Hello, hello. My apologies for being quiet recently; the reason being was my being extremely ... err busy challenged with the 'secret mission' bike I was building for the rally. And, to be honest, there was a point when I thought I would need to give up and take the red flash. Luckily, I got the bike ready, literally last minute, even though it missed the final touches (fine tuning). Feel free to admire the newest addition of my fleet here.
A teaser: picture courtesy of John
Anyway, with the bike ready for take off, I went to sleep one last time before the big event.
I woke filled with excitement: finally, the day of the Death Fork Rally 2 had arrived. I'd only waited a year for that day to come. Okay, I have to say that getting up at 5am didn't really sound enticing, but the anticipation of meeting the guys I've been chatting and e-mailing with over the last twelve months, had me leaping out of bed and into the shower. And it wasn't long until I was heading to Euston station, tired yet wide awake, happiness flooding through me; I had great expectations, but somehow knew that they'd be met.
My cheery mood was only dampened by the mere fact that the bolts which hold the outer chain ring and the crank arm together, took on a life of their own by coming loose every few miles; that meant I had to stop every now and again and re-tighten them--not ideal if you have a train to catch. Good thing I packed a set of spanners and a flat-head screw driver, wasn't it?
I arrived at the camp site at about ten-ish, I think. Could have been there much earlier, but true to my sense of direction--or better lack thereof--I was anxiously riding back and forth the road the camp was on, still missing it. I could, of course, just blame the rain, but nobody would believe me anyway. Yeah, yeah, joke's on me. :-)
Everyone was already busy pouring (pun not intended) over the Viscounts and Lamberts which had been lined up against a fence, ready to go on a group ride. And, boy, what a sight! Some had brought two or even three bikes, and Jem, who kindly organised everything, had brought his Trusty folder in mint condition; it became our I'll-quickly-cycle-over-to-the-other-side-of-the-(small)-camp bike. I think it's fair to say that it was the most popular bike.
Nice legs there!
Even bad weather can't put us off
Mate, those wheels are original!
Tentville
Viscounts and Lamberts everywhere
After greeting hugging everyone, I started to take every bike for a spin. My mission was to ride every single one, but I kept being side-tracked by new arrivals, more greeting and hugging, and chatting, that I'm sure I've missed a few. Be warned: I'll come for your bikes next year!
Just before we left we took a group photo--certainly a must.
That's at least 16 bikes preserved
Stoatie, the unlucky sod, had a puncture just a minute after starting, but he fixed it in no time and caught up with us soon after. I'm still puzzled as to how he did that and secretly believe he's got super powers. Those, however didn't protect him from getting a second puncture about ten miles in; this time, the sealant worked its magic and we all breathed a sigh of relief as we felt for the poor man. The route was rather beautiful and scenic; quiet--albeit a bit rough--paths through the fields and some curvy roads away from heavy traffic; we even had some rather enjoyable descents. Everyone made an effort trying to chat to one another, moving from person to person in order to get to know each other, or just say hi. Every now and again we were overtaken by two of them who took great pleasure in taking pictures and videos of 'the pack'.
The results can be seen hereandhere.
We stopped at a pub for more chatting, some ales, lagers, and food, before hopping back onto the saddles for the second half of the 24-mile-ride.
Now, even the sun had made an appearance, which was greatly appreciated by everyone. Here's a video one of us took for our Viscount and Lambert club friends from the US and Down Under, and those who couldn't make it.
Once back at the camp we said goodbye to the day-trippers, but not before Steve had ridden the Viscountess. I think the smile speaks for itself.
Not sure what he's looking for, but ...
... the bike got his approval
Those of us who stayed went out for a well-earned dinner. There were some good inclines on the ride, but everyone kept up just fine. The evening ended with us sitting in a large tent, discussing ideas for next year's Death Fork Rally, while having a lager or cider, before we scattered to find our night rest.
What can I say? I've thoroughly enjoyed the past two days and am very much looking forward to DFR3 2015
Bottom bracket issue to be precise. I've finished working on my friend's bike, complete with a delicious handlebar tape job, which was done without any additional tape, by starting at the top, rather than at the bottom. It's the first time I've tried this and I'm quite pleased with the result.
After endlessly fiddling with the brakes--I really love my centre pull brakes, but the set up can be a pain in the arse--I've taken the bike for test ride to the shop to swap the pedals over. (I really need to buy a pedal spanner!)
Goodness, that creaking got on my nerves. I just didn't really know where it came from. It sounded as if it was the seat, but it didn't make a noise when I pedalled backwards. But when I put pressure on the pedals ... that's when it started. After swapping them over it got a bit less, but was still apparent. I investigated and found it looked as if it was cross threaded. Not sure if it's coming loose or what else is going on.
This isn't right!
I'm just not happy with this all. As you can probably remember, the bike initially came with a cottered pin bottom bracket, which I'd foolishly discarded, so I didn't really know what thread it is. My solution now is a threadless bottom bracket, as this is not how a new bike should sound like. I tell you what: I'll take a Viscount or Lambert press-fit bottom bracket any time over any threaded ones. Nevertheless, now, that the bike's all dressed, it's looking rather stunning. BB issue aside.
And here's something to smile at: I 'forced' J, another bike mechanic--normally only riding modern road bikes, to take my blue Sport for a spin, and he liked it.
J. on the blue Aerospace Sport
This bike needs new cables fitted and, somewhere down the line, will be re-build--powderc.-coating and all.
My friend Tom keeps teasing me about my Viscount affection (he purposely pronounces it Vis-count, stressing the s), which is probably due to the fact that I won't stop talking about them, or making him ride my bikes, or unloading tons of fantastic and curious facts onto him, which he duly--albeit often with eyes rolling back into his sockets due to information overload--suffers through.
He's also the one I'm doing the Kona Cinder Cone up with, an apprentice bike mechanic--although far too capable to be an apprentice if you ask me. At heart, however, he's a motorcyclist, has been since he was a wee little lad and therefore understands being crazy about things.
Now, yesterday, something interesting happened: on the way from the bike shop back to my house (I'd invited him for dinner) he suddenly insisted on riding my blue Sport! Huh? You voluntarily want to ride a bike with no motor? What's wrong with you?
And off he went, going through all gears, checking the brakes and, eventually, doing what he does with every bike he sits his arse on: doing a few wheelies. (For those of you who have no clue what that is: it's lifting the front up and riding on the back wheel.) That's my Viscount's wheelie virginity taken care of. And it survived. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to get my camera ready in time. Doh! Will deliver a wheelie picture when I make him ride the Red Flash.
Tom taking my Viscount for a spin
And the result is a big smile.
The blue one is currently my favourite bike, since I feel it's an easy ride. I guess it's got to do with the skip tooth freewheel and the brakes are as sharp as disk brakes. Beautiful!
Anyway, Tom always said he wanted to see my 'workshop', which is essentially my flat and couldn't stop shaking his head about the many parts, frames, and bikes I have--a woman with a true obsession. And I'm proud of it! It's like a bug: you buy one Viscount, learn a few facts about them, then you start to dig deeper and will most certainly end up with a few of those fabulous bikes.
As many people I've told about those bikes, Tom has started to show some interest and was quite smitten by my NOS TitlistGS derailleur; not surprisingly, though, as it's a bit of rather sexy kit. By the way, I'll be picking up a Titlist front mech from my mate and Viscount family member John (he has even more bikes than I have), which will, after mirror polishing, go on the rally bike.
Before
Currently. You can see my reflection in the chain ring, but it's not there yet.
Speaking of mirror polishing: it's a bit of a pain in the backside and a task I don't have much patience for. Nevertheless, it needs to be done. I have the kit for the drill, with buffing wheels and compounds, but without a workshop with a vice, it's a disaster waiting to happen. I've 'borrowed' a bit of workshop space which has a grinder with buffering wheels and did a big of polishing there, but it's difficult to get into the corners and reach all the angles, which means it's probably better to do it by hand. And here's where Tom's experience will come in handy. All I want for the rally bike is to stand out with it beauty, the shiny parts, and I'm quite sure it'll ride as perfectly as it'll look.
Only two weeks to go!
But that's not what it's expected to do anyway, is it? What it can do, though, is carry its rider--me in this case--along Regent's canal. It was sunny, although a tad on the windy side, today and I took this opportunity to go for an easy ride through 'nature' rather than hitting the high speed roads. Going to the Limehouse and back is definitely nicer during the week as the weekend it's rather much of a stop-and-go affair. Still enjoyable if you are going with a friend or your loved one, just to enjoy the stunning weather, just that you have to share with a lot more people.
I've stopped every now and again to take some shots--even did a 'hey, look, I'm riding' selfie, but will spare you that shock and instead am sharing a few beautiful spots along the canal.
If you're in London and have never been, I hope they'll inspire you to try it out.
Regent's Canal bridge
Oh, how I'd like to live there!
The bike insisted of being in the picture!
Wonderful quiet pond
Monet would have loved this!
I wonder why I always get whites dirty and this one stays clean?
They had a massive feast on the alge. Well, each to their own.
Death Fork Rally toast!
Right, did that make you cycle along the muggy waters? I can only recommend it for both physical and mental well-being.
in. Actually both of them are. Today, felt brave enough to give it another go since the tool's back from surgery. I'd fitted the Lambert's bb and couldn't get the drive-side bearing to sit flush in the frame which, to put it mildly, was rather frustrating. The tool is easy enough to use (once you know what you have to do, that is) and should press the bearings in nice and square while holding the spindle in place. The bearing on the non-drive side sat perfectly, hence my confusion about the drive side being a tad tilted. I thought to myself: must be a user error and pulled the spindle again. Easy with the tool. Unfortunately, unlike normally, it came out without taking one of the bearings with it. Great! Now I had to tap the drive side bearing out; not exactly how I planned this operation. Luckily, I'm quite experienced on that side and, as long as you carefully tap around the bearing, it'll not get wedged. It requires patience and perseverance, but that comes with the territory when dealing with Viscounts--or bikes in general, for that matter.
Back to square one: Lambert BB fitting the 2nd:
Precious tool for a precious bike
In my previous test fittings, I'd experimented with spacers and washers, bent and dented a few thinner ones and, eventually, found the right way of getting it to work. The bottom bracket is in place, but it still doesn't want to sit flush in the frame. It sits in an ever so slight angle, exactly like it did beforehand. It seems as if the bottom bracket shell has previously been damaged, which may well have been caused by riding the bike with the BB being shot, or someone tried to remove the BB not knowing what s/he was doing. Not uncommon, as I've heard from my mentor, Steve. However, even though the angle is minimal and hardly noticeable, it still annoys the perfectionist in me. I'll most likely take it out again, see if I can find the cause and think of a solution. Bearings not sitting perfectly won't run as smoothly as they should, and also wear out earlier. But see below the bearing sticking out by about half a millimeter on one side.
Hopefully it's a case of 3rd time lucky!
And because I needed some kind of success, I grabbed the freshly powder coated (and very precious to me) frame of the rally bike, put a generous amount of grease into the wonderfully--thanks to sand-blasting--clean shell and went ahead with the fitting. What a difference! Both bearings are flush in the frame, the spindle in the right place, only the circlips need to be fitted, must have a rummage in my bike box to see if I find some. Result!
Now this is how a perfect BB should look like!
The spindle's turning can only be described as smooth! You won't believe how happy I am as it proves that I'm well capable of using my super tool. It's good news, especially since I'm going to fit Joe's bottom bracket some time this week. I want for it to be perfect. My guess is that it's an easier fitting with a newly sand blasted frame as there's no rust, no remains of Loctite--if it was used, or paint in the way.
And I'm getting more and more excited with every day passing. I've even thought about chiseling marks into my bed post for the count down, but that would possibly be a tad over the top. Still, it's going to be end of this month and I still have a bike to build for this special event. Got the frame powder coated, the transfers sorted, the bottom bracket tool repaired, parts and accessories waiting to be put on the bike--did I mention I'm excited?
And I'd love to share pictures of the bike, to woo you, to make your jaw hit the floor, your eyes pop out, and heart beat faster, but I'll have to contain myself as the master piece won't be revealed until the day itself. One thing I can promise you is that this is a very special Viscount; one the world has never seen before. Oh, yeah, I'm on a secret mission. Appetite whetted?
Well, tough, you'll have to wait! I can reveal one part that'll go on the bike:
Sexy Titlist GS rear derailleur for a Viscount
Yes, that's right, a NOS Shimano Titlist GS rear derailleur, which has finally landed safely in my loving hands, after over four weeks of waiting for it. Trust me, I feel as if I haven't left my spot on the window for the past two weeks, looking out for the postman. The floor shows signs of wear ...
So happy it made it in one piece, as did the BB tool, by the way. Which I'll test drive tomorrow before fitting Joe's BB. I'm still working enticing him to come to the rally. What better place would there be to show off a newly restored Lambert?
And to any of you who are reading and would like to come, please check out this forum thread.
.jpg)
