The Lion of Flanders

So sorry to hear of the passing of Fiorenzo Magni, one of the trio of titans during Italy's golden era of racing. Coppi, Bartali, and Magni. He 3-peated the Tour of Flanders in horrific conditions and on wood rims, one of only two non-Belgians to win the event up to that time, and the only rider to consecutively win three times.

The New York Times ran a nice tribute on the event of his passing at the age of 91, October 17. He was a frequent visitor to Magreglio and the Ghisallo rim company and the driving force behind the magnificent cycling museum recently built there.

Like his compatriots, many of Magni's accomplishments are legend. He raced and lived with a determination that knows few equals.

1949, Magni wins Flanders.

The Solution Was Simple

Back in May, I showed you some rims and spokes with a difference. A 111 year old bicycle being restored by an antiquarian in NYC was in need of some special attention with its wheels.

Hubs, rims, and spokes in need.

I was convinced new spokes had to be fabricated to fit wood, but modern clincher style, rims. After fretting over the various strategies to forge spherical spoke ends that would fit the unique hubs, months went by. My eventual strategy was to salvage the spherical ends by splicing them onto new shafts. That required super tiny tubing, known as hypodermic (duh), into which I could braze the ends. 68 times!

As Stephen patiently waited, I kept second-guessing myself. But the happy outcome was simpler than I suspected. By slightly counterboring the rim and shortening the spoke lengths, the original spokes could be used. Enough of their chrome (and charm) was still intact and only one spoke was missing. That one had to be fabricated.

You'll laugh at the solution for the one missing spoke. An XL14 spoke with 1.5mm center was trimmed, then threaded to M1.6 and a matching nut soldered on. We're talking tiny. When the nut was machined round, it was able to slip into the hub recess. The spoke length needed is so long, this hybrid spoke end had to be spliced to another with the hypodermic tubing I thought would be needed for every spoke. Whew, sure glad it was only one. Look closely to spot the spliced spoke among the rest:

Hub and spokes melt together.

Look how terrific the front hub and spokes look. Everything blends beautifully.

Simplicity is its strength.

The wheels are now finally back in NYC. When the bike is complete, I hope to give you another glimpse.

CCX and Wood

If you haven't noticed, it's cyclocross season in the Northern Hemisphere. Hardly a more fun spectator sport has been invented and some participants claim it's added decades to their lives. Tomorrow (10/21/2012) will be a wet and celebratory CCX event at Seattle's Magnuson Park. 27 races, categories including Jr Boys and Girls Grades 3-5, beginners Women, Little Kids, and the usual suspects. A little sloppy? Some families coming home muddy?

Good times like no other cycle sport. There's perhaps no competitive cycling event for which wood rims can make such a contribution. Immunity from dents, super smooth handling, shock absorption galore, light weight, what's not to love. And that love has quite a history.

Péllisier winning the 1927 French CCX Championships. Courtesy the Horton Collection

Brian Palmer of the well-known and eclectic Scottish blog, thewashingmachinepost.net, recently took possession of a pair of Ghisallo clincher wheels, thanks to Jude Kirstein of Portland's Sugar Wheelworks. She must have done a good job because Brian's been raving since. Recently, he wrote:

i have fitted a set of cx tyres to the wood rimmed wheels built by jude at sugar and found them to be the most incredible clincher rims for use when playing at cyclocross (29mm width helps). however, perhaps not unnaturally, those cork pads have worn away the varnish on the braking surface. does this part of the rim need to be treated in any way (teak oil for instance) to aid weather proofing, or will it survive on its own just fine? more folks ought to be riding wood.

 My reply:

 (1) Check brake pad surfaces. They may have a glaze-like coating made from the rim lacquer. Easy to remove with a bit of sandpaper. Not harmful, no need to remove all of it, don't reduce the pad's thickness more than necessary.

 (2) The rims left entirely untreated in Seattle, where it rains more than not, seem to thrive. The wood is unaffected. However, all the examples I have are bikes stored indoors overnight. Unheated (preferable) and dry shelter is best. Any amount of wet during the day is fine..

 (3) I prefer oil for hardwoods. I'd use teak oil on the rims if I made them. No varnish. Would also add about 20% Daly's Profin Satin to Watco Teak oil. The point is adding some solids to the Watco (that works fine without Daly's). But, together, they seem the best. I'd just rub oil generously on the brake surface, let soak in for a couple hours, and wipe off as much as your cloth will carry. Many a fine wood boat can endure decades with such treatment.

 So, I recommend oiled wood for bike wheels. Don't treat them as often as your chain. One or twice a year is plenty. Enjoy your cross and mix your materials!