I discovered this video clip while trying to find out if ‘family’ cycling in Looe, Cornwall was a possibility.
Okay, so this chap gets up to 47mph downhill. Neat. However, if I were driving the cars he tailgates (and overtakes) I’d have my already-low opinion of hardcore cyclists confirmed. The cyclist just leaves no margin for error, performing proximity stunts that would make a kevlar-clad motorcyclist shudder.
Oh my God, what am I doing? I seem to have become a victim of my own Steptoe-gene. Lately I’ve been acquiring all manner of bicycles from Freecycle (and in my case, that’s a literal moniker!), and it’s quite an eclectic bunch. I’ve been swapping parts, and learning how to strip, service and rebuild bicycles along the way. Cost? Next to nothing - though I’ve had to buy some sensible new bits like brake blocks, cables and tubes, but by using a combination of eBay and the local Wilkinsons the cost has been a few quid only. The good news (for my nearest and dearest) is that I reckon I’ve neared the end of the acquisition phase. I’ve got a critical mass of stuff now to make a core collection of bikes for all occasions…
A full-suspension mountain bike - not my favourite ride, with its energy-sapping rear spring - but comes into its own for hacking about along river banks and through thickets.
A 1960s Dawes racing cycle - with a five-speed cartridge, and a front derailleur that you need to switch by hauling a pivot on the seat post! It’s as close as I’ll get to owning a classic bicycle.
A Raleigh R20 Shopper, in near mint condition replete with granny shopping bags, and factory-fitted dynamo light system. Can’t see Mrs DocDelete using this, nor me really, but you never know.
A Raleigh R20 Stowaway, which is the same as the shopper but folds in half. There’s a lively cult following for this bike, with many people modifying them beyond all belief. Currently mine is stripped down to save some weight, and has a cotterless crank installed (bodged to fit with a couple of washers instead of the correct ball-race surface - It’ll wear out but so what!)
A cheap Chinese eBay special folding cycle that was generously given to me by a local freecycler (before he left the country) - it’s robust enough, but the fabrication and materials leave a lot to be desired. Curiously it has a rear drum brake, and suspension, and I can only assume the suspension has been added as a sop to market trends rather than being of any use on a cheap folder. Great for slapping into the back of the car, and leaving there for use on day-trips and the like.
A 1970s Peugeot racing bike, with a 103 Carbolite frame. To be fair, this is a great bike but the frame was much too big for me, more ideal for someone of 6ft5 I think - so I’ve been stripping it for bits to make others good.
I’ve just stripped, repainted and rebuilt a Dawes 531 oversized mountain bike frame - it’s not especially light, but it’s very strong. I’ve shod the 26inch MTB tyres with the narrowest road rubber I could buy (1.25inch) so that’s reduced the rolling circumference quite a bit, but also reduced the rolling resistance. Smaller diameter wheels have lower rolling resistance so this is an easy bike to get moving. It accelerates well, but the gearing is just that much lower. To counter this I swapped in a bigger chainring set from a bike donated by Jez…
A Claud Butler Dalesman, given to me by Jez after it shredded its own bottom bracket. The cartridge fitted to cure this kept working loose so Jez bought a smart new bike. I’ve just invested in a pair of tools to tighten the cartridge - hopefully a combination of (a) correct torque, (b) thread lock glue, and (c) lower usage will mean the cartridge will stay put. Only 10 miles on it so far, fingers crossed. I’ve bunged on the chainring set from the Peugeot, and made the gearing a bit longer than standard, but reduced the available gears from 21 to 14. Not a problem.
It’s all conspiring to keep me off the streets for a few hours every week, and I reckon I could service most bicycles really well now. Something of a retirement skill perhaps? ;) Any bits or complete cycles that I’m left with be offered to a local bike-based charity, or stuck back on Freecycle, so maybe I’ll get my garage back soon!
I’ve added another t-shirt design to a small selection available through cafepress.com. I’ve seen a similar version of the design elsewhere (so I may be treading on someone’s pedal clamps) but thought it needed a bit of streamlining design-wise. Jez may think the design is wrong, as it lacks a wonky spoke and a chap lying prone. And it’s hardly ‘infinite MPG’ if the gallon is a measure of real ale ;) I’m not really bothered if anyone else buys this as it’s only intended to provide a vehicle to let me buy a single shirt, but who knows?
My second Dr Who design has earned me around £50 in commission so far, and I dare say that’ll be spent on more shirts. Interestingly I had to compromise the design because the previous one was pulled, presumably due to containing the police box image - which I’m reasonably sure cannot be owned by the Beeb. I noted that several similar designs were pulled from other users at the same time, and these all from so-called ‘free’ shops. The premium shops (added functionality for a monthly subscription cost) that featured images of daleks, police boxes and even Dr Who logos were not pulled. Strange that.
It’s all conspiring to keep me off the streets for a few hours every week, and I reckon I could service most bicycles really well now. Something of a retirement skill perhaps? ;) Any bits or complete cycles that I’m left with be offered to a local bike-based charity, or stuck back on Freecycle, so maybe I’ll get my garage back soon!
I’ve added another t-shirt design to a small selection available through cafepress.com. I’ve seen a similar version of the design elsewhere (so I may be treading on someone’s pedal clamps) but thought it needed a bit of streamlining design-wise. Jez may think the design is wrong, as it lacks a wonky spoke and a chap lying prone. And it’s hardly ‘infinite MPG’ if the gallon is a measure of real ale ;) I’m not really bothered if anyone else buys this as it’s only intended to provide a vehicle to let me buy a single shirt, but who knows?
