Classic Problems

Monthly Ride
There wasn't a ride today as 2 of us were away so only Nick and Josh on duty supported by Robin.  There will be a ride soon so watch this space.
Our Classic Problem
We were asked this week whether we have any frames suitable for Single Speed conversion.  looking around the bike shed there were not many road frames - if fact one which is detailed in the pictures below.  Its a Raleigh Lenton Sports 531 frame from the 1950s with nice decals but a bit scrappy.    These frames are a classic problem as they require a lot of time to turn them into something which at the end of the day, is not desirable.  It has horizontal dropouts but getting 27 inch wheels or the right brakes to work effectively is hard.  It could also do with a respray and new transfers which would be around £100.
What do we do with it?  I'm open to answers

July it must be Tour de France

Spindles has been busy over that last few weeks and we have sold a lot of bikes which is great because the shed was getting a bit full.   The Argos (Holdsworth) was converted to a single speed and we have sold a number of other bikes to get the stock down.  Now the Bad news, the football team have reformed and want their old changing rooms back so we have to move.  Fortunately, the Community Centre have offered us half the snooker room so we will be moving but not far.  This will happen over the next few weeks.

Froome is leading the Tour de France, the sun is shining and bikes are becoming mainstream across the UK.

We will still need to move when the Community Centre is knocked down next year so
do you know of any empty building in Corsham near to the main High Street?
We have gone through most of the barns - Enterprise Inns (the owner of the Flemish Weaver) wanted too much money for the Barn at the back of the pub.  The Old Guides hut, at the back of the Tourist Information centre is used by Corsham council as 'storage'.  There must be something out there.
We should plan to increase cycling in Corsham by 100% in three years!
Judging by the number of people turning up on Saturday mornings recently, this could be achievable.

Single Speed Bob Jackson

There was a comment made by a friend at the Castle Combe Bike show yesterday regarding hub gears which went something like, '.. I really want Sturmey Archer gears to work but they just don't .. I changed to an Alfine and it worked first time...'  I felt a bit like that after doing the Bob Jackson conversion using a five speed Sturmey Hub gear.  I just could not get it to work consistently and the ticking noise, that accompanies certain gears, becomes annoying after a while.
Going to an Alfine defeated the object of the exercise as this would increase weight, so I decided to go the other way - single speed - and so built myself a new wheel - KingKong flip flop with Rigida Chrina to match.  With a thought to my knees I used a 21T free wheel to begin and went out for the first time about a couple of weeks ago.  The experience has been a revelation.  I quickly noticed the increased acceleration and started to understand how track bikes might work.  The hills were not as hard as I though they might be, OK its harder work than the usual low gear but the rate of assent is so much better.  I have only been defeated on one hill (out of Long Dean) and friend tell me that the use of SPDs would solve that one too.
I'm looking forward to breaking-in the saddle over the summer.  Maybe even a night ride.

Bob Jackson Single Speed

FSA Gimondi with TA Specialites chain ring - looks better than that originally supplied

King Kong Flip Flop - 21T - will reduce this number over time

Brooks Champion Special

      

Disc brakes and front suspension

At having received a request for a disc brake bike with front suspension I had a quick search in the Bike shed and came up with the following bikes, non of which really suit the request but by combining certain parts my come up with a candidate bike.

Claud Butler Rock - 7005 - 20" frame

GT Aggression - 6061 alloy - 20" frame

Rock Hopper Pro - 19" frame

Cross Sprinter 17 inch

The latter Cross has the best condition wheels and tyres - hardly used - Both spindles have solid axles indicating cost cutting compromises.  The rest of the bike is in poor condition.  The Front wheel on the CB could take V brakes.  The specialized is the most convincing frame but the CB has the better forks.   There's no prizes for guessing where the better components are but if you needed to build a convincing bike out of these scrap heap parts, which would you choose?

A Summer of Cycling - Single Speeds - Castle Combe

It was great to go on a ride yesterday,  I knew we had some jobs left over from last week and the shed was crammed which is not a good sign.  Nick was there as always when I arrived at Spindles at 9:30,  quickly followed by Josh and Robin with Alistair completing the compliment.  Edgar is currently in Turkey.  Some of the jobs were easy however an upgrade to a disc mountain bike proved unachievable.  We had some lovely racing bikes in for a quick fix along with a lot of enquiries about mountain bikes.
I was keen for us to finish early and go for a ride on the updated Bob Jackson,  yes the five speed Sturmey Archer hub has been replaced with a King Kong flip flop.  Tim arrived on his new Thorn Sherpa, Nick dusted off his Ken Bird, Josh was on his Look Spectrum and king of the mountains Ben on his upgraded Viking, completed the crew.
I haven't ridden a single speed since I was 10 which was a Halfords kids bike in a fetching pink, what were my parents thinking of?  I was surprised by how quickly the 531c frame could climb provided the commensurate energy was provided.  Towards the top of Neston I instinctively went to change gear which did not exist and so just put more effort in.  An interesting question came into my head, what would be the difference in speed over the same course between my Mercian with its 27 gears and the Bob Jackson?
The trees are now in full leaf at last,  the standing water that was around some of the fields a while back, a testament to the rain of the last 12 months, have finally subsided and its summer.  Josh announces that he's doing the 100mile sportive next week at the Castle Comb cycling festival, he's 17 and already doing serious distances on a bike he put together himself.  Spindles will also be at Castle Combe riding bikes, building bikes and hopefully selling bikes.  I would like to do an all night ride this summer and see the sun come up

See you at Castle Combe

Cannondale Mountain Bike Single Speed on Ebay - SOLD

SOLD - This Cannondale 20" frame has been around for some time and was turned into a Single speed as a project.  The frame is either an M2000 or M1000 from between 1990 to 1996.  Its does not seem to have the decals to support this  I cannot find the serial number on Vintage Cannondale web-site http://www.vintagecannondale.com but is BI-0301 as far as I can make out and it is located on the inside of the RH seat stay.  The frame is completed by Pepperoni Forks.

Condition of the frame- The structure is sound but there are a lot of scuffs and scratches particularly around the chain stay and on the forks.  Some of these have been highlighted in the images below

The headset is 1.25" and is brand new
There is a new saddle and seat post
The rear brakes are new Suntour self energising Cantis whereas the front are some very good cantis of unknown make.
 The FSA 175 cranks hold a new Talon 44 tooth single speed chain ring
The rear sprocket and cassette conversion is also new as is the singulator.

Other components are used including some great tektro brake levers and bar ends.


The Rims are Mavic 231 and Ritchley Rock under slick tyres.

Here are some images

Picture shows the frame number on the RH seat stay

A lot of scuff marks on  the inside of the chain stay

Classic Orange P7 and Gios frame

In the same week an Orange P7 Mountain Bike and a Gios Frame came into the workshop as donations.  The Orange P7 had interesting rigid forks with the brake stubs on the trailing side, which many would argue is the right side for the front brakes to be on.  It has great components: Deore 27speed gears and Avid brakes.

 
However,  the forks were wanted for a different project and so were swapped for front shocks

The Italian Gios frame came in from a very generous donor.  Building this into a bike will be a rare pleasure.  The fame is covered in in-bossed detail - the makers name and the Italian flag.  The whole frame and forks  have been chromed and then the frame only has been painted to provide durability 

   

Specialized Hardrock pro Frame with Marzocchi Forks

This frame came in last week - It's disc only so not really our thing.  It does have a pair of Marzocchi MZ Comp forks which still seem to work however are very scuffed.  The frame is 19 inch, retains the gear hanger and has plenty of scratches which are highlighted in the following images.  This is now on ebay

better weather, more bikes and dresses?

Green Bicycle Dress

With the warmer weather finally arrived bikes are now more visible on the than ever.  I have been told the Corsham's Ladies clothes shop (Madison see opposite) has a dress in it covered in bicycle images and today in Wilkinsons there were cushions covered in images of bicycles.  Is there something in the air or is it just the initial signs of madness?  I have heard reports from Bespoke Bristol of the ranks of beautiful bikes, components, lugs, tools but I'm kind of glad I didn't go as the next stop would be 'the funny farm'.

Spindles has been inundated with great donations recently - an old Orange MB, A Claude Butler, several Specialized frames as well as some nice components.  The shop is looking very crowded so we need to sell some bikes.  I've been crafting a bike check list so that we don't forget to tighten the pedals or the chain set.  It's actually quite difficult trying to cover every possible detail on every kind of bike while maintaining an 'easy to use' feel.  We will probably have two sheets, one for maintenance jobs and the other for bikes that we sell so the customer knows more about what they are getting.  We have used the forms provided by Sustrans however they are very basic and pertain to a safety check.

The Spindlers did some free maintenance work at the Chippenham Wheelers White Horse Weekend and it was good to see a wide variety of bikes and a reasonable range of ages amongst the participants not just old blokes on touring bikes.  The Sunday was very busy as lots of maintenance issues has been 'discovered' the day before.  Next weekend may be are busiest yet due to good weather and the farmers market.  The weekend after is a Spindles' Ride to Merkin's Cafe near Bradford-on-Avon starting at 1:30pm see you there. 

Support a film about Afghan Female cyclists

This is taken from Kickstarter.com and is worth supporting.


The Film
The bicycle is a commonly used metaphor for change and freedom – wheels in motion, self powered movement, pedaling a revolution.
No where is this truer than in Afghanistan today as the Women’s National Cycling Team begins to take shape. Cycling is the last taboo for women in Afghanistan, women do not ride bikes. It is considered offensive and much like the women that dared to ride their bikes in petticoats in the late 1800's - the stigma of immorality and promiscuity is hard to push past. But also like America where the bike was intrinsically linked with the women's suffrage movement… it could be a vehicle for change in Afghanistan.

Our film will follow these women through their practice sessions, riding the backroads and highways outside of Kabul. We'll also get an intimate look at their lives when they're not on their bikes, documenting their lifestyles, home life, and their role as a woman in the male dominated country. Their passion and bravery is empowering to women internationally, while challenging gender barriers and setting an example to Afghan women at home.





http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/210471486/afghan-cycles?ref=live

April bikes are coming out

I didn't go to spindles last week due to other commitments.  Spindles' ride last week was postponed as it was too cold whereas today brought perfect cycling conditions, cool and sunny with little wind.  First I caught up on the outstanding jobs that needed doing.  I bike that I had build over 2 years ago came in for a service which had changed hands a few times and had not been ridden much.  A quick tune of the gears and brakes along with some new air in the tires was all it needed.  Edgar talked to a couple who had brought some donations which turned out to be an Italian Alfredo Gios frame and some nice bits to go with it.  This was generosity personified.  In fact there were a number of great donations throughout the day along with a number of good maintenance jobs which included a renovation of a Moser.
The ride started at 3:15pm in Biddestone where 10 of us, including 4 kids, headed off to Giddeahall,then Yatton Keynell, Grittleton, Stanton Saint Quinton, Kington st. Michael, Allington and back to Corsham.  What we needed is a place name with a 'Z' and 'X' in it and we would have used all the letters on the alphabet in the place names.  A challenge for next time.  I handed out cakes half way around which went down very well while Tim came to be rescue of Ben with a couple of bananas to cure the fatigue that had suddenly set in.  It was a very pleasant way to spend Saturday last afternoon.  
I'll post some pictures of the donated bikes later.
Next week is the Chippenham Wheelers White horse weekend.

Events Coming up March/April 2013

Our Monthly cycle ride will take place at about 2pm on Saturday 30th March 2013 from Corsham Community Centre.  At usual the destination  will be very weather dependant but we will brave the weather whatever it my bring.  A cup of tea and a sticky bun at a Cafe is guaranteed.

The Following week on the 6th April the two tunnels project in Bath will open with a cycling festival.  This is billed to be the longest cycling tunnel in the UK.  see http://www.twotunnels.org.uk/ for details.

A Good Cycling Wine

We have been trying a number of wines that feature bicycles on the labels, top amongst them is Como Sur Pinot Noir which is an Organic wine from Chile.  Chile is said to have the cleanest atmosphere and environment for growing vines and the people at Como Sur use bicycles to get around the vineyard.  I don't know much about wine but this one does taste nice. Now here is the blurb... This Pinot Noir made from grapes grown organically that has been certified by BCS Öeko Garantie GmbH. It is appealing in its rich and deep bright red colour, and has a complex and developed nose that is governed by sweet wild fruit aromas, where notes of cherries and berries are enhanced by slight toasty hints. This Pinot definitely has a personality of its own. It’s tasteful, with soft tannins and an excellent structure.


I've had the Gladiator's Cabernet Sauvignon a couple of times, not as nice as the Como Sur however this also depends on the accompanying food.   Blurb...  A big, muscular wine, a weighty tannic structure make their presence felt throughout.  True to its appellation, the 2010 Cycles Gladiator Cabernet has the strength and power characteristic of wines from Lodi. A deep purple color supports a dense, black cherry dominated aroma. Cherry flavors continue to headline through to the finish, supported by lighter accents of plum, cola and cedar.

Some more wines with bicycles that I haven't tried yet are are follows.

Trashed at the Pound

I think this will be a good film, at the Pound in Corsham- http://www.poundarts.org.uk/pound/EventDetails.aspx?artid=2020

Spring is here

The sun came out today and I was actually warm for a change.  At least 2 of the larger jobs were cleared, we sold a bike and all is reasonable well with the world.  The rumour is that there will be a Corsham cycling festival this year in the Autumn.  Quite what that means it up for grabs so I would be interested in what you thing it should include.  Here are my ideas

• Close of some roads in Corsham and get people on bikes.
• lots of stalls
• lots of food
• Themed bike rides - Tandems - tricycles - single speeds - etc.
• Free bike maintenance
• Find some world record to do with the number of bikes in a specific place and break it - read on... 
• Longest Time Juggling Three Balls Behind Back While Bicycling
• Longest Tandem Bicycle Ride With A Full-Sized Artificial Skeleton In Back Seat
• Fastest 1/4 Mile Bike Ride With Dog
• Most Decorations On A Bicycle
• Largest Bicycle Pile On Top Of A Person
• Most Back Wheel Pogo Jumps On A BMX Bike In 15 Seconds While Wearing A Lifejacket

read more at http://recordsetter.com/bike-world-records

We probably need to make up our own record 

Ideas please