45 CHOP: January 2010

Looking forward..

..to the weather getting better again.

Cambridge, last summer.

Wilson Metal Spinner

My metal spinning lathe.

One previous owner, an old timer from Birmingham who was delivered it personally by Mr. Wilson himself. This thing weighs a ton. British engineering at its best.

Finally got the 6hp motor hooked up to the three phase. Now I've just got to get home and learn how to spin! Oil tanks, headlights, wheel covers, velocity stacks and cocktail mufflers here we come...

Riot Police

My brother Sidney (pictured) gave me some flares and a megaphone for Christmas. Perfect presents!

Possibly the greatest 45 ever

Dual carbs, home made oil tank, magneto and British gearbox.

Love it all.

La Mia Bicicletta

My new daily raider.

Italian steel lo-pro frame. My favourite frame style it has a sloping top tube for aerodynamics. Gives a good aggressive stance. Rear wheel is tight up next tot he post, chromed rear legs.

Sideburn sticker! Lovely hand-filed lugs also on view. Steel Nitto NJS stem and Japanese headset. Rear brake. Admittedly the handlebars are a bit 'fixie' but are comfotable. This bike is fast though.

700c rear wheel and 650c carbon-fibre front. Still got 700c forks on it but I can't afford new 650s. It's kinda like the 70s choppers where they increased the fork length but didn't rake the frames so the bottom rails sloped upwards. It looks "wrong" but because it worked and they just did, it's OK.

私の自転車

Japanese Vivalo Keirin Track Racer.

Keirin racing is big in Japan and the bicycles are some of the best in the world. There are strict equipment regulations and every part has to have an NJS stamp. For some conponents there are only one or two manufacturers worldwide who are awarded the NJS standard.

Sturdy track dropouts. The whole frame is chromed under the paint. Some Keirin builders even design their own specialist steels. Note the NJS stamp on the chain. It's still in the condition I got it but I'm going to add some bling. White ostrich leather Keirin saddle is already waiting.

The forks are tight! Pure racer. Regulation states no brakes. If none of them have brakes then they can't suddenly slow down and cause a pile up in the velodrome.

Mein Fahrrad

German Bauer Gymnasts' Bicycle

Got it off eBay 3 years ago from Germany at about 1/3 value. Only bidder, he had spelt the English word 'bicycle' wrong. Bycicelle or some shit.

The best bit is the frame. It's used in gyms for balancing dance routines. See the video and prepare to have your head blown off. And you thought you were good at balancing at the traffic lights. The pedal height is abnormally high - the tube behind the chain is almost horizontal, on racing bikes it slopes down) . This also throws the vertical tube pedals to saddle back - it's normally vertical not diagonal. This throws the saddle back, good for balancings acts, and gives it that beautiful long top tube. The frame is actually really tight but takes smaller specialist wheels. This, coupled with the straight forks, allows the front wheel to spin 360 degrees. When it's not in the gym all this gives it a kind of 'old man' stance. It's cool.

Would be worth owning for the hubs alone.

The gearing is <1 and I can't bring myself to change it to something normal. So no road use but I ride in slow tiny circles around my Harley. Like a pagan ritual.