Friday, May 23, 2014

VAR crank puller



since learning that TA and Stronglight 
require their own tools I've 
been on the hunt.
thanks to Hilary Stone, I'm now the proud owner of a dual TA/British crank tool and
VAR is something of a legendary brand in bike tools 
so I'm happy on both fronts.
the tool itself is reassuringly heavy, 
with beautiful, crisp threads.

Wish I Could Be There


Sunday, May 18, 2014

Are you a knobule?


this picture made my day
I found it in the dictionary under
"schadenfreude"

but seriously 
it's not just the 'tragedy' of so much mangled plastic,
if you routinely portage your bike on or in your car
you are a dickhead
if you drive your bike places to ride to
you are stupid
and deserve everything that the bicycle-industrial complex
sells at you

the essence of amateur is having to
or choosing to
ride to the race
race
then ride home again

that's a kind of class that is rarely seen these days


A clean drive train is to celebrated and photographed


























or it might just disappear under a layer of grime when the rain comes

if my bike was clean but no-one blogged about it
did it really happen?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Viscount Aerospace Pro with Panaracer Pasela folding 27 x 1" Tourguard tyres or tires if you will





search engine optimised heading
so I can sit back and watch the stats go through the roof as Russians and Venezuelans search for my bikes

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Aerospace xSportx Pro part deux


more pics
sign of how little this bike has been used
and how well stored
by the little rusting on steel parts like cable hangers


some perishing of brake hoods but still well serviceable


a little bit of a shoddy job by the worker who braised the BB shell
but finally I know why my Supa Sport has the redundant little cable-guide braised on
to the lower left hand side of the down tube
it's actually a cable stop for the Titlist front derailleur
DA fronts came with their own clamp-on cable guide for both front and rear mech cables...



like here....................................................................................................^



original suede saddle
miles will tell...


splinched pic again



the whole beast

Friday, May 2, 2014

new, almost literally, Viscount Aerospace Pro


so just bought a very original, close to mint condition VA Pro
check out the amazeballs


lived in a shed all its life apparently


lambert brake lever
rubber half-hoods a bit perished but still very serviceable
btw the original brake blocks work really well
i'm seriously thinking of not updating anything....


not even he bar tape
because it's all in such good nick
that stupid orange tape has already come off though



the crane shifts very fast and even tighter than the NOS ones I've had on Supa Sport
integrated derailleur hanger but alas
no adjuster screws :(


probably the best single indication of how little this bike has been ridden
is there any wear on those teeth? cos I can't see it


this picture got splinched during whilst apperating to cyberspace
finally I get to see the mysterious patina of the Titlist front mech
for myself


this pic badly splinched as well
the only thing wrong with the whole bike is
the head set is a little stiff


could be a type 2 or 3 fork
haven't done the magnet test yet
original IRC tyres
27 x 1, 1/8


probably the other indicators of use
or lack therof
both pedal dust caps present
and the Lambert straps have zero perishing or drying out of the leather
more pics soon