Bikes to sell before we move

We will need to move in the next two weeks so these bikes are now on Ebay

see http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181393934852

Raleigh Racer 5 speed boys bike

see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apollo-XC26s-Ladies-Mountain-Bike-/181393985450?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a3bec8faa

see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apollo-Incessant-Mountain-Bike-/181393996433?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a3becba91

see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apollo-full-suspension-mountain-bike-/181393978816?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a3bec75c0

see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Attitude-mountain-bike-/181393971337?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item2a3bec5889

An idea for how our streets could be

One day all streets will be like this

Spindles in the Papers

The Gazette and Herald photographer came around the other week to take some photos and a feature article resulted which you can read using the following link.
gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/corshamheadlines
The boys could not get into the community centre as the combination lock had been changed hence the lack of photo of the workshop.  The spindles publicity machine has limped into action over the past few weeks and we have had a number of enquiries about new accommodation for Spindles.  The G&H article is as good as it gets.
We are winding down the stock at the moment so if you want to get yourself a bargin bike or tyre, wheel etc then now is the time to do it.  We hope to move in the next two weeks and are current playing with various options which include doing some long awaited projects.  The options for working on the High Street are complex,  potentially expensive and include setting up/down time which is not attractive.  Nearly all of the options are out of town so Spindles will be leaving Corsham.

Folding bikes to Weymouth and other stories

AM and I went to a wedding reception in Weymouth over the holidays which meant that we had to get the train from Bradford-on-Avon to Weymouth which is a journey that only the brave take with bicycles. Anyone who has done this journey by bike will know that sometimes you are refused entry onto that particular train.  This happened to us last year when we ended up getting a taxi to Yeovil which cost £70.

We decided to try folding bikes as I've had my Moulton for a couple of years now and AM can borrow Edgar's Brompton. The journey went smoothly with bikes being disassembled and reassembled accordingly.

Constructing the Moulton takes 5 minutes - The Brompton takes seconds

The Brompton was a bit of a special with 5 speed hub gear coupled with a Shlumpf 2 speed bottom bracket making 10 gears.  The Brompton fold takes seconds however for the uninitiated, its ingenious origami styled magic trick that takes some thinking.  The Moulton is a game of two halves which takes one bolt and a set of cable breakers to achieve a bicycle.

The wedding reception went well helped by an endless supply of cocktails and champagne.

After the main  event we travelled to Southampton for a family visit.  This consisted of getting the train to Wareham and then cycling to Poole, Bournmouth, Christchurch, New Forest and then getting the replacement bus service from Brockenhurst to Southampton.  Our folding bikes were accepted on all the services.   The cycle along the sea front was car free if a little crowded but the New Forest was sublime.  Please note avoid the main roads in his area because they are narrow and busy beyond belief.

New Forest - The only danger is the horses 

The replacement bus service at Brockenhurst accepted our folding bikes which were placed on the seats and as no conductor was available, we had a free ride into Southampton.

Bike Party

I came across these videos that show just what is possible on a road bike.  Martyn Ashton and Danny MacAskill on a £15,000 Colnago bike


Good Disc brakes help

Still no sign of a new place

With only 6 weeks to go to the 14th May  deadline there is no sign of a new place.  We arranged for an email to be sent out to the Transcoco contacts list (with thanks to Sue) and got a response from a local storage firm.  The fact that we got something straight away was encouraging and the offer of a small lockup was appreciated however the site would not be accessible at the weekend.
I investigated a garage that was for sale however the location and state were far from being ideal.  So for options:

1. We could find a quite shed/garage/lockup somewhere and do some interesting bike projects.  We would advertise and the very keen would seek us out.  We would not be in Corsham.
2. We arrange to have a market stall every Saturday in the centre of Corsham with a lockup close by.  We would use 'loadie' bikes to transport the spares/bikes/gazebo/kit etc.
3. We would deploy a 'pop-up' bike shop around Corsham school/Springfield centre area. Again 'loadie bikes would be used to transport the kit.

Options (2) and (3) seem to entail a lot of set up and set down time which is frustrating.  Also the range of repairs would be limited without access to a workbench wheel jig etc.  Option (1) is tempting as it would provide the opportunity to learn how to braze or weld with the option of building better trailers and other bike related devices.

It's a shame that we haven't got a place as I think Corsham needs more bike journeys and fewer cars and parking spaces.  I notice that the space in front of the Corsham court gates are now No Parking with just about the most ugliest signs that could possibly be imagined being used.  Well done some tier of local government.

The Historic Gates to Corsham Court are now a fetching No Parking Sign

  The Guardian have also reported that cycle take up is not as strong in the rural areas as it is in the cities.  Will the 600 students who destined to make their way to Harthem (on Harthem Lane) each week contribute to the scary prospect of carmageddon occurring in Corsham.  When the old community centre is demolished it will make way for.. you guest it, a car park.  

It does not have to be like that...    

A bicycle park in Amsterdam. Forecasts that the UK would soon become a nation of cyclists, much like the Netherlands, have proved wildly optimistic, with lack of cycling infrastructure partly blamed. Photograph: Peter Dejong/AP

It's all lies!

We were at Sheldon School in Chippenham this week where we did a Dr Bike.  The weather was cold sunny and dry which brought out Sheldon's cyclist and we had a full day of brakes and gear fixing.

Nick servicing a Bike a Sheldon School

No sign of Josh's wooden bike which he is keeping under wraps.

With this event came the news that our tenure at the Community Centre will be terminated on the 14th May.  To be comfortable we need to be out two weeks prior to that date at the start of May giving us 6 weeks to find a new place and move.
There is not much to go on however, we have made some more connections and the word is getting out.  We have embarked on bike selling programme hoping to clear the decks before the deadline.  There are three on ebay at the moment.  We seen to sell at least 5 a week to clear all bikes.  We will keep the best frames and all the components however most of the wheels will have to go.

Saturday was a good day with a steady throughput of customers.  At and end Ken came in to show us his latest build, a Reynolds 931 stainless steel bike which he has just built.  It oozes quality fitted with main Campag, Planet X and SRAM kit having given up on the dream of it being all British.  Hay even the Hope bearings are made in Japan.  Ken will be riding it up Mt Ventoux on it this year so lookout for him.

Ken's latest Build - Reynolds 931 Stainless

The was also a chap from Trowbridge to told us that Campag 9 STis work with 8 speed shimano cassette and he was riding a bike that had the arrangement to prove it.  He has been in the trade and he knew what he was talking about.  We will try this soon.

I went to see 'The Armstrong Lie' at the Pound on Saturday along with most of Chippenham Wheelers.  It was a sell out.  It's a documentary about Lance Armstrong who won and then was stripped of 7 Tour De France wins.  It reminded me of 'Breaking Bad' series where a Chemistry teacher who is hitting 50, has to supplement his lack lustre career by working at a car wash, is then diagnosed with incurable cancer and so decides to 'cook' Crystal Meth to supplement his income without telling his family including his brother-in-law policemen.
The story becomes tail of control, power and manipulation, not about money, where 'Walt' the main character, takes on a new persona as a driven gangster prepared to kill and control people in order to keep the truth from getting out.  This is also Lance's story, albeit without the guns, where in order to keep the performance enhancing drug taking a secret, he manipulates, bullies, threatens and does everything in his considerable power to exert control.  Old Friends and colleagues become the victims as it gets increasing more difficult to control events.
The film is compelling and well worth seeing,  I'll certainly see it again.

       

The Problem with old bikes and some creative solutions

Here's our dilemma, we have sold 7 refurbished bike this year however we have received 10 bikes in the last two weeks.  The workshop is getting full of bikes that need working on and we haven't time. The problem gets more acute given that we have to leave the Community Centre by the 14th May 2014 and we don't have anywhere to go.  In practical terms we must be out in 6 weeks.

What do we do? Well some are given to Robin to strip down so that they can go into the scrap metal bin with maybe a brake adjuster or even a saddle being reclaimed.  That leaves 6, which are a Saracen road bike, GT childs bike , Raleigh ladies bike, a shockingly bad Raleigh 1980s mens racing bike, some random kids bikes and another that escapes me.
To get these up and running would take us about 2 working days which we spend on maintenance jobs.  Next week somebody else will clear out their garages and 4 more bikes will magically appear and the problem gets bigger.

Some creative solutions could be:

• To spray paint a complete bike a primary colour, place a spindles advert on it and lock it in town.  Advertising is something we are not good at and this sounds like a good start.
• Create a hanging basket installation out of bicycle frames.  The idea is not as mad as it seems.  Tim has the welding equipment, there are loads of frames, build a good base for it and bolt it down.  Place a community notice board on it for local events.  Oh yes and find a gardener who will supply and tend the plants.  It does need considerable artistic input which could be supplied by Bath University Arts dept. who are resident in Corsham.
• Make a Dome out of the wheels.  It's been done before so its not very original but it uses the wheels.
• Sell some bikes.... maybe.

 I'll let you know how we get on and what solutions we come up with.  In the mean time the Trek 850 is finished.

Just found this very inspiring piece of art work by Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei – “absent” @ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Part II)

It's an incredible art installation based on the bicycle, well actually 1000 bicycles.  Its a triumph of aesthetics, design married to engineering.

you can see other images here

What's up and coming

I just thought I would show this mountain bike that should be ready next week.  The frame is a great Trek 850 with GT CrMo forks.  It will make a great bike when its finished.  I've just put 6 new bikes on the main site see http://spindlesandsprockets.co.uk/?p=bikes

Trek 850 in the making

here is the pile of kids bikes that are waiting for a new owner.  A lot of these are marked as £10

Kids bikes for sale

1st Day of Spring

Winter is finally over and today the sun came out with a vengeance.  There were not many punters in the bike shop today but a refurbishment of a Gary Fisher MB should keep us busy till next week.  I suggested that we go for a ride as the day looked so good.  And with a couple of calls we had a group of 9 heading off to Lacock.

The ride was great despite only being 16 miles.  It was scenic, quiet and almost dramatic when 4 buzzards took off into the sky in front of us, free-wheeling on thermals.  We headed to Biddestone on Chippenham Lane where Edgar kindly made us tea and we discussed the finer points of urban development in the local area.

We have three months to find new premises.  We may need to dive into a garage or two over the summer before something permanent is found.  In the short term we have jobs at Ivy lane school and Sheldon school in Chippenham.  There is also the Bike festival in Katherine Park on 23^rd  March 2014 12.45-2.45pm where we hope to have a stall.  see http://www.kpra.co.uk/eventsDetail.php?Sport-Relief-2014-event-21

I'm going to start a email list for people to want to attend our rides.  They will usually be on a Saturday afternoon and will be very sociable.  If you would like to be informed - you may not get much notice, then email me and I will put you on the list.

First outing of the delivery bike

The delivery bike got its first outing last week adorned with Tibetan flags advertising Cafe Momo on Sunday 23rd February - they are serving soup from 12am at Church House - see here for details.  I rode it into town compete with flags and left it locked to a hanging basket frame.  

We also found out this week that we must be out of the Community centre by 31st May because the bulldozers will move in in June.  Only 3 months left at the community centre!

Today we had 4 bike donations and so despite our efforts to sell bikes on ebay we still have fifteen bikes in the workshop which is too many.  We have a pre dominance of girls bikes so if you want a cost effective bike for a young lady then get down to Spindles on a Saturday   

WE NEED A NEW HOME IN CORSHAM!

This is how to renovate properly - a very enjoyable video

Spoke Key Review

I've built a number of wheels before and well as renovating used wheels and I've gained an appreciation of what makes a good spoke key.  I've been using the SW-7 standard park tool spoke key for a number of years and then I discovered the SW-20.  The SW-7 is great  for general purpose but there is a point within wheel building where the nipple gets tight on the spoke as the tension increases and that extra leverage and control is required.  This is where the SW-20 is brilliant, although it is only one size (0 on the SW-7) its very comfortable in the fingers when making adjustments.  Recommended.

The SW-10 tool is more about turning stuck nipples without destroying them.  I've only use it on one spoke which seemed to work.  There is a wheel at spindles which is waiting for the treatment,  I'll let you know how it goes.

The Renovated Dunelt Trademan's bike

We have finished the 1939 Dunelt Trademen's bike so I though I would post a few pictures.  We have put the Hero saddle on it as it has that vintage look.  The handlebars have been painted red however the rest of the bike is black.  The brakes have been renovated but they are still rubbish compared to modern brakes. The rear stand is modern and will be replaced as soon as we find something more appropriate.  It needs a stand so that it can be placed in the high street without leaning on anything.

The chain is a motorbike 1/2 by 1/4 inch which is a perfect fit for the super sized sprockets.  We have also put new chain tugs on the rear dropouts.  Look out for it over the next few weeks in Corsham High Street.

The Dunelt built in 1939

1/4 inch chain

We are now looking for a basket

No we are not starting a delivery service in Corsham!

 See original condition + tyres at http://spindlesandsprockets.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/autumn-sunshine.html

Dr Bike at Walwayne Court Primary School, Trowbridge

A couple of weeks ago we put our Dr Bike hats on to go to Walwayne Court Primary School in Trowbridge.  Dr Bike is organized by Sustrans and paid for by the NHS and allows the kids to bring their bikes in for a safety check.  We try to fix every bike that comes our way and out of the 44 bikes done there was only one that we could not fix.

Bikes waiting to be done

The day started with bright sun but ended in rain.  We had audiences at break time all trying to solve the mystery of who was Dr bike? We each had a school meal which brought back vivid memories.  Nick has seconds!

Edgar, Nick and myself working 

Thank you letters 

I few days ago we received a letter containing a batch of thank you letters from the school. They are clearly very keen on cycling as it was one of the best turnouts we have had on Dr Bike days.
Our next Dr Bike is at Wiltshire College in Chippenham on the 12th February

Two Bikes on Ebay

The Raleigh Misty has been around for a while and needs to find a new home.  Its a 19" fame and has 6 gears.  see http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181310718806

The likewise for the Apollo Pulse 16" frame girls mountain bike which can be seen here

A Tail of 2 Carradice Saddle Bags

About 6 years ago my partner and I got a Carradice Saddlebag each, she got the Nelson Long flap and I got the Super C.   Although I use mine every day and I have carried very heavy items in it, the Nelson Long flap has proved much better because its a better design.  The Nelson seems to ware better, is more versatile   and is not a prone to splitting apart at the seams.

The Carradice Nelson on the Left and the Super C on the right

The Super C seams fail

The Super C lacks the reinforcements around the sides resulting in the wooden dowel poking its way out of the bag which can be seen in the picture opposite.  This has happened on both sides.  I originally got the Super C because of the D rings and the modern fittings as opposed to the buckle arrangements on the Nelson.  The Nelson also seems to be more weatherproof possibly due to the extra flap but its actually a much better design. 

The Neson seams are reinforced

The Nelson has extra leather studded reinforcements on both sides preventing the wooden dowel from ripping the fabric.  Also the seams are double stitched making for a better finish and stronger bag.   The Nelson did benefit from a Bagman support however this caused the bag to sag around the support.  The problem was solved by inserting a Corrugated plastic sheet in the bottom that provides the rigidity the bag needs

The Nelson long flap is a far better product and I would go for that one every time.

2013 review

The shop was open for that last time on Saturday the 14th December.  Next Saturday 22nd will be our Christmas meal and we are closed on the 29th.  Spindles will open again on 4th January 2014.  2013 has been a mixed year.  The move to the snooker room last August was a hit as we went from the dingy changing rooms to the light airy massive Snooker room and for once Spindles looks like a shop.  However, the impending demolition of the Community Centre is ever present and it dominates the conversation in the workshop.
We didn't have a huge number of commissions this year however we did have one or two blinding donations with the Gios the highlight.  We did get plenty of donations at the lower end of the market and we have started leaving them around Corsham with tags on saying free to a good home.
The project now consists of Edgar, Nick and me(richard); Josh and Alistair are regular volunteers; Tim is the unsung hero not forgetting the two Bens.  Last but not least is Robin makes 9 making the  doughnut run to My Loaf a significant task.  Josh and Alistair will move on to University in September 2014 so we may need more volunteers to replace them.
Spindles will have to move by May 2014 and morph into something that its next home can accommodate.  The most likely next home is a lock-up garage with no lights or facilities.   Sounds grim, but we have been very lucky with our premises, The Pound Arts and the Community Centre.   We have probably sold over 100 bikes, done countless maintenance jobs along with spares and accessories.

Thanks everyone for your support over the last year.  Have a great holiday and we hope to see you next year.


  

This is one for Twich

That is from Kickstarter.  Somehow I'm just not convinced, the box is too high causing instability and its open to the elements.  Panniers are just a better solution!

this is more promising

New Home Required for Bicycle Workshop

We heard this week that our application to use the Methuen Centre play ground has been rejected due the fact that Wiltshire College run courses on a weekend there, 'sometimes'.  We are therefore still after a new home: workshop, garage, old barn, anything that can be made into a bike workshop.  The space we have defines what we can do.  We currently occupy the snooker room the community centre which is a great space for a bike shop that will be demolished in 6 months time.

With half that space we could not offer a range of reconditioned bikes and would be much more 'picky' about what we would take on.  Our ever growing collection of wheels would need culling and the work bench would have to go.

The recent cold is bringing back memories of previous years trying to work outside with numb fingers on the verge of frost bite.   At lease this year we can be inside this year and stay warm and dry.

The red bike is looking good with its new coat of paint see below.  There are a number of gear issues to overcome but it should be ready in a couple of weeks.  My trawl of stems and bars for this bike turned up some Cinelli models I didn't know we had as well as some red Schwalbe Blizzard tyres, one of which is fitted.

Red Raleigh Touring Bike

The Sirius that we acquired has a hole in the right chain stay where there shouldn't be one.  It looks like its been caused by the chainset rubbing on the metal.  How the rider did not notice this is just impossible to imagine.  It can be repaired but we will not sell it as the possibility of it collapsing is just too great.  No wonder it was binned.

There were recent cycling fatalities in London (6 in two weeks) and closer to home in Bath and Bristol in the last few days.  I don't want to say anything about 'answers' as there are too many opinions already out there.  I would like to morn their passing and empathise with their families and the people who were driving.

Just for the record I don't drive

The Invisible Bicycle Helmet

The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

I was intrigued by this bike helmet design, yes they are wearing a helmet.  watch the film.  The cost is £350.

Marketing blurb from the website http://www.hovding.com/en/

Hövding is a revolutionary bicycle helmet, a new innovation designed for the modern cyclist. Not only one of the safest helmets on the market, but also a discrete chameleon that easily becomes part of your outfit using the changeable shell.

Unlike other cycle helmets, Hövding is worn as a collar around your neck. The collar contains an airbag that will inflate and protect the head in the event of an accident. Compared to ordinary cycle helmets, Hövding provides the best shock absorption in the world.

This is a great film, very inspiring

Did you know a bike must have a reflector by law!

It was cold and wet when I arrived this morning at Spindles.  Twitch was there as usual and for the first time there were no customers.  November is the month were cycling seems to tail off, its permanently dark and cold.   Josh arrived and started to sand down the frame I had been working on.  The theory in that a couple of coats of oxide primer should fill any pitting and sanding the oxide to a smooth finish is good prep for a top coat.

A kids bike came in that had FAILED the basic safety test at the school Bikeability meaning the the respective student could not taken part in the classes.  This was a traumatic experience all around however an examination of the BMX bike in question revealed sloppy brakes, a loose head set and crank.  The BMX required new gyro cables, which are a bit fiddly to insert, plus some minor adjustments and the bike was good to go.  Hold on - the fatal flaw in this job was the missing reflector and after checking almost every bike we managed to bolt a 1970s model reflector to a modern BMX.  I wish I had a photo.

The kids road bike (built from an MB frame) is a great success as the kid in question is getting up at 6 in the morning just to go riding.  Well done Josh for keeping going on that one and also for developing the Spindles font which is soon to make an appearance on the web site. The font is based on bike chain and is currently being turned into a true type font.

Watching Paint dry on the Raleigh

An Experimental Road Bike

Josh  has finally finished the experimental road bike made from of a Trek mountain bike frame, for a 12yr old.  The standard kids road bike that are available on-line do not have good gears or components.  The challenge was to make a kids road bike from a MB frame with STI shifters for £200.

With 8/3 STI Sora shifters and a new drive train its turned out really well.  The big problem was getting the STI to shift the MB front changer, it took hours of fettling with different mechs and adjusters but he finally cracked it.  There's the result complete with Kojak tyres.  There will be some tests and a fitting before its finally accepted.

The onset of winter means fewer customers however we have sold a large number of kids bikes over the last couple of weeks.  I have started stripping down the Raleigh 531 frame ready for painting you can see the pitting on the steel in the following detailed photos.  I have so far used a rotary steel brush to get at the areas of rust then various grades of sand paper and emery cloth to get it smooth.   I'm hoping that the primer acts as a filler in these areas, it may take a little bit of work but I'm hoping for a reasonably smooth finish.

One of the tricks I'm going to try is to encase the Raleigh badge in wax before I start the painting process.

Web site update

We had a bit of a photo session the other day,  we were not all present - 2 missing,  but the sun was shining and its been a while so here's the result.  Last Saturday there was 9 of us beavering away at different times comfortably outnumbering customers by a fair margin.  That last comment is probably not fair as we have had loads of customers through the door and have recently taken 2 commissions. All we need is chairs and tables and we could open a coffee shop

Josh's experiment bike - a mountain/road bike cross for a child, is coming on and should be finished next weekend.  Photos to follow.  The pictured bike is the 1930s delivery that came from the the Duke of Cumberland pub which use to be at the bottom of Priory Street.  Well done Ken for rescuing the bike.  We still cannot shift the seat pin but Robin has sanded and scrubbed his heart out getting it ready for painting.

There is still no end of kids bikes.  Two weeks ago we left a kids bike outside of the Springfield centre hoping it will go to a new home but the good people of Corsham left it be.  Luckily, someone came in looking for a bike for her daughter and Edgar remembered it was still there.  Result.

My hope is that we get another building to house Spindles next year as our current home will be demolished next May and our accumulated pile will have to be disposed.  

I've recently put together two new bikes - An 8 speed Nexus hub gear Trek and a Carrera commuter bike, see below.  The Carrera came from a skip with no wheels and a semi stuck seat pin.  With new wheels and a cable tidy up its a great new bike.

The Trek was the only frame we had with horizontal drop out.  We have has the Nexus for a while which we got new.  I was surprised how quickly the gearing came together to make a great little bike.  It may not sell very well as the frame is a little untidy and the nexus alone is £150 brand new.  So the bike should see for £200+

    

I finally updated the main spindles website and integrated some modern sliders for the header and gallery.  Josh is also doing a spindles font based on chain links- a novel idea.  There are also Tee shirts being desiged as well - just in time for Christmas.  Now there's a thought....

Autumn Sunshine

The warm sunny weather was perfect for a bike ride last Saturday,  We took a route through Biddestone, Castle Combe, Nettleton, Ford and back home.  Even Robin didn't seem to mind the long climb out of Long Dean and Ben flew up the hills.  The first Saturday in the Month is the new day for the Spindles' rides and we did well to down tools at about 2:30pm and set off.  The route also included a tea stop and a chin wag about the project and where we go after the community centre is flattened.

On the 12th October we will hold the first maintenance workshop for anyone who wants to learn how to maintain their bike.  This costs £10 an hour for individual tuition.  Please email us if you are interested as we can only fit two in starting at 2.00pm and 3.00pm.

We had a great donation the other week, a Dunelt delivery bike which is probably pre 1939.  It's in reasonable condition with all the right bits, we have added some new tyres and have rubbed down the frame.  It should make a good advert bike in the High Street.  It's a rare opportunity to get a museum piece like this and there is a queue of people who want to ride it when it's finished.

Dunelt Trademan's bike in bits

The Logo

   There is a museum specialising in tradesmans bikes which looks like its got a similar model

Original advertisement for the bike

Other bikes that have been acquired include a Raleigh Touriste, 531 frame with Brookes saddle, see below,  Here the paintwork is scrappy and its difficult to decide whether to do a full paint job or touch up? Should it have STI shifters or bar ends?  It always comes down to what the customer wants and what they are prepared to pay.  If it had a good paint job with STI 3x8 shifters then £300+ would not be unreasonable but that would almost be the cost of production.

Next Ride Saturday 2nd November 2:30pm

Spindles on the radio, Bike rides, Bike maintenance

Spindles on the BBC
Last Friday Edgar was interviewed on the BBC Radio Wiltshire by Graham Seaman who was doing a 2 hour long program on vintage bikes.  Edgar's interview starts about 12:30pm (half an hour into the show) and last for 8 minutes or so.  Fame at last for Edgar and Spindles.  Or maybe not as there was no tangible increase in the Internet traffic hitting spindles web site. see for yourself as I've put it onto the web - click on the link below.
BBC Wiltshire Radio Interview
At the Pound Arts
Josh represented Spindles at the Repair Cafe which was held at the Pound Arts centre.  This is going to be a regular Cafe on the last Saturday of the month.  How did it go Josh?

Ride on Saturday
Our monthly ride has changed to the first Saturday of every month so this weekend 5th Oct, there will be a Spindles Ride starting at 2.30pm and going to a local cafe.  The other dates this year will be November the 2^nd and December 7^th.

Bike Maintenance Saturdays
The second Saturday of the Month will be maintenance days where you can learn how to fix your bike.  The sessions will start at 2pm and finish around 4pm.  It's £10 for an hour of individual training.  Please email us for a slot if you wish to attend.

If you just want to use one of our specialist tools then you will be welcome to come along.  We currently have the following

• thread cutters for bottom bracket, 
• 1" and 1 1/8" steerer
• Headset removal and setting tools 
• reemers
• Park Wheel jig and spoke tension guage
• rear hanger alignment tool.

Kids Bikes

We still have too many kids bikes and they need to go soon.  If not next weekend then they will go on ebay.

World Car free day 22 September 2013

Kids bike Accumulation
The last few weeks at Spindles has definitely established a pattern which consists of a busy period in the morning up to about mid day leaving us to complete the jobs hopefully by 4pm.  Some people return to pick up their bikes armed with a donation  kids bike.  We have accumulated over 8 kids bikes over the last few weeks and if they don't sell by next weekend they are going in the 'Give n Take'.
Most of these we will hope to sell for between £5 and £10 but as they take up too much room they will have to go.

Small Racing Bikes
Speaking of child bikes we have had requests for racing bikes that would be suitable for ages around 11 which is a difficult spec as the wheel sizes still need to be small.  There are many on line options using 24" wheels however these are expensive for what they are.  One option is to use a mountain bike frame and fix 26x1.1 road tyres.  Using rigid forks and narrow drop handle bars it could be a good solution to the problem as there are plenty of lite MB frames around.   We will be building one up over the next few weeks and I'll put up some images when its done.

Removing Rust
I showed Ben how to remove rust using tin foil and water.  Its an easy option if there is not too much rust and is good on Chrome.  After testing it out on a kids bike he progressed to the delivery bikes that was donated by Ken last week. He showed real enthusiasm especially when the real paint colour shone through with the application of T-cut.  Ben now has a project.


World Car Free Day
I've just found out about World Car free day which is an opportunity to not use motorised transport and get out on bikes.  It's on Sunday 22nd September see http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/ for details.  Living Car free is a challenge especially for those living in the country side or with families.  Making it easier to cycle with the use of dedicated car free cycle paths is a big step forward that could be taken.  I listened to some of the parliamentary debate on cycling that too place on the 2nd September last.  There were a lot of positive noises but getting firm action will take a long time.  One reason for this can be seen in Corsham where a recent cycle path implementation on Valley Road illustrates that negative mind set that needs to be overcome.  This cycle path consists of white lines painted on the road which peter out near a junction or road island thus still giving the car the priority.  Many people are afraid of cycling on the road as they feel vulnerable and exposed.  This particular cycle path does nothing to alleviate this issue.  Only when priority is given to bikes in urban places will there be a mind shift of perceptions.