Genetic Cranium Headset

A quick note on the Genetic Cranium headset. It’s a fairly budget priced and reasonable looking alloy headset for 1″ threaded forks. I bought one for the Falcon when building it up but had a few problems.

In a nutshell it’s a rather loose fitting in the headtube when compared to other (steel) headsets I have tried. In the Falcon and subsequently the Ron Kitching it was impossible to set it up so it didn’t move about in the head tube.

In the end I used it on a cheap NOS frame we were building up. The frame had been chromed after the tube was reamed out so the inside diameter was very tight, so tight it proved impossible to fit a brand new Tange Levin headset, which subsequently we fitted to the Ron Kitching instead.

So in a nutshell – avoid the Genetic Cranium. Spend your money on a Tange Levin steel headset instead – for a few pounds more they are beautifully finished, have an incredible reputation for reliability and reek of quality.

Info for Anoraks

Just starting this page as I was trying to date the Ron Kitching from the Reynolds 531 stickers. Will let it evolve for now.

• A useful couple of pages about Reynolds 531 fork blade construction and an explanation of what the different 531 stickers mean. Our Kitching is the best type – the top left sticker…
• Just started a project with one of my girls and I’m going to need to get short cranks for her as she’s only 9. Useful info at Myra Simon’s blog.
• From Myra’s blog I found Highpath Engineering (UK) who do crank shortening for kids and other bike component work. Brilliant.

Singlespeed Project: Taking Stock

Right… it’s all got a bit mad lately. What with drunkenly buying tandems, rescuing bikes from trees, plus giving the commuters some TLC before winter hits us I almost can’t keep up. On top of that the bike I thought was a Carlton, then a Dawes is actually, really truly, a Falcon. The more I think about that the more I like it. I just find Dawes as a brand to be a bit bland and unexciting. The lovely frame I had seemed an unlikely Dawes indeed.

The Mavic Open Pro rims arrived from Chain Reaction today. They look stunning in silver and I now see what they mean about the double eyeleted spoke holes. The eyelet extends through the outer skin of the rim and attaches to the inner skin. This means that the spoke will pull directly on the inner and outer skin together, probably twice as strong as just eyeleted to the outer skin.

Anyway, so where am I with the project? I have:

1. Frame + forks. In need of paint stripping and a respray, plus the rear brake bridge is a bit squashed out of shape but should knock back to round. But fundamentally sound.
2. Hubs. Suntour Superbe Pro 32H (still attached to tubular rims). Separated from freewheel and set up with a fixed 14t sprocket and locknut.
3. Cranks. Suntour Superbe Pro. Still attached to worn Sugino double chainrings but in excellent condition.
4. Bottom Bracket. Campagnolo. Correct thread for frame and confirmed correct taper for the cranks.
5. Rims. Mavic Open Pro 32H silver. Brand new and ready to assemble.
6. Stem. 3TTT 1″ threaded alloy stem (NOS).
7. Bars. Dawes alloy drop bars. Confirmed correct fit for the 3TTT stem and already assembled.
8. Headset. New Cranium alloy 1″ threaded headset. Already loosely fitted to bike.
9. Seatpost. Fluted alloy seatpost – came with bike. Probably not original but looks nice. Keep.
10. Brakes. I have the Acor long reach rear double pivot brake and also an Alhonga front brake which looks similar (got it very cheap on eBay).
11. Brake levers. Old Weinmann alloy levers.
12. Stainless steel inner brake cables.

I need to get:

1. Spokes. I need 64 new spokes. Probably Sapim, about 35p each. Also need brass nipples. That sounds all wrong…
2. Chainring. I’ll get a 44t 1/8″ polished alloy VeloSolo track chainring 130mm BCD.
3. Sprocket. I used Sheldon’s calculator to work out that with 44t on 700c rims I probably want a 16 or 17 tooth rear sprocket. I’ll buy one of each in cheap steel from VeloSolo (about £4) and try them out. When I am satisfied I’ll probably get a better one.
4. Chain. Get a SRAM or KMC 1/8″ chain. Probably. There seem to be some specialist chain producers in this niche that get a following.
5. Saddle. I’d like a Brooks but for now it may be a cheapie.
6. Tyres. Still got to get these. I fancy gumwalls for the retro look. I have loads of spare 700c inners although I may want to get some “puncture proof” ones with goo in them for commuting.
7. Cable housings. Need front and rear cable housings for the brakes (need a rear too as my fixie isn’t a proper locking one). Might go for coloured or white, probably depending on handlebar tape.
8. Bar tape. Not decided on colour (depends on frame and saddle).
9. Paintjob. This will be last… I’m gonna build it as it is, rinde it a bit and get it all completely sorted, then strip it back, do the frame and reassemble.

Not too much to get now…

It’s All about the Bike

Just finished reading It’s All about the Bike by Robert Penn. What a fantastic book for a bike anorak like me (thanks to my lovely wife who bought it for me).

In a nutshell the author has done a lot of cycling on many different bikes including round the world via some pretty hard core routes. He decides to build a bike, his perfect bike, from scratch. He has a steel frame hand built by a master craftsman and then travels the UK, Italy and the USA not only sourcing the components but meeting the master craftsmen behind some of the finest components available. On the way through he weaves a brilliantly compelling story about the history of cycling and the history of each of the technologies that make up the modern bicycle.

Totally recommended.

Singlespeed Part 4: Cranks

When I was thinking of going 10 speed on the “Dawes” I had a rush of blood to the head and bought a set of Suntour Superbe Pro cranks with double chainrings. I had been thinking of getting something older like Williams steel cranks or similar, but I saw the Superbe Pros and thought they were beautiful. So I bought them. From New Zealand.

Suntour Superbe Pro Crankset

They ended up costing just under £60 delivered so not terribly cheap. I could have bought cheap one piece Stronglights for half that, although I was considering 10 speed so 2 chainrings were needed. But in the meantime I had also bought the wheels with Superbe Pro hubs so there is a bit of a classic Suntour theme developing here.

Anyway when they arrived they were indeed as beautiful as they looked on the eBay ad (damn you eBay). But the original Sugino chainrings have clearly done a lot of miles and look quite sharkfin like. One had even been put back on wrong way round. It must have changed like a pig.

But by the time they arrived I’d made the singlespeed decision so I needed to fit a new chainring anyway. I’ve been half looking about and today found the chainring I want. I stumbled across Velosolo‘s web site a while back and had meant to go back and look at their chainrings when I had a chance.

Velosolo Chainrings - photo by Velosolo

I reckon these look fab. I probably prefer the gold, the hint of “bling” is possibly just the right touch and may go nicely with the metallic light blue I’m considering for the frame. I think the black may look a bit heavy and out of place as there’ll be no other black apart from the tyres and even they have yellow gum walls.

I wasn’t sure which size chainrings I should be getting but Velosolo have an excellent FAQ section which in turn linked to Sheldon’s B.C.D. explanation – clear and succinct as ever. I now know that the Superbe Pros have a 130mm BCD based on the spacing of 76mm between adjacent chainring bolts.

I like the styling of the Velosolo chainrings and I also like the look and evident quality. And they are British made. Their kit has had a lot of positive comments online and it’s a bit exclusive. But surprisingly, not expensive at a flat £29.95 + £2.50 postage.

After reading their advice on chain widths I’m now considering that it may make sense to go for the wider 1/8″ chainring rather than 3/32″ as it has more driving face and will therefore wear better. I haven’t yet bought rear cogs (or a chain) so I could do this, and maybe the rear cog matters less anyway, it’s cheaper to replace.

So, I’ll muse on this and order the chainring soon once I have decided how many teeth. Then I need to start playing with chainlines and make sure the bottom bracket I have is the right spacing. Luckily (and it was luck not planning) it seems that Campy bottom brackets are the correct taper for Suntour (ISO or near enough) whereas Shimano use JIS, a different taper. Nice one. That means there is a very good chance my “free” BB will do the trick.

Gah… just noticed that Velosolo also sell these little beauties. Another fiver but what a stunning chainring. Less bling, more class I reckon.

A further footnote… I just weighed the Suntours. With double chainrings still fitted they come in at 610g. That’s 50g LESS than the Campagnolo Centaur double crankset I just fitted to the Bianchi. Not bad for 20+ year old technology.

Bianchi Upgrade

The Bianchi really irritated me on the Dunwich Dynamo, the chain was clicking, the shifts were rubbish and the chain fell off once. As I said it’s my own fault, I never properly stripped it down and set it up from scratch as I should have, and it hasn’t been touched in 2 years so I think the chain must have dried out. It hadn’t really done enough miles to wear it out but that was how it was acting. And yes, I did lube it.

So I thought, sod it. I’m going to replace the chain and anything else that needs doing. In the back of my mind was an idea to upgrade the groupset as I’ve never really liked the black painted Campagnolo Xenon / Mirage groupset as fitted. They look cheap and downgrade the look of the bike. So I took a look on eBay (bad idea) and ended up buying the following:

Campag Centaur 10sp Crankset + BB	£36.00
SRAM Chain PC1050 Chain 10sp	£24.99
Campag Centaur 10sp Front Derailleur	£5.50
Campag Centaur 10sp rear derailleur	£31.77
TOTAL	£98.26

OK I know I was only going to do the chain and maybe get a better derailleur, but all this lovely stuff was going so cheap.

Before I fitted them, I weighed the new and old components to see how much I was reducing by. That was my rather thin excuse for getting shiny bits for my bike, although I did want a full size 53t chainring (did have compact 50t).

Relative Weights	Xenon	Centaur
Crankset	724g	660g
Bottom Bracket	412g	350g
Front Derailleur	125g	106g
Rear Derailleur	254g	230g

My wife just pointed out all this makes me a total massive loser. But being a blogger is a bit loserish anyway….

She also pointed out the total weight reduction is probably less than a pint of beer. But the way I see it that’s another half pint I can enjoy and still carry the same overall weight.

Singlespeed Project Part 2: Wheels and Hubs

My plan for the singlespeed, given the age and style of the frame, is to build it up with good quality and interesting older parts sourced mostly via eBay. I have a tight budget so I’m trying to be a bit clever and a bit cheap. As far as possible I’ll buy good used kit that is maybe a bit off the beaten track rather than mainstream pricey stuff, or cheap new stuff. But some things I’ll compromise on, where new makes sense e.g. dual pivot brakes.

Now initially I was thinking of making it a geared bike so I got lucky buying some Campagnolo Nuovo Record derailleurs from the 1970’s in beautiful condition. I love the desiogn of these but they’re not needed now, so they are destined for the parts bin and another project.

Next step was the wheels. The frame was build for 27″ wheels but it’s hard to get these now and besides they generally don’t run the high tyre pressures you can get on 700c rims due to the rim design. I want this to be a good quick everyday bike and basically there are millions of 700c wheels and tyres out there. I checked with some other 700c wheels and they’ll do fine in the frame and brake reach seems OK (more on that later).

I found some 1980’s vintage 700c wheels on eBay. Suntour Superbe Pro hubs (and they are indeed superb), Ambrosio and Mavic rims (mixed but cosmetically matching) in decent condition, dirty but pretty good underneath the grime. They also were fitted with some nice almost completely unworn Rubino kevlar tyres which will do fine for commuting.

So I took a punt and picked them up for just over £30. That’s not even the price of one decent hub so I was pretty happy with that. The hubs are in beautiful condition and are indeed the legendary polished, almost track grade Superbe Pros featured in many online nostalgic discussions about the once brilliant Suntour.

The rims are of good quality, the rear wheel runs true but the front has one broken spoke – easy enough to replace and I’ll true the wheel and check all the spoke tensions at the same time. They have been stored in the dark, inside so the tyres show no sign of deterioration, the main hassle being that they have been run as a “ghetto tubeless” setup with sealant goo not very neatly applied and now definitely not sealing, so there will need to be some cleaning up. I’ll change them back to tubes for simplicity.

So, are Suntour hubs suitable for conversion to singlespeed? I wasn’t sure but Sheldon Brown seemed to suggest that all modern screw-on hubs are the same ISO 24 TPI thread. The difference on Suntours is the 7 speed screw-on freewheel has a different removal tool with 4 prongs. Park Tools make one and it’s reasonably priced, but I couldn’t find one in the UK and shipping from the US would be slower and more expensive for what is in essence a one-off job.

This is about the right size

I decided to make my own Suntour freewheel removal tool. I took an old wood chisel of about 2″ wide and the blade was a good size to fit across 2 of the four notched recesses in the freewheel. I hacksawed it off close to the shoulder (where the steel is thickest) and filed it flat and smooth to remove burrs and weak points.

Big Al's Patent Freewheel Remover Tool

I then had to think about how to hold the wheel to unscrew the freewheel from a hub it had been firmly attached to for probably 25 years. Sheldon Brown, as ever, has a few pointers on freewheel removal.

Roof Truss Wheel Clamp

Noting Sheldon’s comments on the difficulty of holding the wheel firmly, I had a moment of inspiration. In our loft (which is also my workshop) we have a lot of inconvenient exposed diagonal roof trusses. For once they were useful and made the perfect wheel clamp. With tyre inflated (thanks for the tip Sheldon) and positioned such that I was turning the wheel into the apex of the triangular gap, it was held absolutely rock solid.

All I had to do now was test my removal tool. The key, of course, is to have enough leverage. I was worried my improvised tool would shear as it was only bearing on 2 out of 4 slots, so I had filed it carefully flat and removed any burrs which could be stress points. I made sure it was a good snug fit and that it could go fully into the 2 slots I was using. I then applied maximum leverage using a large pipe wrench with a 20″ handle (you get more control with a long bar and constant pressure than a short bar and jerking on it). I then put my weight firmly onto the pipe wrench and…

Removing the Freewheel Block

…it broke free and then unscrewed easily. Perfecto. I now have my threaded hub ready for a singlespeed or fixie setup.

The Naked Hub

Cateye HL-EL530 Front Light

Cateye HL-EL530 Front Light bought for the Dunwich Dynamo. Not a bad light all round but not perfect either. These are my views and experiences:

Good bits:

• Looks good, nice solid well finished feel to it
• Bright light, but not insane, good spread which works well even on dark roads, at least until some f**ker with a super bright eye level back light gets in front of you and ruins your night vision.
• Very good on batteries

Rubbish bits:

• Switch is too soft, so easily bumped “on” (this happened quite a few times during transit by train and when standing about)
• No flashing mode (but that’s not such a big issue for a main front light, if you want a “flasher” you should probably have a little one as an auxiliary front light)
• Mounting bracket seemes good but it fell out of mine after about 6 hours of riding
• Not shockproof. It broke inside somewhere (loose bits rattling about) and completely ceased to work after it fell out of its bracket and hit the road. Now returned under warranty. IMHO bike lights should be shockproof, at least as much as falling off handlebar height and hitting a road under their own weight – this patently was not, a big disappointment on an otherwise good light.

Overall a decent light for the money but should be handled with care and probably taped onto its bracket. I’ll keep the replacement when it arrives but will be ultra careful with it.

Rating 3/5

Useful Links

Useful links on all things 2 wheeled. I will add more as I go along and try to remove any that become redundant or dead.

• Sheldon Brown – the ultimate cycle mechanic, engineer, guide, philosopher, encyclopaedia, enthusiast, guru and all round good chap on the web. Having read enough of his pages I feel I knew him, I wish I had. Sheldon is sadly now deceased but his advice lives on helping (I expect) millions of cyclists. If you like to do your own bike mechanics or want to know how, go no further. There’s nothing worth knowing about bikes that he hasn’t written about and probably explained, simply, clearly and comprehensively how to do yourself. RIP Sheldon.
• Classic Lightweights UK – a recent discovery but a brilliant resource for people interested in older racing bikes from the UK and sold in the UK from Europe
• Campyoldy – Specialist old parts dealer dedicated to classic Italian kit especially Campagnolo. They have a lot of NOS (New Old Stock) even hand built frames. Their monthly jumble sales in London EC1 are apparently highly recommended (I haven’t been yet)
• The Unofficial Brooks Saddle FAQ – sez it all really
• Retrobike – again a recent discovery but full of great stuff. In particular look for the Auction Watch pages.
• Retro Cycling Vintage – some sort of eBay trawler that seems extremely well organised. I can’t fathom how they make their money but it seems very clever.
• MTBR.com – useful user reviews on most MTB kit sold in the last 15 years, excellent when considering that eBay bargain…
• The Northwood Wheelers – lovely site dedicated to a long lost London Cycling club with lots of period photos and information about cycling in the 1940’s and 50’s, possibly the heyday of British cycling.
• London Fixed-Gear & Single Speed Forum. Genius. There are equivalents for other major UK cities.
• H Lloyd Cycles – massive range of reproduction decals at reasonable prices. Personal customer services. If I get them do do the Dayton decals I’ll report my experiences.
• SRAM Chain construction, maintenance and wear – Explanation on chain construction and chain wear from SRAM’s head of Product Development (originally posted on CTC.org.uk)
• SpokeanWheel – Spoke and Wheel Building website with very comprehensive information and opinions. He seems to differ from Sheldon on a couple of points (e.g. how to tension relieve spokes) but seems to argue the case pretty well.
• Disraeli Gears – A good quality and remarkably well informed history of derailleurs with detailed photos and examples of a pretty broad selection.