SolarPlexus

I took a short spin today, down to Knowle via the Grand Union Canal towpath, and back up Warwick Road to Olton via Solihull. I have a motley collection of cobbled-together bicycles, today’s choice being made on the basis of terrain.

The Claud Butler touring bike would’ve been flummoxed by the towpath, as the route south of Catherine-de-Barnes is very rough, and can be muddy, but clearly it’s the best bike for the road trip back. My cheapie Halfords full-suspension mountain bike (thank you Freecycle!) would be ideal for the high-jinx of the towpath, but an absolute liability for the road.

So, I opted for my own ‘hybrid’: a Dawes 531 mountain bike frame (thank you again Freecycle), but the 26″ wheels are shod with the narrowest rubber the rims will take - 1.25″ near-slicks. This combination didn’t carve into the mud as much as the CB tourer, and the shorter frame with smaller diameter wheels encouraged better stability at slow speeds, and easier standing-up. It was no slouch on the road either (I’d upped the size of the main chain ring), turning in a road speed that took a few other Sunday cyclists by surprise.

The trip on the towpath was, however, far from ideal. Along the way I numbered a few improvements I’d like to make, and may well pursue. This is because I enjoy dirt-track cycling more than road-stuff, but I’m no hardcore mountain biker. Personally I find it more engaging to be on a route that has a few obstacles to negotiate; has a few odd things to see; and, with canals, is mainly on the level. I get a work-out but my knees are saved the pain of inclines. These days I find I’m beyond the scope of ‘training up’ to avoid knee strain: the old buggers are just too far gone.

Anyhow: improvements. Using the Dawes 531 MTB frame, I will consider the addition of…

• Slightly knobblier and wider tyres - perhaps 1 3/8″ with semi-road tread pattern - running at lower pressures for dirt-track work, pumped up on the spot for road work.
• I concede that having front suspension may reduce the jarring to my arms and shoulders, but the bike would certainly remain a hard-tail. That old rear sus thing saps too much pedal power - if you want comfort, stand up from the saddle for the rough stuff, or purchase a sprung saddle.
• Perhaps some puncture-proofing gunk sprayed into the inner tubes - I haven’t had a flat yet but…
• Keep the mudguards, the ones I have are from a touring bike so they leave plenty of clearance to the tyres: ideal for shedding twigs and old condoms that get muddyglued to the tyres. Going to slightly wider tyres might force me to splay them out a bit with my Brummagem screwdriver.
• Finally, narrower pedals. A few mm extra clearance would be useful when negotiating some poorly installed barriers that I presume are meant to stop motorcycles, but not impede bicyclists. Some let you through, some need a fair wiggle, or for the entire bike to be lifted over.

PS the more observant amongst you may notice I’ve performed an Orwellian rewrite of history, and changed all instances of ‘toe-path’ to the obviously correct ‘towpath’. What a numpty.

I decided to clear the cobwebs this morning, after an intensive week on a single project, so I trundled down to Meriden on the old bike. This is the route, covering a little over 20 miles. Headwind moderate, weather overcast, humid, but free from rain. Super duper.
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Along the way it struck me that the biggest impediment to good speed and progress (aside from my own lack of physical prowess) was the poor road surface. Dodging the drain covers in one thing, and the cyclist expects that; but even fairly new suburban roads exhibit such a poor surface that you find yourself ‘going light’ in the saddle just too often, to reduce the jolting. (I’ve noted that roads in nearby Birmingham, surprisingly, do tend to fair better.)

Anyway, Meriden is the home of the National Cyclists’ Memorial, sited at one end of the village green. From Solihull Council’s webpage…

Also on the green is the National Cyclists’ Memorial, commemorating all those cyclists who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The memorial was erected with subscriptions from cyclists and cycling clubs following a public meeting held in October 1919. It was placed in Meriden to make it easier for cyclists to reach it from anywhere in the country and is the site of an annual rally and service every May.

I took some time yesterday to cycle around Birmingham’s Kingfisher Project - some 7 miles or so of ‘country’ path that tracks the River Cole. Together with Sheldon Country Park, and The Shire Country Park it forms a circuit of hidden greenery, where there’s plenty of opportunity to suspend reality, and pretend you’re not in Britain’s second largest city.

I joined the route by first getting onto the canal that runs from Olton to Hay Mills (near the Ackers recreation ground), then hoiking across Hay Mills roundabout to the beginning of the Kingfisher Project. By this point light but persistent rain had soaked my lightly-garbed form, but it was warm-ish so no problemo. The rain continued until I’d got around to Stechford.

To this point I noted that much of the path was well-paved and allowed for rapid transit. From Stechford on, however, the path become gravel, grass, and rutted mud, by turn. My steed was a Dawes mountain bike but shod with narrow rubber - a combination that only just worked on the rough stuff. Some of the more downhill stuff near the Ackers, and the rough scrub leading up to Kingshurst would’ve justified a full suspension mountain bike with knobbly spud tyres. And that’s the only time you’ll be hear me say that in an urban context!

There was too much to see to describe here, but I photographed a couple of things…

Could I be forgiven for saying I like the design of these houses? The fact that they’re nestling into the side of a green ribbon around the River Cole does add a great deal to the equation. The unconventional shape, three storeys and the balconies all add up to something that puts me in mind of The Urban Ideal we were all promised in the 1960s - all that’s missing are the elevated walkways and the glass plazas floating in the sky - and the odd electric car or two…

Just around the corner, most walls were festooned with graffiti (or, for the most part, mere tagging). If we must have graffiti (and I’m not sure anyone can argue for it in a suburban context) then perhaps it should look like this…

…and not this…

Shooting out through the top end of the Kingfisher path would take the keen cyclist under the M6 and onto Coleshill - that’s for another day, as I ran out of time. I elected to zip back down through Marston Green, past the threshold of BHX, and onto Sheldon - largely the cycle route through Sheldon Country Park.

Some 20 miles in total were covered, but not at a great lick due to the terrain, though the journey was made softer by following a nearly flat river course. Next time I’ll take some butties and coffee ;)

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, and never mind the pedestrians…

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.