Deflated but not Defeated!

As a complete counter to last week I only managed one ride of any kind over the last seven days - granted it was a Glorious Solo Win in one of the Monuments of Cycling, but as far as other riding goes the rest of the week was decidedly less glorious...

After seven consecutive days of riding I thought it would be best to take a couple of days off, so last Sunday was spent relaxing with the family and taking a lovely walk in Wellington's beautiful Mechanical Gardens (Kester's pre-school name for the Botanical Gardens).



When Monday rolled around the grim reality of the bike fixin' business leaped up and slapped me sideways around my chubby chops with a deluge of bookings - great for the bank account, but not so much for the riding ambitions!

I started the week by giving the Wall of Fame a bit of a tickle-up.



Then got stuck into building lots of wheels - always a fun and relatively clean way of getting busy.



I started with the pleasurable task of finishing off Trevor's track wheel set. Built on lovely 80's Campagnolo Record Pista hubs...



...the pair turned out beautifully. NOS Nisis rims laced front radial, rear two-cross. Stiff and light wheels for the Benotto track bike he is slowly restoring.



Alex wanted some hardcore trail wheels built, so a pair of de-stickered Mavic 823 rims were built around red Hope Pro2 hubs using black DT Comp spokes.





After much tyre choice agonising, I finally tubelessed Jono's Hadley/Stan's Arch wheels I built him in May...



And here is Jono's sweet Turner 5 Spot in for a quick gear tune after his first ride with the new wheels.



Next week I'll be building up yet another pair of uber-bling Hadley hubs into some Stan's 29er rims for my friend Pete's upcoming Soulcraft.



In between appointments I continued fettling Jacq's Eddy Merckx, now just requiring the rear derailleur, chain, gear cables and pedals. Luckily her wrist injury wasn't as bad as we initially feared, so hopefully she'll be riding her new road bike in a week or two. Also since I took this pic I've added a dedicated women's saddle that I got through one of my favourite bike industry reps and ex-Wholly Bagels teammate, Nicola Johnson.



Talking of Nic, she dropped off her Giant XTC carbon hardtail for me to swap out the crankset and check over in advance of her sending it away to it's new owner in Christchurch. This very cool rig was in great shape of course, just requiring a mild tune and some new brake pads.



The chainset swap was so that she could keep her cool Rotor Agilis cranks for her next bike (more about that once it's declassified!). She got me to install a pretty decent substitute in a pair of XTR cranks...



And here it is all ready to go to it's new home...



Podge needed his Giant TCR fondled, and I'm just the type of guy to do it. When he picked it up he gave me a big chunk of venison that I can't wait to attack - cheers, Podge!



Quentin had an annoying creak emanating from his pedals which I tracked down to a dry and loose b/b. I also lubed the cables, straightened the derailleur hanger and gave the rest of this sturdy commuter a good going over.



Dave is very kindly lending his Cervelo R3 to a foreign international rider (whose name I'm not yet at liberty to divulge) who is spending some time in New Zealand as part of their preparation for the World Championship time trial. I will be boxing it up on Monday to send it on to them...



After a busy morning doing repairs and organising the rest of the week, Tuesday mid-morning gave me the opportunity to head out for a decent ride before heading back into the shop for the late shift.

My plan was a long-awaited ride out to Eastbourne, but plans are just disasters that haven't happened to me yet. The main reason I spend most of my life flying by the seat of my pants is due to this exact phenomenon - if you don't make plans you can't screw them up!

To whit, I dressed for what appeared to be looming Belgian Hardman conditions and set off on my ride feeling great and fully charged to get some moiles in. Yet, despite doing my best to set my bike up with "training" wheels/tyres, virtually the minute I set out I got a pinch-flat on some left-over rubble from the lame coarse chip the council strews everywhere. Grrr.



After realising I'd used up the last of my puncture kit last week I fitted my only replacement tube - practice makes perfect, as it was sorted a lot faster than last time. Feeling strangely vulnerable without any spares, I decided the best course of action was naturally to head up to my favourite LBS, Revolution Bicycles in Northland, to grab a spare tube and continue my "training". I scuttled through town and up Glenmore Street in the rapidly improving weather, snapping precarious and pointless photos one-handed the whole way...



I ambled up through Northland periodically stuffing yet another layer of redundant clothing into my jersey pockets while admiring the winsome web of cables that charmingly adorn every square inch of Wellington's skyline.



I parked my bike oh so casually and took full advantage of Jonty's habitual kind hospitality, as he plied me with a cup of fresh hot espresso and a gratis spare tube.



Eventually I dragged myself away from our fine conversation and back onto my bike, re-donning all my discarded clothing for what I knew would be a very cold descent back down to sea level. I zipped down through Kelburn, onto Salamanca Road scattering ovine students left and right, then tested my Chorus brakes hard out with a mad tuck down the super steep Bolton Street onto The Terrace.



By now of course I had mucked around so long that I no longer had time to head out to Eastbourne, so I headed around Wellington's waterfront instead. Far from deteriorating as it had seemed it would, the day had slowly cleared into a sunny but very cold one, as the northerly pushed the clouds away to the south.



The site of my earlier deflating experience looked much nicer in the sun.



Since my earliest days on a road bike many of my rides have been accompanied by cheering crowds, imaginary helicopters and press motorcycles, as I use my incredible natural cycling abilities to grind Merckx, Hinault, de Vlaeminck and that young upstart LeMond into the dust under my cleated Sidis. In what I laughingly refer to as my mind I've won World Championships, Tours, Giri, and all of the five Monuments of Cycling, to name just some of my countless other hard-fought imaginary victories. It's a kind of unsought escapism that seems to help push me along on the hardest parts of my rides, and it has the side effect of turning some of Wellington's roads into the storied roads of Cycling Lore.



So today I smashed my 50 x 16 over Seatoun's Pass of Branda as it morphed into the famed Turchino from the great one day Classic, Milan-San Remo. The slopes of this feared Pass was where I managed to shed the (sadly non-existent) peloton and establish a classy solo break. Determined to stay away at least until the Poggio (Pines) I punched a big gear into the increasing head wind along the Ligurian Coast (Airport Straight), before disrupting my rhythm (and my fantasy!) by bumping into a (non-cycling) friend in Lyall Bay and being forced to stop for a chat about real things.



The gulls flocked, wanting to steal my muesli bar...



The unscheduled halt had seemingly blown my race to bits, but I'm no quitter - you don't get to not win as many races as I haven't won by being soft. Underneath this slightly flabby exterior lurks a heart of iron and sinews of steel. One more short stop to pose my bike for the umpteenth time and take strength from my Totem and I'd be ready to throw down.



As I chased on the approach to the Poggio and caught the powerful break (a woman riding a postie bike) that had taken advantage of my pause, I counter-attacked brutally and crested the hill once again in the lead of La Primavera. I drove hard down the tortuous descent and into San Remo...



I sensed the non-existent chasers gaining on me, so I dug deep into my suitcase of courage and pulled out a wrinkled shirt of valour and some cufflinks of sheer guts and pushed onto the Via Roma (Trent Street sounds so mundane...) and crossed the finish line of this Great Race Cipollini-style with both hands spread high in the air, basking in the warm acclaim of a vast crowd - or the bemusement of three random pedestrians and a sleepy cat on a fence, I'm not really sure.

Then, being a shy man not seeking the limelight or the bright lights of the podium, it was a matter of escaping the media throng by carrying on up Island Bay Parade and home.



At the age of 46 my fading powers might not be up the demands of a record 9th Tour de France win, but nice to see I could still pull off a Glorious Victory in one of the longest and toughest single day races on the world calendar.



Jacq didn't seem to marvel at my majesty as much as mutter something about me being clinically insane...oh well, when you have my palmares the sceptical scorn of some sections of the population matters not a jot - just ask my friend Lance...

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Training with Conviction

A wise person once said that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad choices in clothing. This week I tried my best to put that theory to the test by riding in inclement conditions utilising my vast collection of little used winter riding gear. I know it's stupid to complain that the weather is too good but, as usual when I come up with some contrived theme, I was thwarted by 'Belgian Hard Man' weather turning into 'ooh, it's a little bit nippy innit?' conditions the minute I headed out on the bike. I'm trying to ride six days a week, even if it's only for an hour, so letting the climate dictate the riding is not a good plan...



Winter is puncture season and, after my double punctures on Monday, I thought I'd better finally put away the "race" wheels I've been riding and bring out the "training" wheels for my Bianchi. At the same time I was swapping some brake calipers and changing saddles among my various road bikes, so Monday evening was spent fettling my them into more subtle configurations for the umpteenth time in recent weeks.

The caliper swap was a complicated transaction - I am building up a road bike for Jacq and the brakes I had lined up for this project had been on my Casati while I tried to locate some STI levers and a rear derailleur for her new bike. Thanks to T-Rex turning up some mint old Dura-Ace 7600 levers and Henry donating me a matching rear mech I was able to make a start on Jacq's cool Eddy Merckx, with the thought of inspiring her a bit as she recovers from her nasty wrist injury...

I haven't picked up the rear derailleur yet, or saddled, cabled and chained it up, but this is Jacq's Ross Bee-restored Eddy Merckx Corsa frame and fork so far as I've built it up.



So the Dura-Ace calipers reclaimed off the Casati needed replacing...what to do? I know, I'll whip the Centaur ones off my Bianchi and whack them on!



Hmmm, while it's in the stand I'll pull those Michelin Lithion's off - they'll make good training tyres. I'll see if those cheap 700 x 38s will have enough clearance. Just enough...



Oh dear. Now what shall I do about brakes for my Bianchi? I didn't think this through...I know, I'll treat myself to some new Chorus ones!



They look damn sexy on my bike...



I was lending my Arione to Alex from Revolution Bicycles for him to try the shape of these sweet saddles out, so I thought I'd lend him the black one off my "training" Bianchi and replace it with the Celeste one off my "retro" one. Here's the training hack in current vogue - Ksyrium Elite training wheels, Lithion tyres, Chorus brakes and Celeste Arione.



The last piece of the puzzle was a saddle for my other Bianchi - my Pantani Flite saddle was the solution, helping the bike back towards it's full mid to late-90s period spec.



At the very next opportunity I slipped out for a ride - I actually felt like a MTB ride but the narrow time slot I had meant I wouldn't have to time to both ride and get cleaned up for work, so I layered up with roadie gear and headed out into a stiff Southerly and driving rain. I headed south for an anti-clockwise lap of the Bays, and as I hit the South Coast the rain cleared and the rest of the ride was dry bar the water coming up off the still-wet roads. Some moody clouds and threatening rain sweeping down the Hutt Valley and along the Rimutakas was about as bad as it got...



Wednesday and Thursday's rides were more of the same, though the wind seemed to be strongest on Thursday.



Friday's ride made an unprecedented six in a row, and was on a beautiful still day - again I headed around the Bays, but added in a couple of hills and finished off with some good hi-rev traffic light sprints.

Of course I can't just ride all week - though lately it's all I've wanted to do! - I have to earn a living as well. The shop is ticking over nicely, and some interesting stuff always keeps me fresh.

I had Mark's cool Turner Sultan that I built for him in April in for it's first real service after a testing 500-odd kilometres of hard riding.



Bill's classic old Scott Endorphin was back; this time to be stripped down for a fresh paintjob as well as for a couple of small mods when it comes time to rebuild it.



I'm slowly building up another pair of NOS wheels for Trevor, who has scored a matching Benotto track frame to complement his road Benotto that I built wheels for in March. This latest pair are a pair of 80s Nisi track rims, that I'm lacing onto Campagnolo Record large flange hubs. The rim is super light at 280 grams, although the individual nipple washers add a few more grams to that. The front wheel weighs 730 grams complete with the radially-built DT Competition spokes and brass nipples.

Nisi logos on this mint NOS rim.



Front wheel built up and trued...rear wheel to follow next week.



Talking of old Campagnolo, my friend Peter has been trawling the recycling centre of late and turned up an old bike recently. The bike was too far gone to do much with, but the 1973 Campy parts were worth saving. This was Peter's great idea - a neat piece of art to hang on his wall.



Some detail of the gear levers - it's hard to believe in this modern era of index and even electronic shifting that we used to have to reach down and manually locate our gears with this rudimentary friction system. I have fond memories of the old bikes of that era, but I wouldn't give up my modern Ergolevers for anything!



Here's a shot of the Gran Sport rear derailleur.



And some cool Tipo hubs that he rescued from the battered wheels of this old machine...



Friday night I spent up at Revolution Bicycles dropping off a wheel I'd built and shooting the breeze with the fine company while drinking all their beer. Despite appearances, I'm still sober in this terrible self-pic...



While there I was able to give Alex Revell the Arione I was lending him, and congratulate him on winning the PNP Mike Podmore Cup for Most Improved Cyclist, awarded to Alex for his fine efforts on the MTB over the past season.

I was also able to fill him in a bit about who Mike Podmore was, as I had been friends of his and helped sponsor him at the Bicycle Village.

Mike was a lad from Island Bay with a single-minded determination to succeed in his sport, with a view to eventually heading to Belgium to try his fortunes on the big Euro stage. I accompanied him on many training rides as he trained hard towards this goal, and as he prepared to race the gruelling Dulux Tour of the North Island. Along with other good race performances over the year a gutsy performance as eventual Lanterne Rouge in the 1982 Dulux (won that year by Stephen Carton) convinced him he had what it took once he'd put in "more moiles, Oli, more moiles..." so off we rode around and around the Akas until I was in the form of my life and/or completely broken.

Eventually it came time to farewell Poddy as he flew off to meet his destiny. Sadly, that destiny proved to be a cruel one. He was killed during his first pedal strokes on Belgian soil, while riding to meet up with his new club. In the middle of the afternoon he was hit head on by a drunk driver crossing over into the wrong side of the road, killing Mike instantly. His death hit the Wellington cycling community very hard and he was sorely missed for his Muttley snicker and great good humour.

Very nice for me to see the Cup named after Mike going to another gutsy rider like Alex - and I'm sure that in the Mike Podmore spirit he'll only continue to improve.

Alex racing hard at Singlespeed Nationals, chasing eventual winner and Roadworks star Tim Wilding.



Saturday dawned to another cold front with pelting rain and near-zero temperatures. Jacq was out all morning while I held the fort at home (drank coffee and played Battleships with Bodhi), but as soon she got back I got dressed up under about five layers and met up with (the other) Alex and Matt at the shop for what would amazingly be my seventh consecutive ride.

For many months now I've been meaning to check out the new Miramar Trails, but time and tide have conspired to keep me away. No longer though, as Al was Ride Commander and ordered us to suss out this new destination.

We rolled out of Waripori Street and urbanned through the chaotic Newtown traffic. I led us up to have a nosy at the new kid's Skills Area on Mt Victoria, where we monged around like clumsy oafs. Luckily we had only one minor spill on one of the "rock gardens", but I can't say who it was or Al will kill me.

Great to see this great resource being created (with design input from the Kennett Brothers and Jill Ford) for the next generation of MTBers - I can't wait to take the kids up for a few laps! We then headed down to the Ski Jump and shredded down this slippery slope and straight into a deep and dodgy puddle, resulting in some hilarious and near-fatal tank slappage...



We then pedalled around Evans Bay to Miramar Wharves past the rusting hulk of Peter Jackson's Venture.



Then we headed up a steep zig-zag walkway, and up towards Maupuia along the lovely open walkway that sidles around the west side of the hill.



As we headed up the last stretch of road that leads to Mt Crawford Prison Alex pulled ahead, but I started to gain on him. As I drew up to his rear wheel he gave it a good dig and started to pull away again, but I realised my legs felt unaccustomedly good so I counter-attacked and managed to narrowly sprint him at the top, a la Armstrong v. Beloki.

Of course, this resulted in my arrival at the start of the trail puffing and wheezing like an asthmatic chain cigar smoker, just in time to be cheerily greeted by a bemused bunch of hard-working Miramar Trail pixies. After the laughter at my puce and portly appearance had died away it transpired that these good folk had spent the best part of the day not riding the Trails themselves, but clearing vast quantities of rubbish from alongside the opening stretches. The WCC had kindly provided a bin that they had laboriously filled with all sorts of crap from a fridge to a printer to the ubiquitous plastic bottles that litter our fair land. Good stuff guys, and I'll make sure I'm there to help at future clean ups. If you wish to know more about this Trail network and/or wish to put some time into the Eastern Suburbs best MTB resource, email miramartrackproject@gmail.com



Parting was such sweet sorrow, but we had to ride. Following some clear directions we still managed to go the wrong way, but this just helped us get to grips with the terrain and various trail entrances involved. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We sidled along Boot Leg and up onto Nevay Road, then realised I'd steered us left where we should have gone right. We then found the Nevay Connector where we popped out onto the road to get a stunning view of Miramar and the Heads.



The trails were delectably delightful - an incredible balance of switchbacks, streams, roots, fast bits, slow bits, and heaps of character, not to mention great fun without being too difficult.



We rode the main trail Conviction in what is essentially the down direction, but it looks like it would be a very cool climb the other way.

We reached the bottom of Conviction safely and wearing huge muddy smiles (the trails were mainly dry, but a couple of unscheduled diversions not so). Here is Alex negotiating the under construction bridge at the Darlington Road Entrance.



All involved in creating this great trail network should be very proud indeed. We're so spoiled here to have so many volunteers doing so much cool track building, as well as a Council that seems to be very supportive of their efforts. Good stuff to all who have contributed.

We then punched into the Southerly and back along Cobham Drive, heading up towards the Hataitai Velodrome to try yet another newish trail.



At the Northern end of the Velodrome there is a famously nasty ascent that has terrified the more athletically challenged among us for years, but again under the impetus of Jill Ford (with a view to making the Wild Wellington race easier for the average rider) and the Kennett Bros a much easier trail has been constructed, taking us up onto the saddle on Alexandra Road without too much exertion. We scooted down the lower trails of Mt Vic as the time ran rapidly out for Matt and I, then home again where we went our separate ways after another great ride together. Cheers, lads!

My bike is at last starting to show the tell-tale signs of actually being ridden. Here it is once I'd gotten home, still looking suspiciously clean...



...and here it is this morning, once the mud had dried. Ah, MUCH better! Now I just have to clean it thoroughly before a certain Roadworks rider thinks he's now got tacit permission to ride a perpetually muddy bike.



Until next time, thanks for reading and keep on riding. Cheers, Oli

Chutes et Crevaisons!

The two Curses of Cycling are crashes and punctures, both of which most cyclists will have experienced at some point. Today it was our turn, with poor Jacq hitting the deck hard and me suffering two punctures on our respective rides...Jacq is battered but okay so before I tell this tale of woe I'll try and quickly get up to speed with the shop stuff - better put on a pot of coffee, 'cause this is a long one!

Last week began with a veritable avalanche of work. David needed his trusty Avanti Black Thunder serviced...



Then my good mate Tony wanted me to turn this:



And this:



Into a decent hardtail for a mission on the Queen Charlotte Walkway last weekend, using the best parts off both rigs...



Next up was my good buddy Dave's Commençal Meta 5.5, which after much hard riding had developed an annoying creak. After some stripping and rebuilding of the rear triangle, followed by more of the same several times over, the noise disappeared once the ten litres of grease I used had finally infiltrated every millimetre of the pivots - at least I hope it's disappeared! I think you all know how much I love these cool bikes, but I certainly don't love hunting for mystery noises...



In my role as contract wheelbuilder for Revolution Bicycles, I built a wicked pair of 29er wheels for Tor to put on his new Surly Karate Monkey. Mavic 719 rims, XT spline disc hubs laced up with my favourite spokes in the world, DT Competition, should be light enough, yet will still be uber-burly.



I also built a couple of wheels for my Belgian beer drinking bro, esteemed NZ MTB legend and Revolution's owner, Jonty Ritchie. He wanted a new wheel for his CX bike, so he supplied me with a Salsa Delgado rim and an XT hub which I pulled together with more Comps.



He also wanted a new Stans Arch built up for his MTB, so more Comps (they really are awesome!) and another of the ubiquitous XT hubs and voila!



Next project was Chris's lovely old RIH that I built for him a few months back. Chris wanted to try some better bars, so I ordered him in some cool Soma Moustache bars. I also dug him up a more appropriate stem out of my spares to match them.



I'd never fitted these before so it was a bit of trial and error as to how to set them up, but some advice from Chris and some experimentation and it turned out very nicely...



Another view. Chris reckons they are super comfortable, and his exact words were, "there's no going back!"



Kerry had been dabbling with the ancient art of testing at the summer Liverton Road Time Trials, and has decided he quite likes the discipline. He was racing on a standard road bike and rightly feeling he was losing out to better equipped riders, so before he invests in a full on TT rig he wanted to test the aero waters (?) with some tri-bars on his Cannondale. I suggested some Vision TT Clip-Ons, as they fitted his bars without further adaptation, yet can be upgraded with a base bar, aero levers and bar-end shifters if Kerry decides to go further. Affordable and well made, I'm a big fan of the Vision kit.





I gave this superb Colnago Dream Lux a drivetrain transplant, as well as a good going over. Very sexy bike, and the usual stunning finish from Ernesto.



So that's most of the work out of the way, but here's a cool picture of my Roadworks Rotorua agent Paul Larkin's awesome Soulcraft Holy Roller, casually parked on one of Vegas' iconic MTB trails, Split Enz. If you look closely you'll see the Roadworks stickers on the wheels I built for him...



Dave Hicks sent me a photo last week of a bike he spotted in Panama St. A vintage racer like this is very rare, and Dave and I were both intrigued by it, so I thought I'd hit up one of NZ's founts of all cycling knowledge, the revered Doctor David Benson. Of course David knew the bike, the vintage gear system and, most importantly, the owner of this beautiful NZ made Leader Special.



It turns out the owner (whose name I'll respectfully omit) has exhibited this bike and others, and has a blog called THE FLYING WHEEL where he shows this and others with some beautiful pictures. Check it out.



I've been promising news of the Jazz Apples for some time now, but the vagaries of time and interweb connections has made this difficult. Rather than ramble on myself I'll let the Team do the talking...

Training in Kutztown

The Jazz Apple girls have further broadened their cultural awareness this week in the pastoral surrounds of Pennsylvania’s Amish community. The latest Jazz Apple base is within two hours of the Big Apple itself, but the surrounds of Kutztown couldn’t be more different to the hub of New York City. The town here is familiar to years of cyclist traffic, which share the quiet roads with the Amish horse-drawn cart’s and old yellow school buses. Training rides feel like a history tour as we find ourselves waving to girls in long dresses and bonnets working in the fields. While chatting about the irony of a society living without technology so close to the metropolis of New York, like any true bike fanatics we realized the significance of the bicycle as a unifying feature of such different cultures. Although the high-tech bike couriers whizzing around NYC are vastly different from the old Amish man we passed rocking side to side on his Dandyhorse utility bike, the efficient transfer of human energy to movement is a universal novelty. The perfect machine in so many ways, we were eternally grateful of the technology invested in our super light Fuji bikes ten minutes later as we started our grueling hill repeats under Chris’s watchful eye.

2009/6/6 Lauren Ellis

Steph and Dotsie head out.

On a stunning day in downtown Philadelphia, the Jazz Apple team put together a classic team effort to deliver Ruth to the multiple Queen of the Mountain (QOM) lines in first place today. Marina was instrumental in Ruth's early point collection, driving it into Lemon Hill where Ruth was able to successfully contest against Team HighRoad's climbing phenom, Mara Abbot, Team Webcors Kathryn Currie and the powerful Nurnberger team.

In an incredible support role, Lauren Ellis and Dotsie Bausch were on hand for all eight QOM sprints, either leading out or usurping valuable points from Ruth's would be contenders. The final time up the Manyunk Wall, the fast pace split the race and a group of 11 escaped, including Ruth. The breakaway survived, and upon taking the final double points on Lemon Hill, Ruth clinched the title. In the sprint, Team HighRoad's Ina Teutenberg delivered a scorching sprint to win, followed by Tibco's Jo Kiesanowski and ProMan's Shelley Olds. Ruth finished 8th and proudly took to the stage as the crowning Queen of the Hill.

Malindi and Steph had pleasing support rides, finishing in the surviving group of a largey decimated field.

Ruth and her hill-conquering Fuji.



From the left: Dotsie Bausch, Lauren Ellis, Marina Duvnyak, Ruth Corset, Steph Roorda and Malindi Maclean.



And some more good news in the very latest update from yesterday in the Nature Valley Grand Prix...

Dotsie had a brilliant ride today to finish second in the Mankato road stage over 91 miles. Dotsie was a part of a six member break that survived ahead of the peloton. The six member group disintegrated on the four finishing loops, which included a brutal 18% climb every lap. The stage was won by Webcor's Alexis Rhodes.
Ruth finished in the lead group behind, with Marina, Lauren, Steph and Malindi finishing shortly thereafter.

Best wishes
The Jazz Apple girls

Best of luck to the Team for the rest of their gruelling USA sojourn...

Now back to me!



On Saturday morning my eldest son Kester and I were supposed to head over to the Wairarapa so he could play football against Rathkeale College, but as he had spent the bulk of the week with the swine flu (he's the swine, not the flu...) we had to pull the pin. Typically he was actually lots better on Saturday, but ironically the game was canned anyway due to the weather. In any case, a week within four walls had driven him batty so we decided an easy ride on Sunday would be just the cure. As Harry and Bodhi were both busy, the two of us loaded up the wagon and headed up to Makara Peak, picking up my bro Alex on the way.

Poor Ket struggled up Koru - a climb he has started to own me on of late, but we don't talk about that...a few stops on the way though and he was fine.

Ket and Al head up Koru.



A bit of post-flu fatigue sent the poor lad flying off the track and into some gorse on the cool downhill bit of Koru, providing me with a worrying few moments before he turned up safely...



After barging past him to show who is boss, we regrouped again at the end of Koru. Ket clearly impressed with my elbows-out passing style.



As he was feeling it a bit, we decided that a quick blast down the lovely Lazy Fern was about as much as he should handle. Ahead Warp Factor 5!

Al is the Shralve-Master!



But Ket was pushing him hard...



It goes without saying that my peerless descending skills meant I was having to wait for these two chumps long and often - either that or I was being really annoying by making them ride past me for the pics then forcing them to stop so I could re-pass them. I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Al again.



Ket in his element.



My two bros going hard near the end of this beautiful trail...



Ket in the carpark. He is a very cool cat and his passion for riding is growing daily, along with his mad skills!



When I last blogged I talked about how the South Coast fills my soul; well Makara Peak does also. Unfortunately today it mainly filled my sole - with dogshit. I'm going to have a rant about the disgusting and unhygienic morons who let their dogs shit all over the place without cleaning up. Unnoticed by me when we parked, there were several huge rokies lying around just where someone would stand getting into or out of their vehicle, not to mention one unsavoury deposit draped fetchingly all over a nearby flax. This is on top of the increasing number of turds ranged along the lower trails, not to mention the other trails, streets and parks of Wellington. For goodness sake, why can't these inconsiderate wankers just think about other people for a minute?

Alex was definitely not impressed either.



A post-ride caramel milkshake eased the emotional trauma of cleaning up the canine crap, then we headed back home before picking up Harry and going to see Terminator Salvation. We followed this with Malaysian takeaways which helped put a fine cap on a great week, shoe-poo aside...

This week started off with promise also. Another dead calm and bright sunny day dawned, so after despatching my morning pile of emails, dishes and laundry I saddled up my trusty Bianchi and sallied forth into the day.

After a quick zap through Island Bay I was greeted by this glorious vista...





I then perambulated west around to Owhiro Bay - the opposite direction to the one I usually would take. I'm very glad I did.



The steady grade up Happy Valley Road has broken many a rider over the years with it's deceptive toughness, especially when the northerly is blowing hard. Today it wasn't and I was relaxed and rode it in a good tempo, feeling great. I hit the top and decided to take the high-speed option of Brooklyn Hill, rather than the more techy Ohiro Road choice. Again, I'm glad I did. I waited until the cars had passed and sprinted hard down the hill until I could tuck - the sweepers are always a matter of holding your nerve, staying off your brakes and trusting in your tyres. I had an amazing run...

Before I blitzed the descent.



I then rode up Aro Street with a view to having a quick coffee with Jonty at Revolution Bicycles before heading off to work, but this is where it all started to come unstuck. Feeling good as I hit the first corner of the Raroa Road climb I heard a weird noise from the rear wheel - I thought at first it was just the road surface, but then the sideways slide I took towards a drain told me it was a damn puncture. I stopped and was just trying to figure out what the hell had caused it...



When who should turn up but Jonty himself! I was glad to see him not just because we're good friends, but because if I hadn't flatted he wouldn't have been at his shop when I got there to make me a coffee! Great to see him anyway, and he kindly gave me some pointers on puncture fixing.



Unfortunately, I'm a lot quicker at chucking spare wheels into race bikes than I am at roadside puncture repairs, so by now I was running too short of time to follow Jonty up the hill. We said our farewells and I headed off down the hill, stopping only to put on my gloves, then again two or three times to check I hadn't left anything else behind! I headed for the waterfront with the idea of heading around the Bays as far as Evans Bay, then zipping over Constable Street and home...



...only to realise Jonty was right and my puncture fixing abilities are actually utter shite as my tyre started to soften again. I decided to head straight home hoping the tyre would hold up, but only made it as far as the Basin Reserve before I was faced with having to stop again to attempt to fix it. I sat in the sun on the steps of this historic cricket ground cursing and swearing and having the cyclist's eternal struggle with the tube of cement that has dried up since it was last used. Eventually I had fixed it well enough to risk pumping it up, so I gingerly rode home thanking my lucky stars these tyre issues hadn't arisen as I raced down Brooklyn Hill at 70kph...

I had got home and changed for work and was just about to head up to the workshop with a long overdue coffee when my lovely wife Jacq walked up the street pushing her bike. I thought she must have had a puncture too, and was just about to wonder about the odds on us both getting one when I realised she was looking very shaky and had the tell-tale signs of an off, with dirt and dust on her shoulder and a skew-wyf helmet.

It turned out that, like me, she had decided to forgo some chores to take advantage of the lovely day to do another training ride for her attempt on Taupo later in the year. She had had a great 20km ride and was fizzing after smashing a local climb - she hit our street very fast, before over-enthusiastically braking just as she rode over a patch of wet leaves. Her front wheel went out from under her and she catapaulted over the bars with her bike cartwheeling end over end.

Once I had helped her into the house and checked to see if she had broken anything, it became apparent that she was "lucky" and had escaped with "only" some bad grazing on her cheek and chin, some road rash on the knee, as well as a sore wrist and hands. Her helmet had sustained a decent whack though, so I'll be disposing of that and getting her a new one.

After some tender ministrations I strapped up her wrist, parked her up on the couch with pain relief, water and the remote, then headed up to the shop to meet my client taking her bike with me to assess the damage when I had the chance.



It turned out that her forks were bent (bye-bye lovely old Bomber Z1 Long Travels! *sob*), but other than that it was just the bell, the left hand gear indicator and the bar-ends had been badly roughed up. I sanded them smooth, removed the superfluous bung indicator, and fitted an old pair of RST Mojo Pro W forks I used to cherish back in the day. That sorted her old Gary Fisher out until her choice new road bike is ready, but more about that another time...



Once I'd picked up Bodhi from school Jacq was in good hands. He decided my poor effort of bandaging her wrist need augmenting, especially once he realised she had sustained a blow to the head - he really is a lovely caring boy!



Until next time, take care and keep the rubber side down. Cheers, Oli

South Coast Soul

Just like Eddy Merckx did in his first ever road race, I finished 6th in my debut event; a handicap race from Miramar Wharf around the Bays to Seatoun and back. After that auspicious start to my racing career I found our results differed slightly, as The Cannibal went on to win nearly every Classic and Tour going whereas I pretty much didn't...

Despite doing many more races over the years that one is indelibly etched on my mind. I remember well the terrifying speed which my handicap group took off with that day, I remember the feeling of realising I had found the rhythm of the group and was actually lapping through strongly, and I clearly remember approaching the finish line and Alan McLay telling me to SPRINT NOW BOY! - I did and took the sprint from my group. The feeling of coming over the line first (even though I knew I hadn't actually won the race) was an indescribable pleasure - I was hooked on bike racing from that point on.



Even though my passion for racing is really only as a spectator these days, I still recall that feeling so well that sometimes, just sometimes, I will fantasise on a ride that I'm still that young bike racer who truly believed the Tour ride was only a matter of time...

One such ride happened to be on my birthday, and the Gods of Cycling were smiling on me by gifting me one of those fantasy days with no wind and warm sunlight where the flab is forgotten and the legs don't seem to hurt.

As I approached the long gone finish line of that fondly remembered first race I whacked it into the Big Dog and opened up my 60kph sprint, taking a Glorious Victory over Hinault, De Vlaeminck, and Maertens. The fact that I was probably barely hitting 35kph and my Big Dog is more of a Schnauser are utterly irrelevant when there was no one else around to compare speed to or who would have the temerity to actually beat me!



My day had begun with a lovely morning with my family, followed by a coffee at Fidels with Tim Wilding. Then I went into the shop and I got as much work out of the way as I could, before deciding I absolutely wouldn't miss out on a ride on this of all days. I changed into my slightly too snug superhero suit, jumped aboard my Bianchi and headed out the door. I headed south through Island Bay, then east around the South Coast to do an anti-clockwise loop.

As a kid growing up in Wellington from the age of four, it took a bicycle ride at sixteen to open up the Miramar Peninsula and South Coast to me. As my Mum couldn't drive and my Dad was very much an urbanite, the old Sunday drive didn't exist for us and I was utterly oblivious to the existence of these roads. Until the slightly traumatic ride I talk about in my eulogy to Roland I don't think I'd even really thought of riding around there, but by the time I'd finally dipped my toe clips in the racing scene it was rapidly becoming a second home to me...



Of course in the intervening thirty years I've since ridden around the Bays a million times, and ever since those first laps I have always found the South Coast to be a very soulful place. The happy memories of that first race are sweet, but these roads on which I've also taken countless other formative rides are also my favourite place to escape the world and just let the wheels of my mind turn - it's amazing how a bike ride can lend clarity to thought just through the simple action of pedalling. Not to mention that the whole Bays Loop is just so visually breathtaking I feel a need to appreciate its unintentional artistry as often as I possibly can...



After my Great Imaginary Victory I wobbled slowly along Cobham Drive trying desperately to get my breath under control and my heartrate back down, before parking up in the sun under the Zephyrometer for a moment or two before heading back to work...



While I'd been riding around imagining my wheels were passing over the historic roads of bike racing, my friend Mike's wheels actually were. A few weeks ago I packed up his Condor for a trip to Europe. He took some classic shots which I've taken the liberty of ripping off his Friendster account...

The Condor being unpacked in Morzine.



I was rapt to hear there'd been no damage inflicted to this cool bike either leaving or returning to NZ despite the best efforts of the world's baggage handlers...



Mike warming up with a gentle spin around Lake Geneva.



Morzine is a gateway to many of the Legendary Climbs of the Tour de France. Among other climbs Mike rode up Avoriaz...



...and he left my mark on the Joux-Plane as inspiration to future generations of climber.



The Holy Grail of climbs for most roadies is the mythical Alpe d'Huez, and Mike rode it on his last day. Each of the 21 hairpin turns that take this 14km climb up to over 1800 metres is named for a previous winner of a stage up there - such famous names as Coppi, Armstrong, Bugno, Hampsten and and last year's winner Carlos Sastre have won this iconic and Tour defining climb.

Mike took shots of the late Portugese victor Joaquim Agostinho's marker...



...and the great Bernard Hinault's one at Corner 11.



Mike finished his ferocious assault on l'Alpe with an equally ferocious attack on a very well deserved Coke. I like the casual placement of the eponymous jersey too...Good stuff, mate!



While still on the international tip, I haven't had much news from the Jazz Apples to pass on but I know they're heading into the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia tonight our time, so I want to wish them the very best of luck.

I know Ruth Corset has some stomping form after she got a fine 4th place in the Montreal round of the Women's World Cup behind winner Emma Pooley. Ruth was on National duty for Australia in that race, but rejoins the Jazz Apples for what is widely regarded as the premier North American one day road race.

Ruth in Montreal (photo courtesy of Bridie O'Donnell)



Despite the week being shortened by the Queen's Birthday holiday, as well as the Oli Birthday one of course, I still managed to get through some work. I'm sure I did more than just two jobs, but I must have been so busy I neglected to take many pics...



I serviced my good friend (and best dentist in Wellington!) Tony's Giant TCR. It needed a new drivetrain and cables, as well as a bearing in the rear hub - now it's in great shape.



I also fitted the two pairs of wheels I built Martin to his cool Schwinn Peloton. This Reynolds 853 frame was repainted by the late Ross Bee. Martin's Ksyriums are getting on a bit, so he wanted to build up some wheels that better suited the character of this machine. A pair of 2.91kg (complete with tyres, cassette and q/r) 32 hole Ultegra training wheels...



...and a pair of 2.39 kg complete Dura-Ace 28 hole race wheels were fitted, each pair set up to mesh perfectly with the gears and brakes without adjustment, and with a noticeable weight loss between both wheelsets.



On Friday I added a pair of FSA Wing Pro compact handlebars to this lovely bicycle.



During the week I was lucky enough to be able to grab several other opportunities to ride. On Tuesday morning I had to deliver a bike to a client and pick up some rims of Jonty at Revolution Bicycles, so I combined those missions with a great fun solo MTB ride up Makara Peak. I parked at Karori Park and headed up St Albans, Rimu, AMP Connector, down SWIGG and Starfish, back up Koru and then an absolutely awesome blast down the delightfully flowy Lazy Fern.



After the week was done I took advantage of yet another cracker of a Wellington winter's day to head out with my friend Alex for a ride on Saturday afternoon. We drove up to Standen Street in Karori, parked up, then meandered through the back streets to Karori Park. A bit of a bike push followed as we headed up the old DH Nationals course and onto Wahine. As we headed up the first switchbacks we were caught by the esteemed Simon Kennett and David Drake, who were finishing off a good loop of trails with a run down the Cemetery Trail - it was nice to bump into them.

From there Al and I wandered along Skyline, dodging cow poo, cows and bovine walkers until we too reached the turn off that took us down to the Cemetery Trail.

We fully had the flow on, so we took full advantage of the ideal conditions and had a fantastic run down this cool Trail of Many Flavours.

Al pinning the fast open part of CT near the top...



...and navigating one of the little ups near the end of this sweet singletrack.



We ended up back at the car both feeling like we had had a really great ride - Al even said one of the best in recent times, and I certainly don't disagree with him. Like my birthday road ride it was serene, inspiring and interspersed with enough action to make me feel truly alive. It certainly wasn't a long ride by some standards, but on top of the three others I managed over the week it sure felt like a good effort, and the payback for these efforts can be immeasurable. Sometimes cycling feels like such a gift, and this week I was lucky enough to have been given many gifts...

Thanks for reading, Oli

Our Toil's Obscure...

So it's definitely been one of those weeks. I haven't got much work done, that's for sure. On Friday family and friends gathered to farewell my old boss Roland at a great service full of laughs, tears, poetry, and even a wee dram.

I was privileged to speak, and I hope no one minds me posting my words...

Hi, my names Oli. I worked with Roland at the famed Bicycle Village through the early to mid '80s.

It seems funny standing here eulogising Roland - it's the sort of thing he'd probably have heckled me for. As we all know he was never one to shy from taking someone down a peg or two...

To my great regret it's been way too long a time since I had a chance to catch up with him, so I really don't know if he'd mellowed much - it's honestly hard to imagine. When I think of Roland it's his combative nature that first springs to mind. Being around him was sometimes bloody hard work, but also could be incredibly rewarding.

Roland was the first man to give me a full-time job and was a major influence on the beginnings of my life in cycling, but he was also the first man I ever yelled "I quit!" to, and the first man to ever make me cry. On one of my first big rides with him I was way past my abilities and ready to give up, and I was moaning and bleating until he looked me in the eye in that way he did and said, "Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING?" Well if I wasn't before I was now! "Get on your bike and RIDE!" I finished off that ride, and use that story to this day to motivate (and amuse) my kids...

Another thing I took away from Roland was his egalitarian nature - he could relate to almost anybody, so long as they could handle his testing out banter. I also marvelled at the way he came up with scheme after plan after plot - not all of them worked, of course, but lots of them did and many of his ideas were visionary. The enthusiasm with which he'd pursue these plans was infectious and exciting to be around.

But the most important thing I remember about Roland was his great sense of humour. I think about his quick wit and big laugh, and also how well he took it when the tables were turned on him. He managed a chuckle when I superglued his pipe and matches to his desk, and even when Henry fired the fire extinguisher under the toilet door. He wasn't quite so keen when I put explosives in his pipe and burned his brand-new shirt though!

Anyway, like all of us who knew Roland I benefitted in many ways from his friendship, and I will always be grateful for it...

Roland, you're an offy man.

But before all this, my work week (and most of the preceding one!) had already been severely curtailed by a nasty cold that swept the family. Due to the up and down nature of the lurg I wasn't really able to take any bookings, but I still had to spend a few hours in the shop over the week just waiting around for couriers, bike drop-offs and pick-ups. While there I did my best to make myself useful, so I coughed and wheezed and knocked out a few bits and pieces...

First I fitted a new rim to Jonty's White Industries "ENO" hub.



I didn't really have to do anything to this Diamondback V-Link, but seeing as it was in the shop I gave it a quick check over anyway. Retro-fully cool.





In the days when the Tip Track was briefly regarded as a downhill, this machine was hurtled down there at rapid speeds. One of the challenges of riding this rough rutted track was keeping the chain on the cogs; here is a classic example of one of the favoured chain retention devices of the era, fitted onto a classic mid-90s XT drivetrain.



As bike shop guys/fetishists know, the best way to keep in touch with your passion and your head in the game when you're unable to ride is by swapping parts between bikes to create another one entirely, or to just alter an existing one imperceptibly. Going with both options at once I decided I would tweak my Bianchi road bike a smidgen, while also building up an entirely new bike for myself.

I did this by completely stripping my Hillbrick down and building up my spare Bianchi frame which was sitting there collecting dust in the unlikely event I ever cracked my first one. As I only ride it about three times a year I figured this is probably unlikely, and the spare frame is better off being ridden the twelve times a year my Hillbrick gets ridden...plus the idea of owning a brace of lovely steel Bianchis appealed.

As I didn't have a long window I decided I would use this job as a bit of a test for seeing how fast I could do a full frame swap, imagining I might have to do this for an athlete on a race one day. Please note that I wouldn't dare rush a client's bike like this, but I completely stripped down the Hillbrick in about 12 minutes...



...and I had my new Bianchi built up 78 minutes later including new gear cables and pulling a derailleur off my original Bianchi, making a total of 90 minutes - if this was at a race the hotel bar would still be open, YUSS!



As I said, I had pulled the derailleur off my old Bianchi. This was because for a long time I've been feeling that the carbon Record one just didn't gel with the look of the rest of the bike, so on went it's old 1995 Chorus one giving my "retro Bianchi" a more authentic Gewiss-period appearance.



Now I has TWO of them!





All this Italian bike frottage had me in the perfect mood for the job I have been looking forward to for weeks. While I've worked on a few Campagnolo 11 speed bikes I haven't had the chance to build one from the ground up yet, so when Mark asked me to build up his Colnago C50 a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance and rushed out and bought the chain tool especially!

When he dropped off the goods, it turned out he remembered me from the Bicycle Village and he'd bought his first real road bike (a Klein) off Roland! I don't know what the odds are on this total coincidence, but it seemed oddly apt and very right in light of where I'd be the next day.

After a good chat about days gone by Mark left me a large pile of droolworthy carbon and aluminium fruit...



...which I s l o w l y and carefully assembled one piece at a time. Usually Colnagos are a bit of a nightmare of frame prep but the C50 was very well prepped already, making my work much easier.



I pulled out my tool.



To connect the chain around the eleven beautifully machined cogs.



The new lever shape is growing on me over time, and it's definitely a better fit ergonomically.



If anything, the new 11 speed Campagnolo was easier to set up than any of the 9 or 10 speed gruppos I've worked on from all of the manufacturers - certainly when brand new the precision of the shift was the most positive and accurate I've ever felt. I guess time will tell whether it's finickety to keep tuned, although that's definitely not been a Campag trait in the past.

One more shot of the drivetrain.....mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....



When I had to finish up on Thursday we were still waiting for the handlebar tape to arrive from Auckland, so I took a shot as is.



After suicidally standing around for hours on the sidelines of my kid's soccer fields on the coldest Saturday morning in recorded memory (it snowed to sea level in Wellington this weekend!) I rendezvoused with a similarly afflicted Mark to add the handlebar tape and finish off his gorgeous Colnago.

Done. Cheers Mark, and may you get many, many kilometres of enjoyment out of this very cool Colnago!





Hopefully this week I'll be able to find some more fun stuff to show you. Until then, thanks for reading, Oli

Roland Hoffe

My old friend and boss at the famed Bicycle Village Roland Hoffe passed away suddenly on the 18th of May.

Please note that his service is being held in Wellington this Friday morning (29th May) at 11am at the Lychgate Chapel, on the corner of Aro and Willis Streets.

If you knew Roland, please come along - it would be great to see a good turn out to mark the life and the passing of this remarkable man.

Cheers, Oli

Blurry Vision

Bleurgh! It's entirely possible I'm dying - certainly I feel like I've been strangled by a Romulan renegade then had my head stuffed with mud. I'm going to take advantage of a sick day to whack out a quick update of what's been going on in the workshop.

I built up this lovely set of wheels for my man Jono. Stans Arch rims on Hadley hubs with DT Competition spokes make for a light (750 f and 960 r) but strong wheelset for his new Turner DW 5-Spot.



I gave Alex's old steel KHS a ruddy good going over. Like Grandad's axe there's little of the original bike left, but it's all good retro fare and, while his steamer bike is on the slip, it's a great weapon of choice for Al. Certainly the retro tech doesn't seem to be slowing him down any!



After giving Colin's Serotta TiMax a going over a couple of weeks ago it was the turn of his cool 20th anniversary Rocky Mountain Element. This bike has seen adventure racing action all over the world!



I gave this EMC2 Team Equipe a service, as well as giving the Dura-Ace wheels a 1000km check.



Regular readers of this blog (hi sis!) may recall Mark's RIH frame I have been slowly building up after Walter Thorburn gave it a lick of paint. Last week I received a parcel from NZ Ambrosio distributor Cycle Sport that contained these cool NOS Ambrosio Synthesis tubular rims in 36 hole.



So I grabbed my Autosol and polished up the Campagnolo Record Pista hubs. Note the difference between the polished and unpolished hubs.



Once they were both polished to a high sheen then given a coat of Turtle Wax...



It was time to build them up. Nothing fancy, just good old sturdy three-cross DT Comp with brass nipples.



Once the wheels were constructed I fitted the tyres to the rims without glue, blew them up and left them overnight. This is to ensure the tyre is sound, as you don't get warranty on faulty ones with glue on them, as well as to stretch the tyre a bit making it easier to install.



Then it was time to glue the tubs on. Unlike the Mavic GEL280 I showed last week, the Ambrosios are pre-roughened to help the glue adhere - this saved some sore forearms!
First, I wipe the rim surface with isopropyl alcohol to prevent any grease or oily residue corrupting the bond between glue and rim. Then it's an even coat of tubular cement on the rim, as well as the base tape of the tyre. I let this dry fully overnight.



The next day I put another coat on the rim and let that one dry too. That evening I added the fourth coat, which I let dry until it's tacky before carefully installing the tyre. Once the tyre is on the rim I take some time to make sure it's as straight on the rim as possible, then blow it up to about two-thirds max pressure and kind of roll the wheels around with my body weight on the axles to compress the tyre onto the rim as much as I can. Then we're sorted!



Once the wheels were ready, it was time to fit them to the bike. I'd already fitted the forks, bars, cranks and saddle so once the wheels were on it would just be a matter of joining the chain and all done!



Or so I thought - once the wheels were in it became quickly apparent that what I thought was just a slightly rough headset was actually binding yet still with play. This is where the true beauty of the track bike came into play; because there are no brake or gear lever cables on the bars it's a five minute job to strip the forks back out - I wish it had taken me five minutes to discover what the problem was!

After not finding anything immediately obvious, and going as far as removing the cups from the frame and checking my headtube prep, I was mystified - the bearing surfaces on the 1960's Campagnolo headset were pristine, the headtube was clean and faced, the crown was good, and everything seemed to line up perfectly. It wasn't until I began reinstalling the headset I found that a loose ball had somehow come adrift in the steerer tube and was causing the problems. I had checked inside the steerer, but obviously a bit too casually...

I fitted the front wheel and the bike was ready. Another very cool bike I've been fortunate enough to work on - cheers, Mark.



On Thursday evening I had a quick visit from my great friend Paul Larkin. In town for a conference, he dropped me two more very cool bikes to work on. I got my first glimpse of the stunning Santa Cruz Blur Carbon XC frame, which belongs to another one of my good buddies, National Singlespeed Champion Tim Wilding.



I like the asymmetrical paintjob, and no pic can do justice to the beautiful carbon weave under the thick coat of clear lacquer...



The other bike was one that I've blogged before but never actually touched (I did build the wheels however) - Pete's lovely Eddy Merckx Corsa 01, expertly built up by Paul at Roadworks Rotorua Service Course.



The next morning I built up the Blur - with Tim's bike sponsor being the delightful Mike Stylianou of Santa Cruz and Ibis importer Hyperformance Hardware I am blessed to be able to fettle fine frames like this on a fairly regular basis. Choice.



The carbon linkages were stunningly wrought...



And the bike turned out great. Sans grips but including pedals it weighed in at an honest 22.97lb/10.42kg - not bad for an L size 100/105mm travel bike!



Once I'd knocked this build off, and while I waited to catch up with Paul, Tim and Dave, I gave Pete's Eddy Merckx a look over. Since Paul built it up it's had a few k's so I spent some time tweaking it before stepping back and simply admiring it. Built up with 10 speed Campag Centaur with the new shaped levers and the Record/Open Pro wheels I built for it last year it has a classic yet current look about it...





I handed the Blur over to Tim after we'd all rendezvoused at Satay Village for dinner, and said goodnight expecting to meet him and the rest of the crew for a ride the next day up Makara Peak. Unfortunately, my total dread of riding Deliverance and Ridgeline in the wet with a bunch of hard-outs brought on a convenient yet no less unwelcome sore throat and pounding head the following morning. No, there wasn't rum involved! I got as far as getting dressed and pumping my tyres up before realising I was not going anywhere.

Caleb from Spoke Magazine was going along to take some pics of Timmy for the mag too. It sounded like they had a great time catching up with the awesomeness that is Wellitrack, so I'm quite happy for all our sakes that I wasn't there to slow them down! Great to catch up with both Tim and Paul anyway...

Talking of Spoke Magazine, issue 32 has just hit the newsstands, and I am proud to have an article in there. Please grab a copy and check it out.

Despite feeling pretty grim, I worked on Monday. I had several things to do, the first of which was set up Grant's new singlespeed taster. He'd picked the bike up for $16 at the recycling centre. The forks it was fitted with were 1" with a mis-matched headset sort of holding them into the 1 1/8" frame. I decided to donate some old Marin rigid forks I had lying around, along with a used but serviceable headset and Jacq's old Amoeba stem. I also provided the new Tektro brake levers and an old Dura-Ace 16t sprocket, while Grant supplied the rest of the kit. After swapping chainsets and fitting the v-brakes, repairing the broken spoke in the rear wheel and spacing the DA cog, this is how it turned out.



Detail of the chain tensioner - I played with all different combinations of chain length and pulley configuration before settling on this set-up. After his first outing Grant tells me the bike rides sweet in a 44 x 16 gear.



This brings me up to yesterday, where I built a bunch of wheels and tweaked 152 nipples! Martin tasked me with building him two sets of wheels for his late 90s 853 Schwinn Peloton - a decent set of training wheels and a nice set of lighter race wheels. To keep in character with the frame Martin didn't want deeps or built up wheelsets, so after some discussion we opted for Mavic Open Pro rims for both sets.

The training wheels would be laced up on 32 hole Ultegra hubs using the standard 3 cross pattern with DT Competition spokes and brass nipples for all-weather reliability, and ease of service and parts. These wheels came out at 1880 grams.



Whereas the race wheels would be constructed using 28 hole Dura-Ace 7900 hubs. I laced them both with DT Revolution spokes - radial for the front wheel and 2 cross for the rear. Laterally and rotationally stiffer than the training wheels, and at 1560g quite a lot lighter too. Very nice, and both pairs together cost less than the price of many aftermarket wheelsets.



I only managed one ride last week. In training mode for the imminent visit of T-Rex and Warrant Officer Larkin, I took advantage of a spare mid-week morning to have a lovely scoot up Koru and Sally Alley to the start of Missing Link, then a great run down Ridgeline Extension and old favourite SWIGG and Starfish. A cold but fine day all too rare, but amazing to see how well the Makara trails were holding up in the middle of a sustained wet spell...



That's all I've got this week, so I'll now retire to bed with my hot lemon and honey. CU soon, Oli

Late edit: I had some very sad news this afternoon. My first boss and mentor in the cycling trade, and one of the seminal male figures in my life, Roland Hoffe passed away this morning. While we weren't really in regular touch my world was a better place with Roland in it. I'll miss him.