PLANET Tailoring my tourer Everyone customises their bikes a little. Being an engineer, Highpath’s Chris Bell went further to create his perfect touring bike

wanted a folding bike to expand Chris’s my public transport customised I Cadenza options, one that didn’t compromise ride Italicised items were added. An quality. I almost got a asterisk denotes customisation. Thorn expedition bike with S&S couplings. Gears 17-101" range, provided by: Then launched • Alfine 8spd their Cadenza range. • Truvativ crank, modified* to I bought two – one take 2 oval EGGrings (48T 20% for me and one for my and 25T 30%) neighbour. The basic • Deore front mech, modified* bike was a 2008-model to increase its capacity with a • Stripped-down 105 rear mech* folding aluminium frame, for chain tensioning 26" alloy wheels, disc • Jtek bar end rear • SunTour bar end front shifter brakes, hub gears, and straight handlebars. more stable when loaded and handles very It suited my neighbour just as it was. Mine well off-road too. Basic folding is achieved Brakes wasn’t exactly what I wanted, so I wheeled with an allen key in seconds and the most • Shimano mech. disc brakes it into the workshop and set to with all the compact package takes just a few minutes. • Dia-Compe drop levers engineering facilities at my disposal. The disc brakes are basic cable-operated • Promax inline (top) levers Both Cadenza frames needed corrective ones but they’re amazingly powerful and easy work. Poor hinge tolerances and unfaced to control, even the steepest descents Comfort headtubes caused creaks when the bikes in the rain. And the new Alfine 8-speed hub • Schwalbe 50mm Big Apple were ridden, crooked front disc brake gear is brilliant. It’s rated for tandem use, and tyres mounts resulted in uneven pad wear, and unlike other gears it’s totally silent, even when • Giant leather saddle with hole • Syntace drop handlebars, the dropouts were too narrow to get the rear freewheeling, since it uses sprag clutches Raleigh foam padding and wheels in and out easily. I’ve fixed these instead of ratchets and pawls. The Jtek Velox cotton tape things but bike shops might struggle. Dahon bar-end shifter works well but it took me a • Tortec reflector mudguards while to get used to the hub’s • BBB touring pedals, configuration (up for high Christophe toe-clips & straps gears, down for low ones). I Basic folding is achieved mustn’t comment on the Oval Other chainrings, which I make, but I • Extended alloy pannier rack with an allen key in a was surprised at how well the with custom frame fixings* • Pulse front lamp bracket front copes with such matter of seconds • Custom computer transmitter a large 23T jump. bracket* Last June I undertook a • Ortlieb bar bag bracket lock say future frames will be made more carefully. 2,100km tour in Norway with full camping removed* and custom strap I also replaced the Shimano hub gears under gear, riding on roads and rough mountain retainer* added warranty as they both slipped in 4th gear. tracks. The bike was a joy to ride and the fold • All QRs replaced with The finished bike weighs 3kg more than made it easy to get there and back by public stainless cap screws or nuts* my Dawes Galaxy, but I don’t notice this transport. It has turned out to be my best • Several frame holes bushed when riding. Instead I’m aware of how much bike ever! with threaded inserts* more comfortable I am, no doubt due to the • Frame stand removed* • Custom padded bike bag* cushioning effect of the fatter tyres. And not Highpath Engineering is at www.highpath.net, that doubles as sleeping mat only does it roll as fast on the road, but it’s tel: 01570 470 035

24 cycle february/march 2010