1990 Harry Hall in Columbus SLX.

[Globalti]

Just bought this for £150, spent some extra cash on new tyres, cables and flatter bars & tape, fitted some super-stiff Shimano Hollowtech cranks and a pair of Sora shifters kindly donated by ColinJ, now I just need to ditch the Campy block for a Shimano with a wider range of gears, which should solve the shifting problems and give me the perfect MTBer's road trainer for hilly Lancashire.

The frame was the second of a series built in Birmingham in April 1990 for Harry Hall's Manchester shop. It is in Columbus SLX tubing with cast lugs and cost around £300 at that time. It rides real nice, sprightly and fresh feeling. My only reservation is that it feels very stretched but I'll give it a few rides before changing the stem.

 

[mickle]

Your feeling of being too stretched may have something to do with the nose up attitude of the saddle.

Flites are terrible for sagging btw. If it looks like that at rest imagine what it's like with your arse on it.

Lovely bike RR.

 

[longers]

Those bars look better than the previous ones.

It is a gorgeous bike .

Will you be riding it round the Forest of Bowland with ColinJ et al?

 

[ColinJ]

Yep - it's a nice-looking bike and it's good to see those shifters being put to use again. I enjoyed the beers by the way RR, but I've now given up alcohol for a few months to shed my beer belly and get fit again !

I think the saddle looks rather nose-up too. I always tilt mine slightly nose-down or I end up with NNS (the dreaded numb-nuts-syndrome ).

You'd be welcome to join us for the rerun of my Forest of Bowland ride on Sunday August 17th.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

What size is the frame (looks big) and what size is you?

 

[mickle]

Reckon 56.

 

[zimzum42]

Amazing, with the exception of the Shimano stuff on it you share pretty much my taste in bike equipment!

And I don't know what Mickle's talking about, I've been using Flite titanium saddles since 1995, and I've never had one sag even a little. My yellow kevlar number is still going strong, and it's 13 years old.....

 

[Globalti]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I'll flatten that saddle a little and see what that does.

The frame is around 57 cms to top of seat tube, that's around 22.5", which according to this chart is perfect for me at 6' or 182 cms height: http://tenerife-training.net/Teneri...oads/2008/04/bicycle-frame-sizing-fitting.gif

The top tube is around 57 cms and that stem is 11.5 cms.

Finally, ColinJ, yes I'd be interested in coming along on your next Bowland ride; it would be my first ever road ride in a group (done plenty off road).

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Should be the right size. Replace the seat post for one without any layback.

 

[Globalti]

Ah! Good suggestion, thanks. TBH I fancy a carbon post but that would spoil the retro look of the bike.... maybe Ti then?

 

[bagpuss]

Smart machine. But please fit a Brooks saddle

 

[ColinJ]

The frame is around 57 cms to top of seat tube, that's around 22.5", which according to this chart is perfect for me at 6' or 182 cms height: http://tenerife-training.net/Teneri...oads/2008/04/bicycle-frame-sizing-fitting.gif

The top tube is around 57 cms and that stem is 11.5 cms.

Finally, ColinJ, yes I'd be interested in coming along on your next Bowland ride; it would be my first ever road ride in a group (done plenty off road).

I'm 6' 1" and my bikes all have 58 cm top tubes so your bike sounds about the right size for you.

I'll add you to the list of riders for the FoB ride and will see you then .

 

[andy_wrx]

Ah! Good suggestion, thanks. TBH I fancy a carbon post but that would spoil the retro look of the bike.... maybe Ti then?

Carbon, paint it silver

Having seen it in the flesh (metal ? paint ?), I'll say it looks very elegant.
A small-tube steel bike like this is a completely different look from today's massively oversized carbon or alu frames.

 

[fossyant]

Brookes saddle - wash your mouth out. I've got a Flite Ti Saddle on my Herety SLX - my ass is just about used to it now.... fitted it in about 96 and they are very light 180 grms. Cost a fair few bob back then £50.

Nice frameset is SLX - very stiff, great power transfer, but still compliant. The tubes have spiral ribs near the BB to increase stiffness - does work !

The frame is about the same age as my Herety - my frame was about £450 all those years ago - I wonder how those prices translate these days - was twice the price of a good 531c frame, and about the same as a Colnago.

It looks in great condition - look after it !

 

[Globalti]

Well I flattened that saddle and did a quick 20 miler in rain showers down to Clitheroe and back where I got a Shimano 14-28 screw-in block fitted. All the shifting problems are sorted, I now have what feels like the right gears for my strength and the local hills and the change in saddle angle seems to have sorted the stretched-out feeling, so thanks for the suggestions. I guess the saddle was forcing me to rock my pelvis back and lengthening my upper body.

Incidentally I got to have a look inside the workshop of Simon at Pedal Power on Waddington Road, Clitheroe. What a great place he's got - a nice old building lined with T&G timber with heating, skylights, small office area, small kitchen, plenty of shelving and hanging places, compressed air, masses of tools all nicely ranged on the wall, just the perfect, classic mechanic's workshop. Simon works in that tidy, unhurried and efficient way that only an experienced mechanic can manage. Drop in for a look sometime.