Any question answered...

Awesome thanks for the suggestions.

Will my 25.8mm clamp stem fit on 25.4mm handlebars?

F W Evans were originally in the parade of shops opposite Kennington Police Station.
No evidence whatsoever of that now.

Will my 25.8mm clamp stem fit on 25.4mm handlebars?

Not safely.

I was referring to Evans at The Cut.

Pity to hear about the Holdsworth sign though, sincerely hope someone kept/salvaged it...

Cheers, what about 26mm or am I better off being patient and finding a 25.8mm set?

Is it? Will walk over later to have another closer look!

1 inch carbon steerer (Columbus Minimal forks), full length uncut since the frame is big, a 45mm high steel nitto ahead stem, a 20mm alloy spacer... the top of the steerer is flush with the top of stem (I don't have the few mm theorically needed, my bad, but I don't think my problem comes from there), the alloy lip of the expander nut sits beyond that (approx 2mm high), and on top the @mdcc_tester cap.
I never had problems installing headsets, traditional or ahead, but I can't get this one right (campag record 1 inch)... either it's correctly preloaded, with no play, and when braking at low speed, or applying force on the cockpit, there is friction noise (think Chewbacca) and you can feel some kind of resistance, or, in trying to avoid these symptoms by loosening the preload, I have to suffer some play, an horror on cobbles for instance. There is no happy middle. I've put the bike together last year and never use it (Sunday bike) but going on an audax last weekend with it reminded me of the need to fix that issue for good before I damage things.
What I feel the problem might be is that there is too much of steerer, being 1 Inch diameter it just flexes over that height, and preloading aggravates this. Is it time to slam that stem and cut the height off by the equivalent of the 20mm spacer? The most I could keep of carbon steerer above the stem is 1/2mm because by the time I add the expander bolt's lip , I reach the inner depth of the cap and then I can no longer preload correctly. I guess temporarily fitting the 20mm spacer on top of the stem would give me the beginning of an answer?

I guess temporarily fitting the 20mm spacer on top of the stem would give me the beginning of an answer?

You guess correctly.

what about 26mm

Mixing 26 and 25.8 is fine, the difference turns out to be mostly one of nomenclature rather than dimension.

Yep, spacer on to of them adjust to correct preload, tighten stem then remove spacer and add tester cap.

If you tighten the stem correctly, the cap is just there for pre load and to prevent you coring yourself in the event of a fall if there's quite some steerer on to of the stem.

i’ll try this method, thanks!

Very fake actually...

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So, the mini v brakes fit, just, if I don't use the little rubber sleeves.

A) will foregoing the rubber sleeves kill me?
B) will the lack of much clearance kill me?

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A) No
B) Maybe

Add a link/half link to the chain for clearance gainz?

And these :

https://www.evanscycles.com/avid-noodle-brake-pipe-00120609

Lengthening the chain is a good idea, nice one.

I've ordered those avid noodles, I assume you recommended them due to the little rubber end caps for them, to keep gubk out of the cable outer?

BTW, the lack of brake squeal is such a wonderful thing. Bye bye cantilevers, I never really loved you.

Bye bye cantilevers

Yeah, fuck 'em!

Read elsewhere that AW Cycles is closing down.

.

Will this vice:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-portable-vice-swivel-base-3/5324v

be up to the job of removing freewheels?

Depends if you're going to bolt it down.
Otherwise, get a massive breaker bar :)

Yeah, I thought that clamping it would be no good, it would just torque off.

If I go for a breaker bar, how do I hold the wheel and the bar at the same time?

It is pissing me off to pay my LBS every time I swap the freewheel on my charge plug into and out of "off road mode".

Double sided hub eventual solution?

how do I hold the wheel and the bar at the same time?

Place the wheel in the corner betwixt floor and wall. Push the end of the wrench towards the corner. The harder you push on the wrench, the greater the reaction at the contact points and therefore the friction reacting against the wrench torque.

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