Cycling UK Forum

I love hearing stories of people buying a (lovely) bicycle and then keeping it for yonks
The ultimate in sustainable living!
Thanks for sharing that story Mick, I really enjoyed it..as I'm sure everyone else did.

Thanks to you all for taking the time to post a reply, it is very much appreciated. Thanks to the information herein, I've decided firmly now to go for a nice black gloss enamel..but with the lugs lined in gold and various other nice bits and bobs to offset the black. One day, if I find myself a bit less poor..perhaps I'll go for a Flam/fancy colour, but for now black with gold lug lining/lettering seems the sensible balance between easy maintenance and nice aesthetics.

Cheers all.

Thanks Nearholmer, I also had the same feeling when Argos suggested the Brunswick colours..although one things for sure, it ain't Emerald Green..since that's what's on there at the moment!! Albeit a metallic version of it. I will check out the Brilliant green, thanks for the suggestion.

Lovely story about your childhood bicycle, thanks for sharing.

I feel a survey coming on..!!

Ooh Mick, that's VERY pretty! Was that the original paint, or have you had it refinished? Hows it held up I wonder, being a flam paint and all..?

On the topic of pretty colours..if I attach a photo here, I wonder if anyone can work out which colour it is/the nearest equivalent- according to RAL or BS381c codes? It was originally painted by Bob Jackson's, before their sad demise..it was painted 'British Racing Green,' it was a plain enamel (gloss lacquer) paint finish; the problem is, neither myself nor Argos know precisely which modern colour it resembles..
Argos suggested one of the Brunswick Green paints, my guess would be the 'mid-green' one.

Any ideas all?

Cheers.

Thanks nosmarbaj, I am always of the mind that 'a job worth doing is worth doing properly..' I do take pride in my bicycles and extensive bicycle tooling.
It's funny, but my car gets largely abused..rarely ever cleaned, currently running a warning light (only an orange one though!!) Tyres probably dangerously under-inflated, whereas my bicycles I am meticulous about. I guess that when the love is there (and I really do love all things cycling ) you'll make the effort..

I'm getting ever closer to yet another black bicycle!! Thanks to you all for your helpful replies.

Cheers.

From everything that has been replied so far, I will almost certainly go for a plain paint with a gloss lacquer to it. I have already left a deposit with Argos cycles now, since I was impressed by them when I visited them, they are fairly close to me and they have (mostly) very positive reviews.
Cheers.

Thanks tatanab; really helpful information.

Cheers.

Wow, awesome set of replies, thank you all. Can I just ask tatanab, since you've actually had experience of a flam paint from Argos..how long did the finish actually last before it was in need of repainting? And when it did chip, did the touch-up paint they provided work OK, or did it look a mess? I did a historical search and found comments from 'Brucey' suggesting that the biggest issue with flam paints, is that when they actually do chip/flake..it's nigh on impossible to sort it out satisfactorily. I'd love to know if this was your experience?
It's interesting what you said thirdcrank about the colour black, and in particular Henry Ford's now eponymous remark..since all my other bicycles with one are exception are black! I've always favoured this colour for bicycles that are used regularly..since it's the one colour that hides touch-up paint colour deviations. Even RAL codes are sometimes totally out..my Park tool truing stand got chipped, so Park gave me the exact code needed for the same coloured paint..except it wasn't, by a long stretch!
I was hoping for something a bit different this time..but I am quickly heading back towards my usual policy! A nice gloss black with gold decals might do the job..

Hello all,

As per the subject title..I am hoping for some advice about Flamboyant paint finishes. I am soon to have a very nice old steel framed Roberts bicycle frame resprayed, and am trying to decide on which type of paint finish to go with. I am wondering what other people's experiences are with Flam paint finishes? The frame will be being resprayed by Argos Racing Cycles in Bristol, again..I am wondering what people's experiences are with them too?

I went to visit Argos (who seem like a very professional outfit) and was really taken by the beauty of Flam finishes..I was not so enamored by the metallic finishes, but..I do want a paint job that will last a LONG time. The bicycle in question will be used frequently, but not as an everyday ride and not loaded or ridden on anything other than roads. It will certainly not be a 'garage queen..' it will be treated carefully, but see quite a lot of use. I cannot use mudguards with this bicycle, as with 700c wheels in there..there is just not the clearance.

I have heard not a few horror stories about Flam paint jobs though..even from Argos, in terms of paint flaking and just general 'softness.' Whilst I am in love with the 'Flam Viola' colour and finish..this project is a one-off and I am FAR from rich! I don't want to blunder into something that will cause tears down the road..!! Any advice much appreciated.

Cheers.

When I was looking for a folder, I also looked at Bickerton's and other cheaper alternatives to a Brompton..my advice is, don't bother! None of them ride like a Brompton does..and most of them are unlikely to last anywhere near as long. Actually, riding the cheaper alternatives nearly put me off the whole idea of a folder!
Bromptons seem like a lot of money to start with..well, they ARE a lot of money to start with, but they are very well made and can last a LONG time..there are still some of the originals around and they are worth quite a bit now..
And that's the other thing to consider, is that Bromptons have very high resale values..at one point, when demand was high and supply low, my Brompton was actually worth the same secondhand as what I paid for it brand new!!
If you can stretch to it, or buy one on credit..I would strongly suggest it. I rode one of the Bickertons you spoke of, it really didn't ride well at all..I, too, was attracted by the very reasonable price.
Kushti-Bok

A friend of mine who was a court lawyer always advised people to stay away from courts..since you can never really know which way things will go, whatever the evidence or facts of the case are.
When I was a teenager, my mother had a car accident- I was the passenger. The star witness for my mother, who was an off-duty police officer, said at the scene of the accident "Don't worry, I saw everything and am happy to appear in court on your behalf" (or words to that effect.) Said witness stood up in court and said that I was driving the car..I was probably about 15 years old at the time Luckily, I didn't end up in court myself!! Probably because I wasn't actually driving the car..
My policy is to never get involved with courts, unless it is unavoidable...many less tears shed with this policy methinks!!

I'm so sorry to hear that you've had this experience, I really do hope that you recover quickly and fully. It is quite sobering to hear these kinds of stories; I am fortunate enough to have only had one accident on a bicycle on a road in nearly 30 years..and that was as a teenager, and was entirely my own fault!

One thing that might be helpful; about 6 months ago I injured my leg, just above the knee, quite badly- I was chasing after my dog who was just about to run into the road, and ran into a small protruding bolt..the net result was that I ripped a hole in the muscle. I have a very high tolerance for pain, but it was agony. Months later, it still hadn't healed..if I rode a bicycle, I was hobbling around the next day. I was concerned that it might never heal (all the Docs could suggest was rest and various exercises)..and then a good friend of mine suggested that I buy an 'infra-red' lamp (I bought an angle-poise version, from amazon, as it was very convenient to use.) The first session..the injury site swelled up quite badly, my friend said 'that's a good sign'..just use it for less time next time. Long story short, a month later of mostly daily use, and my leg is about 90% healed. I have found that 20 minute sessions are perfect, no longer.

So, once the Docs have knitted you back together, to help/speed recovery..an infra-red lamp may be very helpful. I really do wish you all the very best in your recovery

It's funny you should say that Nearholmer..I got one 'ghost-shift' yesterday, and that was indeed when I went over some very rough ground. I will have to be quite careful of that, as this possibility combined with the 250w's running through the drivetrain is not an ideal combination
Thanks for sharing that, it was helpful to hear

Hello Carlton,
Thanks for your reply. So, basically, there was a bit too much length between the cable stop and the anchorage bolt..which meant that there was not quite enough tension on the cable, this was the cause of the gears slipping. Interestingly, the 100mm length that SA suggest was not enough..so it was a bit of a trial and error job. I rode about 20 miles yesterday, and all seemed to be well.
For the record, the SLS50-T shifter that pashley supply with these hubs is pretty poor. It is quite a sticky shifter, so that sometimes (unless you deliberately move it back to the detent position) you end up with the hub slightly between gears. The DLC50 shifter actually works much better and shifts are more precise. As ever, pashley chose form over function by supplying the SLS50. I have noticed that quite a lot of folks have issues with the 5 speed SA IGH on pashleys..I suspect that the (very finicky) SLS shifter may well be the cause.
I am having some technical issues at the moment that are preventing me from uploading pics, but I will try to upload a picture of the electrically converted pashley speed5 when I can...folks might find it interesting! We could play 'spot the changes to the original'..that might be quite fun Perhaps I will post a picture on another post altogether, might be a good idea.
Cheers.

Hello all,
This problem was resolved in the end (I think!) by altering the length of cable between the cable stop and the cable anchorage bolt; all seems to be well now, so far at least.
Thank you to you both for taking the time to post.
Cheers

Thanks Nearholmer for your helpful reply. It currently has all those bases covered..there is clearly SOMETHING causing the cable to move the hub out of alignment when I turn the handlebars to the right..I just can't work out quite what it is. Perhaps there is just not enough cable between the cable end and the hub itself..I'll have a look at that tomorrow.

I can think of a few adjectives other than 'courageous' to describe my decision to use this hub for the job But I'll take courageous, thank you Actually, it was the bike itself that seemed ideal for the job..which it is..I just didn't know enough about these rotary hubs to know that it might cause problems. The original wheel worked fine with the motor, so there must be something I'm missing..

I'll keep tinkering!