Dunwich Dynamo: Part 3

Time constraints lately have stopped my blogging in its tracks (new job) but I hope to pick up things again later this year. In the meantime a couple of memories of the 2010 Dunwich Dynamo:

Second funniest moment of the ride: At the burger stop half way to Dunwich, hundreds of cyclists stopped in the dark queuing for refreshment, and a voice roars out of the dark at the far side of the car park “If you must piss on someone’s bike Dave, make sure it’s Shimano equipped!”

Funniest moment (in hindsight): Some samaritan had set up a bacon butty and coffee stall in their garden, I and many other cyclists found it just before dawn. I queued up and bought a bacon butty and a coffee. In delicious anticipation I walked across the narrow lane to sit on the grassy bank behind my bike, then promptly fell 6 feet into an agricultural ditch buried in the long grass, dropping my precious coffee and butty in the process…

Best moment: Coming down that last hill into Dunwich, still feeling pretty good and seeing the seafront.

Tandem Rims – Update

Well I ordered the 2 x Velocity Synergy 650b rims, with custom 48 hole drillings today. Ken Self’s were very friendly and happy to help.

I did subsequently find out that Brick Lane Bikes are the UK importers so could have done it via them perhaps, but it’s sort of nice going via my old LBS, and may also be less hassle as my parents were visiting here anyway so I don’t have to go across London to collect.

Looking forward to seeing these rims now. Will look into spoke options but I’m thinking Sapim Strong or similar single butted spokes, at least for the rear drive side.

Also, now I know that Velocity are so good to deal with, my mind is going to other custom drilling options, like paired spokes and even maybe tripled spokes (eg 36 holes in 12 groups of 3…)

Hmmm that could be fun for another project.

Back to the Tandem

Talking to my lovely wife the other evening we decided sod it, let’s get on with the tandem. I have been holding off buying the rims on the (extremely, stupidly, remote)  offchance that I’d find some cheaper on eBay. Yeah, like you find 48 hole 650b rims kicking around on eBay every other week…

Anyway we agreed to go ahead and buy those old stock 650b Wolber rims I saw on SJS cycles. At £50 each they were pricey, but they are also good quality, strong classics. Trouble is, they are all sold now. Moral: never hesitate.

Hmm back to the drawing board. A few disconsolate trawls of eBay and Google with no luck. Saw a few tandems going cheap, but none like what I have in mind.

In my trawls however I was reminded of an earlier search which had turned up Velocity as a manufacturer of 650b rims. I decided again to try and find a distributor in the UK. Anyone who is interested in 650b mountain bikes will have heard of Velocity rims. They are an Australian manufacturer and have gained quite a reputation for excellent cycle rims, with a fair sized following in the USA. What is more they make all sorts of sizes including 650b. They even do 650A (590 mm) but even I have to agree that’s pretty obscure, although one of our old 3-speed town bikes does have them and they look great with white wall tyres.

So, I found Velocity’s US web site easily enough, but a UK site was nonexistent. And finding Velocity’s Australian web site wasn’t easy either until I found a link on the US site. Anyway having found them I dropped them an email and asked if they’d do a Velocity Synergy 650b 48 hole version. After a few days I had a friendly email saying they are going to do a batch in silver soon and I could buy them via a reseller.

Now as luck would have it, I’m an ex-pat Aussie so I looked up their list of resellers and found one near my parents’ place, Ken Self Cycles. By a coincidence my first 10 speed in the 1970’s was a beautiful silver Ken Self with 27 x 1 1/4″ wheels . I did a load of cycle tours on that bike in my teens and sadly it was stolen when I was about 20.

Anyway, enough on that. I’m sitting up waiting until midnight so I can give Ken Self’s a call to ask about ordering the rims. Not a lot else to do so may as well update the blog. I did email them but I’m not sure how often they check their email as there hasn’t been a response. Probably as often as they update their blogs, bless ’em.

From what I remember they were a brilliant local bike shop and there is something nice about going back to them from the other side of the world to buy a part some 30 years after they sold me my first decent bike.

How will I get them to the UK? Easy – my parents are coming to London later this year. Hope they’re travelling light!

Bernie’s Dayton

Well the weather has been too good to sit inside blogging so I have been out on the road as much as possible. Over Easter I finally met Bernie, and more importantly perhaps, his Dayton Elite.

Bernie and his Dayton, me and the Falcon

I met up with Bernie in Richmond Park, on a stunningly hot Easter day. His (clearly very understanding) daughter accompanied him and kindly managed the photography for us. His Dayton really is in excellent condition, especially when I compare it with my poor old rusted example. It is such a pity he has lost the original drivetrain, but he’s done a fine job resurrecting it with newer parts and the old Simplex derailleur he found looks the part.

Having now seen a Dayton in the metal, so to speak, I am definitely motivated to make this the year for my Dayton’s resurrection. Right now it is still waiting, safe and dry, in my store room for me to find someone who can reproduce the decals. I toyed briefly with taking a “grunge” approach and simply preserving it as it is, but returning it to rideability. But the chrome and the paint are so utterly terrible it’d just look hideous and the old girl deserves better.

My one concession to modernisation, probably, will be to add alloy rims, primarily as the old steel ones really seem thoroughly rotted. But they will be laced onto the original hubs and I will use all the original gears and drivetrain (well, a new chain will be needed). I have found a 40 spoke rear rims, a Mavic Module 4, but I’m yet to find a suitable 32 spoke front rim of similar design. I will try, I promise, to resurrect the old rims but I think the rust is too extensive and they will probably fall apart. I will however keep them for posterity along with any other bits which need to be replaced (very few I hope).

Quick and dirty wheel (re)building

I rebuilt the rear wheel on my wife’s Ron Kitching last night. When we bought it on eBay about 6 months ago it came with a mixed pair of wheels plus a few other “homebrew” oddities, but overall it’s pretty original and just needed some TLC to return to being a very sweet little bike.

On the front was a classic Mavic MA40 700c rim with the old red diamond logo, laced to an Azzurro hub. Not been able to find out anything about the hub but it looks identical to a Campagnolo Record of the same era (early 1970’s), with an oil cap and classic low flange design.

The rear on the other hand had a Mavic Module 3 rim, laced to a “real” Campagnolo hub, with a Sachs-Maillard 7 speed block. The Module 3 is a decent rim, double eyeleted with a bare aluminium finish and the later Mavic “mountain  range” logo. But it looks very plain when compared to the charcoal grey anodised finish of the MA40 and the elegant diamond logo. I am pretty sure the MA40 is the original rim for the bike, plus it looks better so I resolved to find another MA40 rim to match the front.

After a bit of eBay trawling I picked up a lone MA40 rim with matching red diamond logo, laced to a Pelissier front hub (lovely hub by the way). That would do nicely and I’m sure I can use the hub one day. I may even lace it back onto the Module 3.

A closer examination of the rear wheel showed it has definitely been rebuilt, and not very well either – the Module 3 has absolutely no wear on the braking surfaces, plus it has been laced off-centre, the rim wobbled gently but distinctly up and down with each revolution. Amazingly it wasn’t perceptible when riding at lower speeds, but it is clearly unacceptable to ride with a “clown wheel”. It was also not dished correctly, with the rim sitting distinctly off to the left.

On Saturday I decided to do a “quick and dirty” re-rim job using the MA40 I had found. I took the donor wheel apart and bundled up the spokes for possible future re-use. I cleaned and checked the rim which is in excellent condition although irritatingly, a lighter shade of grey than the original front rim. Oh well, it’ll do. I then taped it to the Module 3 in the position I wanted it. As the donkey who laced up that wheel hadn’t even managed to line the rim and hub logos up properly, I corrected that first.

Once the rims were taped together, I loosened off all the spoke nipples on the Module 3. Then I started to transfer the spokes one by one to the MA40, ending up with the MA40 loosely spoked to the hub and the Module 3 held on with tape. I then untaped the Module 3 and put it in my ever expanding spares box (it’s a decent vintage rim). At this stage I had my wheel ready to be trued and tensioned.

Now I could see why the previous person had finished with a “clown wheel” laced off-centre. About 4 spokes had been replaced, and with 2.0mm gauge in place of the original 1.8mm. Worse, they seemed to be about 2mm longer than the rest. And to cap it off I suspect a few of the left and right spokes had been accidentally swapped (different lengths for offset wheel). A bit of a mess.

Anyway there was enough thread depth on all the spokes for me to get away with it as it was. I replaced the spoke nipples (ancient and well rounded, presumably from being tightened with a pipe wrench!) with a spare set I had lying about, taking care to identify the 1.8mm and 2.0mm spokes.

Given the crazy spoke lengths I took care to get it true right from the start. I have to say I am getting damn good at this (and I did say it, several times. I even had a(nother) celebratory beer). Anyway, a few beers later and we had a lovely true wheel, perfectly dished and nearly a perfect match for the front wheel.

I know I should have taken the whole wheel apart and matched up the spokes, plus I should have replaced the odd 2.0mm ones. But an old bike, unrestored, is the sum of its history. I prefer to work with what is there within reason, but get it right. This wheel will be good for many years now, even though not perfect. Well that’s my excuse anyway. In reality I wanted to finish it now rather than have to wait to order 4 new spokes.

So yes I broke some rules, but that wheel is true, strong and evenly tensioned. I really am getting pretty good at this (and I’m feeling warm and self congratulatory after a few beers).

On the subject of perfect wheels, I just stumbled across this excellent blog – Wheelfanatyk. Loads of useful looking tips for extra finesse in wheel building. I look forward to reading it at length.

UPDATE: Tip 6 is brilliant. I’ll do that next time. I may even rebuild the Kitching wheel again and I have been shamed at my rough and ready approach.

Singlespeed Project – 6 months on

The Falcon hit the road some time back and I’ve never really looked back. I have a few other projects on the go and arguably never quite finished this one but she’s great to ride and I’ve racked up a good many commuter miles on her.

Falcon Olympic Fixie

The final spec is a bit different from what I anticipated, so here is the detail:

• Falcon “Olympic” steel frame and forks, Reynolds 531 tubing, (approx 1971)
• Token 102mm ISO bottom bracket (45mm chainline)
• KMC z610HX chain
• Suntour Superbe Pro cranks with Velosolo 48t 3/16 chainring and Campagnolo bolt covers
• Mavic Open Pro rims with Suntour Superbe Pro hubs, Sapim DB spokes
• GB 70mm Hiduminium stem
• Dawes drop bars
• Tektro RL341 brake levers
• Alhonga “mid-drop” 57mm front dual pivot brake caliper + Acor “deep drop” 73mm rear brake caliper
• MKS GR-9 pedals
• Generic steel 17t screw on cog with 24tpi (bottom bracket) lockring
• Zeus steel headset
• Lycett L’Avenir leather saddle
• Fluted seatpost (I now think it is original as I’ve seen another)
• Michelin Dynamic 700-25 tyres
• SKS Bluemels mudguards for winter.

Suicide Hub

After the usual “fettling in” period, a few component swaps (3TTT stem was too long, plus it did not actually grip the old Dawes bars properly), I have really just ridden this bike. A 20 mile round trip commute most days is a good way to learn riding fixie. The frame is tight and runs silky smooth over rough London roads, and she is so bewitchingly light and fast.

I had a brief flirtation with a 16t rear cog, taking my gearing to 48:16 from 48:17. It may have been a bit faster on a downhill but on the flat I think there wasn’t much in it, plus it was joyless up hills so I swapped back and I’m satisfied that 48:17 is right for me.

Superbe Pro + Velosolo Crankset (I really must polish it...)

I chucked out the cheap brake pads that came on the cheap brakes and have re-used some spare Campagnolo pads I had, they are so much better and don’t cover the wheels in crap.

I never did paint the frame, it’s still covered in rubbish Hammerite, but I like the “ghetto” look for now. I think also it looks less appealing to thieves. I hope so. I have now got a reproduction Falcon Olympic head badge (decal) so I will think about new paint this summer.

And finally, I got the most beautiful Lycett L’Avenir leather saddle. It was on eBay and not being Brooks didn’t get many bids. It looked old and worn in the photo and when it turned up it was pretty hard, but I conditioned it (Brooks Proofide) and have ridden it through the winter, and now it is polished up to a deep rich mahogany. It is also incredibly comfortable. You’d never believe I paid £11 squid for it.

Lycett L'Avenir

Bernie hits the road…

Just a quick and slightly belated update to all you Dayton of London fans out there…

Bernie’s Dayton Elite has, he reports, made it onto the road. Apparently it’s light, fast and smooth as silk. He has fitted it with some newer Weinmann 27″ alloy wheels and screw-on hub, a 5 speed block and 1960’s vintage Simplex derailleur. Not quite original but certainly in keeping with the vintage of the bike. He has re-used the original steel Williams cranks and it all works beautifully.

What’s more, it looks pretty good too…

 

Bernie's Dayton Elite - almost complete

More Dayton Info

Inspired by Bernie’s Dayton I have done a bit more web searching and found some more Dayton Cycles London info, linked below.

• Dayton Cycles of London – a brief history
• Dayton Sales Catalogue
• Another sales catalogue for the patent Amalgam frame
• A Dayton in Thailand
• Images of a stripped Dayton Roadmaster amalgam frame

And just to cap it off, a Dayton ridden by Tom Saunders won the Tour of Britain in 1948.

PS A bit more trivia. Dayton Cycles of America comes from the same town (Dayton, Ohio) as the Wright Cycle Co, established by Willie and Orville Wright to finance their experiments with flight. There are some suggestions out there that the companies may have been related. But neither of these is in any way a relation to Dayton of London which was established a few years later by Chas Day.

Another Dayton Elite!

Well, an interesting development. A reader, Bernie, got in touch as he has another 1950’s Dayton Elite, even older than mine (early 50’s) but in rather better condition although missing some parts.

In the interests of posterity and putting what little seems to be published about the Dayton Elite bike onto the web, Bernie agreed for me to publish some pictures of his bike here.

So, without further ado, here is Bernie’s Dayton Elite:

Dayton Elite early 1950s

The frame is more traditionally constructed than mine, with butted Reynolds 531 tubing and elegant lugs. The decals are different from mine, simpler and more rounded, and there is no chromework where mine has (had) quite a lot on the forks and rear stays. The paint is in really good condition.

Dayton of London head badge

The head badge is identical to my later 1957 model, apparently cast lead or pewter. It’s in excellent condition, the D looks stylised, a bit like a shackle. I wonder what the original designer was trying to represent?

I think the purple colour is the same as mine, but in much better condition and evidently original.

Seat tube lug

Reynolds 531 transfer and nice brazing detail for the seat stays, located very neatly either side of the lug with quite a small contact patch. Slightly odd effect created by reversed seatpost.

Seat tube decal

Close up of the seat tube decal, very nice with the shape of the Y character rounded as in the head badge. This decal is missing from my bike, there is just a plain band as far as I can see but i’ll take another look when I get it out next (currently it’s buried behind 2 Bianchis, a Marin and a Rocky Mountain).

Dayton Elite - components

Various components removed from the Dayton. What looks like a Williams crank, some GB components etc. I am impressed by the quality of the paintwork given the age of the bike, and the decals are also in good condition. I think with nicely cleaned up components this bike will look great and rather characterful as it is. I hope I have convinced Bernie not to repaint it now. Anyone can have new paint, having the genuine original article is the rarity…

Tandem Musings : Part 2

Not a lot of movement on the tandem front lately, but I picked up a front hub now – a 48 hole Quando disc hub with a solid bolt-through axle. So I am now kind of committed to the 48 spoke format. I have read mixed reviews on the Quandos at MTBR.com but these seem to have nice smooth bearings and look well made so I’m prepared to take the risk. As ever the negative comments seem to come from people with minimal mechanical knowledge, I am sure a lot rests on setup and maintenance.

I have not yet had a proper look at these ones so I don’t know if they are sealed or cup and cone. They look like sealed to me but the online reviews suggest cup and cone. Anyway they run smooth so that’s the main thing.

I am still planning on 650B rims and a generally retro look apart from the drivetrain. It will have modern disc brakes and probably modern gears although I may yet be tempted to go for retro friction gears – for a start I can get top end kit way cheaper and secondly I’m quite happy using friction shift.

I must take a few photos, my blog is looking a bit dull…

Just found this article on DIY tandem drivetrains by John S Allen, one of the posthumous torchbearers for Sheldon Brown. I am now convinced to build my own single sided drivetrain for the tandem.

And an interesting discussion on the pros and cons of disc brakes on tandems – I am still going to use discs, but I’ll take some pointers as to which discs to use.