To get by in these hard times I sold the car and a load of other things that my former salary had afforded me. The upturn in income was appreciated and so I looked around for other things to sell. A great figure in my life put me on to bicycles, told me where I could buy old ones cheap and allowed me the time and a bit of 'hand me down knowledge' to get started. And so it was, I was now a thrifty bicycle restorer and seller.
I sold a lot of tat, cheap mountain bikes, kids bikes and the utterly bizarre. However, a few gems passed through my hands, some I sold and some I kept for a while. Among the ones that I took to were a miscellaneous Raleigh racing bike which I took great pride in converting to a fixed gear (fixie). 'My first fixie' the project was dubbed and you can find reference to it here in this blog.
Another bike that I hung on to was a 1995 Dawes Horizon. A steel frame with Reynolds 501 tubing.. It didn't appeal to me in the first instance. It looked dated, had a pannier rack and touring geometry. Upon starting a new job, with no car to get me around and not wanting to use my MTB in order to save it the ordeal as a hack, I dusted off the Dawes and put it to work. The Pannier rack was great for schlepping my gear around and the geometry of the frame was surprisingly comfy. I used the bike for a year of commuting, through an epic winter which was rather cruel to the Dawes and even took a couple of leisurely rides on it from time to time.
By now I had stopped selling the bikes as I was getting regular work and even the promise of a new career. I was however, still bicycle mad. I rode regularly and took pride and enjoyment in looking after my bikes. I was however succumbing to that itch that all cyclists get. The one that you can only scratch by looking at new shiny bikes and eventually parting with a lot of dough in order to afford one. I still didn't have a lot of money, I didn't get paid much and looked at ways to get me up and running. Finance wasn't really an option, repayments would have crippled me. Cycle to work scheme seemed like a good idea if only my contracted salary had been more. Despite the overtime I worked, this didn't count. it was awarded on your base rate. So I shelved the idea of a new bike for a while.
Spring finally came in 2013 and with it the desire to get out and crush some road miles. I love mountain biking and riding the trails near my house but you can too easily cover the same routes over and over. There was only one thing for it. I needed that road bike. With my birthday approaching and my fiancé wanting to know what to get me, I decided I would have some new kit for my Dawes. She agreed and gifted me some new wheels. The wheels looked great, a little too great for the condition of my Dawes which had paint chipping off it due to the harsh winter and rust showing on its underside.
There was only one thing for it. I was going to call upon my tools, my bike repair stand and my mechanic skills. time to build a new bike.
Stripped and ready to spray. I took the frame to a powder coaters in Darlington called Impreziv finishings. I've used them before and they really give a top serice. I initially wanted to go greenm like in the below picture but Mark at Impreziv said he didn't have that colour. I guess I could have had it but when spray shops have to start ordering in colours it gets pricey as they can only buy in large batches. Mark looked around his paint store and I asked him, what do you suggest? "Well all the lads round here with KTM's are in all the time getting new parts sprayed for their bikes, will KTM orange do?" Mark asks me? "Yeh, ok...lets do that then"
So here it is. One week later, a shiny Dawes frame in KTM orange. The rest really writes itself. I ordered some decals and a few new parts. Most of the original components went straight back on the bike after a little servicing and cleaning. I am just awaiting some cable outers for the gears and brakes before I can complete the build. take a look at how it looks so far.
My new road bike. A work in progress but with original decals and upgraded to STI shifters. can't wait until it's finished.
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