I found a really helpful video on YouTube which told me exactly how to set up my BB7 brakes.
I did all of that and took the bike out for a quick test ride...
I immediately heard alarming 'pinging' noises but I knew from experience what they were - the sound of newly tensioned spokes moving against each other as the wheels 'settled in'. Good wheel-builders relieve the spoke stresses during the building process. I'm sure that it is done for factory wheels too, but maybe not quite as meticulously? Anyway, not a problem as long as it doesn't continue for long... After 3 or 4 pings, those noises stopped. Good.
Onwards and upwards - literally. I came to the first of my little hills and stood to climb it. The bike shot forwards. Ah, yes - oversized chunky Al frame = very stiff. I know some people prefer springy steel or titanium frames, but I prefer my bikes not to bend under me. I lower my tyre pressures if I need more comfort! Excellent.
Now, I needed to do the 'bedding in' of the brakes (as advised in the video) before I came to my first descent. I braked a few times on the 'plateau' and could immediately tell that the brakes were working a lot better than they had been yesterday. I then felt confident to do a rapid descent, doing a few more sharp pulls on the brakes on the way down to further improve the braking power.
The gear shifting didn't feel quite right. TBH, it was better than I expected it to be, given that I had put new wheels on the bike. Later in the ride though, I discovered that I couldn't select the biggest sprocket, and changing the other way the chain went straight past the smallest sprocket and fell off. (I put the bike back in the stand when I got home and sorted those problems out.)
The bike is a bit heavier than my best bike but with the new wheels and smaller tyres, it isn't too bad, especially considering what a versatile bike it is. It makes a good road bike with the 25C tyres. I can fit full mudguards and a rack if I want to, and I can fit big chunky semi-slicks on the other pair of wheels once I have changed their bearings and got them retrued and retensioned. I weighed the bikes when I got back - best bike 8.8 kg, new bike 10 kg. Perfectly acceptable.
What else...? Oh yes, the angry bees! It was quite windy this evening and the wind noise completely drowned out the noise of the freehub. I'm sure that someone with good hearing riding beside me on a very quiet country road would be aware of the hub noise whenever I freewheeled, but I don't think that it will be a problem for me. Similarly, the disc rotors just occasionally made contact with the pads when I was not braking, but they were an awful lot quieter than many disc brakes that I have heard in the past.
The bike position had been left exactly as it was set up when I bought it and it suited me perfectly!
I'm still not sure about the bike's San Marco saddle. It felt okay, but it was only a short ride. I'll take my spare Planet X saddle with me to Devon in case I decide that I can't get on with the SM.
All in all - VERY PLEASED!
PS Except with my back - that was not brilliant on the ride. Not too bad, but I was only out for about 40 minutes. I think 8-10 hilly hours is going to be a big ask!
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