I found after a while using it that my hybrid didn’t quite cut it for riding around the countryside. It had its good points: lots of gears, plush ride, tons of storage and mudguards but it was slow – partly because it was so heavy and partly because I was up there in the wind all the time. So I resolved to get myself a “proper” road bike which proved quite a challenge as money was quite tight at the time but just before Christmas I found what I was looking for …or so I thought!
Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike
John F Kennedy
And here it is – well sort of. This is my version of the woodcutter’s axe “It’s all original except for the head and the handle. What I found on the run in to that Christmas was a liquidation sale from a well known sports retail chain and in that sale was what looked to be something with the spec I was looking for. I had read about “bicycle shaped objects” but I was prepared to take a risk for only £129 plus delivery.
Soon enough a large box arrived and I set about unpacking my new Viking Phantom, a 14-speed road bike with quill stem and handlebar mounted thumb shifters. It actually looked quite smart in bright red with contrasting decals and shiny silver crankset, so I set about setting it up. Then came the first problem, I couldn’t get the seat post clamp tight enough to stop the saddle slipping – the slot in the seat tube was too narrow and closed up before I could get the clamp tight enough. Oh well, a little work with a file cured that, but then I noticed something a little odd – the filings did not look like the aluminium that the “Lightweight Aluminium” top tube sticker claimed. A magnet proved it – the frame was made of steel! Well it was too late to do much about it and hadn’t I read that a steel frame rides better?
My first test ride revealed a couple more things, firstly it was definitely faster – although not light, it was a whole bunch lighter than my hybrid, and, secondly the brakes were terrible, quite scary going downhill, I could feel the levers flex in my hands and see the calipers twist as I pulled the levers back to the bars. I proceeded with caution over the next few rides. Another seat clamp, new levers and some new brake calipers were sourced on eBay and the next few rides were fairly slow (I was more out of condition than I realised) but uneventful.
One day after a couple of wet rides I noticed the cranks felt a bit rough so I investigated. The bottom bracket turned out to be a cup and cone set up but the only seal on the shaft was excess grease so the bearings were grinding themselves to oblivion. I decided to count the teeth on the chainrings while sorting this out and found I had a 52/42 combo which might explain why I was having a spot of bother on hills. Another eBay foray found a sealed bottom bracket and a barely used FSA compact crankset and, once fitted, life was good – for a while.
I am an inveterate tinkerer and over the following months I upgraded things as and when I could. The 23c no name tyres were OK but fragile so they were replaced by 25c Michelin Lithion rubber which proved to be grippy, more comfortable and more durable. Then the saddle broke so in came a Charge Spoon, soon followed by some handlebars with a better bend. Now I was comfortable and happy – for a while.
The n+1 rule came in to force and a new best bike appeared – a proper road bike with proper kit – what a difference – but that’s another story! My First Road Bike suddenly became my winter bike and acquired a set of Crud Roadracer mudguards and it did pretty well especially as I did not give it any TLC for long periods. Come the spring, I was browsing on eBay when I saw something that made me think”new project”, a Dolan steel frame c/w carbon forks and bottom bracket. It must have been destiny as I won the auction with the minimum bid and over the summer I transferred all the good bits from my first bike to the new frame.
Actually, by this time, the only surviving parts from the £129 original were the wheels which had proved sturdy, if rather heavy and the shifters. I added an old 105 rear mech and anew Claris front mech I had lying around but then I had quite a job finding a seat post and clamp (slightly obscure size) and sorting out the handlebar height as the stem had been slammed by a previous owner and the low bars were giving my back serious grief. Eventually the bars were sorted with an adjustable Allez stem adjusted up as far as it will go.
So it has done a sterling job over the last couple of winters and I have carried on tinkering adding SKS mudguards, a different handlebar, a Shimano Claris 52/38 crankset to build up leg strength, obviuosly, the wheels from my best bike, no name Chinese STI type shifters and a cheap Chinese saddle (which are worthy of a post on their own) so you see, it is still my first road bike, the one you see in the picture above.