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My next bike
Genesis Equilibrium re-spray
Here’s my bike
Raleigh Record Ace Imposter. Actually a 1990s Raleigh frame and the shade is from a Renault car that parks near me. I’ve subsequently colour matched a real Record Ace Frame and refurbished.
If Captain Kirk had a bike,
If Captain Kirk had a bike, wouldn’t this be it? it’s steel, Jim but not as we know it.
I’ll have what he’s having.
I’ll have what he’s having.
There is something about driving.
Why else would a councillor when asked about dead ponies start having a go at cyclists. Do you reckon he drives a Jag or a Range Rover?
Wow, he’s currently Chairman of the Council (Mayor, but no tricorn); that may make it Jag, for official functions.
https://democracy.newforest.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=160
It would be nice to think
It would be nice to think that the motorist / empathy / “we all make mistakes” thing might reduce once he offender is found to be doing over 50 in a 30.
In terms of defmaation, court proceedings (and an accurate report thereof) are the same as Parliament – absolute privilege applies.
A tragic case. One, I’m sorry to say, of a string past and present. Each one is news, then falls away, lost in wider scheme of things. A way needs to be found to counteract this.
You’ve presumably already
You’ve presumably already found this ad, which lists some original components: https://picclick.co.uk/CLAUD-BUTLER-PROFESSIONAL-Road-Racing-Bike-Reynolds-653-222980993008.html
I don’t doubt that your tyres say they are 20mm, but as was suggested earlier, some makers can be a bit creative in this area and as it’s a few mm that represents the difference between success and failure… anyway, read all about it here:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
Re reading this thread, it’s also sounding like you may be struggling a bit with getting the rear wheel in and out? I find on my bike with these dropouts that the plastic end of the QR skewer hits the circular housing where the derailleur bolt is. If you unscrew remove the skewer completely you should find that the wheel goes in without too much bother.
If you’re having seriously to pull the two back ends outward to get the wheel in, or otherwise wrestle with it, that could point To another issue.
What I’m driving at and it’s a long shot because I think your wheels probably are the originals, is a possible mis-match in widths. Measure from the inside edges the horizontal gap between your two (vertical) drop outs. You should get 130mm, which is the standard for road bikes. The distance between the outsides of the outermost bolts on the hub should be the same.
If you go back up to the
If you go back up to the pictures of rear drop outs, the Campagnolo type have adjuster screws to stop the axle going further backwards and the wheel going out of alignment. They’re less common these days. You have to close the QR on this type really tight to prevent movement when you put a spurt on.
You’ve clearly got the vertical or semi vertical type – but I’m still not sure I understand the purpose of the packing – did this give you more clearance behind the seat tube that you didn’t have before ?(that seems to be what you caption is saying.)
I’m fun, I’m spontaneous, I
I’m fun, I’m spontaneous, I live in a luminous city with my gorgeous fun companions, or I’m a latter day Davy Crockett, king of mountain gravel roads, with my unbounded spirit of adventure.
Great decision!
Great decision!
Quote a few people make it, but rush out with some ill-advised / exotic purchase that then becomes shed clutter three months later. I’m assuming you want to do road riding. I don’t know whether you live in the fens, London or the Peak District.
You’ll need to work out where and when you’re going to cycle. You’ll develop a handful of local loops from your house. What local cycling groups have you got around you? If you’re able to, start some basic work on your core muscles this summer.
When I got back into cycling in my 40s, an 11 mile one hour ride on flat roads would put me on the sofa for the rest of the day. So while you want to stretch yourself, like all things build up slowly and don’t give yourself the grotty experience of having nothing left in the tank miles from home and with dark, cold or rain closing in. There’s a good reason why group rides start at 9 am. I used to try to follow bus and train routes and carry a cafe lock, just in case I clapped-out, which I never used. You may get saddle sore to begin with and there are preventative creams for that.
A couple of bike picks of mine to whet your appetite: Genesis Delta 20 and Ribble Endurance AL Disc. You don’t want something too twitchy and super-fast. You probably do want something that can mount mudguards for that autumn riding. If things go well, this first bike could become your second bike in due course – most people have a winter bike and a “best” bike. My two picks, and there’s plenty more to choose from, are aluminium frame with carbon forks, representing a value for money combination. The Ribble 725 is nice too, but I’m a steel affencionado.
I’ve left you some £££ leeway for some accessories – like cycle clothing. My wife thinks my padded pants are the worst, but you’ll need these to keep out the cold, a “base layer” top, suitable for the season, and your pick of shorts, 3/4 length or full length tights, and a couple of jerseys or gilets to layer up. Don’t try to ride these bikes for any distance in jeans, trainsers and a t shirt. Ordinary clothing flaps, chafes and will give you a chill when it gets clammy. +Helmet, gloves, glasses. It’s miserable being cold, but also bear in mind on a chilly morning that you’ll warm up. Look after your extremities in the cold – e.g. over-socks for your feet, a buff around your neck. There’s a long whaleback ridge near me that I often cross and it’s always a couple of degrees colder on the far side.
I can’t advise on power meters, computers, etc. A GPS ‘phone will do a lot of the time and distance tracking for you with minimal outlay – get a backup battery for it. ViewRanger is a favourite app of mine as it will help you plan, navigate and track if you buy your local OS mapping and it doesn’t rely on always having a signal. There’s lots of advice out there about specific training regimes and drills if you’re that way inclined.
As I’ve improved, I’ve been raising my saddle – it’s as though my legs have got longer. Buying from a shop might be good for you as they’ll help you get set up with the right size of bike. You don’t want a set-up that’s too long for you, or that is making you bend too low to reach the brake hoods – sitting on the bike and putting your hand on the handlebars should be a natural act for you, not too much of a stretch.
You’ll also want some cycling shoes and mostly it’s clipless pedals – try to start with dual sided SPD pedals: Shimano M324 is a favourite of mine while you get used to the bike. Unclipping will take a bit of practice and most of us have gone over sideways at some point.
On any new bike, various bolts will come loose in the first few weeks, and your cables will stretch so be prepared for all that. This includes the bolts in your shoes that hold the cleats – if clipping/ unclipping isn’t snappy, loose bolts are a likely cause.
You”’ll need some kind of bag for your spares (SKS saddlebags are a favourite of mine). Your basic kit will include a pump, puncture kit, multi tool, two spare inner tubes, model maker’s pliers, and in your pocket an extra water resistant layer to put on. Don’t forget some fluids and something to eat. Are you sure that village stores is open on a Sunday?
You’ll want some items for home – wet lube, dry lube, track pump, work stand, a collection of standard and bike specific tools that will grow.
good luck!
Hurrah for build it yourself.
Hurrah for build it yourself. I enjoy it – at last, something practical that I’m good at! I like a bit of on-line comparison shopping and I’m also a sucker for parcels arriving.
I wonder about the economics of all this vs say a new buy or buying a B’Twin and stripping down and replacing and undesirable / short cut bits. I suspect that if you’re DIYing you’re not going to use the manufacturer standard tricks of scrimping on certain unsexy parts.
I built a frame (at Downland Cycles, heavily supervised) a few years ago and have built me two pairs of wheels (that’s where you’ll find me after Boxing Day). I’ve got my own head badge design and brand name for my refurbs. what a way to pee money up the wall – take an old Condor frame and with just some wet & dry and a rattle can, re-style it as something no-one’s ever heard of!
That rear gear cable is way
That rear gear cable is way too long and should be on the outside, not the inside of the frame.
Not sure I understand the axle packing you’ve done.
Did you see anything else like it when you searched around on line? What makes you think it might be a Claud Butler?
Your rear calliper looks to be almost at the end of its adjustment – what type is it? Looks like standard short reach in the pictures, so that just intensifies the mystery of why your rear wheel (is that a yellow Mavic rim label I can see?) is so close to the seat tube. I can’t see any reason (e.g. touring, really small frame size) for it to have been designed to run say 26” wheels. You’ve presumably positioned the wheel at the very back of the dropout? Your tyre isn’t exactly a chunky monkey. A super narrow rim will throw the tyre further outwards.
I wouldn’t recommend investing in re-finishing this frame until you get to the bottom of this. I’d suggest touching-up for example the dinks on the cross bar for now. This issue is sure to cause you problems in the longer run. That straight fork suggests a close clearance build. It’s not a track bike as such, but maybe it was intended for this type of use?
Sometimes bikes get sold or discarded because someone has upgraded, sometimes it’s because they’ve lost interest, sometimes it’s because they went out and got a bike with a design issue like this one appears to have. It’s really rare for frame and bike makers to get things wrong, so I hope you find there is an explanation.
Procedure
Procedure
1. Facing if you’re inclined to; Install headset and bottom bracket bearings
2. Assemble wheels – rim tape, tyres, tubes, skewers – discs if using, rear cassette
3, install seat tube, collar/ bolt and then saddle; downtube bosses or levers; cable guides if using
4. prep the forks – crown race, decide whether you’re cutting the steerer, measure twice, cut the steerer; install star nut or compression thing
5 install the forks, spacers, and stem, top cap and bolt
6, handle bars next, then brake levers; if installing brifters, reflect that many people’s whole bike costs less than these
7 install calliper brakes or install disc calipers and mudguards if using;
8 install wheel assembly, adjust calliper brakes to rims; inflate tyres
9. Connect up brake cables, gear cables; check you haven’t got any headset play
9A disc users – get annoying chatter for the first time that’s going to be with you a long time
10 Install chain-set (see also 6)
11 install front mech (a. carefully if carbon frame, b. ignore a. Get sickening crunch sound, being the sound of the laminate cracking;) rear mech, chain;
12. Pedals, fine-tune positioning of levers, install handlebar tape
13 bottle cages, and then front light fork bracket, saddlebag loops if you’re from the 1950s and /or belong to CTC
Pauline Stainer who is a resident of Salisbury has experienced around seven incidents involving bikes on the pavement and is willing to start a petition or demonstration to prevent this from continuing in the city.Seven incidents? Over what time frame…?
over the last little while. She may even have incident numbers for some of them.
I guess there is a bit of
I guess there is a bit of “cyclists are a darned menace to ‘proper road users’, here’s YET ANOTHER* incident to prove it” going on. But I think it is the sheer rarity* of incidents like this is mainly what makes them news – motor accidents are humdrum, every day non-news things that only get reported in exceptional circumstances e.g. in terms of what happened, how long the tailback /delay was, how may injuries and whether that bloke/woman off the telly (can’t quite remember what they were in) was involved.
I’s the same for public transport – two freight wagons derail and it’s news, a bus or a plane skids, it’s news.
* as charted above