It ain't no virgin anymore

Over the past few days I've finished the build of the new bike. As you know I had started with the project at my local bike shop and prepared it to the point that I could just slap the rest of the components/cables on and it would be ready. I decided to do it in my kitchen, and discovered that a gap in appliances make a wonderful bike stand.

 

Along the way, I learned that good cable cutters (preferably Shimano) are an essential for the (home) mechanic, so will have to try to get my hands on a pair soon. With inner and outer cables dangling off various places, I went to Finsbury Cycles to borrow theirs. After that, I was off to Mamachari, to work on the gears and chuck the front wheel into the truing stand. I'm rather proud to announce that my rear wheel is quite straight; the front wheel needed a little adjustment, but wasn't horribly out of true. Not bad for a first time wheel builder, eh?

I fiddled a long while with the gears, and had to bend the chain ring, too but, eventually, got everything sorted and let Noah take it for a quick test ride. I may be a mechanic myself, but I've not exactly worked on hundreds of bikes, and since I was going on a ride today, I wanted to be sure everything's fine. Luckily it was. 

Met with one of my cycling club members and off we went along the canal, through Hyde Park, stopped for a quick latte, and then went back. It was a joy. I must say that my heart beat a little faster knowing that I have build that bike. Anyway, here a few pictures of us (the bike and me!).

Viscount Aerospace Sport

Stella & the Viscount

Smiling despite the cold

Guess I have to work on that pose!

Do I have bragging rights?

Probably not, but I'll do it anyway. What about? Well, my tools, obviously, doh! Ha, I'm just pulling your collective legs. Although I have to say I'm rather pleased with my bike tool collection and I'm not ashamed to say it. I'm a bike mechanic, after all, and what a sad sod of a bike mechanic would I be without tools to work on bikes?

Cyclo fourth hand tool

Weldtite grease gun

Four often-used tools

Park WAG4 wheel dishing tool

XLC 6mm hex key

Talking about bikes: last post was about my procrastinating of building up my new frame, which I call new, although it's technically an old frame which I'd had for a while now. New as in: restored; powder coated, decals and all. I'm pleased to announce that I stopped procrastinating and instead went ahead with the stripping of Shawn, using a few of my shiny new toys tools. Although I have to say that it's not pleasant without a work stand. Also, it turns out that my next 'important' purchase will be a big adjustable spanner. Perhaps not as huge as this--I actually am just posting the link because I find this photo hilarious, but I'm easy to amuse. Does this look right to you?

Space invasion at Micycle

Anyhow, back to my project. So I'd removed the cables, seat post, handlebars, shifters and what else could be stripped, but when I came to the cranks, I encountered a problem. The crank puller was screwed in, but I didn't have anything to turn it in order to get the cranks off, as my miniature adjustable spanner didn't do the trick. Frustrated, I took my frame with the stuck tool to my friends at Micycle and asked if I could use one of their stands. Luckily, it wasn't too busy and I could finally finish the job. Even better, I had the opportunity to get the headset out as well and clean all parts at their fancy washing station. Voila! Now I just had to go and swap the old frame with the new one in order to put all relevant parts onto it. When they closed for the holidays I'd got far enough to be able to finish it at home. That's what I'm going to do tomorrow. I really can't wait to ride my 22" Viscount Aerospace Sport and, as it happens, it'll be this Saturday with someone from my newly founded local Cycling Club which I've failed to tell you about. I'll report how it felt.
In the meantime I'd like to share pure beauty with you:

Viscount press-fit bottom bracket

The question is why?

Why I'm procrastinating, that is. I mean I have a perfectly ready frame--graphics and all, with the bottom bracket already fitted; I have Shawn, with the cracked seat tube, but am I doing what I wanted to do for ages? No! Drives me insane. It's not that I don't know how to do it; I even have most tools needed to make the job of stripping Shawn and putting the components onto the new frame easy. Yet, I'm procrastinating to do so. Okay, I don't have a work stand, but it's not necessarily a must, is it? Until the end of gear setting, but I can do that at the shop. I have a back garden and the weather's on my side, so what's holding me back? I haven't got a clue. Admittedly, because I was waiting for some important parcels I didn't really want to leave the house, but that didn't keep me from spending hours at Micycle, playing with wheels.
Maybe it's because I worry to damage the precious frame. It's all brand new (old) and doesn't have a mark
on it. Yet. On the other hand, it'll get some marks at some point as I plan to ride the bike. Perhaps I just need to kick myself in the backside and get things done. If the weather stays like this over Christmas, I'll be going for some rides. The good thing is: I'd planned the wheels I'd recently build for Shawn originally for the new Viscount, so maybe it was fate that had Shawn's seat tube cracking. I'll definitely keep that frame, get it repaired and resprayed. Oh, yes!
Talking about wheels: I'll be building wheels to order soon. Mainly because I love doing it, but also because I'm passionate about restoration projects. Anyone can slap on any ol' 700c wheels off the peg, but I'd like to offer hand-build Vintage wheels: with high flanges and 27 1 1/4. They look really nice and, from own experience, they also ride pretty nice.
Anyway, I'm waiting for the Park Tool WAG4 dishing tool, and am saving for a TS 2.2 wheel truing stand. After that nothing holds me back. :-)
And as for the Viscount: I think I'll get it done tomorrow, or Sunday, perhaps on Monday, or over Christmas ... definitely this year. I hope.

What's that noise?

So there was I, merrily cycling around London, enjoying my new wheels, with my backside becoming used

Clissold Park, London

to the rather hard Selle San Marco Regal, cool wind in my face and whistling in my ears, when I noticed a slight crackling noise, very low, and a bit like ice cubes in a drink, just very subtle. What the heck? I pulled out my headphones, grabbed the rattling right brake (I somehow don't get round to tighten that damn screw) and listened. Crackle, crackle. Right, brakes aren't the problem, maybe the cables snapping against the handlebar? Unlikely, but I tried to hold them in place, too. Silence for a few seconds, then again: crackle, crackle. I stopped, dismounted, and examined the handlebar closely for anything that could hint to it breaking. Something I do regularly, since old alloy parts are always more likely to sudden failure than steel. And if a handlebar snaps in the midst of London's busy traffic ... Well, I'm not in a rush to be the next one in the news. I found nothing on the handlebar. Weird. Perhaps it's the spokes, I thought, the wheels are new and maybe the tension still needed settling. After a nonchalant shrug I hopped on the bike and continued my journey.
Over the next week, it went on with its crackling and because it got on my nerves, I decided to give good ol' Shawn a once-over. It's an old bike with very thin-walled fillet-brazed frame, therefore it's necessary to check the joints, which prone to breakage, regularly. I checked the front, the bottom bracket, the seat- and chain stays and finally worked my way up to the seat tube, where horror was awaiting me with a wide grin.

Cracked seat tube

There! I found a crack about 1cm long. It's exactly where I had suspected one ages ago, when Noah and I removed the stuck seat post. Read the full blog here. Someone before us had tried that already and must have damaged the seat tube in the process. We hadn't been sure if it was a crack, as it could well have been just a scratch, and we'd decided to wait what would show up.
As the old seat post had been scrapped, I'd got another one, 26.8mm, a size quite standard for all Aerospace Sport frames. Somehow, though, I felt it was a bit too big. I believe that it caused the crack to finally open up and become bigger. Not really what I had wanted. This means for now, I'll have to leave Shawn in the shed and ride either the blue one or the Lococo. I was playing with the thought of stripping the bike and transfer all the components onto the restored red frame, with Viscount graphics, which I have sitting in my bedroom. Given that I have new wheels, NOS Weinmann centre pull brakes and a cable guide knocking about, too, it would make sense, but I'll wait a bit longer to make up my mind. I mean, it would be great to get this frame onto the road, and it would give me the opportunity to get Shawn re-painted as the frame isn't exactly in mint condition and the graphics are all faded or peeled off. Maybe it's a great way of honouring Shawn, by giving him a complete overhaul and restore him to his former beauty, while riding the other Sport frame which has been patiently waiting to be completed. Oh, so much to do, so little time and even less money ...

Micycle Ferme Park Rd.

I went to report my bad news to the boys from Micycle. A latte and laugh later, I was back to my cheery self, riding away on my Japanese city bike.
Note to self: check your bike regularly from top to bottom; don't ignore any weird noises, search for the cause until you find it.
Safe cycling, everyone.