Park PCS4.1 Workstand

The Park PCS4.1 Deluxe Home Mechanic Workstand.
 I love that Blue! Shame about the scratches and dinks...

S

The part that allows your bike to be rotated through 360
degrees at a range of heights.

The jaws aren't spring loaded which belies how powerful they
are...you notice when you put something in them and the
instructions come with a warning that if you aren't careful,
your frame could be damaged - use the seatpost

There are eccentric hard rubber "feet" that
can be rotated so as to compensate for uneven floors

The difference between the substantial,
heavy duty"shop quality" 1003 clamp
and others like my Lidl below right, is immediately apparent
- your local bike shop has probably got one

Whilst my Lidl workstand, bought for £30 awhile back has given good service, I knew also that I wanted something higher spec, as I was going to get serious with bike maintenance.

The Lidl offers a lot less flexibility when positioning the bike; whilst it can hold a maximum of 30kg, you have to position the bike according to its centre of gravity, if you don't, the bike falls back to it...

But what did you expect for £30? It's still a great entry model, I'm glad I bought it and can commend it.

The next ones up start from £80 or so. They tend to have quite a low weight capacity, say less than 20kg, and whilst offering greater choice in positioning, the clamp is on the simple, crude side. Park themselves do budget models - the PCS9 & 10. The 10 has a better clamp that makes it look particularly attractive for £110-150, depending on where you buy it. It also has the same 45kg load capacity - well above most others particularly in this price bracket - a major plus point.

As most of my bikes are on the heavy side >20kg, especially the Gazelle, I wanted something that could comfortably accommodate this; if I was going to upgrade, I would do it properly...

Park Tool are a premium brand company making bike maintenance things. They've been around about 50 years. They do do a range of workstands to suit most budgets but most of their other products are professional quality and this is reflected in the price.

The Park PCS4.1 is for the hobbyist, but has what Park calls a "shop quality" clamp, the 1003C that they claim is found in more bike shops than any other. I've certainly seen a few in some that I've visited. It has a heavy, cast aluminium clamp with powerful jaws, the capacity of this workstand, provided you keep the bike centred over the two legs is 45kg. The jaws come with rubber inserts and a warning that they could damage the bike's frame if you aren't careful. I clamp my bikes by the seatpost so as to avoid this happening.

The two legs fold up for storage.

I'd had my eye on one of these for some time, but wasn't quite willing to part with the £275 or so recommended retail in the UK for awhile. In the US where they're made, they're roughly the same amount in dollars which works out a lot cheaper sterlingwise, but the postage charge to the UK bumps it up to pretty much the same in pounds...

Some places on Amazon were selling for £220 and I was all but ready to buy at this price until I saw it going for £182 at Singletrack bikes in Scotland. I snapped it up! Sure I've seen some vendors on the 'net selling just the clamp for that!

Proof of the pudding - holding 50lbs of bike; to be honest, I wouldn't need to
 have held it so high, I'd just rotate the clamp. It would help if you're tall
though. As per the instructions, make sure that the bike is held centrally
between the two legs otherwise  it can tip over - and it nearly did...

There's a few minor gripes: the stand came packed with minimal padding within a thin cardboard box and had some dinks and large scrapes off the lovely blue paint. I did wonder at first whether it was shop soiled. Then again, it'll pick up a few with use. The clamp looks a bit rougher than in the photos here and on the internet, sort of unfinished aluminium casting. Still, given what it's for, there's no need for it to be nice and shiny/blemish free.

Park Tool official site

Alternatives - I haven't seen any of these up close, but I'm sure they'll meet your needs and there's plenty of reviews on the internet - try Bike Radar.

Feedback Sports. Some pretty nifty stuff here...looks like they fold up real compact and come with a bag.

So, Just As You Thought You Had Things Down Pat...

After several months puncture free on the Kettler Spirit I get two on the rear wheel (the harder to fix) in about a fortnight.

No problem I thought, I know what I'm doing, I'll have it repaired in less than 20 minutes, might manage it in 10, after all, I've done this enough times...

Wrong...

First, decide to disconnect gear cable from Nexus hub whilst bike is on ground. Struggle with this...because it's hard to remove the pinch bolt from the cassette because the bike's down low, so decide to mount bike in workstand by seatpost; struggle with this as well...Forgot the amount I had to adjust the clamp and which way the bike should be so that the frame doesn't get in the way of closing the clamp!

Having mounted bike at last and disconnected gear cable, I remove rear wheel and remove tyre.
Remove inner tube. Inflate slightly until I can locate puncture hole. Nothing. Inflate some more. Nothing. Repeat until at last I can feel the air coming out - another tiny puncture - feel inside the tyre to see if there's anything sticking through - nothing. No sign of whatever it is that  has caused so much aggravation...

Next, mend puncture with puncture repair kit; apply rubber glue which you're supposed to leave for a minute before applying patches. Apply patch and leave until I can remove the sticky cellophane with the patch left on the tyre. When I try to remove cellophane, patch keeps coming off with it...Leave until it comes off without pulling the patch off, which doesn't happen. Enough! Gingerly remove cellophane whilst pressing patch on tube...

Ehhhhnyway, patch affixed, slightly inflate tube and insert into tyre. Inflate and reattach to bike, Next, need to get the chain tensioned correctly and the wheel centred within the chainstays.  And this is where the fun starts...should be 15mm gap each side. Get the chain tight enough, pulling the axlenuts back, find that the wheel isn't central. Get the wheel central and the chain's slackened! Use socket wrench to tighten (having to switch clockwise/anticlockwise to tighten/untighten). Then digital caliper to measure gaps and ensure wheel centred.

And in between, the top of the telescoping bar holder (keeps the front fork and handlebars stable facing forward) keeps coming off...adding and lengthening the time it takes to what should be a simple task...

Repeat, over and over. Lost count how many times...

Hands black with chain oil - wash twice...

While we're about it, remove chainguard so we can better see what we're doing, give it a bit of a clean too, then, at last, the wheel is where I want it and I can replace the chainguard.

Bike ready to ride...

My goodness - is that the time?! One and a half hours it's taken :-((( - started at 0920, finished 1050, not the best start to the day...

So, how did the 10-20 minutes turn into one and a half hours? Maybe a bit of planning beforehand wouldn't go amiss and something to hold the chain tension and wheel position wouldn't either...What about self sealing inner tubes, tyre liners, Marathon Plus tyres - then again, had a few punctures with these last year? Learn not to underestimate how long a theoretically simple job will take...

Any ideas?

Got Me A Brommie!

So, got me a Brompton folding bike. Another off the shopping list.

Free standing - useful for parking

Fully folded with the seatpost locking the fold - a compactness unmatched
by other folders - well, those with 16 inc or greater, diametre wheels anyway.

In the opinion of many, the best folding bike - the Brompton has a cult following. Nothing else compares for compactness; there are others matching the quality and even a lot more expensive - the Moultons especially and some of the German folders, but the ingenuity of the Brompton puts it into a class of its own. The company has won numerous awards for export etc. Also, I think a bike that folds is likely to have an added level of complexity for this, so will be more expensive.

It's currently my most expensive bike - £890; for some reason, stockists don't sell them at a discount, so you cannot shop around. Mine is a basic M3L, a 3-speed, and probably the cheapest - they go up to about £1500 if you add some of the options available, like 6 speed derailleur gears, dynamo lighting etc.  There are a huge number of options: I plan on purchasing the following in the near future: a Brooks saddle (it's a scaled down one for the Brompton), Eazy Wheels for towing - the ones that come with the bike are OK for flat, indoor floors but not very good outside, and some luggage - probably the A-Bag which fits on the front. 

Other premium brand companies like and the German luggage company, Ortlieb, make products especially scaled down for this bike.

I consider it a public transport bike - I can ride to the train station, fold it up, get on the train, get off at my destination, unfold it and ride it about at wherever I've stopped off. I think this is one of its key strengths. You can enjoy days out without having to walk, use a bus or find somewhere to park if you have a car. Some people take this further and take them touring say, around Europe and this appeals so it's something I might do in the near future.

Some question the price, which does seem pretty expensive and the accessories certainly are - even I have to wonder at the prices charged. You are looking at another £400 if you want titanium bits which shaves a grand total of about 1 kg off the weight. Maybe for the man/woman who has everything including £400 in the bank they cannot think what to do with? Then again, it's evident from mine that everything is built up to a standard and specific to it - the bike itself has no generic parts - everything is scaled down to keep the bike compact - even the 3-speed hubgear, a Sturmey Archer is of modified design. This combined with what is probably low volume production goes some way to explaining the price...

Many buyers pay nearly £200 less - the 20% VAT (sales tax). This is because they buy the bike through the UK's Cycle To Work scheme whereby they can purchase any bike up to £1000 through their employer tax free and pay it off in instalments over 12 months. An incentive to get more people cycling to work, it's also an opportunity for many to indulge...and I don't blame them. I would if my employer was a member of the scheme. I believe the Brompton is a very popular purchase for those who have access to this scheme.

Mine weighs between 12-13kg as opposed to about 18-20kg+  for my Kettler full sized bikes; yet the steel frame and the bike's design give a similar ride of bikes nearly twice the weight. It rides like a full size bike. This is surprising - you may expect something so small and light to wobble all over the place, but it doesn't. Another thing I've noticed, it seems to be nippy, quite fast. I think this is down to the 50 tooth chain ring - 12 more than on my full sized bikes.

The 50 tooth chain ring - probably why the bike accelerates quickly, plus its size.

This black rubber bung thingy is a form of  suspension - acting as a
buffer between the rear of the frame and the front.

The pedals stand out as little masterpieces - they look like they've been
machined from solid blocks of aluminium and the left hand one folds
upward to reduce the width of the bike when folded - another thoughtful touch.

A chain tensioner is fitted

The standard wheels the bike comes with so you can tow
it along folded. These work OK particularly indoors on nice
flat floors, but less so outside. Brompton do the Eazi-wheels
option to make this easier. I think these should fitted as standard

The modified Stumey Archer 3 speed hubgear made by Brompton themselves.
My first 3 speed. OK, but would prefer more gears. Brompton do a 6 speed
which uses the same gear plus an extra cog/derailleur.

The two-tone colour plus the obvious quality makes it quite a looker attracting a few looks and compliments. I find this a bit surprising given that in my town, there's quite a few about - must be because the others tend to be filthy...

A coupla niggles: the tyres have to be pumped to 100psi pressure - it says on the side and they seem to lose this pressure pretty quickly, dropping to 80psi or so within a couple of days, meaning you have to pump them up more frequently. I can't help but feel that the frame's paint finish is a little delicate, picking up dings and scratches a little easier than on my other bikes. Also, not really a niggle, it's just that I'm used to my Kettlers and Gazelle which have racks and chainguards, my Brompton has neither, although a luggage rack is available as another option. So I can't carry anything and on one or two occasions, my trousers got caught in the chain. That will be the same with any bike without a rack or chainguard though.

One thing I noticed with the seatpost fully extended, is that it's just right for me, but I'm below average height/inside leg measurement (5' 7", 30"). This suggests that it would be too short for the majority of males at least, thus necessitating the purchase of the extended seatpost options, and thus extra expense - from Brompton. However, I haven't read or heard any criticisms regarding this, so maybe it's just me.

To conclude, a great little bike, amongst the best, certainly the most compact and it's popularity is no surprise. Some people have more than one. The company is also continually improving it. 

See more on the Brompton site:

Brompton

Geraldine And A Massive Sense Of Relief...

Wow - over 3 months since my last post! Well overdue for another...meaning TBM has been going for over a year.

Now, I'm not blase about bike security; but I do match the precautions taken with the length of time the bike is going to be left unattended, using the wheellock for short periods outside shops, cafes etc(which is what it's meant for) and adding a security cord for longer periods. I plan to get a D-lock in the near future too. I wouldn't leave any of my bikes anywhere overnight unless it was a purpose built area with CCTV. So, recently, I had parked the Gazelle outside a supermarket and locked it using the wheel lock attached to the bike. The location is pretty central with plenty of security and CCTV. So, I was quite comfortable leaving it where it was freestanding with just the wheel lock on whilst I did some grocery shopping.

Anyways, I do my groceries and walk back to where I parked it outside the library opposite the supermarket, and...it's gone!!! Feelings of shock and to be honest, embarrassment came over me. Now, looking for reassurance, I told myself, whomever took it would have had to carry 23kg of bike around with them because of the lock so, not exactly worth the effort. Plus, I've yet to see a bike of that type in my area, unlike say, London, and they're rare there too, not exactly the most opportune target for a bike thief. So, I go walkabout around the shopping centre and car park, expecting to see it somewhere after the thief decided it wasn't worth the effort...nothing!

Now, noting the CCTV overlooking the place I'd parked it, I go into the supermarket and ask the security guard who watches the screen/console whatever it's called if he'd seen anyone take a large black bike, and yes he had, it was someone in a bright yellow jacket; he picked it up and took it round the corner - which I took to be the back of the library/service area at the back of the shops. I go back there and cannot see anything! Intriguing...but where's my bike???

Asking about, it turns out the man in the yellow jacket (like a hi-viz vest) is another security guard/caretaker and he has some sort of shed/lockup next to the library where he's put the Gazelle. He put it there because I'd left a little black bag (nothing valuable - it cost £1, but he wasn't to know) in the basket and he feared it would be a target for thieves. Which was nice of him, but it did give me a nasty shock...

So what's Geraldine all about then?

Well, some people give their bikes a name - especially bikes like this and the security guard, full of praise for the Gazelle and reckoning it cost £2000 (it cost less than half that actually) bet that I'd christened it Geraldine; I hadn't, but I have now.

So, Geraldine it is; what's yours called?

Weather Proactive...

Although I can drive, I don't currently have a car so my bike is my only transport, although on occasion, I use public transport which can be expensive and inflexible. Naturally, I have to conform to their timings and the buses/trains don't always go where I want to.

It's winter here and in recent years, we've had more severe winters than usual. This year we've got floods, others years the snow played its part in causing chaos in the UK, a country which seems to be easy for the weather to surprise. So this means I have to fit my transport round the weather - I'm finding I have to be a bit proactive because I've been caught by surprise...

Thinking that we were going to have snow and ice like last year, I decided that I was going to just put the bike away until said ice and snow had gone. In the near future, I'll buy some studded tyres, I'll also buy a car, come to think. Well, we haven't had really cold weather this year...yet...but we have had lots of wind and rain, which I hadn't expected and I neglected to buy some cheap wet weather gear from Lidl's during their "Cycling Week". Tell a lie, I have a £3 black poncho from Tiger made from plastic - a bit like a bin liner shaped like a cloak, which does the job when walking, but less so on the bike as the wind tries to take it off me, blowing it everywhere and sometimes obstructing my vision. I could buy more expensive wet weather gear from a bike shop but don't see the point as I rarely need it.

So, I find myself paying close attention to internet weather forecasts and looking for the time window predicted to be not raining - which has sometimes been only a couple of hours...Then planning my day accordingly.

I've found other things need to be taken into account. On one of my routes, the cyclepath is next to a road. Some of the path and road is old uneven/potholed tarmac where huge puddles bordering on flooding form. So when I'm riding along, and a car drives past, I get some of that puddle all over me, quite a lot of it actually...so I've learnt to look out for any traffic coming when I can see massive puddles and before I ride past. It works. Quite pleased with myself actually, I used to just get soaked and throw a tantrum...

I've also improved my ability to relax, be patient and just let the weather take it's course if I can, then ride when it has. By the time winter comes around again, I'll have more appropriate clothing, might even have a car.

2014

So, we're into 2014 and Happy New Year to you all; the blog's been going since February last year, I'm quite pleased with my efforts and so's just about everybody else if the feedback is anything to go by.

2013 was a good year for me, the blog, cycling and other stuff; I've bought and enjoyed the use of 2 new bikes, but didn't get round to overhauling my other one. Hopefully I'll do that this year, although to be honest, I don't have the enthusiasm...

Sometimes I'll start a post and get so far, but then can't quite generate ideas to finish it off: I've got several drafts prepared and had them for several months during which time I've started and posted several more, sometimes in the space of only a day or two. This one was quite easy - started and finished today. I'm also toying with the idea of renaming the blog - will look into how to do this.

I've also learnt something about...spam referral sites...On the dashboard (this control panel screen on Blogger) it shows internet traffic sources. Most say TownBikeMark/Blogger/Google as I would expect it to, but sometimes you get this strange name that doesn't seem to relate to anything.

 Doing a google search and you get other blogs where the writer's complaining about the number of page views where the internet source has this name. Not quite sure how it works: apparently the views from this source aren't "real" views; that is to say nobody has looked at the blog. The "real" views are shown alongside individual posts and the number of views per the posts during a given period do not add up to the single total for the day, month etc. I understand that I can either ignore (clicking on the source link shows and interest that encourages them to return) these spam referral sites and they'll go away or I can email the site and ask them to stop using my blog to gain internet traffic which can include porn...so if you've been getting some strange sites when you read this blog, that'll be why...I've chosen to ignore them.

I've drawn up a shopping list; hopefully I'll be able to treat myself this year to at least one extra bike which I plan to be a Brompton...

I'm hoping for a bit of travel that includes cycling especially using using the Brompton on public transport.

So, I plan for this year to be better than the last and 2015 to be even better. Hope yours is too.