Hettie the Hetchins, Magnum Opal [sic] Deluxe
made and built up for me by David Miller of Preston
Original Kit:
Campagnolo 10 speed compact Centaur 34/50
Campagnolo Cassette nine speed Veloce 28/12
Campagnolo Ergo (Veloce 9 Speed)
Ladies Brooks Finesse Titanium railed saddle.
Brooks Bar tape
Alu mudguards with rear rack
Wheels/hubs Campagnolo
Frame details: Hettie Hetchins, Curly Magnum Opal [sic] Deluxe [yes, she's a jewel. --Ed.]
Built in 2009 and collected from David [Miller] in April 2010, frame number 0916
Frame size 54cm
Colour scheme: Bright green frame, lugs in chrome with gold paint to pick out the finer details. Curly stays and front fork stays in chrome. Hetchins decal on downtube in Fairground font, in red/orange and gold.
Hetchins Badge, hand painted on head tube.
Personal details: My Hetchins is my finest most personal of any possession I own. Bought to emphasize my love of touring and cycling in general. She is my summer bike. Far too beautiful and stylish to cycle in the winter with the Manx roads covered in salt; for that time of year I have another bike.
Bike was originally bar taped with Brooks leather bar tape and sported a lady's Brooks Finesse titanium railed saddle. Silver mudguards and a rack completed the picture as "Hettie", as she is known, is to tour with me as well as to audax and the occasional sportive event as well. As my cycling miles grew, my tolerance of the Brooks saddle waned sadly, and when I upgraded Hettie this year, the Brooks saddle was replaced with a some-what ugly RIDO saddle, nick named "The Beast", but I can cycle for over 100 miles on the RIDO without discomfort or padded shorts. Comfort for my derriere became my panacea and more important to me than aesthetics.
What she has done so far: to date, Hettie has cycled with me on over 60 DIY audax rides, toured with me when I cycled from Liverpool to Lowestoft on my own version of a C2C in 2010. Plus two sportive cycling events the same year. I cycled two C2C UK rides with my friend Tina, in spring 2011 – Morecambe to Flamborough, and Flamborough to Silverdale returning to the Isle of Man via Heysham. Thus riding along different beautiful routes. Later in 2011, we also toured the Lake District to climb some monster hills: Wrynose as an example--as well as popping over to Yorkshire for a 100 miler over the top of Buttertubs. Finally in 2011 (it was a busy year) I rode her on a LEJOG tour in August, and, this year, she has just finished cycling with me on a very wet tour of the Yorkshire Dales after completing a somewhat chilly and wet Le Terrier sportive in Lancaster. She has topped 14,000 miles in the past 2 years since she was purchased in April 2010.
When purchased Hettie, was a 9 speed Campagnolo Veloce kind of gal, but after my LEJOG in 2011, she had worn out her chain-set. I up-graded to Campagnolo 10 speed, simply because of the logistical difficulties I had at buying a complete chain-set as a 9 speed. At this time, as I was changing quite a lot of components, I found an old set of Cinelli Giro alloy bars (1980's) which would do the job nicely; these were fitted and bound in Cinelli leather bar tape. Her previous bars had been black bars that in my opinion didn't suit her style as much as the silver Cinelli ones do. Sadly, I need a bit of height up front and so the gaudy black riser stem (for now at least) has to stay.
Her ergo levers were replaced to accept 10sp Campagnolo. This work was all done by myself, but over-seen by my husband who helped occasionally when a bit of man- muscle was required, for example when the cranks were replaced and the rear wheel cassette was unlocked.
I have been very keen to do the work myself, as I ride on tours solo, so I need to be able to get mechanicals fixed on the road from time to time, either doing them myself, or being able to discuss in detail with bike shop staff what needs doing. Fitting an entire group-set myself increased my mechanical confidence.
After her re-fit:
Campagnolo Compact Veloce Power torque 50/34
Campagnolo 10 speed cassette 29/13
Campagnolo Ergo bars Veloce 10 speed
Cinelli Giro alloy handlebars
Cinelli leather in tan bar tape.
RIDO saddle (The Beast)
SKS mudguards in alu.
See MaryJane's blogs:
cleaning and re-fitting the bike
LEJOG
audaxing on IOM
Coast To Coast
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