Sunday 20th May 2007
Back to drawing board on the Moulton – this means fitting conventional derailleur gears. I already had a 20” wheel built for another project, so this seemed like a good candidate for fitting to the Moulton. So I fitted it with a tyre and inner tube, and pumped it up to pressure. But then came the first problem; I couldn't get the tyre to seat properly on the rim. Spent ages trying.
Always getting a 'flat spot'.
At first, I thought it was a fault with the tyre carcass. Then maybe a duff inner tube? Eventually sussed it's the rim, which is oversize, meaning part of the tyre is forever stuck in the central well of the rim, and even when pumped up to high pressure, won't expand to fit on the bead of the rim.
I once had a tyre which was the opposite: so slack that when I pumped it up to pressure, it suddenly unseated itself, and the inner tube suffered an explosive prolapse.
But this 'ere rim is has too big a bead.
So I ordered some better quality Alex rims from those nice people at Inspired Cycle Engineering, and some new spokes from Allans BMX. With everything arriving by Saturday morning, I was itching to try a little wheel-building all day.
Wheel skip over the details of the wheel building (see Sheldon Brown again if you want instructions on how to lace the spokes and tension them up). Anyway, after several hours of careful truing I decided it was true enough for me. So I set about putting a tyre on. This time the tyre was tight just to get on to the rim. I was provoked to employ increasingly heavy handed persuasion, gentle thumb pressure, plastic tyre levers, metal tyre levers, torn inner tubes (merde!). Finally, threats of cattle prods and extraordinary rendition were used, and the tyre complied. Well we can just tear up the Geneva Convention now. Main thing is, it does sit on the bead correctly. What a palaver.
Monday 21st May 2007
Car has mysteriously developed an Engine Management system warning light which refuses to go out. So, had to take it to garage in Halifax. Hence no cycling. Shame, 'cos the weather is beautiful this morning. Used the stairs on the south side of the building, so no illicit lift liaisons with the sisters.
Tuesday 22nd May 2007
Grey skies, cool wind. Lambs and sheep making a lot of noise. At the moment, the lambs are still cuddly creatures, with high-pitched plaintive bleats.
Feel crap after a day off the bike, nevertheless the Big Hill takes a mere 29 minutes to overcome.
Turbines swishing a bit today, they're usually inaudible.
Time out: 0:56 (Westerly, with a bit of North in it)
Rap (1) - Rap 2 (2)
Return A629. Car after car after car after car after car after car after don't cut me up, misses (she's a too-near misses) after car after car. God, what a dredgy journey. Tomorrow it's the moor road for me, deffo.
Headwind, bright, dry, some sharp knee twinges in my right knee (oo-er!)
return 1:06 (via Flappit)
Evening, spend some time in garage fettling the Moulton. Start by fitting new twist-grip for derailleur gears, then routing the cable, and replacing the handlebar grip with a slightly longer one.
The rear derailleur mech (a snazzy new Sun TOur model) hangs worryingly low when it's on the biggest sprocket, so I decide to swap it for a differrent mech (Shimano Alivio). This seems just as low-slung, so now I've got to decide between the two. I think we're going to have to live with this as a consequence of having 20" wheels.
Wednesday 23rd May 2007
Feel no better than yesterday. Worried about knees. Lambs and sheep vociferous again. When do these lambs undergo transformation from cutesy to klutz? Is it overnight?
Saw some Bluebells, only these were white (albino?). Stereo larks.
Vintage motorcycle UTF 113 goes past. Sounds like it's got one cylinder, and that's firing twice a second. Powered by ork blacksmiths from the depths of Isengard by the sounds of it.
Seem to be not concentrating on the riding, have hit every pot-hole on route today, consequently very stiff around shoulders and neck when I arrive at work.
Rap (1) Rap 2 (2)
Time out: 1:00
Not much to say about the return journey, but it was slightly preferable to go the moor road, and avoid some of the traffic. Only problem is the long drag out of Halifax, and the exposure to the wind, although that was only a full on headwind some of the time.
Return 1:06 (via moor road)
Computer reset:
DST 140.26
TIME 13:59:16
AVG 10.0mph
MAX 41.2mph
ODO 1012.6
Yey, the magic 1,000 miles since I fitted this cycle computer, way back in January (I think). So, I’ve done the equivalent distance of Land’s End to John o’Groats in about 4 months. Impressive or what? (not!)
Back to drawing board on the Moulton – this means fitting conventional derailleur gears. I already had a 20” wheel built for another project, so this seemed like a good candidate for fitting to the Moulton. So I fitted it with a tyre and inner tube, and pumped it up to pressure. But then came the first problem; I couldn't get the tyre to seat properly on the rim. Spent ages trying.
Always getting a 'flat spot'.
At first, I thought it was a fault with the tyre carcass. Then maybe a duff inner tube? Eventually sussed it's the rim, which is oversize, meaning part of the tyre is forever stuck in the central well of the rim, and even when pumped up to high pressure, won't expand to fit on the bead of the rim.
I once had a tyre which was the opposite: so slack that when I pumped it up to pressure, it suddenly unseated itself, and the inner tube suffered an explosive prolapse.
But this 'ere rim is has too big a bead.
So I ordered some better quality Alex rims from those nice people at Inspired Cycle Engineering, and some new spokes from Allans BMX. With everything arriving by Saturday morning, I was itching to try a little wheel-building all day.
Wheel skip over the details of the wheel building (see Sheldon Brown again if you want instructions on how to lace the spokes and tension them up). Anyway, after several hours of careful truing I decided it was true enough for me. So I set about putting a tyre on. This time the tyre was tight just to get on to the rim. I was provoked to employ increasingly heavy handed persuasion, gentle thumb pressure, plastic tyre levers, metal tyre levers, torn inner tubes (merde!). Finally, threats of cattle prods and extraordinary rendition were used, and the tyre complied. Well we can just tear up the Geneva Convention now. Main thing is, it does sit on the bead correctly. What a palaver.
Monday 21st May 2007
Car has mysteriously developed an Engine Management system warning light which refuses to go out. So, had to take it to garage in Halifax. Hence no cycling. Shame, 'cos the weather is beautiful this morning. Used the stairs on the south side of the building, so no illicit lift liaisons with the sisters.
Tuesday 22nd May 2007
Grey skies, cool wind. Lambs and sheep making a lot of noise. At the moment, the lambs are still cuddly creatures, with high-pitched plaintive bleats.
Feel crap after a day off the bike, nevertheless the Big Hill takes a mere 29 minutes to overcome.
Turbines swishing a bit today, they're usually inaudible.
Time out: 0:56 (Westerly, with a bit of North in it)
Rap (1) - Rap 2 (2)
Return A629. Car after car after car after car after car after car after don't cut me up, misses (she's a too-near misses) after car after car. God, what a dredgy journey. Tomorrow it's the moor road for me, deffo.
Headwind, bright, dry, some sharp knee twinges in my right knee (oo-er!)
return 1:06 (via Flappit)
Evening, spend some time in garage fettling the Moulton. Start by fitting new twist-grip for derailleur gears, then routing the cable, and replacing the handlebar grip with a slightly longer one.
The rear derailleur mech (a snazzy new Sun TOur model) hangs worryingly low when it's on the biggest sprocket, so I decide to swap it for a differrent mech (Shimano Alivio). This seems just as low-slung, so now I've got to decide between the two. I think we're going to have to live with this as a consequence of having 20" wheels.
Wednesday 23rd May 2007
Feel no better than yesterday. Worried about knees. Lambs and sheep vociferous again. When do these lambs undergo transformation from cutesy to klutz? Is it overnight?
Saw some Bluebells, only these were white (albino?). Stereo larks.
Vintage motorcycle UTF 113 goes past. Sounds like it's got one cylinder, and that's firing twice a second. Powered by ork blacksmiths from the depths of Isengard by the sounds of it.
Seem to be not concentrating on the riding, have hit every pot-hole on route today, consequently very stiff around shoulders and neck when I arrive at work.
Rap (1) Rap 2 (2)
Time out: 1:00
Not much to say about the return journey, but it was slightly preferable to go the moor road, and avoid some of the traffic. Only problem is the long drag out of Halifax, and the exposure to the wind, although that was only a full on headwind some of the time.
Return 1:06 (via moor road)
Computer reset:
DST 140.26
TIME 13:59:16
AVG 10.0mph
MAX 41.2mph
ODO 1012.6
Yey, the magic 1,000 miles since I fitted this cycle computer, way back in January (I think). So, I’ve done the equivalent distance of Land’s End to John o’Groats in about 4 months. Impressive or what? (not!)
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