After a bit of a check over of brakes, gears etc I took the Thorn out for a spin on Sunday. I had removed the mudguards and rack also to save weight and aero drag...I need all the help I can get!
Mrs RS says", Come out with me and Rach. It's a flat route and a great coffee stop halfway."
So I get up at 7 on Sunday morning and follow the girls out.
Some 35km later we stop for coffee. And 65km later after 700 metres of climbing, we return.
Ouch!
Good try out for the bike though, brakes good, gears tricky since the rear derailleur is set up completely the opposite way to most others I've every ridden, it naturally springs down to lower (easier) gears rather than the reverse which seems true for 99% of other bikes I've ridden! Also the gears are a bit lazy, suggesting a sticky cable (I look and see that the previous owner has misrouted the cable guide under the bottom bracket so an easy fix.
What the ride does tell me is, while the seat is good (no aches down below), the handlebars are set too aggressively low for someone of my age and the result is neck and shoulder ache that night.
The next day I look at raising the quill stem, a beautiful polished piece of aluminium by 3TTT — Tecnologia del Tubo Torino, an Italian maker of lightweight racing parts, I find I can only raise it by half an inch so look on eBay to see if there is a longer version. There isn't but I could buy the same part as I have for a mere £135...blimey I only paid £200 for the whole bike.
Next job is to look at re-lubing and tightening the headset which again is a polished aluminium thing of beauty which seems to need a special tool to remove. I spend a morning trying to track down exactly who makes this headset and apparently it is a Stronglight JDX94
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... 2&t=294920and you can't get the tools anymore! Oh well will have to improvise on that one!
Only other thing I need to do is to put some wider tyres on it to cope with the bumpy Hampshire lanes, 23c is a little harsh even with the nice steel frame and 28c will roll better, be more comfy and more puncture resistant.
Looking forward to a few more decent rides over the summer on my new (old) steed.
John