Zeus 2000 Centrepulls

somecmavicetc038_edited
Originally uploaded by curmudgeon1957

To my mind, the second finest centrepull brake in history.

Though completely surplus to my requirements, I may have to build a bike to justify having bought them.

Trademe mishap

PA020284
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Darryl Parker was just fooling around on Trademe and accidentally bought this early 90s Colnago Master.
It's had a pretty hard life, with a welded-up righthand rear dropout, and mismatched Ergopowers, but its also got some zoot period kit, like the Cinelli Grammo titanium stem and Royce bottom bracket.

The titanium USE seatpost, though a period correct blingpiece, is an unforgiveable taste crime, so if you have something more suitable, like C-Record or Chorus aero post, please get in touch.

Rotorua K2 Training camp

A few weeks ago I emailed the usual suspects:

"To maximise our performance at various forthcoming atletic ordeals, it is crucial that we hold a brutal training camp in Rotorua sometime in September. The plan is to ride, eat, watch cycling movies, eat more, and ride some more. "

We achieved most of these goals, except for brutality, though Chris Money, who was suffering from an excess of lung butter, may disagree.
After a late start on Saturday, we managed a circumnavigation of Late Rotorua, with a scenic detour into the hills from whence we could see the sea:



Sunday dawned fine, but with a nippy southwesterly to help build character.
Money made a gallant, Captain Oates-like, gesture and took his malfunctioning lungs for a short ride whilst Gaz, Vaughan and I headed into the hills:



PHOTOS

What could possibly go wrong?

In less than eight hours, Chris Money and Vaugan Yarwood will arrive to take me to Rotorua for a couple of days road riding with Gaz.
Normally, you would take your mountain bike, but some road mileage is called for as Gaz has decreed that, having piked on the Okoroire Mid-Winter Fun Ride, we must do K2 .
This makes even less sense than most of Gaz' utterances, and Money and Yarwood are treating it with the disdain it deserves, but I'm still hedging my bets in the hope of miraculously finding form or at least some endurance.

NZ Cyclocross champs

Another event that I attended but failed to blog about. Fortunately, there is a report and photos on Vorb, and a few of my photos HERE.

Of the JAFA contingent, Ron 'Nacho Libre' King laid waste to the field, Nick Te Boon was faster than his pie consumption should permit, CTB suffered and Chris Tuckey had the coolest bike

Mayhem Sessions #4

P8270081
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Words fail me, but I'll get some out later today.

More photos HERE

13/9/08- so I took two weeks holiday and let my brain go to mush, hence no Mayhem Sessions reportage from me.
Fortunately, all the news thats fit for the inteweb is over at Steady Rolling.

Roller Revenge

The Mayhem Sessions return to the WINCHESTER for the last time this year on Wednesday Night.
If you have been holding out, or if you have unfinished business from the previous rounds, you won't want to wake up on Thursday morning knowing that you have blown your chances for 2008.

There will be a return of the Girly Bits competition- after upstart Gayle Brownlee gave the field a decent thrashing last week, there must be a few women wanting a chance at revenge?

I predict a spectacular finale for the Fast Rolling Free for All, with Celebrity Economist Chris Tennent-Brown looking like a threat to young lycra-whippets Cull & Hailstone.

Race Schedule
7.00 Entry and scrutineering, entries close at 8.00 or when full
7.30 Fast Rolling Free For All
9.30 Super Elite Invitational Classic
10.00 Prize Giving

Roller Mayhem #3

Mayhem reigned on and off stage last night, as an unruly coven of mouthy and partisan Fixie Hipster WAGs gave MC John Bridges a run for his money.

First up on the rollers, celebrity economist Chris Tennent-Brown opened the bidding with an 18.2 second effort that would have put him into last weeks final, before quitting the field in favour of dinner.
Not to be outdone by someone who was riding before he was born, Alex Cull cranked out a 17.5, sending himself to the semis along with Tony Wilkinson, a surprised and slightly terrified Darryll Parker, and shirtless Steady Rolling Crew wildman Teva Chonon.

In the semis Cull and Wilkinson despatched their opposition for an all-Cycle City final which Cull won handily.

Six women and a masked transvestite fronted for the Girly Bits competition, which saw the Mayhem Session's first ever deadheat as Rosie McCall and Kate Mullarkey reprised their annual rivalry at the Manukau Velodrome to post the second fastest qualifying time of 20.9.

The sublime Gayle Brownlee of Solo topped the standings with a 20.4, and Claire Routledge's 22.0 filled out the last 4.

Seeded together again in the semi, Rosie and Kate again made Mayhem Sessions history as McCall defeated Mullarkey in the Session's first ever photo finish. Gayle demolished Claire with a 19.9, then cranked out the same time to defeat Rosie in the final.

Justin Grace regained the SEIC trophy from Damian Wiseman, choosing to race rather than armwrestle, and set a new record of 16.0seconds.

Mayhem Session #4 will be back at the The WINCHESTER, 24 St. Benedicts Street from 7pm on Wednesday 27.

MORE PHOTOS

A message from Gayle:

In light of recent shenanigans (thoroughbred-thighed, bare-chested gladiators grunting and straining in the spotlight), we think it’s time something sexy was introduced to the Mayhem Sessions.

This Wednesday we’re adding a women’s section to the proceedings.

All of you beautiful women who have been quietly waiting for the right time to race are invited to get up and show the lads why svelte is better than sweat.

Come early for a spot of practice.

Entry is free for anyone who riding in stockings and a miniskirt.

Bring your own bike or borrow one on the night.

Prizes for the fastest and the hottest.

The WINCHESTER, 24 St. Benedicts Street from 7pm
As the Winchester is a licenced venue, this is an R18 event.

Eddie Wingrave-King of the RollersOriginally uploaded by Jono 01

Some vintage winter fashion

From Cycling Weekly, October 16, 1969

Roller Mayhem on Youtube

It would seems that 90% of all new content on the internet this week is about the Mayhem Sessions at the Winchester.
This morning Ron King alerted me to a couple of vids on Youtube, one of which deducts a few seconds more from my Warholian allocation.

Andy Williams vs Alex Cull. Nice save Andy!


Simon Bittle vs Yours Truly. Though we both managed to stay upright, our lack of speed is glaringly obvious.

More Mayhem Sessions reportage..

.. and pictures over at Steady Rollin' and Sole Jam.

Roller Mayhem #2

Due to technical difficulties, last night's Elite Final was decided by an armwrestle between eventual victor Damien Wiseman and defending champ Justin Grace.
Wiseman went the hard way to the final, crashing off the rollers in his heat, but getting back into the competition in a reride against last week's Free for All winner Andy Williams.

In the Fast Rolling Free for All, trackie whippet Jono Hailstone saw off a strong challenge from Peat Alexander who was riding one of his own carbon fibre Zenyth frames.

Mayhem Session #3 will be back at the The WINCHESTER, 24 St. Benedicts Street from 7pm on Wednesday 20. There will be a womens competition, so get your fishnets out.

MORE PHOTOS

Further musings on Compulsive Bicycle Acquisition Disorder

I am wont to view as auspicious the rediscovery in my inventory of anything that seems especially compatible with my current project; and even to view such discoveries as a vindication of my enthusiasm, but this is self serving bunkum.
In truth, any CBAD sufferer with inherited magpie instincts will eventually reach the state of owning more junque than one can possibly use in a lifetime, with the happy result of always having to hand a few relevant widgets and knickknacks; and a more unhappy result for one's heirs whose task it will be to shovel away away the clutter on one's demise.

"...like an old scuffer in stolen shoes"

This morning dawned crispy cold and fine, a total departure from the meteorological norms of the past few weeks.
I stayed abed until it was finally warm enough to sustain normal life, but such a fine day calls for an outing on a shiny new bike, and in the Roy Thame I had just the thing.
Furthermore my newly acquired Marresi shoes needed a tryout, so I kitted myself up, pumped up the Thame's tubulars and took myself for a lap of the ride known to Auckland's cycling community as 'the Shitponds'.

The Roy Thame is probably the twitchiest bike I have ever owned. The steep head angle and light frame combine to produce a mild shimmy if it is ridden one handed with a tight grip on the bar- loosen up and it goes away.
With 28 spoke tubulars it feels fast and buzzy, but I never got out of the small chainring, so the proof will have to wait for another day.
To my surprise, the narrow SR World Champion bars (only 38.5cm at the hoods) did not feel too bad. At the drops they measure 41cm c-c, but I didn't spend too much time there today.

Holdsworth Professional

P1010026
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

An unexpected addition to the stable.
I traded this, plus a yet-unseen parts package, for my Condor Italia loaner.
Like CT-B's Holdsworth Italia it was built by Reg Collard for the F.W Holdsworth retail shop.
The lack of chrome and brazed on brake cable hanger suggest 1968 or 69.
Despite the italian influence that held sway at F.W Holdsworth, this frame is a laidback Luxo-Cruiser, with 103cm wheelbase and parallel 72.5 degree angles. It has a full set of braze-ons, including downtube guides & stops for bar end shifters.

I should point out that I don't have any secret knowledge about these frames- everything that I think I know comes from Norman Kilgariff's excelent Holdsworth website, especially the pages on the Holdsworth Campagnolo professional team, and the Holdsworth Professional.

Roller Mayhem #1

It is likely that the Winchester in St Benedict St has never seen such a diverse crowd as the bike couriers, fixie hipsters, tattoed scenesters, BMX outlaws, egomaniacs, roadies, trackies, masked strangers, Captains of Industry, media personalities, lesbians, economists, mechanics, appalled passers-by, drunkards and scandalized regulars who were there last night for the first round of the Mayhem Sessions roller racing season; and that even in its past days as a Masonic Lodge no weirder rituals were enacted there.

More Photos HERE

Mayhem Session #2 will be back at the The WINCHESTER, 24 St. Benedicts Street from 7pm on Wednesday 13.
On August 20th, there will be a womens competition, so get your fishnets out.

As I write, CT-B is no doubt parading his new Rapha Andy Hampsten Jersey around his batchelor quarters, and pining for a matching Pegoretti4Hampsten or a limited edition replica of Hampsten's 1988 Giro winning bike by Landshark.

Forgive us our trespasses

P8020005
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Gaz and Money help themselves to a scenic shortcut during today's ride to Il Forno, where we solved many of the worlds ill and ate doughnuts.

The Way to Fame is on a ROY THAME Frame

From INTERNATIONAL CYCLE SPORT July 1977

Meet Roy

Rideable, but as yet unridden.
MORE PHOTOS on Flickr.

The final build is a bit different to my original plan:

Front derailler___________Suntour Superbe FD-1500
Rear derailler____________Superbe Pro RD-3100
Shiftlevers______________Suntour Superbe bandmount
Crankset________________Sugino Super Mighty 170mm, 50/42
Bottom bracket___________Sugino Super Mighty
Brakes_________________Gran Compe standard reach
Brake levers_____________Suntour Superbe CB-3200 with Olimpic hoods
Seatpost________________Suntour Superbe
Stem___________________SR Royal Extra Super Light 13.5cm
Handlebars_____________SR World Champion 41cm
Headset________________Tange Levin CD
Bar tape________________Cateye Shiny handlebar tape
Pedals_________________MKS Sylvan with Christophe aluminium toeclips

The wheels pictured are the 28h Fiamme tubulars that I built for the Broomies Wall ride. If Roy and I get along, I will build a set of Araya 20A clinchers on Superbe small flange hubs.

The Mayhem Sessions – Winter Roller Race Series

Two rollers Two racers One big black clock

Every Wednesday in August at The WINCHESTER, 24 St. Benedicts Street from 7pm
This is an R18 event, as the Winchester is a licence venue.

Entry on the night is $10 – we will race as many riders as time allows. First in first up.


Race Schedule
7.00 Entry and scrutineering, entries close at 8.00 or when full
7.30 Fast Rolling Free For All
9.30 Super Elite Invitational Classic
10.00 Prize Giving

Maximum gear: 96.4 inches (recommended ratios 53 x 15, 50 x 14, 46 x 13).
All bikes will be measured to a 7.499m roll out and have shifters taped.
Anyone caught cheating will be ridiculed and forced to buy a round of beer for all other racers on the night.
This is not a UCI sanctioned event and you will not be drug tested.
Riding in costume is encouraged with free entry for anyone who races in an authentic Mexican wrestling mask.
Submissions for the Super Elite Invitational Classic can be made on 300 5099 or by email to gayle@solocc.com

Market forces as a cure for CBAD

Despite a compelling financial, logistical and commonsense objections, I made an unsuccessful effort to acquire this WB Hurlow on ebay this morning.

This one is a late'70s racing frame (no mudguard eyelets) with similar seatstay treatment and lug cutouts to my Roy Thame.

The components, which look to be original, include a rare first generation Campagnolo Super Record rear derailler and fluted 2-bolt seatpost.

Washout

Friday's Breakfast Ride/Critical Mass double session was the highpoint of a weekend washed out by biblically foul weather.
Saturday dawned miserable, as forecast, so I headed for the shed to fettle the Roy Thame.

Lacking 5/32" balls for the Campagnolo Pista headset I wasted most of the morning cleaning up a Stronglight A9 before I realised that it's stack height is too high.

Mid-morning, the postie brought a pair of standard-reach Gran Compe brake calipers, which saved me from swapping my last pair of Superbe brakes off the fixed wheel Ritchey Breakaway.

The Superbe seatpost and SR Royal stem got some red paint applied to their flutes and cutaways, while the deraillers spent a morning in the tub of degreaser to soak off a the mung of three decades.

A detour to the component dating page of the Vintage Trek site suggests that my random assemblage of Superbe parts is from 1977-78, about the same vintage as the frame.

The band-mount shiftlevers are probably from the early 80s, and are not necessarily an indication of true progress unless you like complexity for its own sake.


Late Saturday afternoon I abandoned the idea of riding the Okoroire mid-Winter Fun Ride on Sunday. Torrential rain alone would not have kept me away- I rode in it last year and in 2005, but adding gale force winds to the mix seemed excessive.
Having ridden Okoroire the last six years, I guess I'll have to compensate somehow later this year.

With no ride to go to, I forged ahead with the Roy Thame on Sunday, installing a mix'n'match Sugino bottom bracket, followed up by all the other components bar the headset.
A pair of white NOS Olimpic lever hoods were wrestled onto a set of Superbe brake levers, and rummaging in a box of unsorted junk produced a brand new set of whiteCateye plastic bar tape, easily the most awful bar covering ever, but totally appropriate for a 1970s short distance TT weapon.
To maintain some colour coordination CT-B has promised a matching white Turbo saddle, and red brake cable housing is on order.

Roy Thame is here

and it's a fine thing, albeit more of a single purpose device than I had hoped.
Frame geometry is 74.5 degrees parallel, and there is only a righthand downtube shifter boss, suggesting that the frame was built exclusively for TTs, not a pastime that I have engaged in for about 15 years, nor ever shown any aptitude for.

On the positive side, it is as feathery light as you would expect of a 531SL frame, and devoid of rust and dings. Even the Campagnolo Nuovo Record Pista headset seems to be useable.

A previous owner has used a pair of clamp-on shiftlevers, and rigged up a front derailler cable guide under the BB, and being no latter day Alf Engers I will do the same.

July Retroride

retroride0807
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Converted to black and white to make Sammo's new Pinarello look period correct

The devil is in the details...

gazzetto
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

...and if you are wrapping your spare tubular, it should be in the pink newsprint of La Gazzetto dello Sport

RT v1.1

Yesterday's assertion that I have a couple of "a couple of incomplete (Suntour Superbe) groupsets" turned out to be wildly over-optimistic.






What I've got is a pile of deraillers, a pair of LD-2000 clamp-on shiftlevers, and a brakeset that is currently on another bike. Of course, I am only assuming that the RT frame takes a short reach brake...

The rear deraillers are a mix of basic Superbe RD-2100, with steel hardware; and about 1-7/8 Superbe Pro RD-3100, with aluminium pivots and pulley bolts.






There are a couple of OK looking Superbe FD-1500 hinged clamp front deraillers, and I think that a little more rummaging will eventually expose one of the weird band-mounted Superbe Pro FD-2000.


I have two pairs of brake levers, without hoods.
My one spare set of hoods is earmarked for Team McCall, so I will get a set of white Olympic hoods from ebay which will complement the black/white colour scheme.

My Superbe seatpost turns out to be Sugino Super Mighty, which is OK with me, and the Super Mighty crankarms have a decent set of factory-drillium 50/42 chainrings.


Suntour and Sugino catalog pictures from Mr Gami's catalog scans page

The Roy Thame Masterplan, V1.0

Dan Rosser, whose CBAD makes my own look benign, asked about my plans for the Roy Thame frame.
To the unafflicted this is an ill-advised and frivolous purchase, but while pondering Dan's question I realised that the RT is the ideal recipient for some early 80s Japanese kit I have been hoarding.
Early Suntour Superbe is fairly uncommon nowadays, but I have accumulated a couple of incomplete groupsets.
Sugino Mighty cranks are near enough to be good enough, and I have a hollow SR Royal Extra Super Light stem that is too cool to leave in a box.
Wheels will be Araya 20A clincher rims on small flange Suntour Superbe hubs. Back in the day we used to frown on 20As, but for this project their silver finish and low weight cancel out any concerns about durability.

A black frame with white graphics demands a white saddle, which puts me in the market for Turbo or a Rolls. To offset the monochrome paint, I will fill the flutes in the seatpost and crank spider with red paint, and use red brake cable.

Crankset_______________Sugino Mighty 170mm
Deraillers_______________Suntour Superbe
Shiftlevers______________Suntour Superbe or Simplex Retrofriction
Brakes_________________Suntour Superbe
Brake levers____________Suntour Superbe
Hubs__________________Suntour Superbe 36h
Rims__________________Araya 20A 700c clincher
Seatpost_______________Suntour Superbe
Stem__________________SR Royal Extra Super Light
Handlebars_____________SR Road Champion
Pedals_________________MKS Sylvan or Suntour Superbe Pro

Roy Thame Campionissimo

Another totally unnecessary ebay acquisition from Hilary Stone:

"Offered for sale is a beautiful 23·5in ctt c1978 Roy Thame Campionissimo frame in very good condition. Top tube length is 22·5in and rear dropout width 124mm. It is almost certainly built from Reynolds 531SL tubing. This frame has some beautiful touches - the lugs and bottom bracket cutouts are modelled on Colnago - Reg Collard who built many of the Roy Thame frames openly acknowledged the influence of Colnago on his frame building. Roy Thame was the brand name of the F W Holdsworth shop in Putney during the second half of the 1970s "

 According to Norman Kilgariff's Holdsworth website, Reg Collard, who also built CTB's splendid Holdsworth Italia, was the 'specials' builder for the Holdsworth retail stores which in 1964 became a separate entity from the manufacturing and wholesaling business.
The shop-built frames were branded Roy Thame in 1975 (after one of the owners) when Holdsworthy Ltd withdrew permission to use the Holdsworth brand.

While the lug cutouts evoke Colnago for some, the motif of three overlapping circles was used by other English builders such as W.B Hurlow and Stan Pike.

Ride with the Dinosaurs

7:30am tomorrow at Bike Central 3 Britomart Place, to ride the truck-clogged streets of Central Auckland, presenting an alternate viewpoint to that of the Road Transport Forum and Auckland's mayor, as seen in today's Herald.

If anyone wants to bring suitable banners or costumes, feel free to do so.

Cabin Fever will make you do stupid things

Today's plan was for bi-modal* semi-epic in the Waitakeres with my lawyer**, who wants to test out her new compact crankset.

Yesterday, in view of the forecast for thunderstorms, we downgraded to a ride on our fixies to to eat doughnuts at il Forno, but this morning's weather didn't meet my lawyer's stringent trackie criteria for going out at all.

After a couple of hours of housework and sulking I figured decide that things didn't look as bad as the forecast, and headed for the hills on the fixed gear Ritchey.
I got as far as the Hunua Gorge before I had to don my rainjacket, which stayed on for the subsequent climbs over Sky High Rd and Twilight.

I surprised myself by getting over the first two climbs without imploding, though my plan to knock off Sky High Road in the saddle will have to wait for another day.
Twilight was not in the original plan, but I was still feeling good as I rolled into Clevedon, so I thought 'Why not?'. My body had different ideas though, and I crawled, numb-legged, to the top.
From there onwards, it is flattish, and the wind was less obtrusive than I expected, until just south of Papatoetoe when it was all I could do to maintain forward motion. By the time I got my lunch kebab from Lil Abners it had died down enough for a dignified return to the neighbourhood.

Tomorrow will be interesting. I'm predicting sore legs, but a good mood. Might try for a light spin on a bike with gears.
Monday: legs OK, but irritable.

* featuring trains and bicycles
**you never know when you might need one, especially given that its frowned upon to get about with a handgun or a trained attack dog. And if you do either of those things, you'll definitely be needing one sooner or later.

Okoroire Mid Winter Ride in 4 weeks

The Okoroire Winter Fun Ride is on July 27th. A report on last years ride is HERE.
The terrain is rolling but fixed gear compatible.

Usually there is a small but congenial Retro Grupetto.
If you are planning to join us this year, email me so that we can arrange to rendezvous before the start.

Details and a downloadable entry form are at http://www.funcycling.net/documents/okoroire_2008_entry_form.pdf

The only interesting bike race before the Tour of Lombardy

My friend Simon Kennett is racing the is the Great Divide Race, which started last Friday.
GDR is a solo, unsupported(ie carry your own stuff) race from the US-Canada border to the US-Mexico border

At the moment it looks like he is in 5th place, about 5 hours behind the leaders after 480miles (775kms) and 12,000 metres of climbing.

For updates, go to Simon's blog which his wife Sarah is updating. From there, you can also link to other sites, like the Race Updates Blog or the Progress Board.

Kate's Fixie

A quick and dirty repurposing of Kate Mullarkey's Foster track bike for street use.


Frame__________________Foster 48cm
Bottom bracket__________Shimano UN72 107mm
Crankset_______________Suntour Cyclone 160mm
Brake caliper____________Suntour Superbe
Brake levers____________Shimano 600
Front hub______________Campagnolo Chorus
Rear hub_______________Surly
Rims__________________Wolber GTX
Tyres__________________Conti Super Sport 700 x 28
Gearing________________46 x 19 (65.4")
Saddle_________________Fizik Vitesse
Seatpost_______________Easton EA50
Stem__________________Cinelli 1a
Handlebars_____________Cinelli 65/40
Pedals_________________Shimano by LOOK

Fiddling while Rome burns

Part 3 in the Procrastination Trilogy

True to my word, gentle reader, last night I put the Breakaway fixie together, without neglecting my domestic obligations.
Yes, the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, and the dogs got their walk.
I even took a shower.

The finished product already looks a bit dirty.
In my frenzy, I didn't bother to clean the wheels, which last saw duty on the broken Holdsworth, and the early 70's Sugino Mighty 171mm crankarms came from the bottom of one of my less-frequented parts bins when the intended Dura-Ace 7400 arms wouldn't allow a good chainline.
The chain is the first one I found in a mystery pile of chains deemed not awful enough to throw away.

I'm going to use the red Ritchey decal kit that came with the frame, which hopefully will look OK with the red Alex Singer style Cateye cotton bar tape. The white brake cables came from Simon at Multisport Bikes.


Frame_________________Ritchey Breakaway SS/Fixed 60cm
Fork___________________Surly Steamroller, 1"
Headset________________Ritchey WCS 1" in Wheels Mfg adapters
Bottom bracket__________Campagnolo Veloce 111mm
Crankset_______________Sugino Mighty 171mm
Brakes_________________Suntour Superbe
Brake levers____________Campagnolo Athena (early 90s)
Front hub______________Phil Wood tandem
Rear hub_______________Surly
Rims__________________Campagnolo Omicron
Tyres_________________Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 700 x 27
Gearing________________47 x 20 (63.5")
Saddle_________________San Marco Rolls
Seatpost_______________Suntour XC Pro
Stem__________________Ritchey WCS 4-Axis 12cm
Handlebars_____________Nitto Model 176 Dream bar 44cm
Pedals_________________Crank Brothers Quattro SL

Procrastination is the mother of necessity.

On Friday I took the day off work, and decided to get my Breakaway fixie frame painted.
The plan was to paint it white, like the stock colour scheme, but after pondering the twenty different types of white in the DupliColour stand, I wigged out and went for the fixie-bogan default option of Metallic Black.

By Saturday afternoon the frame was looking pretty decent, so long as you were not strictly sober.
Most of the paint was smooth and sparkly, but there were a few rough, dullish patches. It seems that you need to spray a fairly thick layer of paint to get it to flow out smoothly instead of going orange-peely. Fortunately, the rough bits polished out with White Lightning Metal-Brite, which is not intended for use on paint, but is much gentler than automotive polishes which tend to destroy the gloss on DupliColor.

My masterplan was to leave the frame for a few days, to allow the paint to cure, but last night I fitted few components, in solidarity with CTB who had come round to finish off his Ron Kitching.
Needless to say, neither of us got finished, though Chris managed a test-ride.

Now, the challenge is whether I can get a rideable unit before bedtime.

Procrastination, sport of kings

The recent upsurge in workshop productivity, not to mention bloggage, has been in lieu of more important tasks that require real application, hopefully for real rewards.

Not to worry though.

As well as winterizing the Benson, I got the Ritchey Breakaway back together.
Without the mudguards that I had on it last year, its a fair weather Luxocruiser with Gran Bois Cypres 700 x 30s for a plush but fast ride.
Succumbing to the nagging voice of my inner racer-boy, I cut 2cm off the fork steerer- not totally irrevocable,as flipping the stem will raise the bars by the same amount.

It took a couple of rides to get comfortable.
I seemed to be sitting further to the rear, though the Brooks Swallow saddle was set in the same position as the Swift on the Benson.
After a couple of adjustments, my souplesse, such as it is, seems to be regained.

Frame_________________Ritchey Breakaway Road steel 60cm
Fork___________________Reynolds 531, Pacenti crown, 1"
Headset________________Ritchey WCS 1" in Wheels Mfg adapters
Bottom bracket__________Campagnolo Ultra-Torque
Crankset_______________Campagnolo Veloce CT 175 mm 34/48
Brakes_________________Cane Creek SCR-3L
Brake levers____________Campagnolo Cobalto
Shift levers_____________Campagnolo Record 10speed bar end
Front derailler___________Campagnolo Centaur QS
Rear derailler___________Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed medium cage
Hubs__________________Campagnolo Veloce 36h
Rims__________________Mavic MA3
Tyres_________________Gran Bois Cypres 700 x 30
Cassette_______________Campagnolo Veloce 10s 13-29
Saddle_________________Brooks Swallow Titanium
Seatpost_______________Ritchey WCS V2
Stem__________________Ritchey WCS 4-Axis 11cm
Handlebars_____________Nitto Model 177 Noodle bar, 44cm
Pedals_________________Crank Brothers Quattro SL

Don't cry for me Imelda

I know I'm mixing up my fascist dictatorettes, but the grief of binning two of my favourite pairs of cycling shoes is almost overwhelming.

On the left, my Sidi cyclocross shoes, bought from Belgium 20 years ago.
Used for a few years of mountain bike riding, and then for commuting, I reglued the soles more times than I can remember.
Recently I replaced them with a pair of crappy Diamant cross shoes from Ebay, which are not as comfortable, and probably less durable, but there is not a lot of choice when you are still commuting with toeclips.

The Diadora Euro TCK (size 43.5 in case you have a pair you want to part with), were my #1 pair of road shoes from 1998 onwards, being demoted to retro riding duties when I went back to clipless in 2001.
I stopped using them when the sole started peeling off, and Ebay eventually provided a pair of Marresis that I am growing to like.

This could hurt...

CTB came by yesterday to convert an old Ron Kitching into a ride-to-work fixie.
It seemed like a good idea to take the fork out and inspect the steerer tube for damage, and just this once, caution paid off.
The steerer had broken a couple of inches above the crown, been brazed up by some handyman, and a steel plug pressed into the ID.
It could last forever, or or ruin CT-B's good looks first time out, so we dug up suitable replacement from the back of the shed.