The bike wheels next

In the process of restoring my Falcon bike, I have picked up several skills along the way. Among the few things I needed to replace on the bike were the tyres.

As I wrote in one of my recent posts, there is no such thing as a 100% puncture proof tyres but you can get some tyres which are high puncture resistance.

After reading a few reviews, I finally decided on the Schwalbe HS159 27x 1 1/4 tyres. I found a great deal on eBay for a complete set of 2 Schwalbe tyres (with amber walls) and Impac tubes for just £24.99.



Will be putting everything together this weekend. Look out for the post.

Brooks saddle made in India

My Falcon bike restoration project has been on hold for a while. I was thinking of repairing the saddle - replacing the foam and getting new covers but in the end I decided to get a new one. I have always wanted a Brooks saddle and I have had my eyes on the B17 Special for a while. However, £113 for a brand new one was a bit too much and I went onto eBay to find a deal. The appeal of Brooks saddles is amazing - even ancient tattered ones are going for as high as £40. Some actually cost as much as a new bike.

I bid on a few saddles and I set a limit of £25 and not surprisingly I lost every bid. One day I came across a buyer who was selling Brooks saddles which had been made in India. I was a bit sceptical at first but after doing a bit of research found out that indeed some companies in India used to make Brooks saddles.

So I made an offer of £10 which the seller promptly rejected. No harm in pushing your luck. So I pumped up the offer to £15 and I was delighted when the seller agreed.

A couple of days later I received the saddles nicely packed and was really surprised when I realised that they were in mint condition.







The quality is really good with thick leather and good quality steel. I can't find a similar saddle in Brooks current catalogue (on their website). Really happy that I am the proud owner of a Brooks saddles (even though they were made in India). It will be going on my Falcon bike.

New Coldplay album

Coldplay fans will be delighted to learn that the band is releasing their long-awaited fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, on the 24th October.

From their 2008 tour. Credit: Karl Axon from Liverpool, England I am really looking forward to how this new album fares as their last studio album, Viva La Vida, sold more than nine million copies worldwide. You can pre-order the album on Amazon now for £7.99.

Masked crime fighter arrested

Earlier this year, I blogged about a Seattle vigilante, who calls himself Phoenix Jones. His real name is Benjamin John Francis Fodor. How did I learn about his secret identity? Well, the "super hero" was arrested last Sunday under this name.

Well, today I read in the news that he has been arrested for breaking up a fight with pepper spray.



It sounds funny but you can't just go around simply spraying people with pepper spray even if they are fighting. Leave crime fighting to the police.

Earlier this year, he broke his nose and I am worried that he might get into serious trouble one day.

New job, Coventry and the auto industry

In case you are wondering what I am going on about. read on and you will understand.

Last week I joined Coventry University Business School as a lecturer in marketing and advertising. I got the job finally after 6 interviews and hundreds of rejections. We are really delighted that I got into Coventry University as it means that we do not have to relocate to another city in the UK. Furthermore, I have always wanted to remain in academia as a lecturer.

I also joined at the right time as Coventry University is growing massively with new buildings and facilities. Its ranking has gone up to 53rd overall in the Sunday Times University Guide 2012 - a huge jump of 30 places from the last time. I was really happy to learn that the University is now ranked higher than some of the other Universities that rejected me.

I have grown to love Coventry and am learning a lot about it's history. Car buffs will definitely be aware that Coventry was once the auto capital of the UK and my office is located at the William Morris building, named after the founder of the Morris car company. The building dates from 1916 and they used to have their engine manufacturing facilities here.

Going around the building, I was trying to find traces of the former building and suddenly I noticed that near my office are the remains of the old bannister on the stairs with fine detailed carvings. They are carvings of bulls. Not sure whether they mean anything.





Will try to find some more traces of the old building.

Cycle tyre puncture - prevention better than cure

As you might have guessed from my previous posts, I am really into cycling now. I even borrowed a couple of books on cycles/cycling from the local library (I know there are loads of information on the net but nothing beats a good book with illustrated pictures).

Anyway, one thing I am really worried about is getting my tyres punctured while riding to the University. I got myself a cycle tyre puncture repair kit. Through it has never happened but repairing a tyre by the side of the road is not something I am really keen on. I tried practising at home using the old bike I am restoring - getting the tube out, trying to find the hole and then patching it up. I have seen YouTube videos and they make it look so simple. Prying one side of the tire bead over the edge of the rim was the hardest.

Here is a popular clip on YouTube on how to repair a puncture:


Searching on the net, I came across a site which sells Amerityre tyres which they claim are 100% puncture proof but they are not cheap. On the other hand, Andreas at the London Cyclist Blog says that there is no such thing as 100% puncture proof tyres. However, there are a number of tyres which are said to have high puncture resistance.

While shopping at Halfords I noticed a green bottle - it was the Slime Tube Sealant. I didn't buy it because I was sceptical and wanted to read the reviews first. Apparently this product was really good with so many positive comments on various sites. I noticed that it was also available at the Go Outdoors store. I later took my bike along on my way back home from the university and bought a bottle. The in-store bike mechanic put the green liquid in both my tyres for free. I haven't had a puncture even once but I do feel much better now.

I now want to put the Slime in all my bikes and doing an online search realised that I could have got it much cheaper elsewhere, with the cheapest online at Amazon Here is a comparison of the prices:

Halfords: £8.99

Go Outdoors: £8.09

Wikinson: £4.97

Amazon:

Vintage Falcon bike restoration project 2

This follows on my previous post "Vintage Falcon bike restoration project".


The bike was from the Chris Thompson Cycles shop in Darlington, Durham. Found out that the shop was dissolved in 1997.




Shimano Derailleur gears (Japan)


Simplex gear shifter (France)


Presta vavle on the 27 x 1 1/4 Michelin World Tour tyre.

I took off the rusted panniers, the saddle and the rusted chain and cleaned up the bike a bit.


On the bottom of the Reynolds 531 tubing

Serial No: 2736

Other markings:
TS1
APJ77

Can someone tell me how old this bike is?


Sugino crankset (Japan)


Weinmann Brakes (Switzerland)