“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Pricey Readers – Our beloved colleague and buddy Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t count on Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the total put up right here – and please contemplate donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a collection of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
Ed’s New Bike: Ed Hood liked the ‘race in opposition to time’ and had a cutting-edge low-pro bike for his battles with the clock. Father Time catches up with us all, however that love of biking by no means wanes, so an e-bike is the proper reply as Ed came upon.
Alf Engers on his Shorter
I liked my 70’s Shorter, ‘Alf Engers reproduction’ time trial bike; however issues have been altering, drilling was not the highway to journey – the world had gone, ‘lo professional.’ By the 80’s then it was time to maneuver on and the pilgrimage was duly undertaken to the hallowed environment of Condor Cycles in London, with my mentor Stewart Sutherland – a faithful ‘Condor Man’ and our buddy, John Montgomery.
Condor Cycles – London
Notoriously grumpy ex-pro – and winner of two six day races: London and Montreal – Tony Gowland was behind the counter and a younger man was making an attempt to purchase a 12 sprocket for his freewheel; “look son, there are about six guys in the entire of Britain can flip a kind of – and also you’re not one in all them!” Tony defined to the disillusioned teen.
The late Monty Younger
Luckily, my rendezvous was with Condor founder and bicycle building royalty, the late Monty Younger who amongst others had constructed frames for World Skilled Pursuit Champion, Hugh Porter, six day star, Graeme Gilmore and prime British time tester, John Pritchard. Stewart had drawn the body up primarily based on my place on the Shorter and after an extended session with an extremely educated and affected person Monty, the body was ordered. It was constructed by legendary builder Vic Edwards, in a small workshop in Crow Lane, Romford, Essex – he additionally constructed frames below his personal ‘Rondinella’ [Italian for ‘swallow’] marque – and so they have been gems.
Suntour barend levers – Made for gears not brakes
Mine was constructed from Reynolds 753 – which the tube producer wouldn’t promote to only any builder, potential clients needed to do a check and in the event that they handed they gained certification from Reynolds, which allowed them to purchase the tubes. Lugs needed to be silver soldered with 753 and on my body they have been filed proper again, clearances have been tight with the rear drop outs dealing with again to allow the rear wheel to tuck tight in opposition to the seat tube. Staring on the prime, my derriere perched upon a Saba superlight saddle which sat atop a Shimano Dura Ace seat pillar which seemed ‘kinda aero’ – we have been simply starting to get into all that, again then. Initially I had a ‘flat’ handlebar extension of Japanese origin which I can’t keep in mind however finally went for an extended, sloping Cinelli 1a stem which gave me a greater place. The expander and pinch bolts have been Saba super-light substitutions. Handlebars have been inverted and chopped Cinelli 66 with inside cable routing, initially I had Campagnolo handlebar gear management levers working the brakes however modified to Suntour levers.
Suntour bar-end gear levers – Perhaps not the very best brake levers
The foundations said that you simply needed to have two independently operable brakes on the bike however didn’t stipulate that you simply had have one on the entrance and one on the again so I had each brakes on the entrance crown – a stupendous however hopelessly ineffectual Modolo Kronos on the entrance and a ‘chopped’ Weinmann 500 on a brazed-on spigot behind the crown. Slowing down was at all times attention-grabbing, verging on inconceivable with the handlebar management levers. The gear lever – to a boss on prime of the down tube, with the gear cable hid contained in the body – was initially a Saba resin job however they saved breaking so I fitted a filed and polished Campagnolo lever. The rear mechanism was a super-light Huret ‘Jubilee’. These had been fitted to the Raleigh ‘Euro Staff’ bikes again within the early 70’s however inside weeks the photographs within the ‘Biking Weekly’ journal revealed that the workforce members have been becoming their very own Campagnolo rear mechanisms – the Jubilee merely less than the rigours of north European skilled bike racing – they have been nice for a ten mile time trial although. . .
Campagnolo’s titanium backside bracket
The underside bracket was a Campagnolo titanium quantity which required cautious becoming and adjustment as a result of the cups have been so ‘comfortable’, the tip bolts and chainring fixing bolts have been all substitute, mild alloy Saba parts. Cranks have been stunning Campagnolo 177.5mm ‘Pistas’ with Campagnolo ‘black observe’ pedals Christophe alloy toe clips and toe straps, the latter having alloy buckles. I at all times ran Sedis chains as a result of there have been by no means any issues with them meshing with an alien freewheel. Tubulars have been by Wolber, 16mm part on Assos ‘aero’ rims with bladed, radial, stainless spokes; small flange hubs – with mud caps eliminated and lubed with Teflon spray – have been by Campagnolo with titanium substitute spindles – you needed to set these up in order that they have been barely ‘lose’ earlier than you engaged the fast launch as a result of the ‘comfortable’ titanium axles compressed while you clamped them. The skewer adjusters have been once more by Saba, in black alloy. A six velocity Maillard alloy 12 up freewheel with a 57 tooth Campagnolo chain ring accomplished the spec.
With ‘correct’ brakes
However that was the 80’s and that is 2021; there have been loads of years with no critical biking and a contact of Spinal Stenosis hasn’t helped issues with even the trip to the paper store on the ‘fixie’ laborious work on the little climb out of the village. However being as obsessed as I’m with bicycles and bike racing I missed being out within the countryside on a pleasant machine, a lot.
If it’s adequate for Sean Yates…
What to do?
The vast majority of the electrical bikes I checked out had all method of lumps bumps and protuberances and have been merely not ‘cred’ – I could also be outdated and never as slender as I used to be however I nonetheless should look the half. The ‘Eureka’ second got here after I noticed an image of Sean Yates astride a Ribble ‘e’ bike. Not a lump, bump or protuberance to be seen.
Good for the Scottish Highlands
How come?
The battery is contained in the down tube and the motor is within the rear hub; to all however essentially the most educated observer it seemed similar to any fashionable highway machine. There’s a factor – a ‘highway machine’, however I stay on the Fife Coastal Path and have a notion to trip the off highway, ‘Pilgrims Means’ from pretty Culross to stunning Saint Andrews. I subsequently duly confess then I’ve ‘gone gravel’ – I do know what you’re considering, ‘your curmudgeon mentor, Vik isn’t going to love that!’
Fairly blissful on the Fife coast
An ‘e’ gravel bike with disc brakes – sure, that’s gonna be a troublesome dialog. . . Barney’s spec. – , Barney Ribble – Barney Rubble? –is somewhat completely different from the Condor. The body is 6061-T6 aluminium with a carbon fork and LEVEL 56 headset. The groupset is the Shimano top quality cable operated GRX RX 810 with 1 x 11 transmission and flat mount GRX hydraulic discs. The chain is by well-known Japanese specialists, KMC. The saddle is a Fizik Taiga S-Alloy Rails on a Stage 3 Inline 27.2 mm Carbon Monocoque seat put up.
Sufficient gears for any hill
Handlebars and extension are by LEVEL clad with LEVEL tape. Wheels are Mavic Allroad 650b DCL shod with WTB Sendero rubber. We’ll not get in to the load however suffice to say it’s round twice what the Condor was – however then all of the watts going by way of the drive practice on the Condor we’re right down to yours really. While the Ribble blurb tells me;
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‘A glossy and light-weight MAHLE SmartBike Methods X35+ hub drive motor and a Panasonic 250Wh battery hidden inside the frames downtube offers as much as 250W of help to every pedal stroke, all on the press of a button. The additional help feels as pure as a non-powered gravel bike and can show you how to to effortlessly navigate the hardest off-road terrain or conquer any climb.’
That’ll do for me! What’s that? How do the underside gears examine? Nicely, the Condor’s was 57 x 17, Barney’s is 40 x 40 – but it surely’s 33 years since final I rode the Condor.
How does Barney trip? Watch this area. . .
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