Racing Bike on a bit of a budget

I've been doing 1 minute full gas, 1 minute rest for 10 repeats to try and get my stamina up and local climbs (telegraph hill in new cross, fountain drive, and the one up to blackheath).

I used to live just on the edge of the heath and you can make a great loop out of the 15 or so routes up onto the hill. If you started at Blackheath Hill, immediately on your left at the top (slightly back on yourself) is Point Hill which is short but pretty steep, next around is Hyde Vale, the least steep of all the routes up the hill, then there is Crooms Hill next to the park, cut round to the right and you can come back up the hill through the middle of the park, left at the exit of the park and left again at the 5-way traffic lights is Maze Hill going back down the far side of the park, turn right at the old swimming baths and along Trafalgar Road, then right at the crossroads by the Ship and Billet and the big bingo hall - that's Vanburgh Hill, always a laugh, turn around at the mini roundabout at the top there and you can do it all again in reverse! Or just turn right at that roundabout, back to the park and stop for a well earned cuppa at The Tea Hut on the heath. :-)

There is also Westcombe Hill next around from Vanburgh (comes out at the bottom by the big A20 flyover, bit busier though, not so fun) and going back the other way from Blackheath Hill are Dartmouth Hill/Morden Hill, Lewisham Hill (AKA Wat Tyler Road), Belmont Hill and Lee Road, that you can work into another loop, coming back via Blackheath Village and past the station. There are probably a few others but they aren't packed in as tightly as the ones on the river side of the hill.

Enjoy!

Wow! Thanks for that Tea_Bee, I'll have a look at a map and try that route for sure.
I live on Telegraph Hill in New Cross, which has 5 roads going up it that all roughly converge at the top. Jerningham Road is the hardest, but they're all pretty severe when you do them in sequence.

I'm sure I remember there being a thread dedicated to the hills of South London somewhere on here.

There's some good ones in that area behind the Horniman Museum, too: Horniman Drive etc... and the one after Blackheath (Shooters Hill?).

This one;

http://www.lfgss.com/thread17077.html

^Yeah, that's the one!
Good work.

I hate climbing hills* when there is traffic passing, especially heavy traffic like buses and lorries.

*Actually I just hate hills.

Just got a call from the LBS that were putting this together for me....
It seems the threads on the BB are so knackered that there's no way of putting in the BB shells.

FUCK!

What are my options?
(other than getting a new frame)

(the threads can't be re-tapped as there's not enough metal left)

get square taper cranks and use a threadless BB?

No carbon cranks for me then?
Probably just as well, to be honest....

Any other ideas, before I start searching?

I bought a new frame in the end:
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1983-ALAN-Competizione-frame-and-forks-frame-size-22-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/ylsAAMXQQUpRDSDh/$T2eC16Z,!zcE9s4g3JrtBRDSDgZLI!~~60_35.JPG

No!

That'll be about as stiff as a strand of overcooked spaghetti.

Looks pretty though

(I must admit it's almost entirely unfit for it's intended purpose... but it is also very, very pretty, so there you go!)

.

2 Attachments

Haha, didn't see those posts whilst I was attaching things... you took the words right out of my mouth!

It boiled down to looking at frames on ebay, etc for far too long without ever seeing anything I actually liked the look of / could afford.

Fuck it, I guess I just have a weakness for old stuff... I think it's rad.

(but then, I haven't actually ridden it yet...)

Sean Kelly won monuments on a Vitus, so it's not completely hopeless.

He didn't have to race against loads of people on modern frames though.
There is also this, which I put a post-pint bid on. Not as pretty, but almost certainly stiffer / better, etc. Despite having won the Alan, I am still tempted by it. I might well have to have both if no one outbids me!

Sooooo... the Alan listing said 130 OLN, but in reality it's 126mm. I really should have guessed this all by myself.... but basically I didn't.

My wheels need it to be 130, and I'm supposing that, with an aluminium frame like this, it would not be a great idea to force the rear wheel in by stretching the stays apart. So it looks like I'm still searching... and potentially have a nice Alan for sale if I can't return it.

If there is anything I'm missing that means i can still use this frame, please enlighten me. Otherwise, I'll see you all back here in another flippin' month or so when I finally find a suitable frame.

I really miss having a road bike!!!!

126 - 130 should be fine with just spreading, your right not to try and cold set it though.
Do the sensible thing and just buy a modern road bike! I took the step from pretty old things to high tech modern things and never looked back. If you are going to be racing a modern frame will do wonders, go for a canyon or a rose of you still want Some metal underneath you!

Reading though this...I've got a Sram Rival Group (that has a fairly worn chain and casette/chainrings) I can sell off cheap and I've got new RS-10 wheels (two months old) I'm selling as well. I guess (working on the basis of £210 for the complete groupset (Shifters, cables, cassette, compact chainset, Shimano 105 brakes (new) and chain) and £70 for the wheels) you could have both for around £280? I'm open to offers and I can post photos etc. Does this sound any use to you?

Cheapest i could find the wheels for was merlin at 99.99 and the sram rival group is generally at around 500 new online? so £210 is pretty reasonable i think.

thanks for the offer.... I have a groupset and wheels, though; just after a frame... unless I can actually use this one.
So, has anyone got any experience of going 126 - 130 on a frame like this? Will it be OK, or will I die / have endless mechanical problems?

+1 for modern frame.
This was a moment of desperation (and lov, if I'm honest!).

The Cougar I linked to a few posts ago went for something stupid like £50 and would have been ideal : (

126 to 130 is fine.

I did it with my Merckx, it was fine - though it does mean the wheel won't be dished right. No hands riding can be an issue.

However - those Alan's are alu right? Not sure about spreading an alu frame, steel has enough give for it to be OK.

It also means you have to have the wheel slid towards the back of the dropout or the cassette/chain will catch the stay in the smallest sprocket.