Re:
A short shakedown ride.... which ended up being a lot shorter than intended as 'somebody' forgot to fully tighten the headset. :facepalm:
First, my super shoes don't suit the pedals, so a bit of alteration to something will be required, so I substituted a pair of all purpose Shimano shoes. These turned out to be much too wide in the heel, although no damage was done. After that, braking at the bottom of the road I realised the headset was a little loose, so I grabbed a big handful and gave it a blummin good tightening and after that we were good.
The ride is excellent, really nimble and much lighter than the bike feels when you pick it up, plus, those guys knew a thing about gear ratios, as I was able to climb both long gradual 3 to 5% and short hard 10% stuff without too much difficulty, it just needs a different style, as I'm normally a bit Froomey, just without the elbows, wobbly head and massive power output.
If I could find another of these frames, I'd buy it and retromod it to be my regular ride.
Also, by popular request, I have de-shined the saddle, it's amazing what half an hour with a brass wire brush can accomplish.
That's Birnbeck Pier crumbling away in the background.
So, all round a nice little 10 mile introduction to one another.