tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post8772326346432317633..comments2024-03-27T19:12:49.609-07:00Comments on Midlife Cycling: If You Can See The Difference....Justine Valinottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-87469323683432063392017-02-01T16:22:14.265-08:002017-02-01T16:22:14.265-08:00Brooks--You don't have to thank me. I just ho...Brooks--You don't have to thank me. I just hope that if, by some chance, someone is reading my blog but hasn't seen yours, my blog will lead him or her to yours.<br /><br />It's interesting to know that someone actually shortens Silca pumps. That could be a useful skill, given that they haven't been made in about 20 years and the range of available sizes (let alone colors) is thus limited!Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-70632395669661633642017-02-01T14:20:54.991-08:002017-02-01T14:20:54.991-08:00I forgot to say "Thank you" for the kind...I forgot to say "Thank you" for the kind words at the start of the article.<br /><br />I'd love to document the process of shortening a Silca frame pump - but as I mentioned, it wasn't something I felt I could do myself since there are tools I don't have that would make the job much easier. I found a guy who had shortened a few who was kind enough to do the job for me. I had a super nice New-Old-Stock Silca pump that was just a bit too long to fit on any of my bikes. Trying to describe it without photos wouldn't do much good.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-51034073003765448512017-01-31T15:54:10.285-08:002017-01-31T15:54:10.285-08:00Brooks--I admit that it's not often one has th...Brooks--I admit that it's not often one has the need to refurbish a Zefal pump as I did. Like you, I am dismayed that the HPX is difficult to find in anything but black. From what I understand, the HPXs I have on my Mercians--which have a polished silver finish--were to be a "limited run", and I don't know whether they're still being made.<br /><br />I would be very interested to see how the "operation" on the Silca was accomplished. For what it's worth, my Silcas also had Campy steel heads, which sealed much better than the Silca heads.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-13482582548912129152017-01-31T14:28:12.515-08:002017-01-31T14:28:12.515-08:00I would not have known how to refurbish one of the...I would not have known how to refurbish one of the old Zefal pumps without this -- though I'd never tried, either. I can totally relate to putting forth the effort to do it. I like the Zefal HPX, though it seems to be hard to find in anything other than black these days. I like that red/silver/blue one a lot. I have several of the old Silcas -- most of them with the Campagnolo steel head. I just had one shortened slightly - which would be a cool project to document for the blog, but i have to admit I had to have someone else do it for me. I know basically how people do it, but I don't really have the equipment for it (a lathe, or at minimum a good drill press is really helpful).Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-83497102260726718822017-01-27T09:59:01.088-08:002017-01-27T09:59:01.088-08:00Leo--If you ever want to write a guest post--or si...Leo--If you ever want to write a guest post--or simply send me phots of yur Rautarukki--please do. I'm sure it's not like anything I've shown or written about on this blog!Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-4880019982051053252017-01-27T09:30:07.052-08:002017-01-27T09:30:07.052-08:00Mike: You are a kindred spirit. I love this new (t...Mike: You are a kindred spirit. I love this new (to me) concept of Retrogeekery. Sometimes it is a matter of finding just the right Campagnolo component from the 70's. At other times it trespasses into the territory of Rube Goldberg. The machine I have referred to as The Ice Bike has an age spread of nearly 50 years in it's components. It is lovingly named "Rautaruukki", "The Iron Caldron". This is a sort of pun in Finnish that implies mixing radically different levels of technology in the same object. I am an incurable dumpster diver. <br /><br />LeoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-63774741701266208832017-01-26T19:56:49.348-08:002017-01-26T19:56:49.348-08:00Mike--I have new-production HPXs on my Mercians. ...Mike--I have new-production HPXs on my Mercians. They, the HPs and Competitions are indeed the best frame pumps ever made. I hope that Zefal doesn't decide to stop making HPXs and to offer only mini-pumps made in China.<br /><br />I love the last sentence of your comment. It's does as much as anything to define Retrogeekery. And I'd like to see Tarkus.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-72887309731207419712017-01-25T18:39:59.205-08:002017-01-25T18:39:59.205-08:00All these years and i never knew just how the Zefa...All these years and i never knew just how the Zefal pump disassembled! I still have my original Competition pump, although the piston valve is worn out. i like your bodged screwdriver, and maybe one day i'll attempt to refurbish my old Comp. i was glad to see that Zefal put the HPX back into production;along with the Competition, the Zefals are hands-down the best frame pumps made IMHO.<br /> As for my own geekery, i just finished overhauling Tarkus, my all-weather utility mountain-ish bike. The geekery involved much disassembing, cleaning, and retrofitting bits that many others would've put out on the curb years ago. The big part of the Art of Retrogeek is keeping the old stuff on the road.mike w.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10317710564489321690noreply@blogger.com