First Ride

After weeks of recuperation, I began to ease my way into work via spending some time in the shop fettling my Bianchi into a state worthy of my imminent attempt at yet another "comeback". Just being in the Batcave twiddling my spanners was a great feeling, and working on my own machine was enjoyable, if somewhat frustrating as I knew I was still a while away from being able to actually ride it. I figured once I was able to ride I'd be best to ease into things, so to that end I removed my 53 x 39t chainset and cleaned up the bottom bracket...



...then fitted my spare 50 x 34t compact cranks. Together with the 12-26 cassette on my "training wheels" I thought I should have gearing low enough to be able to cope with any small rise and gentle headwind I may encounter on my initial loops.



While I was at it, I swapped out a carbon headset spacer and fitted my new Bike Pure one - a great cause and a little bit bling to boot!



Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't take some more photos of random parts of my bike:

Headtube.



Downtube logo. I know wearing the World Champion colours isn't cool if you aren't actually a World Champion, but I justify it to myself tenuously by proudly having worked for the NZ MTB Team that won gold through 2006 Junior World DH Champion Cameron Cole.



Pantographed bottom bracket shell and Campagnolo Super Record b/b cup - I can't afford the gruppo so this small taste of SR goodness suffices in the meantime.



Columbus Squadra Corse top tube sticker.



A couple of my rough and ready Humbrol touch-ups on the seat cluster of my trusty old steed. From a metre away you don't even notice at all how battered she actually is.



And, because you wanted it, the top cap of my headset! YUSS!



According to strict instructions from Nurse Jacq I was supposed to wait a few more days until the proscribed six weeks since my op had passed, but a chance to have an easy ride on a windless day was too rare an opportunity to let slide by and, on the spur of the moment (and once she wasn't around!), I deemed that the time was right for my maiden voyage. Nearly eight weeks after I rode one of my bicycles I finally threw my leg over one again - and by threw, I mean slowly and carefully struggled to climb aboard in the manner of a very old man.



In an ostentatious display of overkill considering the ride I planned to undertake, I decided to dress in full roadie regalia, including the stylee new Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop shorts that my friend Ben had very kindly scored for me on a recent trip to Texas. When I last rode it was in the height of summer, but today's autumnal conditions called for arm and leg warmers, mitts and even my gilet...



Somewhat apprehensively I wobbled off down the road...



But it wasn't long at all before I was able to revel in the much-missed sensation of the world passing beneath my wheels - I was riding!! I trundled down through Island Bay, getting a cheery shout as I passed through the shops from Mat of Floyd's fame. Feeling appallingly slow and unsteady but otherwise not too bad, I hit Island Bay and paused just long enough to create another of my winning panoramas...



After a short breather and physical stocktake I set off again around my beloved South Coast around to the Owhiro Bay visitors centre, and my planned turnaround point.



I leaned on my machine and daydreamed of the day that my CX bike will carry me around to Devil's Gate.



Then I looked east towards Baring Head. All I see are places I want to ride.





Feeling surprisingly stuffed, I took the chance to regroup by taking my first look at the relatively new Te Kopahou Reserve/Red Rocks visitor centre.



My Bianchi is sure looking mighty fine, if I say so myself...



...fine enough that I was worried about leaving her outside when I realised that there was lots of fascinating info I'd like to peruse within.



It's a very cool little "museum" that's well worth checking out if you get the chance.



Once I had had a wander around I set off for home, visibly pleased with my efforts so far.



Yes, it's true - I am the Master of the Self Pic. After 45 minutes for a ride that should take twenty, I made it slowly but safely home, tired but happy as hell to have finally got out for a spin.



I write this blog today in lieu of cycling again, as I now feel like I've done about three hundred sit-ups. My core clearly needs a lot more time until I'm even back to the poor level I was at pre-hernia, but I'll work on it. It's amazing how weak and unstable I felt; simply standing to pedal was most discombuberating, with a sudden onset of weaving and unsteadiness most uncharacteristic of my usual road bike handling skill levels. In light of that and today's discomfort, I think will leave my next ride for a few days...

Until then, thanks for reading. Cheers, Oli

Chas King Prendero

From what little I think I know, Chas King was a plumber who emigrated from the UK in the 50s bringing his love for the English club cycling scene with him. Using his fitting and turning skills to build frames for a few of his new-found Antipodean clubmates turned into building them for the general public. If anyone has further information on this fine chap I'd be grateful for it.

Mr King built this cool old track bike that I have inherited. My dear friend Wheels had dragged it out from a basement all covered in rust and cobwebs, and he was going to take it to the tip but offered it to me first. Being a sucker for an old steel bike I snatched it off him and took it back to the Batcave to give it a good look over. The first thing I discovered is that it is almost millimetre-perfectly the size I would order if I was getting a custom track iron! I was initially going to get the prolific Ross Bee to repaint it but, after giving it a wire brush down and blowing all the crap out from inside the tubes, I decided I really liked it the way it is - Yehuda Moon's term "beausage" sums it up nicely.



The bubbling paint looks pretty bad in this shot, but the many coats of wax I've covered it with are preventing it from deteriorating further and, despite the tatty painwork, the Reynolds 531 frame seems to have held up fine from it's poor treatment. "Superleggera" is perhaps a bit of a misnomer, as this isn't the lightest steel track frame in the world, but the words "Made in NZ" on a headbadge are always great to see.



A Zues 2001 fork crown holds stout and stiff round fork blades below the still mint original Campagnolo steel headset.



An aerial view of the Zues 2001 fork crown.



King's name stamped into the seatstay caps.



A lovely Campagnolo Record aero seatpost would grace any machine.



At least the Cinelli Pista handlebars the bike came with are the correct 26.0mm ones for the mismatched 3ttt stem...



According to the learned David Benson from long-standing cycle wholesaler W.H. Worrall and Co. Ltd. the lugs Chas used are Prugnat ones. Chas used to bring his frames into Worralls for David to complete the tapping, facing and reaming of the bottom brackets and head tubes.



I am fascinated by how textured the steel looks in these macro shots! It truly doesn't look so rough IRL, I assure you...



A gnarly old hard plastic Super Coureur saddle is all you need on the track, and probably withstands the inevitable track rash better than a covered seat - my worst ever "road rash" occurred thirty years ago after a slide from the top of Hataitai Velodrome's banking to the bottom after a puncture, and the only thing damaged worse than my still-scarred hips and elbows was my lovely Concor saddle...



A trusty old Sachs 3/32 PC-80R chain rolls over my drillium Sugino 46t chainring...



...which in turn is bolted to some gorgeous satiny Campagnolo Super Record Pista 165mm cranks.



I'm not sure if the colours of the seat tube bands actually mean anything, but they set the yellow frame off nicely.



The seat cluster and the Campagnolo SP-RE-104 seat binder bolt.



Some old Look pedals from about 1989 connect my feet to the bicycle.



Some major altitude is lost to the drops with this severely angled 58 degree 3ttt stem - probably too much drop for someone of my somewhat bulky build right now, but man it looks cool!



And here it is. The original wheels were missing, so for now it wears the "hoops" I "curated" during my brief flirtation with fixie hipsterdom. Mavic MA3 clincher rims roll 32 deep on Dimension track hubs.



Thanks for reading, and please fire me an email to oli@oli.co.nz if you have any info or questions on this or any other posts - I love hearing from you. Cheers, Oli

Eddy Merckx

In preparation for the 2009 BW family assault on the Round Taupo event I built my beautiful wife Jacq this lovely early 90's Columbus SLX Eddy Merckx. I bought the frame off my friend Declan from the much missed Valley Cycles in Aro Street, and built it up using primarily Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 parts begged, borrowed and stolen.

At some point the frame was restored by the talented Ross Bee, whose sad loss is still keenly felt. Ross here pays tribute to the proud cycling heritage of the eponymous frame builder's home country.



The sexy Easton aluminium Dura-Ace seatpost.



The Dura-Ace 7400 derailleur still looks grouse. This one has been customised by original owner Henry with an SRP alloy and titanium bolt kit.





I still love the look of the old Elite Ciussi bottle cage, with their cool bottle retention "buttons".



The 7400 front derailleur...



...and headset. Note the interesting anti-cable rub device that is pressed in between the lower cup and the frame itself. The Merckx logo on the crown is the sort of neat superfluous detail that is sadly lost in modern frame construction.



The brake bridge also proudly bears the Stamp of God.



The front 7400 caliper. As you can see, I used one of my own stickers on the headtube, as Ross can't have had the correct scan to place a proper Merckx logo. This will do until I can eventually be bothered scanning one myself.



The 3ttt handlebars and stem - incredibly I had a matching pair!





Battered but still perfectly functional DA 7400 STI levers. These were the first "brifters" ever produced, and with one fell swoop they revolutionised gear shifting and arguably affected how racers could time attacks, irrevocably changing road racing to a degree at the same time.





The wheels are Antosh-built Ambrosio Formula 20 Crono tubulars kindly donated to the cause by my buddy Glenn, built onto non-period correct DA 7700 9 speed hubs. The front spokes are radial and the rear radial non-drive/three cross drive-side to build a stiff wheel that is still able counter the fierce torque that pedalling puts through a wheel. The tyres are the venerable Vittoria Corsa CX tubulars.







Et voila! I was unable to procure some 7400 cranks, so the chainset is also from the later Dura-Ace 7700 groupset. The *cough* MTB pedals and Velo saddle are Jacq spec, and best ignored for the purposes of this post.



Hope you are enjoying these detail blogs of my small but much-loved collection of bicycles. Pedal on, Oli.