No,
I’m not referring to a fast and painful encounter with terra firma (although
back in the late 90s, I sported acres of asphalt and slag burns). I am of
course referring to the genre of off roading aboard rigid bikes with cyclo
cross DNA, bigger clearances and more bottle bosses.
This
sense of escape is the same as that first imagined as a callow youth, reading
mountain bike magazines during geography classes. Back then, I had no money.
These days, projects need to pay for themselves and any new one, MUST coincide
with schematic and continuous clear outs.
Enter
this frameset. It’s a 19inch 631 Dawes from the early 1990s, complete with 1-
inch threaded fork. It belonged to Paul Vincent and run by him as a cyclo cross
bike, hence, the cantilever mounts were moved to accommodate 700c wheels.
It had
been refinished in a rather fetching, although slightly battle-scarred grey.
The project brief is to build a fat tyre, pared to the essentials 700c gravel
flyer for virtually nothing.
Reclaiming
space and cash is imperative. Otherwise, thee comes a point where friends’
garages and loft spaces have also been colonised…Next thing you know, they need
these spaces back and, you’re presented with an almighty storage crisis. Things
turn decidedly awkward for all concerned.
This
sense of panic also means, you cannot separate what is valuable (whether that’s
measured in sentimental, or monetary terms).
I’m a
creature of sentiment but there comes a point where three, maybe four saddles, is
fine, ditto six sets of (different) condition specific tyres. Ten saddles, 15
sets of tyres and it’s time to rationalise.
Context
established, little surprise that I dropped by Maldon Shot Blasting &
Powder Coating http://www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk/
for a chat. Graham seemed quite excited
by the project. He gently steered me away from a classic red and toward a candy
teal.
Candy
finishes though beautiful, are tricky to apply and, even applied by the most
experienced sprayers, there can be some very slight variances in the overall effect.
I was told by Paul, that the frame had been powder-coated. Hence, I was
expecting it to need a dunk in the methyl-chloride tank. This softens the
paint, before it can pass to the iron oxide cabinet.
Closer
inspection and a knowing sniff; revealed it was our old friend, wet-spray 2K.
Hence, having masked the threaded areas, Graham whipped it into the iron oxide
blaster. It took twenty minutes to remove every. last trace. However, good,
sympathetic preparation and a correctly keyed surface is essential. No dings,
dents, or similar imperfections, which was pretty much my expectation. More next week…
Arguably,
if a bike isn’t fun, then its not actually that practical. I’ve had a quick
switcheroo of my Ilpompino’s front tyre, exchanging the Continental Contact
plus https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/continental-contact for
the lighter, faster rolling 42mm Maxxis Roamer https://www.sevendaycyclist.com/maxxis-roamer-tyres
I’m a
sociable loner and an introvert by nature. Characteristics, which are frowned
upon in a society, that favours extroversion. However, many, introverts, myself
included, are very capable of holding our own in a professional context. I can
interview people and network with suppliers all day long.
Cycle
and motorcycle touring teach a myriad of skills. Self-sufficiency and
resourcefulness being the most obvious. Forging constructive relationships
quickly is another. Crashes can be painful.
The
best maintained machines can fail unexpectedly. The skills to repair that
broken rack are academic, if you can’t persuade a local mechanic, or blacksmith
to lend you their welder. Then of course (As my late father was fond of
pointing out) you might want to eat!
No, I
didn’t learn to read people’s minds, or perform some Vulcan-esque mind moulding
technique. (More’s the pity!). Nonetheless, I can identify whether someone’s
intentions are good, or otherwise.
Working
with models demands the ability to quickly put people at, and moreover,
maintain that ease. My shoots are renown for being very chatty. Unlike
extrovert personalities, outside of these contexts, I require a lot of time to
myself, contemplating ideas and mentally recharging.
Most
recently, I’ve worked with Tom Collins, seen here modelling our Seven Day
Cyclist T shirt and the lovely, ultra-professional Amy JR Jones. Amy and I hard originally planned
a duo-shoot, with an aspiring male model but he backed out, without notice.