Managed to get the Maillard block apart, with these tools actually made by Maillard. Gave it a good clean and rebuild it King Alf style with a 4 speed 13,14,15 & 16 sprocket ratio. This is almost identical to what Alf used on his ‘78 Record bike. Pretty impressive 124g 😊

Been a while since I posted a classic Northern Soul track. So this week dug this up from Cubby Checker (yes the same - of the twist fame) anyway quite valuable and number 83 on the top 500. You Just Don’t Know is a mega track #northernsoul

Gave the Arabesque a service yesterday and introduced it to the new stable mate the Super ORO. Two steel Colnago’s and both with 50th anniversary groupsets. Pick you favourite 🤔

Another Maillard block, this one is stamped ‘79 & has never been used or fitted. Apparently it fell of a build stand & one of teeth got snapped off when it hit the metal leg of the stand (back in the day all build stands were made of solid steel). Its a 14-20 so a little heavier

Can anyone guess what this is for and who made it.

More marginal gains. I can now make my own Allen socket head fixings, so remade the steel B-Pivot bolt on a Huret Jubilee. I will machine turn the thread and trim it down on the actual frame dropout later but looking good (and very light)

So what magic machine did I use to make that socket head - it’s a rotary “wobble” broach tool. I used the lathe, but works slightly better using a milling machine, however takes longer to set-up.

So what was the last song played at Wigan Casino the night it closed and also the most valuable 45 in the world - Frank Wilson and Do I love you (Indeed I do). Only two original copies of this are known to exist. Today I bought the only legal reissue of that recording from 1918.

Did some detailed drilling on the Huret Jubilee top alloy bolt I made and also blinged up an old OMAS fixing cup & lock ring

Another Huret jubilee RD that had been damaged in a crash and sent to my emergency repair department. Looking a lot better now and a bit lighter 😂

One of the greatest Northern Soul records ever and number 30 in the top 500. Just wait for the big clap point. #northernsoul

So, maybe the world’s lightest Huret Jubilee at less than a 100g and I still have some more upgrades. 😊

Been turning my attention back to Campagnolo and made a very light jockey wheel with machining and drilling

This is how I got the Huret Jubilee below 100g. I completely redesigned the upper jockey cage pivot and replaced all the steel fixings. All the parts were machined in 7075 Ergal alloy in my workshop on manual machines

Some better B&W pictures of that sub 100g Huret Jubilee

Final 2024 scores on the door for the Huret Jubilee - 98.71g. The list of modifications is too vast for one post, however custom machined titanium limit screws was the last upgrade.

Not to be outdone. The ‘74 Campagnolo NR RD has been updated with the learning from the Huret Jubilee experiments. 162.56g is a massive improvement compared to the 200g original weight for that version.

HNY to all my followers and looks like this will the first build on my 2025 list.

Pushing the boundaries on the ‘74 Nuovo Record RD. Machined a new alloy spring barrel from a solid 40mm diameter bar and then slotted it. Weight is down to a very respectable if not record 154.35g. Let’s see what I can do next

The home of Northern Soul. A spiritual visit to Manchester today to see the site of the birthplace of Northern Soul in Whitworth St. The Twisted Wheel club. In reality this was the second site of the club, but where it all started. #northernsoul