#8 Dave Russel (circa early 1970's)

a broken retro frame

Weeks 23~26 Junes pedalling related activities

Week 23

3rd of June 43.84 km going home on randonneur

4th of June 43.7 km to work on randonneur

 

8th of June  301km rough diamond audax

A jolly good ride with Tim (his report can be found here) this was to be one of my fastest rides ever, a significant moment was looking at my odometer and realised we'd done the first 200k in 9 hours something. Tim who was a little weary from big miles earlier in the week had commented on how speedy I was which I had put down to him being slower but he wasn't I just felt like a whippet out the blocks, a great day out and my first 300 km completed in a very reasonable 15hrs ish

 

Total for the week 388.54 km

Week 24

nothing

 

Total for the week 0

 

Week 25

 

For a few years now I had wanted to be able to cycle to work every day but 28 miles each way is just too much, I have tried and the most I have done is 3 days a few times and once 4 days but it is really tiring. By chance I found a different train route which I hadn't previously been aware of which I thought might be manageable, this would entail a 10 mile ride between home and Ascot train station and 7 miles ride between Frimley train station and work, cost was favourable, working out cheaper than the car so I hatched a plan for a trial run.

 

20th of June 28 km trial run on train home on evo

Not knowing the terrain exactly I opted for taking my mountain bike, I needn't have as I didn't need to go off road, the route was pleasant and took about 25 minutes with me riding almost as quick as I could to the train station from work. Train journey took 20 minutes then it was off at Ascot for the stint home. This for future rides would be pretty straight forward, however I had chosen Royal Ascot week to do my trial run. Arriving at the station I could see a sea of people, the chaps in top hat and tails, the ladies in the posh frocks, disappointingly the ladies in particular more than a little inebriated seemed more intent on pushing their way onto the train than letting me off, grubby mountain biker with his bike verses drunk tart in her Sunday best....I won, fortunately their chaperoning better halves were more polite and saw more sense and let me off without an incident. The ride home was really pleasant with lots of horse and carts out and so many people wafting about in their finery. I plodded along and arrived home after about 40 minutes

The journey had been a success, now to try it in reverse.

 

21st of June 27.5 km trial run to work on train on randonneur

now I knew the route could be done on my road bike I went for the speedier option and went into work on the randonneur, this was with a reading book and my clothes for the day to replicate what I would need to carry doing a round trip.

I loved it

the scene was now set, at every opportunity cycling/train was to be my primary means of getting to work.

 

Total for the week 55.5 km

Week 26

nothing

Total for the week 0 km

Total for the Month: 444.04 km

Weeks 18~22 Catchup again, a précis of May

week 18

No Riding this week but lots of tinkering.

Firstly it was time to say good buy to my Orange Elite.
I packed it up properly having acquired a bike box from my local bike shop. Quite stressful when you pack up something like this to ship off when someone has spent a significant amount of money on it. The postage cost me loads in the end as I decided to add insurance on at my cost but at least it was going.

Next up was Scotty.
Scotty sold for quite a bit more than I expected, too much I would say, having been in constant communication with the chap who won it in the end I decided to make it the absolute best I could prior to sending it, the winner was happy to wait a couple of days extra so I set about rebuilding the rear mech which had got a bit stiff, replaced the tyres and tubes, new brake blocks and some new cables and went through the whole thing cleaning and lubing and ensuring everything was absolutely spot on, all told I probably spent a couple of evenings and about £80 on improvements which a lot of people wouldn't have done but my conscience was eased so I was happy.

Total distance achieved 0 km

week 19

Still no riding
Having got rid of the Elite I had to rebuild my Evo2 to put the drivetrain back to being fully geared and with suspension forks and a few other bits.
Like most people who consider upgrades and um and er over the cost breaks of SLX to XT and so on I can honestly say XT is worth it. My Elite had brand new SLX drivetrain on it, the same model which had won loads of reviews, it felt alright and never gave me any trouble, however when it came tot rebuilding the Evo I dug out all the old XT drivetrain which I had meant to put on ebay, still covered in mud, bolted it on and it indexed way better than the new SLX kit I had said fairwell too. never again shall I ponder the merits of spending the extra loo laa.
Built up with the Fox Talas forks which I had also meant to put on ebay and my Juicy 7 brakes of my Sub3 and it was ready to rock and roll again.
Sad as it is I know, it felt so right to be building it back up like building an old hotrod to put up against modern Italian supercars.
I was quite satisfied that I had made the right decision.

Total distance achieved 0 km

week 20

As they say "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"

13th of may 10.52 km on evo after rebuild
Quick lunchtime blast on the Evo was brilliant, proving yet again that no matter what configuration of parts I hang off this frame it just feels right

15th of may 21.12 km on evo at swinley forest
Swinley Forest blast around the red and blue runs with the chaps at work, all on their full suspension mortgaged mountain bikes, well I was keeping up and faster in many areas and never slower, proof yet again that you don't need all that tech to go fast and have fun.

Total distance achieved 31.64 km

week 21

Back in the habit

bit of mountain biking bit of road riding, just enjoying turning the pedals

20th of may 10.32 km on evo
21st of may 44 km on randonneur going home
22nd of may 44km on randonneur going to work
23rd of may 21.20 km on evo at swinley, chain snapped

Total distance achieved  119.52 km

week 22

Just a commute this week

29th of may 48k cross country route home on evo
30th of may 43.8 km to work on randonneur

Total distance achieved 91.8 km

Total for the month 242.96 km

Week 17 The pressure is off

I had found the need to ride stressing me out that i wasn't enjoying riding and the thought of riding which is one of the contributory factors to bailing out of LEL, but the now that the pressure is off, my desire to ride is back again.

Monday
With the weather forcast looking good for monday i sorted all my stuff out for a commute home. It was a cracking ride, i absolutely flew home and i smashed my faster ever previous time, considering i am not as fit as i have been, i was quite impressed.

Tuesday
An equally fast commute into work but possible my most dangerous, 2 near misses, the first being a carefree van driver, chatting to his mate cut a corner entering a roundabout and closed me out, i saw it coming so no real drama but a good reminder to get up earlier and to keep my witts about me. The second was less than a mile later, a bloke waiting to cross the road seemed to only see cars as a guide to whether to cross or not, despite my bright orange jacket and bike he just stepped out, i locked up the tyres, accidentely a few impolite words jumped out of my mouth and the bloke barely even noticed the whole incident, proving my accidental words to actually be justified....perhaps.

Friday
One goal i have kept hold of is to continue with RRtY (Randonneur Round the Year) with the end of month luming i booked a day off to cycle with my buddy Tim.
He had a "Perm" event already lined up to do called "Cotswold and Thames 200K", in advance i contacted the organiser and followed suit.

A full report of the ride from my buddies perspective can be found here

its so long since i did i can't remember the details myself but it was a lovely ride.



Total distance achieved: 296K

Week 16 Maiden voyage of the "RANDONNEUR"

Can it be that different to "Scotty"

Until this point everything had been about building the bike, from the cutting of tubes, welding them up, selecting the parts, getting it painted, the assembly and finally the showing off.
Throughout this journey in the back of my mind has been the little doubt that what if it rides like a dogs dinner or even will it ride the same as my current workhorse. How different can it be? given that my current bike is fitted to me and the contact points of my new bike have been measured and positioned to replicate exactly the same fit...how different can it be?????
I am asked many times, usually whilst Mrs 'O' is complaining about my bikes to someone else, Why do you need so many different bikes? of course there are many justifiable reasons to cover up the real answer...i want more! but when asked about buying bikes i always recommend sitting on a bike before buying it remotely via the web or eBay etc as from my experience sometimes a bike just feels like a bike and sometimes it feels special, even better, sometimes it feels really special, naturally of course sometimes it feels like putting on a pair of shoes 2 sizes too small and on the wrong feet.
So what about the RANDONNEUR, i have spent a shed load of money, significantly more time, pouring over every detail of every aspect, what if it feels like a pair of shoes 2 sizes too small and on the wrong feet?????

Monday
The weather looked fine enough but to be honest i couldn't care less, it might be a new bike but it will be ridden in all the weather that this little island of ours sees, so no matter what, I'm going riding.
My plan was to go for a "shakedown" run at lunchtime, my old 15 mile route then if all was OK and perhaps with some adjustment i would commute home and back in the next day.
My new saddle felt minimalist! the bars soft and wide, the pedals new, the gear shift slick......It rode like a dream, i flew along, quite emotional, I was riding a bike I had made and it was very cool, this thought went over and over and as i went past the occasional pedestrian i felt like a peacock showing off his feathers, always ready for someone to stop me and "Wow, that's a cool bike, where can i get one?" shallow i know, but hey anyone can dream. The weather stayed cool and cloudy and before i knew it was back at work with a surprisingly sore butt, not a good sign given i had only gone 15 miles!
The journey home was equally smooth and sadly equally if not more so.....SORE!
It occurred to me on both at lunchtime and on my home that riding my new bike was at times a strange experience, i felt like i was almost flying, that the bike wasn't there, i was totally unaware of the machine i straddled and i was just travelling, progressing along the lanes as if i were hovering but not lazily, this thing was quick.
My conclusions........YES, 2 bikes set up for the same person, really can be that different, did it feel like a pair of shoes 2 sizes too small on the wrong feet, NO it felt like your favourite slippers with running spikes underneath them, albeit perhaps with a small stone in one of them, until i get used to the saddle!
I was so chuffed

Tuesday
i was looking forward to my trip into work and to getting to work as so many people were keen to know how the bike went, equally interested to know if it could be that different to any other bike. The journey went by trauma free and both my commute journeys were recorded pretty much in as quick a time as i had ever done.

With time on the bike there was much opportunity for thought and reflection, for planning and deciding. What to do next?
Reflecting on my above statements about bikes feeling different it became very clear that never again would i need to ride "Scotty" it wouldn't e needed as a winter hack as my new bike had disc brakes to make winter riding safer, additionally this would help fund tools, parts, FRAME BUILDING JIGS, mmmmmm Jiiggssss, but not enough! so attention then turned to my other bikes. Again in the same vein my "posh" mountain bike the Orange Elite had always felt like an ok bike but only ok, it certainly looked cooler than any other mountain bike i had ever seen and it rode ok but it was only ever OK
By comparison my old Evo felt like the best mountain bike in the world, every time i got on it, no matter what i changed or did to it, it felt fantastic and made me smile every single time. Decision made, Scotty and Elite were going on eBay with new enthusiasm to clear other stuff out too.
I had signed up to do the heart of England 300k on the Saturday but having missed so much time from the family exercising my obsession i bailed, this reducing the number of distractions allowed me time to think on my future cycle(ing) related exploits and of course spend some quality time with the kiddie winks.
By Saturday i had both bikes and my old Sub3 full sus frames prepped and ready to be posted on eBay, little did i realise the previous week that those would be the last rides i would do on them, anyway, switch flicked in my head, they are going.

Another decision this week was to not pursue my entry into LEL (London Edinburgh London 1400K audax)
Much thinking about what makes me tick, reflecting on the buzz i have got from building my bike, from making something with my hands, something i used to do, being creative.
I have never been competitive from a sport perspective and it came to me that LEL was more like ticking a box to me, it was going to take a huge amount of sacrifice, particularly time wise, then for a week of pain that i may not complete and for what, so i can tick a box. Nope, that ain't fun in my eyes, so with a heavy heart i withdrew my entry, the heavy heart was because i would be letting my buddy Tim down. I had encouraged him to enter, we had talked so much about doing the event together, we were entered as a team too, but i lack his mental strength and determination as well as cycling strength, instead i will provide a supporting role, anyway i can.

Target for the week: 100k.......no more targets
Total distance achieved: 114K

Week 15 It's all about the bike

Not much ridin' but plenty of Buildin'

The focus this week without a doubt had to be completing my homebrew "Randonneur" road bike in time to exhibit it on the Downland Cycles stand at Bespoked the handbuilt bike show

Monday

Starting to look like a finished bike, i got the cable outers on the bars and the Specialized Bar Phat on and all wrapped with Spesh bar tape.

I had previously discovered that the rear brake cable outer wasn't long enough to reach the rear disc brake cable so after ringing round all the local bike shops i was pleased to discover that Mountain Trax had the Shimano SLR cable outer i needed.

Regarding cables, i have been through much deliberation over this often overlooked component. Originally my research had convince me that Gore sealed cables were the way to go, the choice of cyclocross racers for well protected accurate and consistent braking and shifting. Alas as usual this would not be a "No brainer" GORE have decided to pull out of the cable market and as such, supply is limited, so lots of price checking meant the only places still selling them were quite pricey. This would have meant an investment of around £80, for cables!!!!

I read more reviews and found that Shimano SLR cables were praised by all who used them, this is what was supplied with my drive train components, so very quickly the "no brainer" which was apparent to me was use the SLR cables i already had at no further expense.

Outers fitted, it became apparent that the inner rear brake cable wasn't long enough Doh!

Tuesday

Lunchtime ringing around for the right brake cable yielded some interesting information......relatively...if you get your bike serviced by a shop and need a cable change, don't expect cables befitting of your high end dura-ace or campag. All the bike shops i tried all use average cables. I wanted Shimano SLR as the inners are coated in PTFE making the action smoother and no need to lube. This was not to be and in the short term an Aztec cable was purchased only to find some days later that i had a Goodridge PTFE coated one in my toolbox Doh! again.

despite my brake cable whinging this was essentially final build day, cables fitted, chain on, gears indexed. Woo Hoo it's rideable.

I set everything up basically according to the bike fit numbers and spent much time observing my creation for the remainder of the evening.

One last finishing touch would be to add some nice stainless steel screws to all exposed bosses, these would be purchased local to my work and assembled prior to going to the show.

Wednesday

Respite from the new build cam in the form of a trip to the newly re-opened Swinley Forest, this time with a slightly different mix of reprobates.

Steve, bless him, hadn't been out on his bike much of late and did start to struggle as were the rest of us, we were just better at hiding it, managed to complete virtually the whole of the blue and red, just missing out a bit of the red at the end to get back at a sensible time.

IT was just as cool as the previous week and will be repeated many times over I'm sure.

Dave the tart, much to the admiration of Steve had a portable pressure washer, i looked on, partly in disgust and partly in envy.

Thursday

photo shoot required of my new bike in advance of the bike show. Took it to Dorney common, by my house to get some nice images to shamelessly post on facebook.

Friday

Off to Bespoked

Straight from work, everything loaded the night before, excited and anxious, no idea what to expect.

I thought i would be there in time for the press opening but i got it all mixed up and was there for the main opening. Wheeled my bike in through the trade entrance and installed my steed.

It looked pretty insignificant, lined up with other course examples, hardly noticeable despite it's bright orange livery, no matter, i had arrived and all was set for an inspirational and immersive weekend.

Saturday

After a night at a local hotel and a hearty breakfast is was game on for lots of chatting and promoting.

So many people were so complementary of my bike, most surprised that it was made on the course, which gave further inspiration to those considering following the same path.

My plan had been to go home on the Saturday but i was loving it so much i decided to stay with family on the Saturday night and go back for more on the Sunday. It wasn't just the many compliments that made me want to continue, i was loving the atmosphere, talking non stop bikes and not having to apologise for it. Being able to expel my passion to the many that wanted to listen.

I would have a little wander every couple of hours to try and take in the other stands in some detail, photographing details for future inspiration.

Sunday

Sunday followed the same format as Saturday and I loved it, right through to kicking out time, i had been there for every minute that it was opened.

My last comment for the week will be to mention my favourite bike,there were some real corkers and my other favourites were all amongst the lesser known builders but the can be only one true favourite and here it is.

OK, it's a rubbish picture, i have many detailed ones of it, The attention to detail was exquisite, the colour matching to the leather grips and saddle was amazingly accurate, i could go on and on. and on.......

Target for the week: 0 (rest week)
Total distance achieved: 22.2K

Week 14 Low mileage, high quality

Didn't manage any riding on Bank Holiday Monday but got myself set up for a ride after work Tuesday.

Tuesday

Decided to give the Minley Manor race lap another go, what with the clocks going forward, thought I would have more light to get it done.

Weather was beautiful and quite warm which was rather handy as I had inadvertidly picked up 1 summer glove and one winter, my summer hand only got chilly initially and then was fine for the duration of the ride.

The ride went well, the first bit that took me to the race course was quick and dry, on reaching the course I went the correct direction this time, it was reassuring to recognise parts of the course better, now I was going past them in the correct direction.

It was still very difficult to track the route exactly, I have a feeling that I didn't reord a clen track in the first place but I managed to track it well enough to complete the lap and found the spot where I had camped 18 months previous.

Wednesday

Bunch of chaps at work had suggested a trip to Swinley Forest to have a look at the newly opened Trail centre style runs. This was planned in for Wednesday. Previousley it had been necessary to get a cycling pass which gave you insurance, parking was free. Now the arrangements are different, you don't pay to cycle, only to park, which as I can cycle to Swinley from my house I reckon I prefer this idea.

The new, "trail centre", swinley forest, wil have a green beginner course, a blue intermediate and a red advanced course. The red course wasn't fully opened and to be quite frank was poorly managed from a "you can go here but you can't go there" point of view.

We took to the blue run which was fully open and it was pretty full on from "the get go" what a naff phrase but it seemed to fit. A quick succession of ups and downs with us feeling the need to pedal hard between the trail features, it was good fun and we were quickly pleased with the new trails. One of our group, Dave, felt poorly part way through the blue run at the point where the Red run starts so he decided to call it a day and make his way back along the Blue whilst the rest of us continued along the Red.

The Red route didn't feel like a step change in ability was required but i think that was more a reflection on the Blue run rather than the Red. We kept finding bits which seemed clear/open and then it putting us into sections which were definately closed but sometimes giving us no exit options other than to continue along the Red. 

A great deal of hanging on was required on some of the sections, having previousely abandoned my full suspension bike my but was getting a fair old pounding but i was holding my own through the twisty and bumpy stuff. 

Much excitement was had.

It did make you feel like you wanted to pedal as much as possible so we kept haveing to have breathers at the section marker points.

All in all we had a great time...except Dave...and shall be revisiting swinley very soon.

Thursday

No riding but much excitement...the arrival of my frame back from paint just in time to build it up in time for "Bespoked" handbuilt bike show.

Sunday

Other commitments dictated that i couldn't fully build the bike up over the weekend but i got as far as assembling all the components on reading for cabling etc.

Target for the week: 200K

Total distance achieved: 45K

Week 13....back on the road again...

After a short Hiatus i was back on the road again.

Although failing again to commute to work i had arranged to do the "Solent-Hungerford 200K perm" with my cycling buddy Tim. Having not cycled for nearly 2 weeks i was a little concerned that this might hurt but i have done enough 200K rides now that they don't frighten me, knowing that i have always been able to finish and have previously got up some of the steepest climbs in Britain.

Thursday

The drive to Hungerford was pleasant, it reminded me of the drive to Newbury 18 months previous before the start of mine and Tim's Isle if Wight adventure. Bizarrely the other parallel to this was that we would be cycling in the same vicinity as the same said ride.

As it as an audax we had to gain proof of all of the controls points so we opted to park in the Hungerford train station car park to gain our first "Proof Of Passage" which was on the course anyway.

The first stage was so pretty, lovely countryside side roads with few cars to bother us, a great start. We had a quick stop at Ludgershall where Tim blagged a post office stamp for our POP, malt loaf consumption and some nuts were the fuel of choice and on our way we went.

Second stage was equally pretty and felt strangely familiar, with so many country lanes cycled, this was not a surprise as a lot of them do essentially look they same, then 50K in we passed a pub and Tim said that's the "Broughton Buffalo Burger" pub, by Jove (note to self, not sure if i should be using this word) he was right. 

On our isle of wight adventure we had stopped at a pub for lunch on the way and had a Broughton Buffalo Burger, which we both agreed at the time and since that this was the best burger either of us had ever had, being such a great burger we attempted to find it on the way back from the isle of wight  but failed as we had been looking for it in Broughton, not as it turned out in Houghton. This explained why the roads seemed familiar and fuelled the conversation for some miles as we reminisced, unfortunately it was too early in the day for the pub to be open and serving the legendary burgers so we continued with aching tummies. We arrived at Romsey in good time but the control was a fuel station so no sit down brekkie, more snacking and we were on our way again.

Stage 3 to Stubbington was a bit naff to be fair, the roads, fast but busy and the road surface was a little course. I was starting to feel the ill effects of not riding for a while, aches and pains were starting to creep in, bizarrely they were old aches that i hadn't felt for a year or more, can 12 days off cycling really make that much difference. 

As we approached Stubbington we first had to negotiate some fiddly little roads that were down by the sea front, although cold this was nice, a different kind of scenery to what we are accustom to.

Despite my hurting legs we still made reasonable time and got to our control at 13:30, the half way point. Time for some lunch, which came in the form of a Lancashire hotpot in "Donny's" a little cafe of the new chintz retro cool variety, lots of remanufactured signage and clocks that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Cath Kidston store. Whilst in there i listened to my messages, noticing a missed call, expecting it to be yet another PPI call, but no, this was a fantastic call, it was from Bob Jackson Cycles to say that my new frame was painted and could i ring to arrange payment and delivery, you bet i can!

Stage 4 was undertaken with new enthusiasm,,i was so excited about my frame, i annoyed Tim mile after mile saying "Guess what?......my frames ready" he politely humoured me as he could see i was quite excited. i can't really remember what the roads were like, we had stopped at Stubbington for a long time and it was quite chilly so a distraction was quite welcome. Denmead, our next control gave another opportunity for Tim to blag a post office stamp to save us buying anything, which he did.

Stage 5 was undulating, in a nice way, pain of long slog uphills but followed by long down hills, this was to be the last stage in daylight, the scenery was pretty and vast, the view across the surrounding farmland went on forever and it felt like we could have been in any time of Britain's history, the reminders of the 21st century of course being the occasional car sweeping past us. The temperature was dropping significantly and as we approached our penultimate control we were feeling the cold. The control was to be another fuel station. To warm us up we scoffed warmed pasty things and drank hot chocolate, after some faffing we put on extra layers and lights and prepared ourselves for the final 40K.

Stage 6 roads were remote and were made to feel more remote by the declining light, we could have been anywhere, it felt like so many of our other adventures, always finishing in the middle of nowhere in the dark in peaceful surroundings with only the drone of our thoughts and voices to keep us company. The stage went quickly as we chatted about all sorts of things and the miles evaporated, very rarely encountering a car, We pretty much stumbled into Hungerford, there were a couple of cattle grids and then the car park, we had been bumbling along so happily that it was no effort, except a pretty serious hill not long before Hungerford but it was OK.

A surprise met us in the car park in the form of Aid who had originally found this ride and had planned to be riding it with us, was in the car park waiting for us. For our last POP we decided to go into the pub for a drink and a chat with Aid.

Overall a great ride, really enjoyable and the weather was the best we could have been blessed with given the current climate.

Sunday

Quick Blast on the mountain bike.

Having listened to Tim explaining the merits of "stealing" routes from strava i found a route from "The Guardian" newspaper which was right by my house. 

It comprised mostly of Cycle route 4 and 52 but looked like a nice 15 mile route along tow paths. Tried to get up early Sunday morning to give it a go, with the clocks changing this was tough but i got going eventually. 

It was lovely being out before the dog walkers, there was a light frost on the ground but i was warm enough. i quickly thought that this route would be ideal for my single speed but not wanting to move my gps mount onto it again i used my elite which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing as i was still a little sore form the 200K ride a couple of days previous. 

The route took in some of Dorney rowing lake which it turns out is still not fully accessible following the Olympics, this was to provide some tricky obstacles, namely barbed wire fences.

i cut the ride short as church was early  today to make way for a special "Open to all" Easter service afterwards.

I concluded that this would be a great ride for the family when the weather is a little warmer.

A new addtion

This week i was also distracted by acquiring a little project, a 1993 Clockwork Orange, it's in pretty ropey condition having had a chequered life, originally being raced at a high level i am lead to believe. 

This had the potential to be a clean up and sell on kind of ride but it's in too bad a condition for that. I'd always wanted a clockwork orange, it was the bike that sparked my interest in Orange mountain bikes when i was a teenager, they were the stuff of legends, they didn't make them when i bought my Evo otherwise i would have purchased one then. I have already had thoughts on having a retro year of cycling next year, mainly road riding some beautiful vintage road rides in Europe but i may consider restoring this little gem and doing some retro mountain bike events too. By chance it turns out that the cycle shop that is painting my new bike also paints Orange bikes for Orange as and when they need them to, so they have the correct colours and decals so i can see where this could be going in the future :-) for now though i have covered it in WD40 and it can sit for a while before i try and get the seatpost out which is jammed, then I'll take it from there. It occurred to me that i now own 3 generations of orange mountain bikes 93,03 and 2012, so i suppose i will have to keep it.

Target for the week: 150K

Total distance achieved: 219k

#? Orange Clockwork (1993)

Retro Mountain Bike Project

Purchased March 2013

Image from ebay purchase punt:

Frame: 1993 Clockwork Orange (A305****) with additional headtube gusset!!!!

Forks: Look correct but have GT decals on them

Headset: ?

Stem: 3TTT (similar to Attacco)

Bars: ?

Bar ends: ?

Bottom Bracket: ?

Chainset: Shimano Deore XT FC-M730(1993)
Left crank: Shimano Deore DX FC-MT60 (1993)

Levers: Shimano Alivio gear/brake shifters

Brakes: Shimano Alivio cantilever

Front mech:Shimano Altus A10 FC-AT11 (1993)

Rear Mech: Shimano STX FC-RD32 (1995)

Seatpost: ?

Saddle: Selle Italia ?

Front Rim: Ambrosio CX22

From Hub: ?

Front Tyre: ?

Front QR: ?

Rear Rim: Ambrosio CX22

Rear Hub: Acera-X

Rear cassette: ?

Rear Tyre: ?

Rear QR: ?

Chain:

Bottle cage: ?

Condition is generally poor but recoverable. Rusty where previousley scratched. Insulation tape wrapped around chain stay.and stem. All mechanical  parts covered in oxidization and/or grease. No manufacturers graphics but various period stickers including a Pace one which may indicate previous componentry.

Plan is to restore and use.

Week 12 "Nil Points"

Well if last week wasn't cold enough, this week surely was.

I started the week planning on  couple of early week commutes and to then save myself for "The Dean" 300k audax

Plan to commute quickly went to pot and never happened, but that's OK cos I'll get my mileage up doing "The Dean"
I was quite apprehensive about this audax as it was to be my first 300K, the furthest i have cycled in one day prior to this was 257K which was supposed to have been 200K.
The Dean is also reputed to be a particularly tough ride due to the climbing of over 4000m earning it 4AAA hilly points.
As the week progressed murmurs were heard from various people about the forthcoming weather, by Wednesday i was glued to the weather channels, i had 3 different apps installed on my phone and i was constantly checking Metcheck, BBC weather and the MetOffice websites.
I constantly teased my cycling buddy Tim about the weather hoping he would bail, but secretly knowing he was too stubborn for that.
An ebay purchase of a potential road bike for my lad had me travelling to middle England on Thursday, it snowed all the way home, this gave me further material for teasing as it was after popping in to see Tim that the snow started.

Alas as we got closer to the weekend it looked certain to be heavy snow particularly over the whole area of the proposed bike ride, starting in Oxford and going towards Gloucester and back, we would be right in the middle of it.
The call was made after some chatter seen on the world wide web chat forums, people were dropping out in their droves, so we jumped on the band wagon and bailed too.

I thought of lots of alternative rides to do instead but did diddly squat instead....a week off as it turned out.

Target for the week: 100k
Total distance achieved: 0k

Maintenance

Maintenance tips as i find em

Shimano Brake bleed info

Week 11 "Sunday Best" comes out to play

Brrrrr what a cold week

My plan to commute 2 days a week went out the window, with lots going on at work and after work, not to mention the freezing whether, although i had all my clothes sorted for a Monday commute home on my single speed and then back in again on Tuesday, i lacked enthusiasm, so it didn't happen

Wednesday......
....... presented an opportunity for a lunch time ride, single speed still in my car, i thought i would have another go at riding to Odiham Castle along the Basingstoke canal.

The weather was kind, a little too kind, i was sweating like a P.I.G. and i had forgotten to take a water bottle with me :-( but it was great to be out and the there was a hint of spring with various plant life starting to come to life.

As usual i didn't see many people despite it being ideal for dog walking. Having progressed further than i had before i knew i was near the castle but didn't know if it was right on the canal or near-bye, a dog walker approached, assuming her to be a local, i asked the obvious question, "Is Odiham Castle near bye" she replied "ODIHAM Castle, mmmmm" seeing from her expression that she was searching her memory for reference to an Odiham Castle, i helped her out further by saying "The Ruin" so she then says "Oh you mean St John's Castle! it's just up there (pointing) you're very close, you can't miss it" so sure enough after about 100 yards, there it was with a bl**dy great sign saying Odiham Castle...St John's, bearing in mind this is only a couple of miles, if that, as the crow flies from odiham high street i thought her confusion over my titling St Johns castle as Odiham castle a little odd. I wondered if the castle was somehow in an area "posher" than Odiham and she didn't want it to be associated with Odiham in the same way that nobody ever lives in Slough, always an area outside of it, though even this is a bit of a struggle as Odiham is pretty posh, BTW i don't live in slough despite my SL postcode.

The castle has quite clearly been preserved as it is now, a ruin but it looks to have been "pointed" so as not to decay any further and was quite pretty, looking like it was made out of small stones rather than bricks.

I checked the time and realised i was low on it, so had to get a wriggle on to get back before the end of lunch, which i did, just with a couple of minutes to spare only to realise i had forgotten something else....a towel...grrrr

Looking at my calendar for some reason i was reminded that in a little over a week and a half i was to enter my very first 300K, "The Dean", which apparently is a really tough one too, my cycling buddy Tim had told me many times how tough it was in a way as to suggest that it was too difficult for me so don't even think about entering.....he then subsequently asked quite a few times if i would enter but only after his other cycling buddy Ron had blown him out :-) Fear in my bones, more rides were necessary!

After my commute home last week off road via Minley Manor i had consulted the on line OS maps and found a nice route off road from work, dug out my old GPS laps from "Torq in your sleep" and plan was formed to go for an after work ride to ride to Minley manor, do a lap, then ride back.

For this ride a figured that my single speed was ideal as it could be a quite a hard route so for the first time since October's Bear Bones 200 my "Sunday Best" Orange elite came out to play.

The chain was initially a bit stiff so copious amount of GT85 (other lubricants available) following by some Finishing Line Wet Lube (other lubricants available) the chain seemed smooth again.

Thursday

Setting off, it felt strange to be back on it, i remembered it with a little disdain, possibly because Bear Bones was such an unpleasant event in so many ways, i also harboured feelings that i had perhaps wasted my money building it and should have stuck with my Evo.

But it wasn't as i remembered it, initially i wasn't changing gear, being used to not doing so, but the terrain under foot was being smoothed out like butter by the plush Roch Shox forks and the rotund free riding tyres, it was light and responsive, the wide bars and long distance grips i had fitted made it feel like i was riding a Ferrari with bull bars and land rover wheels, remembering the gears, they changed with finesse, selecting the correct ratio's giving an extra edge of urgency, this was brilliant, totally different to how i remembered, there was however a fly in the ointment, i had forgotten that the seatpost was poo and gave me trouble on Torq and Bear bones and this day would be no exception....message to self...bin the seatpost and put a new one on!

Route to Minley was good, nice fast rolling fire road type terrain and well trodden dog walkers paths, once i got to the race lap it all went a little wrong, went the wrong direction, couldn't decide what was clockwise, so it was difficult for me to recognise the terrain. I made a right hash of following the route on my gps and with the light failing and the pub calling to bid farewell to a chap from work i cut the lap short and got on my way back. Defo want to have another go at this.

I formed in my minds eye a series of rides i could do to achieve a blast of training miles in a short space of time.
thought i could go for a lunchtime ride Friday, this was thwarted by a conference at work Grrr but then i thought, a day off riding and then do a DIY audax on Saturday followed by a 100k off road ride on Sunday after church.
The 200k audax route i have at the ready is stolen from an event held in 2009 that goes past my house
The 100k off road route follows the 3 castles path route i have mapped from Windsor to Odiham castle and then back off road using my cross country commute route.

Friday night it chucked it down, no way was i going out in that, it is supposed to be fun, after all. This further cemented my cycling buddies opinion of me being "Hydrophobic".
The forecast looked favourable for an afternoon ride and with discovery that Fleet half marathon was on Sunday which would make it difficult to do my off road ride, it was game on for my 100k off road on Saturday afternoon.
Swapped old seat post for a new FSA one which i had "in stock" had a quick play at setting the bike up according to the fit on my other bikes. Sorted.

Saturday  
I set off at about 1:30pm expecting the ride to take about 5~6 hours. Initially using part of my commute route to join the "3 Castles path" somewhere in Windsor Great Park, this was easy enough, though i was a little perturbed by the shear volume of water that was laying around, the wearing of waterproof trousers and 2 pairs of overshoes wasn't likely to be excessive. Just before leaving the Park my GPS gave me a sign from OS that i was going the right way. It was showing me the muddy single track path i was about to get on as soon as i left the smooth tarmac of the Park, the real adventure was about to be begin.

 
First obstacle following my route was some fancy looking gates which lead down to Ascot race course, quick look at the GPS revealed a road which runs adjacent to the preferred path, no drama but it did leave me wondering what this wide, partly paved road/path was used for, perhaps it is just there for historic reasons.



Another part of the path appeared to be missing or at least access to, when i got to Ascot Racecourse. I expected this a little but hoped that these two incidents in such close succession were not the shape of things to come. I got into the racecourse, i knew this was available for dog walkers so i knew there would be a way in and across the racecourse, this i managed roughly following the GPS route. It was obvious that in the redevelopment they had left certain "paths" of grass which must be to preserve the "3 Castles Path" maybe not by choice but preserved none the less.
On exiting the Racecourse i ambled through a housing estate, possibly a little disparaging as all of the houses were clearly million + homes with gated entry. A few moments of confusion as i kept deviating off my course but couldn't see the turning, having gone up and down one particular road, i was giving up and about to conclude that one of the affluent residents had incorporated the path into their grounds, but then i saw it, tucked in between 2 houses and set back from the road, back on track. It was fair to say i was really enjoying the investigative part of this adventure.

Progression was good. I cut across Ascot and found myself near Lavender Park golf course and then into Swinley Forest and onto the forestry commission roads. I made quick work of this, having been on previously ridden some of these routes and before i knew it i was up by Coral Reef and "The Lookout" which is the main start point for mountain biking in Swinley Forest. Apparently short listed for the Olympic Mountain bike venue it is currently being redeveloped extensively to turn it into a proper trail centre. The constant vehicles accessing the site for this work had really churned up the ground and the ruts n holes were quite happy to store up the rainfall to catch out unsuspecting riders. It was tough going, quite boggy and i was getting incredibly filthy.

 

No time to explore the fantastic single track, i exited the main park area and ended up on more single track, boggy, pathways, more evidence of the preservation of the 3 Castles path, there were also little path markers, the same as i have seen marking the South Downs way, except these ones had 3 C P marked on them with permanent pen......come on...Royal Borough, surely you can do better than that!!!! Along one such path there were quite a few sty's and kissing gates, unfortunately these were really tight and meant i had to lift my bike of the barriers which was unpleasant as the bike was covered in filth. At one such gate i decided to take a piccy of "Sunday Best" whilst i took the picture a lady walked up and we struck up a conversation about the weather and tranquility of the area, it was a welcome interlude on an otherwise lonely trip.

For the most part i had followed trails and paths that i had not been on before but i had a rough idea where i was, this comfort had now gone, i was following the route blind as i went from woodland area to fields and paths, along the odd bit of road, even over a railway. I have been over an unmanned crossing before but this still shocked me. I wondered if this was kept open again as a hark back to the ancient path i was trying to follow.

Wasn't long before i really ended up in the middle of nowhere, through a housing estate down a narrow path then a small bridge, just as i was thinking and actually saying out loud what a dirty trick it was to put a really tight kissing gate at the end of a narrow bridge, BANG! bike was over and in the water and I was scrabbling to grab hold of the hand rail. The bridge was like ice, a film of algae or something else green, it was incredibly slippery, obviously not frequently used.

I was to find out why this bridge wasn't used frequently, after slowly slogging through a fairly water logged field over another bridge then a decision had to be made. The water ahead looked pretty deep, i was not even half way and the thought of wading and then having soaking feet wasn't desirable, tried to get through but after consulting the GPS i could see that by going back i would be back on track  in a only a few minutes, defeated, i headed back, this time i was very careful over the algae bridge!

Nice tracks were just around the corner, still clueless as to where i was, some of the views were quite pretty, but the skies were getting greyer and the sun on its way down, it was plainly obvious i was massively behind schedule, i hadn't got to Odiham Castle yet and it was some 3 or 4 hours since setting off. A plan change was required. :-(

I was near Hartley Wintney, this was indeed a way off of my "Half Way" destination and the rain started to pour. It had rained on and off all day but this was the first time it really felt like i should be at home in front of the telly. I stopped and fitted my crash helmet lights and consulted the GPS. It was a shame but it was 5 o'clock ish (the time i wanted to be back home) and i knew i had at least 3 hours of riding ahead of me....Odiham Castle was not going to happen.
I took to the roads, which were so flooded that there was no avoiding the tidal waves of water from the cars. and riding through the puddles myself, soaked through in no time. 
I was on roads i knew from driving home from work different ways and as i got closer to Fleet i recognised place names from lunchtime rides.
6 o'clock i was one road away from my work, originally my plan was to go to Odiham castle then ride back along the towpaths as i have at lunchtime, then connect this with my cross country route home, thereby staying off the roads. Having abandoned going to Odiham castle i just wanted to get home so i just went the fastest route i knew, which meant i could get home in about 2 hours rather than at least 2 1/2 hours for the off road ride.
I ate the miles up well, i had deliberated whether to use some of the off road route but once i had decided to stick with the roads i pretty much zoned out and kept the pedals turning.
Alone with my thoughts i reflected on the tough training schedule and the prospect of "The Dean" 300k in a weeks time and then of course "London Edinburgh London" 1400K that this was all building to. I talked myself in and out of the whole thing several times, with the raining throwing it down.
10 miles from home the idea of Fish and chips popped in my head, this kept me going, i assumed the family to be at the in-laws and for them to already have eaten so fish and chips it was, i had my emergency £10 note in my pocket.
Part way through "Windsor Great Park" whilst in a lull of rain a Warden spotted me, the park is closed from dusk till dawn. He had me bang to rights and i had talked my way in to the park a couple of times previously when it was getting dark, but this was pitch black, top chap, he pitied my plight and let me continue and told me not to do it again, I agreed and continued. Note to self, don't take the mick again!
After the park i cut across Windsor, massive puddles but i was beyond caring, i was so close I could almost smell the salt and vinegar. 8:10 mission accomplished Eton Wick chip shop, like an oasis in the desert. At first they didn't recognise me, the owner looked initially in horror and then said "Is that Chris" having grown a beard and head to foot in mud, i am not surprised she didn't recognise me.

Paid my money cycled home and it hailed on me in the last 500 metres but i didn't care, i was home. checked the distance....100k exactly

No more cycling this week which means i fell short of the target :-(

Target for the week: 200K
Total distance achieved: 156.8K