Road bike for commuting

So I messed up a wheel when trying to true it.

Bugger.

Having looked at the cost of replacing the wheel on eBay I decided that as much as I like the Emmelle and plan on commuting on it I don't want to keep throwing money at the bike. Really it is meant to just be a work pony. Which brings up a dilemma on what to do. Fortunately my Raleigh is a bike I'd like to put a bit more money too so I hatched a plan.

First I took the wheels off the Raleigh. This was actually more tricky than it should have been and I still don't understand why. Probably because I was doing this using frenetic energy!

Then I took the wheels off the Emmelle.

Thirdly I put the Raleigh wheels on the Emmelle. This was the easiest part of the job.

Forthly I moved the light brackets onto the Emmelle and voila it is now ready for commuting.

Quick pump up of the tires and a trial ride around the block and job is a good 'en.

Hopefully the cycle to work scheme comes through at work. This is a scheme that allows you to buy a bike up to a thousand pounds using a loan from your employer. You then pay the bike off in small chunks from each months pay. The true bonus of this is that the cost is without paying VAT which means you can get a better bike for your cash. If this comes through then great because I can get a very nice road bike for commuting but if it doesn't then no danger as the Emmelle is now functional.

This is great because when I cycled to my old job I loved the way it woke you up and made you more alert for when you started your day. Plus it is always nice to have done some exercise at both ends of your day. I have bobbed in on my bike to my current work and it isn't a bad ride. What is nice though is that I can ride a long way home when I can and have a great post day workout ride.

Outstanding!

Now all I have to save up for is some new wheels for the Raleigh...

Failing to true a wheel.

So I have a couple of bikes to finish and sell. One which is the Emmelle has already had its brake cables repaired and functions quite nicely except for a slight buckling of the rear wheel.

Armed with a spoke key I thought I would have a go at truing the wheel. I have seen it done in shops and read guides, besides it wasn't too buckled, so it couldn't be difficult.

I started by checking spoke tension and tightening loose sets of spokes. Eventually I got the wheel running smooth with a little bit of wobble.

If only I had stopped there.

Buoyed by my moderate success I continued to tweek the spokes.

Then disaster. The wheel started getting worse.

I tried loosening ones I had tightened but this made no difference. I kept working and the wheel started to creak and crack and deform more and more.

It no longer moves though a full rotation and starts to jam on the bike frame.

Bugger.

I will have another go at it tomorrow as I do not really want to buy a new wheel for it. However I feel I have broken the wheel now.

Which sucks to be honest as everything was going so well.

If I can get it slightly straight again I may be able to get it fixed in a shop, if not a new wheel is probably needed for the bike to be road worthy.

I don't feel angry though as even though I have failed at this I have learnt a lot about truing a wheel.

Mostly that it should be left to people that know what they are doing. Or that you should know when you have done enough with a wheel and can't do any more.

Boxing a bike...

So I managed to sell the road bike I had part restored however the buyer wanted to arrange a courier service to collect it.

Fair play so I headed down to Halfords and collected a bike box which they were only to happy to get rid of.

Once back home I took the wheels off. So far so good. Dropped the handle bars and then tried to take the pedals off.

Now I have managed to loose my pedal spanner which makes this job difficult to start with. Added to the fact the pedals have been on the bike forever and there was no budging. Just lots of swearing.

Giving that up as a bad job I manipulated the bike into the box and then had to cut the box in order to accommodate the pedals. A liberal application of bubble wrap and some jigging to fit the wheels in. Lots of tape to seal the box and done.

The day of the pick up came and I had an opticians appointment early. The buyer hasn't told me what time the pick up might be so I presumed it would be later rather than earlier. Got back to find I'd missed the pick up.

More swearing.

Called the courier (3 times). Eventually got the bike collected and gone.

Now I'm not selling bikes to make a lot of money. Mostly just as a little project and also to give me something to practice repairs on.

However I don't think I ever want to go through the hassle of this again. Yet the buyer was in London which if I am to be selling more bikes will be the closest big market for the bikes. So I might have to lump it in order to shift them at a decent price.

Tricky.

Goodbye Deathtrap, A Love Story.

Well it isn't quite.

When I first moved to the South East a few years ago I borrowed a bike off the other-half's family. Then when we moved into our own house I sold my broken mountain bike - the Ragazzi - on eBay and used the funds to buy a working mountain bike.

This was the Coventry Eagle Colorado. A fine (if heavy) beast of burden.

On our first ride out disaster struck. I had managed to make it out around four miles and the rear tyre punctured. Being still fairly new to this biking melarky I did not have a puncture repair kit, or tools, or a spare inner tube, or a pump. Basically I made every schoolboy error possible.

It was a very hot day, I remember it being a very hot day and being very hot on the walk back.

Four miles is a long way to trudge in the heat.

Naturally I didn't have a water bottle.

Muppet.

So I finally got home and the next day I went into town, bought some new inner tubes, bottle and bottle holder, a little rubbish saddle bag for inner tubes and gubbins to be kept in and also some replacement tyres as the ones the bike came with were a little tired out (pun intended and indeed rubbish).

I then mangled my way through replacing the inner tube making all kinds of mistakes - including taking the whole tyre off and then on and off again. Basically the whole enterprise took me nearly an hour.

I then replaced the front tyre and added all my new fangled kit to the bike.

Perfect.

Only it wasn't. About 2 miles into the next ride the rear wheel locked up. I got off gave it a jiggle and started riding and it did it again. In all my rubbish repair work I had somehow moved the axle through the wheel and misaligned the wheel. This meant that the wheel when I put it back in the frame looked straight, however as soon as I sat on the saddle and started to pedal the wheel began to move itself and this resulted in the locking of the wheel against the frame.

Another walk home.

Not the best of starts. The rest of the summer passed and the bike gathered dust in the back garden.

I then decided to take the bike to Halfords and get them to have a look at it. The man there repaired the wheel for no charge but condemned the bike based on various issues with the gearing and derailleur.

So the bike went back on eBay.

The bike sold for the price I paid for it (winning) and everything went well.

The winner paid for the bike but never came to collect it. So the bike sat in the garden for another year. In the mean time I got hold of a road bike and started putting in the kilometers on that and also began mountain biking in Wales etc.

Earlier this year I was training for the Ultra Marathon and Geoff was doing similar. We were both getting bored of all the training and running was no longer being fun. However up on the Downs near where we live we started to spot mountain bike trails that looked pretty good fun and also see more and more bikers up there.

Not being suitable for the road bike I dug the Eagle out pumped the tyres up and we went exploring the Downs as mountain bikers rather than runners.

This is where the new lease of life for the bike comes in. I have no doubt the bike has been ridden on tow paths and down country lanes etc. I do not believe for a second that is has ever been ridden on trails properly before I gave it a sound thrashing.

For a start the frame is insanely heavy, the wheels are standard kid style mountain bike ones offering minimal grip on 'interesting' terrain and the brakes are a token gesture that even when you are at full brake you still accelerate.

Which naturally made it perfect.

The Downs is primarily chalk cliffs, so it is quite skiddy at the best of times. There are flint deposits dotted about everywhere meaning a bike with no suspension judders about quite a lot. If you add in the loose leaf flooring (meaning even on a decent hardtail the paths are treacherous) then you get a pretty hairy ride. Especially when you are having to grip the brakes with more than just one finger owing to them being old school ones.

Yet it wasn't that terrifying. Mostly it was a blast, I mean yes hills were a pig as the bike now has about 5 gears all in (18 to start with) and that was the result of hours of manipulation and alteration in the garden - the first time I went up the downs it had 1 gear! I also changed the brake pad style and tightened them up meaning that there was a little bit more stopping to the bike - not much but a bit more. In fact on one descent (so steep we struggled to walk back up it) I had one foot left on a pedal, both brakes on full and ended up having to park the bike into a tree. On others I had no idea how the bike was ever going to stop and somehow found an extra little bit of brake by over-braking which is something I didn't think you could do!

Geoff named it 'deathtrap' after he had a quick go on it and went straight into a bush. However for all its faults going off piste it was a great bike for sharpening skills on and becoming a more confident and stronger rider. The bike more than held its own especially with durability and helped to cement my love of older bikes. Especially ones that can be tweaked and altered to increase performance past what they originally were meant for and then keep on going even when you throw anything at them. That is once you work out how to fix minor issues (punctures etc) that might present themselves.

However with the P7 on long term 'borrow' and my other road bike projects the time came to move the Eagle on. I was not going to ride it again now I had a hardtail and despite my nostalgia for it there was and is no space to keep it in our yard. So it went back up on eBay for a third time.

It was sold yesterday and the young lad who bought it (for not much at all but that's not the point) came to collect it today.

I assume as he looked about 12 he bought it for his paper round (he is probably off to uni and wants a run about).

So hopefully he gets some use out of it - or at least what use the bike has left.

83km of fast descent and hardly braking, still going strong.

Goodbye my Coventry Eagle Colorado it has been emotional.

I now have to retire the bike on Strava where it has logged in 83km under my ownership. For a mountain bike that until this year spent most of its life under a cover in the garden I don't think that is too shabby at all.

Get on your bikes and ride.

My friend sent me a text with the attached picture. It is so true! I am currently on a mini tour of old uni haunts in Yorkshire (Gods county) before heading to Corfu for a bit of summer sunshine.

One thing I have found myself doing now is assessing bikes when I see them. I developed a similar habbit when I was running a lot in that I would look at and assess peoples running styles (because obviously my gait is perfect).

However now I look at bikes; hybrids, roadies, expensive and cheap mountain bikes. Look at the frame, the make, the colours and the condition of the bikes.

It really feels odd to get excited by an old Dawes road bike chained up by the side of the road. Especially when its in slight disrepair. Same as I get frustrated when a nice mountain bike frame is ruined by cheap components.

All very odd.

Coming back to the image I find myself wanting to ride my bike much more than I actually end up riding. Something I must find a way around soon.

Somehow.

Cycling to work is definitely a way around this. Getting a bike rack so I can take the mountain bike out easier. Although the biggest issue is getting bikes through the house.

If only our back gate was a proper access point and not an awkward gate forcing the transport of bikes through our narrow house.

Those are just excuses though.

My bikes over time.

OK so I was sorting the garden out the other day and moving all of my bikes about, covering them up, taking photos of the ones for eBay (here and here if you are interested) when a thought occurred to me. The thought concerned all the bikes I have owned over the years.

The more I thought about them the more I missed some and others, not so much. So I decided to drag the 5 people who read this on a trip down memory lane.

The Tricycle:

Strictly speaking this is not a bike but it was the first thing I remember having that had wheels that I could ride - apart from maybe a Postman Pat van...

In fact I don't remember ever actually pedaling it. I only remember the pedals being broken and just spinning. I do remember the fact that it was red, black and yellow and that you could attach a handle to the back and get pushed along - something we used to do with my sister when she was little. I think the pedals were directly in the wheel though (not in the middle like the picture). However what I most remember was riding it down the slope in my parents back garden when I was younger. Often leading to crashes and much hilarity for all. I think it was here that both my enjoyment of XC and fear of falling were born!

My trike was very similar to this but I am sure the pedals were on the front wheel and the seat was black.

The Raleigh Burner:

Looking back at my bike history I have had a lot of Raleigh bikes. This is fine because they are a solid make, however it does not lend a very exotic bent to proceedings!

The Burner was my first true bike although I am sure I always referred to it as a BMX! It started with stabilizers and I remember learning to ride on a pub lawn by falling off many times until I got my balance. I think this was done on grass as my Mum expected me to bin it quite a lot and didn't want the bike scratched up! I also have memories of riding this on whilst wearing a GIANT polystyrene helmet that made me look like Toad from Mario - safety first eh? 

I had this bike for an absolute age until I was physically too big for it. I rode it to my Nan's and back, up and down my street, wherever I could really. I also remember my first large crash on this where we were riding down towards a nearby park and I pulled my front brake exclusively. Head over handlebars and into some bushes and nettles. 

Good times!

Apart from the Dennis the Menace stickers and some 'clickers' in the spokes this is pretty much how I remember the Raleigh except I am sure it was badged as a BMX!

The Unknown Bike:

I remember a Christmas where we all got new bikes. I remember it was my first mountain bike. I remember it was a bike I first started doing paper rounds on. I remember crashing it lots and racing my friends down the street. I can't remember any other details on it. I have no idea where it went, what colour or brand it was. Strange how I have such vivid memories of all the others apart from this bike.

Raleigh BMX:

I think owing to breaking the first mountain bike or outgrowing it I ended up bike-less. This as you can image was a tragedy for me. Although I don't recall it being a major incident just something that happened. One day I had a mountain bike, the next day I ended up with my neighbours old BMX. 

This was a strange thing, I must have been 13+ but I really don't remember the transition. I just remember cold mornings opening the garage to fetch out the BMX in the dark. I remember it being the heaviest bike in the world and I also remember it being an absolute pig to pedal. Yet of all the bikes I have had this is the one I miss the most. From a paper boy point of view it was great, could be mistreated as much as possible - no gears, one brake (I think), tiny wheels that never seemed to puncture - brilliant. 

I remember my most stylish crash on this bike too, going down the hill on my parents street in the snow and the bike skidded out from under me, owing to the bike not being high off the ground I landed fairly softly (snow as well) and then skidded down the rest of the hill on my paper bag. 

Lots of fun but slightly scary as I got towards the main road at the bottom!

The picture below is pretty much how I remember the bike but I am sure the frame was MUCH larger and the wheels were tiny! Although this might be a distortion of the truth based on the fact it was so hard to pedal! As I said I really want another BMX but am told I'm not allowed - the other half says I would look ridiculous on one, she is probably right too.

Maybe.

I remember the BMX being really hard to pedal but a lot of fun once you got it up to speed.

The Ragazzi:

At some point it was decided that I couldn't continue with the BMX (which mysteriously disappeared shortly after) and a new mountain bike was needed. What was chosen was a full suspension Ragazzi in blue and yellow, yes I am in the photo below but I couldn't find another one! Anyway I kept this bike right through from being a teenage to a late 20's person. It was a lot of fun to ride, even if it gave me the most mechanical problems ever! I remember changing tires, broken gears and exploding rear shocks! 

Still I got a lot of riding out of it and lots of enjoyment, plus it was easier to pedal than the BMX! 

One downside was that one bike rides with my mates I discovered that I was not as strong at riding as I always remembered myself being. Often being left behind and lagging for both power and energy. Something to this day that I am still trying to improve on! However I also remember being the quickest down Bardy Lane  of all my friends, even though it was rapid and had some very blind corners - this daredevil approach to downhilling has completely gone now!

I do also remember freaking out whenever the bike fell over (happened a lot) and touching up the paint work with model paint! Odd what comes back to you when you have a little think...

I had a love/hate relationship with this bike but it served me well for many years!

The deathtrap (Coventry Eagle Colorado)

This one is worth mentioning for the fact that I brought it as a stop gap bike to get some fitness in. It then broke and got condemned by a bike shop. I fixed it myself (to a fashion) and smashed it about the Downs. The deathtrap name comes from Geoff who upon learning that the brakes did nothing wondered how I hadn't killed myself on it. It works fine now, if you were going to only ride it on bridleways and roads, but I would not recommend XC for it!

Despite the limitations I have gotten a lot of XC use out of the Colorado!

The current stable:

I have written about the Scorpio and the P7 before so I won't add to it here except to point out these are my current bikes.

Extras:

Below are the Emmelle Prestige road bike and Raleigh Mercury that I have 'restored' (basically cleaned up and got working) and will be selling as soon as I get them from my parents house. Although I am tempted to keep the Emmelle for commuting but I don't have room really...

The one that got away:

When my Grandad retired, that is to say stopped getting paid for work but still worked fixing things up for people, he was given a Raleigh 3 Roadster (I think - seems to be the one that matches my memory the best). 

I always remember him riding this bike all over, I remember the bike always seeming to be massive to me, I also remember it sitting in our shed gently rusting away after he passed and the sadness that my Mum had when she finally skipped it. 

He loved riding his bike - although he was a very dangerous and wobbly rider - and I remember him being upset when he finally had to stop riding. I never got to ride this bike although I would have loved to. 

With the rise of restored vintage bikes maybe one day I will get to own a Roadster too.

There we have it, a quick sprawl down memory lane (on a bike naturally). Would be interested to hear what bikes people have owned and what they remember about them.

Chris.

Bedgebury smashed.

Went to Bedgebury today with Geoff. The difference knowing the bike and not having to hire one coupled with the Wales trip made is easy to see.

Absolutely smashed it out of the park. Not the quickest but a big step up for me.

Check out my 16.3 km Ride on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/175212518

The danger of Strava.

OK so having eaten, showered and being on second cup of restorative coffee I can check my Strava from this mornings ride.

I still wish I had managed to eek it out to 50km but maybe next time.

One thing that always strikes me is the discrepancy between how you feel a ride went and the records it produces. For instance today's ride (see link below) felt slower than normal, mostly because I was just spinning my legs and taking my time.

However it would seem I set a series of personal bests on segments along the route. This was surprising but probably not too much. Especially after a week of hammering up and down mountains in Wales (I will write up the rest of the holiday).

However getting stronger on the bike, also getting better at pedaling (staying out of the big ring and increasing the cadance on lower gears to go faster for longer) is one thing. Certainly other than a route I do with my friend Alan there are no real records I am after.

Yet here is the issue. I am nowhere on the lists when it comes to the top riders. That's fine for me. I ride because its social and I enjoy it. However I can see how people would want to chase them. I remember Geoff smashing down a trail as fast as he could to get a KOM on an off road segment near us (Geoff is the best mountain biker I know) yet he was still almost half a minute off the top of the segment. He couldn't understand how someone could go that much faster than he did on the route. On a road ride its similar. How can someone smash a route 10-15 km/h faster than I'm going when I'm ringing all the speed out of my bike?

In don't doubt that people can do it but some segments, especially on the road, can't be done that quickly and still be safe.  I think while the leader boards are good to see how you stack up they have to be taken with a pinch of salt to prevent people obsessing or risking themselves for what is essentially a digital d@ck measuring contest.

When that takes over I think Strava might not be a great thing after all.

Check out my 49.5 km Ride on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/174699981

Back on the road again.

So 2 days after the mountain biking odyssey is a finished I was back on the road bike giving the legs a spin. Not the fastest and a bit annoyed not to make 50km (49.6km in the end) but a good steady ride.

Finished road bike.

There are a few things still to write about the Wales mountain biking trip. That is for another day.

I have just finished restoring the road bike. Sorted the brakes. Cleaned it down. Replaced the saddle. Rewrapped the handle bars the only thing I couldn't fix was the front wheel being slightly off -either handle bars or wheel but I can't sort it. Oh and it might want a respray at some point.

Pretty pleased with the results but am now shattered...