‘lifting my bike onto the work stand’ has happened so frequently since I’ve had him, I only need one word to say it: lev-itating!

or Shaking our stuff – all over the place!

Yesterday I felt ready to take Lev Davidovitch on a long run and my hostess felt ready to try her first distance cycle of the summer. After much discussion, we settled on heading towards Stirling via Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk and Larbert: this allowed plenty of bailing-out points. Matters were complicated by by my hostess having a piano lesson that morning, so I was to join her in Colinton at 12:30 and then we’d head off and see how far we’d get.

I didn’t sleep at all well on the previous night – I woke at 3am with my head full of ideas about how to write my WEB coursework. The narrative had eluded me until now so, unable to get back to sleep, I sat and typed until about 7. After breakfast, my hostess headed off to Colinton while I blogged and then transferred the lights and iPhone from Vilior to Lev Davidovitch. I also tweaked the saddle position and the positions of the panniers’ mounts so I wouldn’t clip them with my heels.

At 11:45 I departed for Colinton, travelling via Merchiston rather than the much steeper route I’d normally take. The Merchiston route isn’t flat by any means – there’s a long drag up Colinton Road – but has the advantage of being the way I go to University most days – I know the lane-changes and traffic-light sequences along Lothian Road and Bruntsfield Place fairly well and so could concentrate on getting to know Lev Davidovitch.

Via Merchiston (4·9 miles)

Steep route

Just before arriving at Colinton I felt the ride get squidgy. At first I thought the brake-friction had returned but soon recognised the dreaded feel of a deflating rear tyre. I gingerly rode the final metres and set about replacing the inner tube. (I’ve never found patching an inner tube to work except when at home and not under pressure to get going. I do carry puncture-repair gubbins in case I run out of spares.)

This is where I relearnt at least one reason for not using tyre-levers when putting the tyre back into place. It’s quite possible to pinch the inner tube and I duly did so. Fortunately I had two spares and was a lot more careful with the second one. I would learn another reason for not using tyre-levers later…

Anyway, somewhat nervous about not having any spare inner tubes, we set off towards the Gogar roundabout. This involves a fast drop through Wester Hailes, crossing the A71 via a challenging roundabout and a charge through South Gyle. My hostess’ cycling app indicated there was a way to avoid cycling around the roundabout. It has all the traffic heading too and from the airport, South Gyle shopping hemall and the bypass. Normally I’d try it but it’s also messed up by tram works. My hostess was sensible enough to not even contemplate it. So, having found the cycling app to be misinformed, we gingerly walked around the roundabout (there are pavements) to the cycle path on the north of the A8.

Colinton to Gogar

After this, travel was daily uneventful: we had to carry our bikes over the footbridge at Ratho because neither of us fancied doing 360° around Newbridge Roundabout. There’s a steep hill as you get into Kirkliston. I used Lev’s 27 gears while my hostess used Che’s 8 gears and fantastic determination to get up it.

The sun was beginning to lower as we travelled west towards Linlithgow. I imagined I could feel rear-wheel squidginess but whenever I checked the tyre seemed solid enough. However, because I was beginning to trip out from the sun flickering through the roadside hedges, the squidginess could have been purely imagination.

Colinton to Linlithgow (17·5 miles)

I took a much-needed comfort break at Linlithgow while my hostess pondered whether to travel on. Her feet had been giving her some discomfort and already we’d done over 20 miles. We decided to press on at least as far as Falkirk – this would take another hour, by which time the afternoon sun would be waning. We were enjoying being out on the road, despite the huge amount of traffic overtaking us. (Far more than when I’d cycled this route a few weeks ago.)

Linlithgow to Falkirk (8·1 miles)

Triumphal arrival in Falkirk 1

Triumphal arrival in Falkirk 2

We arrived at Falkirk Grahamston station in comfortable time for a train back to Edinburgh. However the cycle-spaces on this train were all occupied and the next train wasn’t for another hour. So recycled off to Falkirk High Station – this is on the main Edinburgh to Glasgow line and so the trains are more frequent and have more cycle space. Despite being only 1·5 miles, the cycle from Grahamston to High is fraught with traffic and hills and was difficult in our states (me: tired-to-the-point-of-tripping; my hostess: physically fatigued).

Grahamston to High (1·5 miles)

I’m inordinately proud of my hostess. She’s only cycled to work and back a few times so far this year, and only took up cycling a couple of years ago. Yet yesterday she did 32 miles with lots of hills on a bike that’s not designed for long runs. (It’s well-made and runs fine but is designed for comfort and commuting.) And this morning we’ve booked a cycling holiday for July!

Update

Here’s a map of the overall route.

Aftershock

Back in Edinburgh, I discovered why the last few miles had felt squiggly and as if the rear brake was rubbing again: the rear tyre had suffered a hernia. This may have been due to tyre-lever damage too. Seriously, they are evil! I left Lev Davidovitch on the stand in the lounge while we ate. This turned out to be a mistake: the inner tube exploded noisily, shocking us both and leaving Lev Davidovitch completely unridable.

This morning we hoisted Lev Davidovitch onto the car’s rack and took him back to the cycle co-op. In exchange for a reasonable amount of beer-tokens, Lev Davidovitch was fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres while I watched and learned how to replace tyres without bionic thumbs. (The secret’s in the wrist action and pushing against your thighs.) I had wanted Gatorskins: a pair of these had seen Vilior through 3 puncture-free years. (See the reviews on Amazon!) However, Gatorskins aren’t available for Lev Davidovitch’s wheels (700 x 32) but I’m assured that the Marathons are as good.

Leaving the co-op I noticed more rubbing – Lev Davidovitch’s rear mudguard had distorted to rub against the wheel and headed back in to ask how to cure it. The mechanic feared I’d had a puncture already. The rear mudguard hangs from the pannier rack: there isn’t room for both conventional mudguard stays and disk brakes. The weight of my pannier had pulled the combination against the tyre. While adjusting the mudguard/rack interface, the mechanic suggested the rack was somewhat, ahem, budget and suggested I use 2 panniers to balance the load. More living and learning!

This could be subtitled A boy and his bike.

Pedantry at large
However, the boy in question is a pedant and so prefers

A boy and his bike, with

• Canondale handlebar box
• iPhone 3GS on handlebar mount
• 3 front and 2 rear Skully lights
• Altura NightVision jacket over Camelbak water carrier and containing iPhone 4
• Aerotech Designs wild tights over cycling shorts from the same manufacturer
• Berghaus canvas gaiters
• Sealskin waterproof socks
• Specialized cycling shoes
• Vaude panniers containing
  • bike bits:
    • spare inner tube
    • tyre levers
    • multitool
    • 2 adjustable spanners
    • chain oil
    • baby wipes
    • vinyl gloves
  • clothing
    • jumper
    • goretex overtrousers
    • spare socks
    • all-terrain, all-purpose footware (i.e. sandals)
  • little necessities
    • energy bar
    • tissues
    • relevant cycle maps
  • the odds and sods he carries around no matter what
    • iPhone charger
    • camera and USB cable
    • ethernet cable
    • comb
    • toothbrush
    • toothpaste
    • Petzl headlamp
    • ibuprofens
    • travel-mouse

These are probably the last photos of Vilior ‘in action’ so the pedantry is an attempt to hide sadness at putting him away and transferring his lights, iPhone carrier and other impedimenta to Lev Davidovitch.

Lev and Che wearing their rubbers!

On Wednesday afternoon, I received my new bike. I cycled back to SQ, rammed down some food and cycled to spinning.

However on the way back – mostly uphill – not all was well: the front gears weren’t changing happily, the rear brake disc was rubbing constantly against its pad and the rear wheel appeared to knock against something once per revolution.

So I took the bike back to the co-op as soon as I could on Thursday morning. The co-op person I spoke to apologised, said he’d get it sorted and would speak to a manager. He asked when I’d return to pick up the bike. I said 4pm and left them to deal with new bike. I got back to the coop just on 4 but my bike wasn’t ready – apparently too many other folk had turned up needing repairs. (Not best pleased with this reasoning!)

About 4:10 I received my bike back for a test run. The rear brake was obviously sorted and the front gears were much better. They didn’t change completely smoothly when going uphill but I was told (and have since read elsewhere) that deraillieur gears don’t change smoothly when going uphill. (Chains require some slack to lift up and over the gear teeth but won’t be slack if when cycling uphill.)

So I cycled back to SQ with fixed bike, almost happy. However nearing SQ, the bike ceased being able to freewheel – there were nasty crouching sounds as the chain lifted off the rear gears in mechanical pain and severe chain slap. I phoned the bike co-op who told me to get the bike back – the phone-answerer readily agreed there shouldn’t be problems with a new bike.

It turned out a bit of wire from the road had caught between the rear gear cassette and the spoke protector: the co-op had to remove the cassette to get it out. (I have the tools to do this for Vilior but not for new bike – yet!) While I was waiting, I picked up a couple of chain-stay protectors so I could ask which was better. The mechanic recommended that using an old inner-tube and zip ties was far better, offered me a tube and ties, and then to do it himself (which has reversed my grump against the co-op). 15 minutes later, the new bike chain-stay had been protected rather like this.

And this has helped me settle on new bike’s name! Because been a bit of a PITA to all and sundry, yet is dark, fast and sleek, wears a home-made prophylactic and leans to the left (due to the frozen left shoulder – I need to adjust the handlebars a bit to allow for this), I give you Lev Davidovitch!

Lev sporting Vaudes

Lev naked!

By the way, this was the second entry when searching for ‘lev davidovitch’. That’s scary…

Yesterday I tried a Revolution Country Explorer. The gear and brake shifters are in combined units:

• pull the levers conventionally to brake
• fingers push the levers inboard to change down* (i.e. easier to pedal but shorter distance travelled for each pedal revolution)
• thumb presses a wee nub to change up

*This is true for the left shifter which controls the rear gears. I can’t recall which way the right shifter goes. Whatever, gear changes were slick and didn’t require letting go of the handlebars.

The disk brakes lived up to advertised stopping performance. The rear rack took my current panniers. There was a good torque/power feel in the mid range (i.e. middle front gear, which is the same as Vilior’s larger front gear). If my legs were stronger, which will come in time (I hope), there will be mile-eating ease in the top range. The bike felt solid underneath me and the slightly wider rims handled the corrugated-horror road surfaces around Whitehouse Loan with ease.

Even better, there are a few 2011 models in my size still available. The bike co-op is trying to get rid of them prior to the arrival of the 2012 models. (Better still, the 2011 models are black while the 2012 models are bright red. Politics aside, for bikes black is the cooler colour!)

So taking advantage of this weekend’s 15% discount (on top of an old-model reduction), I’ve ordered Vilior’s replacement at a cost of just over £430. You could spend £300 more and still get less bike. He’ll arrive on Wednesday afternoon. I’m quite pleased.

Now I really need to settle on a name for new bike!

Today I started thinking about a replacement for Vilior. Appropriately enough, the Edinburgh Bike Co-op offering that most suits my wishes is a Revolution Country Explorer.

Why is this appropriate? Vilior is (I can’t bring myself to type ‘was’) an Edinburgh Cycle Co-op ‘Country’ made of Reynolds 770 steel tubing. ‘Revolution’ is EBC’s brand and the Country series are still made of Reynolds tubing.

So today I removed Vilior’s front pannier rack so that the bike co-op could fit it to whatever I buy. I’ve never used it – the purchase of front panniers has always been put off by more immediate needs. However I just couldn’t bring myself to remove lights, iPhone carrier etc yet. Not without a last photo…

Meanwhile’s here’s why I’m about to spend over £600. Vilior cost £50!

Well, old age and Edinburgh’s acne-like road surfaces have finally done for Vilior. I lifted him onto the stand tonight to do some routine maintenance and discovered that the top tube (crossbar) has snapped just behind where it’s brazed to the head tube.

I’ve had Vilior since second or third year at St Andrews, i.e. at least 25 years and so over half my life. He’s done well, he’s carried loads, he’s carried me, he’s sat out in whatever the weather could throw at him, he’s put up with me maintaining him inexpertly and infrequently, all without complaint. (How could a mere machine complain? Anything that’s been in contact with my arse has ways of communicating its condition, I assure you.)

He’s been a comfort in a very real sense – thanks to my frozen shoulder, the only time I’m conscious and not in pain is when I’m cycling or spinning (which is cycling without actually travelling). He’s been my freedom from the tedium of walking and the tyranny of timetables. We’ve sweated and sworn together – the most recent time being last weekend when we cycled from the centre of Birmingham to my parents’ house in Worcester. (30 miles in 3 hours, but carrying a fair load of clothes and IT kit.)

And now he’s gone. His front forks and head tube might be recycled into a part of a trailer for a new bike. His front pannier rack can be re-used, as can his lights, iPhone carrier, bell and other features. Maybe I can learn to love a new bike, but that won’t stop me missing Vilior and all the miles we’ve done together.

While, I’m not a fan of animal experimentation, the news that flies drown their sorrows too intrigued me.

… was π-day.