when I collected this from a guys barn courtesy of freecycle I was actually considering leaving it there. Almost everything was seized or in a poor state of repair, the only decent componant on the entire rig being an elderly & trashed 'Custom' drop stem.. A few hours with the big wrenchs in the shed saw fresh grease & 1/8" balls in all the right places. Shoved on a spare back wheel from another freecycle find, some brake bits & stuff I Had lying around in the epic bike spare part pile (theres at least another 2-3 bikes can be built out of my junk pile), et voila.... a londonproof 'fixie' bike that even the most desperate of the clapham bicycle gang would not steal... oh wait... its not fixed :p For the ultimate in ghetto she is just running the stand 5speed freewheel that was already affixed to the wheel, a truely aweful looking thing. But rides surprisingly nicely. Bars chopped & flopped from the originals, a little short but gives perfect reach for me with my stubby arms. Could do wiht a longer post though, its at its maximum and my knees don't like it. Also poor quality weinman side pull centre bolt brakes do not like... rain mud cow shite their own dust working at all The centre bolt makes a break for it when it feels like it. Much locktight required I think. Still, its better than paying TFL ?8-9 a day to ride in their smelly stained buses & hot tubes packed with rude people, ANYDAY of the week.

This is the only Monkey Wrench I've seen with a quick-release. The jaws operate normally using the normal dial knob, but pushing in on the plate below lets you slide the whole inner jaw assembly back and forth. Most curious. I love the stubby wood handle. note to self: this photo blows! Direct sun no good... re-do at better angle.