Huzzah!

In swept the heat wave, so Holdsworth emerged from prolonged hibernation for some midsummer fun. Fresh gripper paste on its Tifosi carbon post, Specialized perch further forward, 125psi into the tyres and a quick beeswax furniture polish blow-over later, we hammering along the sweeping back doubles at 25mph plus.

Carbon fork, post, large flange hubs, CNC machined drive sprockets and stout KMC Onyx chain certainly help but despite being 60 years old, those plain gauge 531 tubes still deliver a responsive, rewarding ride.

This intoxicating serenity was rudely interrupted by the sudden and unexpected and almost comedic jettisoning of its newly fitted Altura wedge pack-straight into deep, roadside undergrowth. Closer inspection revealed the sprung Klick fix mechanism had gone the way of elderly underwear elastic and wouldn’t engage convincingly with the resin post mount.

This isn’t a reflection on the otherwise superb bag and said failure would be covered under warrantee. However, in my experience, sprung mechanisms per se (most notably smart heads on pumps and standalone pressure gauges) prove phenomenally reliable, serving us faithfully until they suffer sudden cataclysmic implosion.

Momentary, slightly indigent frustration was swept aside by risky pragmatism.

Resting my beloved fixer against a five bar gate, I slipped mini pump, 15mm wrench, tyre levers and glue-less patches into jersey pockets, hid the stricken tool caddy deeper within the undergrowth and thundered on.

Thankfully the puncture fairy smiled down upon me for the remaining twelve mile loop, though having re-entered the zone where physical exertion unleashes enhanced mental processing, the most convenient method of carrying it home still eluded me.

The light bulb moment struck while descending at 46mph. I decided simply to shove the stricken bag beneath my jersey for the remaining three miles. Admittedly, some folks (including a group of reservist fire fighters) stared in wide wonder at my newly acquired pectoral mass that could almost pass for backstreet breast implants.

Thankfully the shame was only fleeting given I was travelling at 18mph and quickly substituted with my own subversive sniggering...

Back in the bat cave, the most obvious solution appeared in the guise of this B’Twin 700 bottle caddy. Ride essentials ported across and mini pump riding shotgun on the bottle cage, it’s an unobtrusive, cheap as chips solution.    

Obviously, this means I either opt for another SKS cage mount adaptor, which might look a little Lego-like but seem superbly engineered, a hydration pack, or a less convenient Tri type-know there’s one in my bodge box doing nowt.

Talking of frames, the world of traditional frame building continues to contract. Yes, there will always be a market for bespoke steel framesets but small scale craftspeople are either working for specialist brands, designing and building higher end production bikes, or adopting a much broader retail model.

That’s not to say its romantic allure is waning the cycling publics’ consciousness-forums are wilting under the heat of people waxing lyrically about intricate lug work and impeccable brazing (although the former is also a clever way of hiding a multitude of flaws).

Shrewd builders with sufficient space (not to mention; patience) have tapped into this phenomenon, offering week long courses whereby keen enthusiasts can build their own frameset from one of the more user friendly Cro-molys-Reynolds 525 being a deservedly popular choice given the bewildering array of sizes and wall thicknesses.

Presented with such an opportunity, I would be delighted to enrol and hopefully come away, pleased as punch with the fruits of my labour but with no commercial pretensions whatsoever.

Then of course, interest in older frames has also mushroomed with a more generic retro revival encompassing “classic” cars, motorcycles, scooters, not forgetting clothing. During my teens, a classmate and self-appointed fashion guru made an unusually insightful remark. Chinos had just swept back in along with Flat tops and other styles with a 1950s flavour and he commented that fashion had reached the point where it couldn’t progress any further, so was and would continue borrowing from the past.

Frame fit pumps are also starting to gain a niche following too. Ultra efficient models capable of delivering 120psi are still very relevant. I still mourn a ¾ length resin Specialized model that was so cruelly nudged from its bracket and crushed beneath the wheels of an approaching double decker bus although I’ve gotta admit, Co2 cartridges are worth their weight in gold by the roadside.

Right, well you’ll excuse me while I do some forward planning for Seven Day Cyclist (www.sevendaycyclist.co.uk) and continue building my photographic website. Continuous development is crucial in a perpetually changing world, one that seemingly never sleeps.

Tool Tales & Unlit Trails

Since maintenance is part of riding, by definition good quality tooling makes routine jobs more pleasurable, whether adjusting the fixer’s chain tension, tweaking headset bearings or performing full-on post winter strip n’ rebuilds. However, savvy purchasing ensures maximum bang for reasonable buck. 

A decent folding workstand, wire snips, pliers, T-handle Allen keys, floor pump, tyre levers, engineers’ mallet, ring spanners, torque wrench, chain breaker and component specific equipment covers most eventualities.

Chemical assistance including biodegradable bike wash, generic maintenance and penetrant release sprays (for exorcising really stubborn/corroded parts) coupled with composite friendly greases and season specific chain lubes keep most fleets happy all year round. 

Caustic soda crystals are cheap as chips, great for cleaning blocked sinks and present the final solution when evicting sitting tenant seatposts lodged firmly in steel frames.However, it’s nasty stuff, so use outside wearing goggles, rubber gloves and cover all exposed areas of skin. 

Semi-pro headset presses and drop out realignment tooling is similarly handy, saving a trip to the bike shop when performing straightforward installations or following nasty trysts with terra firma. Entrepreneurial types could rapidly recoup their investment by charging friendly associates for such services.   

That said; much as I love watching learned sorcerers working their magic with thin walled ferrous metals, oxyacetylene kits and frame jigs aren’t prudent purchases, no matter what our egos say. Even if “re-shoring” (Where jobs return to their host nation as rising wages/living standards in poorer countries makes them less appealing) evolves from buzzword into a full-blown phenomenon, being able to blast tubing together does not maketh a small-scale frame builder.  

Genuine craftspeople will, to some extent always be in demand but while many romanticise such, few seem prepared to bear the costs. I know of a few coachbuilders charging a very modest £35per hour for their services, which is extremely reasonable when overheads are factored into the equation. However, consumers wooed by classic cars often struggle to comprehend the time involved and therefore, cost implications in reconstructing panels and similarly extensive repair.

Meanwhile, back at the tool board, even those with two-wheeled harems will seldom replace sealed cartridge bottom brackets, cassettes or indeed fixed sprockets more than several times in a given year. Therefore, there’s a strong argument favouring budget tools such as these from Lifeline. Both are fashioned from heat treated steel, offer sensible leverage and are neatly finished in a hardy satin black powder coat with serrated, medium density rubberised sleeves for comfort and control.

Now, I don’t write advertorials-thinly veiled marketing copy masquerading as critically evaluative/informative journalism (do terms such as “prosumer” ring any bells?), hence will confirm they lack the outright precision of premium grade, CNC machined examples but are accurate within acceptable tolerances and perform their respective tasks with suitable aplomb.

Generous integral handles certainly improve matters since slight mismatches are often amplified when deployed using large adjustable wrenches. Precautionary blasts of penetrant spray prior to extraction also assist and speed home very smoothly with sensible helpings of synthetic/marine greases.

Lithium preps are cheap, stout and offer decent lubricant properties. Alas, while a great choice for traditional bearings, its super hostile to rubberised components and encourages galvanic fusion between different metals. Fixed sprockets on daily drivers/winter trainers are a case in point; wrung torturously tight by beefy drivetrains and rider effort, subjected to a cocktail of slimy, salt strewn water little wonder they develop an incredibly stubborn union.

I’m prone to substituting grease for wet lubes when assembling stuff, bottle/stem/carrier fasteners being particular favourites, although this improvisation proved truly impotent-flushed away in the course of a relatively bog standard British winter. Changing ratios for balmier conditions proved a major operation several months later, thus and without exception, my sprockets are generously basted in marine/polymer grease during installation.

While the evenings are definitely getting lighter, there’s still a need for lighting and I’ve been seriously impressed by Silva trail speed elite, which might sound tame at 660lumens but is anything but. This is largely down to the marque’s system of “intelligent light”, which is a clever, simultaneous deployment of flood and spot beams in all but the lowest settings, casting a phenomenal arc without losing the detail.

Run times are pretty much on par with many 1000lumen systems, though quality of light is arguably superior, proving that optics is often more significant than numbers alone. On that note, I’m off with my trusty workhorse SLR to commence a portraiture project, so will leave you with some very fetching “Gios” blue two pac and purple powder coat effects.

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…