Yesterday
I did some maintenance on the recent incomer to the fleet, the Jack Taylor
Super Tourist. Then of course I had to get a test ride in to make sure all was
good. ;)
While
the bike had less than 20 miles on it when I bought it, the grease was good when
built or even first sold but that was 30 years ago, so needless to say the
bearings and grease were a bit on the dry side. The original owner had greased
a couple of points before I picked it up as they knew I was riding it the next
morning at the JT ride in Stokesley but it seems to have been mainly pivot type
points, not the headset, stem, seatpost etc. He had greased the front wheel
bearings/axle so I thought they would be fine but as I was loading it into the
van I noticed the cups were loose. I did reset them and add more grease but
will change the bearings this week as obviously the 25 miles I put on it at the
JT ride did the roundness of the bearings no favours. Anyway, I reset them and
they worked fine and spun like new I think I will change them out for peace of
mind.
I
changed out the tubes but left the World Tour tyres on as I didn’t have any
35mm tyres and unfortunately I can’t get the Jack Browne 33mm ones from Planet
X. I can still get World Tours like these but they don’t seem to be in the same
35mm version, seem to all be 32mm. Anyway they will need changed soon as they
have a few cracks now. They did last surprisingly well on this mixed terrain
undertaken today.
The
more I work on and ride this beautiful machine, the more I keep finding small
details that stand out. Usually not noticed until either viewed while riding or
make sense when you start to work on it. Things like unbolting the front wheel
and the low rider rack rails are positioned in such a way that the wheel drops
straight out, no undoing guards or racks etc, once out this shows how neatly
the wiring for lights and dynamo are hidden away within the rolled edge of the
stainless guards, obviously the wiring is put in there when the guards are
first rolled, the neat little window on the back of the front light that allows
you to see that it is working, the Campagnolo vertical rear dropouts so that
the wheel fits in the exact same spot each time so the dynamo needs minimal
freeplay to be either on or off. It’s the little things.
After
all this I was itching to get out as the forecast up here was for rain in the
evening and then rain through Sunday so it was now or never.
A route out towards Loch More and Altnabreac taking in the singletrack tarmac
as well as mixed dirt would test it out nicely. This was evenly split between
rough singletrack tarmac, some heavily embedded blue metal logging truck dirt,
of which I always do only what I have to, and some estate roads which are
usually not too loose and two smoothish tyre tracks. I rode it sympathetically
on the dirt but didn't baby it as my Super Clubman handles this stuff no
bother. Happy to report this one is just as comfortable, stable and well
handling and just a pleasure. They dynamo lights work brilliantly and there is
no drag on it that I could tell on it either. Just a steady hum from it working
away. I was well pleased.
I will
have to put some proof ride on that B17 Brookes, as while it may be unused, it
is 37 years old and I think it must of come from a cow made of concrete! Though
I am sure a bit of proofride to soften it while it shapes will do the trick.
Oh and
those safety levers on the brakes, which I have never been a fan of in my
younger days,, they are great on the dirt, really nice when you are going quick
and then hit a rough patch and don’t want to loosen your grip to reach for the
levers.
So
after coming back off the dirt loop I thought I would take the road all the way
to the dam just a few miles further on before heading back. I looked to the
west as I rounded a bend and seen the storm coming, rolling clouds with a
red/pinkish hue. A couple of quick photos and then turning back to the north
east I time trialled the miles across the plain back. Stayed dry too!
One
issue I did have, and that was with the front derailleur which is a Shimano 600
Arabesque, the same as on my Super Clubman and runs a Stronglight chainset with
50/40 chainrings. When I rode it at the Jack Taylor weekend I couldn't get it
to change onto the big ring, thought it needs a bit of adjustment as cables
might be stretched. I adjusted it with the high and low screws when I did the
maintenance yesterday and worked fine but on the road the chain rubs regardless
of which gear on the cassette it's on, either the outside or inside edge of the
front derailleur. In the middle gear it is just a tiny chinking sound but
definitely a rub in the others. I did think it's weird it isn't working
together but then realised it is new and when I picked it up it was clear the
chain had never touched the big chainring. Will investigate further as it
should work with a 50 tooth ring on a 2 X 5 speed. When looking down at it
while riding it is a very narrow cage with not much to spare so will need to be
setup just right to work without touching. May just need a slight realignment.
Well
pleased is a massive understatement. Now for a fully loaded long weekend to
Inverness and back via Tongue and Altnaharra.
Jamie
