effort. I added some Mint Assembly Grease to the binder bolt while I was at it. 

As for Ursula. Well, Winston and Mario had sorted the repairs, modifications and refinishing. I received a message from Winston asking me to arrange collection before the weekend. Within twenty minutes, I’d organised and paid a courier, passing on the relevant info. Given it was Tuesday, Thursday was the earliest pick up.   

I was keen to get the old girl back, for a wealth of obvious reasons. (a) We’ve been through so much and covered so many miles together (b) I was eager to see the repair, refurb and modernisation in the flesh. (c) I wanted to complete the rebuild before winter. Winston had sent camera shot images of the work at various stages. Useful as progress snapshots and welcome but not an accurate representation of the frame finish etc, especially under tungsten light.   

Emerging from the box, I was relieved to find she’d survived the parcel destroyers unscathed and was the shade of grey I’d hoped for. The first thing I wanted to do was fill her inner sanctum with corrosion inhibitor.  I’d run out of my home brewed “hillbilly Waxoyl” so decided to go for a commercial formula instead.  

J Weigel’s Framesaver is another popular, frame specific staple. One I’ve used to good effect in the past. Ditto Pro Gold Steel Frame Protector. However, on this occasion. I spotted some more generic automotive prep designed for door sections and sills, lending itself nicely to KA and Micra duties, too. It’s essentially a wax type formula, so should go the distance, especially since I’ve applied during a dry and relatively mild period.   

The other option was to drop some 10W40 motor oil inside the seat tube and using GT85, or similar, to chase it around the frame. I’ve left Ursula sat on old newspaper overnight to absorb any residual and will then get busy with the Zefal Skin Armor ZEFAL SKIN ARMOR ROLL | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com)  to protect against cable rub and related damage before commencing the big build. 

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.