Rebuilding a Retro Raleigh Bicycle in Bulgaria

As many people know I am a keen cyclist and have been since giving up smoking around 1992. Indeed it was in 1992 I bought a Mountain Bike from Halfords in Huddersfield and that was the year I never looked back in terms of the love for cycling.

My 25 Year Old Raleigh Kalahari

The bicycle was a Kalahari which I used for commuting and beyond that touring France after a bit of modernising to accommodate panniers for my tent etc. I also gave it three coat so Hammerite on the frame, strong downhill rims and put dropped handlebars on it. It turned out to be a fine if not slightly heavy tourer, but we got on very well.

When I went to Bulgaria for the first time to live in 2005, this bike came with me. I used it not only for riding for fun, but carrying water and gas bottles for the home in the village. It was a great workhorse. Then I had to return to the UK again in 2011. The bike was given to Galia's son and he used it for the next 6 years on a regular basis. The bottom bracket finally gave up on him along with other problems due to lack of maintenance. He finally got himself his own bike and my Kalahari was waiting for me in disrepair when I arrive back in Bulgaria gain in April this year.

I really felt sorry for that bike after all the adventures we have had on it and the bike helping out Galia's family get around here. Due to the Hammerite treatment the frame was still in near perfect condition, it was just the components that needed replacing or TLC. So, a project was born to rebuild the Kalahari.

Stripped down A waiting for refitting

There are cycle shops in almost every big town and city in Bulgaria, Yambol is no exception, however, bike shops are not the same as in the UK. Most bikes in the shops here are low budget machines and I understand completely why with the ways things are here. the parts needed to rebuild my bike are universal , but somehow the local shop doesn't have most of what is needed. Simple replacement bottom bracket and the grease to use for installing, both where unavailable. Degreaser, an essential for chain maintenance, they didn't sell that either and recommended washing up liquid! And tools for the job such as a crank extractor. 

This may drive many expats crazy, but I know how it works here, I except that is how things are and just try and get around the problem the best I can. And yes I did use washing up liquid as a degreaser, not perfect but good enough. The bottom bracket was bought online form the UK and the grease to instal it was bought from the the car parts shop next to the bike shop, not dedicated to bike bottom brackets but does just as good job. Found out many years ago paying stupid money for designer products when general purpose products are just as good. Another example of this is with the sourcing of Hammerite which I intended to use giving the bike frame another couple of coats. But at over 20 BG Lev that to me was stupid money I didn't want to to pay. Next to this was a similar Bulgarian brand of coating at half the price and with a free paintbrush. No question, this is what I went for and after applying two coats the results were just as good!

I must admit there are a few things I bought online from China on Ebay. Purely down to price, every involuntary practical and prudent Bulgarian would go for this option. Cable casing, handlebar tape and cable seals all are coming for China at around 2 BG Lev for each item.

Needless to say I am now well on my way to restoring my Kalahari and will in due course give updates of progress. For now though the bare frame is prepared for serviced and many new parts due from online imported sources  and the excitement grows.

Cycle Accident - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

It has been just over six weeks since my bicycle accident and is something that plagues me on a daily basis.

Still with pain in my right knee which is due to be scanned in a couple of weeks, I hurts to think of myself on a bicycle. This is not from the thought of physical capability but from the fear and trepidation of not being up to it mentally.

In recent weeks I have felt isolated not being able to talk about the accident or cycling which had always been a big part of my life both in practice and verbal promotion. Each time I was drawn into conversation about cycling and the accident in particular I had to stop in my tracks or break down in tears without any warning. So, what I do is avoid the topic completely and not get trapped on the subject when it comes along.

Sleep is another factor, or should I say the lack of it. Getting to sleep is a problem as my mind wanders into many areas, including reflections on the accident focusing of the sequential events of that ill fated morning. From the joy of a lovely morning in second wind on quiet roads looking forward to the undulating road across the other side of Kingsbury Road, to the sound of the van crashing into the car, then the deflected car speeding towards me and the head on impact into me. The lying in the street realising I was injured and daren't move, which felt like a lifetime of waiting. People around me staring, then the police, the paramedics and total confusion. Trying to be polite and not cause people trouble joking but from shock.

The journey to hospital in the ambulance with sirens running, the rest was a blur until I found myself outside the hospital with some surgeons trousers on and broken cycling SPD shoes faced with getting public transport home. All I remember about that was deciding whether I should actually go to work at that point, even though I was in severe pain! Why? I did go to work the next day and that was a bad decision

Even now I feel it hard to write about this and I have butterflies in my stomach thinking about how I can cope it I cannot mentally get back on a cycle again. Depressive thoughts.

I need therapy and counselling I feel. Being a very strong mentally disciplined person I felt I could get through this myself by now by pushing myself hard to make out there is nothing wrong with me, but I can't. The though of buying another bicycle usually excites me immensely, but it doesn't for the first time in my life and I have no incentive to look. This is very worrying and out of character for me as anyone who knows me would tel you.

Right now I just want to stay in my flat and not talk to anyone, not text or ring friends and feel like a recluse. At work I get angry, whereas that is completely the opposite of my history of working practice as a teacher/trainer. 

Seeing other cyclists on the road make me feel quite numb and I am not sure what to make of them. There is a no thought of emotion seeing cyclists. Why?

Lastly, the planned cycle rides and events I had booked up and planned will not be ridden as it stands. I really don't know how I can live without those normally exciting goals in front of me!

A Will? Good idea, but for what?

It is quite funny how sometime you can overlook such blatantly obvious things whilst getting caught up in an idea.

After joining new work Union with my new job and one of the benefits was to give a free Will service for members with a firm of solicitors that they work with. Great, was the thought that went through my head, I had been meaning to do this for years but never been in a position to have disposable income to throw at the idea. Also, because I had a serious cycle accident, this provoked the thought of getting it done before I get killed!

So, it was with an eager pen I wrote to the solicitors to get the process started. The letter of application was send a few weeks ago and to be quite honest I had forgotten about it until a letter arrive yesterday. (This one wasn't stolen form the communal letterbox this time!)

I was tired from work but forced myself to get the application completed and sent off; one less job to later on was the thought.

As the first part was completed with formal stuff like name address, union membership number etc., it came to the section as to what I was to leave. Now it may seem strange to think that this was something that had been completely overlooked. I suddenly looked at my assets and felt quite shocked from the fact that I had nothing! No property, no savings, no car, no jewelery, not even any furniture I own. I used to have a bicycle a few weeks ago, but that was written off with my accident and worth nothing now. All I could leave to anyone was my clothing and that wouldn't even cover my funeral bill! After further thought I discovered that the most valuable thing I owned was my prescription glasses.

It was a very long time of thinking and coning to terms with what was state of fact that I realised that there was no point in a Will if there was nothing to leave anyone. And that wasn't about to change either. At 57 years old I wondered and tried to work out how could this be at my age? 

At least I get a state pension at 66 years old, but unfortunately that can't be put in a Will! 

How could I have ever overlooked such an obvious element to the point of making a Will?