Selected bikes of special interest – from full restorations & custom builds to upgrades, repairs & servicing.
Charles’ beloved and battered Trek on test after a big/full service in my workshop this week. A high mileage serious rider, Charles has taken his Madone all over the UK and Europe, racking up thousands of Strava miles. Finally it’s been treated to new Shimano Ultegra 6800 wheels, SRAM chain, Shimano bottom bracket, Ultegra 6750 […]
Adventure road bikes with wider tyres and 1x drivetrains are all the rage nowadays – indeed another of this week’s jobs involves a Pinnacle Arkrose – so to find similar features on this 36-year-old British beauty (albeit minus mighty brakes) is rather pleasing. Tom brought the bike over in pretty good shape last week. With
Joan’s nice mid-’80s British 10 speed was supplied by its owner with a simple brief – and suitably modest budget – to get it working well enough to comfortably finish this year’s Eroica Britannia (with her partner on his Carlton) and, if there’s any time left, try to make it pretty. The latter isn’t hard
1984 Raleigh Wisp Mixte Read More »
Kate’s lovely and largely original 1976 Holdsworth Equipe on test after a few hours of TLC. The Equipe was Holdsworth’s entry level road bike and was something of a rarity for the legendary British marque, given that it features a non Reynolds tubed lugged steel frame and Campagnolo’s rather primitive Valentino derailleurs – the front
1976 Holdsworth Equipe Read More »
Presenting the 1985 Record 3-speed Roadster. No, I’d never heard of Record either. Anyway, Simon found this on Gumtree for a nice price and one hour in the workshop later it’s working perfectly. Happy days…
1985 Record 3-speed Roadster Read More »
Noel’s summer climbing bike, ready for the hills after a complete rebuild with weight-weenie upgrades… Frame: Trek Emonda ALR300 (aluminium) Fork: Trek (full carbon) Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 6800 (11 speed) Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 5 Tyres: Michelin Pro 4 Service Course (700 x 25c) Stem: Zipp SL Handlebar: Zipp SL70 Aero (carbon) Brake Pads: Swiss Stop
Trek Emonda ALR300 Read More »
Noel’s brand new Cannondale CAAD12 105 on test, now race-ready after a few hours of workshop time with yours truly. The bike’s been upgraded in a number of ways, the most important being the stunning and tubeless-ready Shimano Ultegra wheelset, shod with Michelin’s fast Pro4 Service Course rubber. Noel’s preferred handlebar/stem combo, pedals and bottle
Cannondale CAAD12 105 Read More »
Andrew’s Peugeot out on test after its coversion from single to 14 speed. I hit my budget to the pound on this job, and I really enjoyed working on the bike and chatting to the customer! See part one Frame: 1980s Peugeot Ventoux (Reynolds 501) Fork: unknown chromed steel Headset: unknown Stem: 3ttt Status Handlebar: Middlemores
Peugeot Ventoux conversion – Part 2 – 14 gears Read More »
I’ve almost finished an enjoyable stripdown & rebuild of Neal’s almost all original Grand Prix – Carlton’s entry level 10 speed in 1980 – on a relatively modest budget. The handsome old chap’s come up looking good with a lot of TLC and minimal new parts, well worth saving!
1980 Carlton Grand Prix Read More »
Now ready for its forthcoming Himalayan foothills adventure is this custom Van Nicolas, shown here on a test ride today. The build process saw experienced mountain tourist Ivan chose the specifications – to fit to his dream Van Nicolas titanium frame & Chris King wheelset – while I did the rest. It’s dripping with bling
Van Nicholas Zion Part 2 Read More »
