Author Archives: Chris Easton

Newdales Cycles Saffron Walden

Newly appointed Gibbs Brand dealer Newdales Cycles of Saffron Walden in Essex are one of the largest Giant bike dealers in the area.

photo outside

Although specializing in mountain bikes, they also cater for all other types of cycles, offering a full service and parts back-up. Liam Brook, Newdales’ proprietor, is very active in the bike world, running teams competing in the National Cross-Country Series, the Mud Sweat and Gears Challenge, plus the Thetford Winter Series. He was also kind enough to open up his workshops to demonstrate the use of Gibbs Brand on bicycles, which will be the subject of an up-coming film.

newdales

New Gibbs stockist Duksville speedshop

We are pleased to announce that  Duksville speedshop http://www.duksville.co.uk/ has chosen to add GibbsBrand to their vast range of hot rod and custom parts.

Run by ‘Geordie’ Paul O’Donnell and his wife Sue, Duksville has become one of the UK’s premiere hot rod and custom fabricators and parts suppliers.

Their fabrication shop has been responsible for producing many of the UK’s top hot rods and customs.

Their on-line shop  carries a vast stock of parts from the top names in the USA and anything not in stock can be obtained quickly on one of their regular shipments

”After testing in our workshops, it was obvious that Gibbs Brand would be a natural addition to our product range. It’s a fantastic product that really does live up to its reputation!” said Geordie.

duksville truck add Duks 36 DUKSVILLE CARB Blue mock

Cleaning and maintaining a mountain bike

The Gibbs Brand team were invited to Newdales Cycles in Saffron Walden http://www.newdales.co.uk, to watch a mountain bike being stripped, cleaned and serviced using Gibbs Brand.

As Liam (Newdale’s proprietor) stripped the bike he was able to point out the key maintenance areas on a bike:

  • The chain was removed and cleaned with brake cleaner, it was then dried and Gibbs Brand was applied as shown in the pic. Because of its non-sticky nature, using Gibbs to lubricate the chain means that it stays clean and free from dirt that would normally cause wear.

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  • The gear block was also stripped-out, cleaned and lubricated in the same way.
  • The front wheel was removed and Gibbs was applied to the quick release spindle and the magnesium fork ends where the paint tends to wear away and corrosion can take hold. Liam showed us a spindle that hadn’t been protected with Gibbs see pic.

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  • Gibbs was sprayed into the brake and gear cables and due to its capillary action it quickly travels the length of the cable.

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  • Finally, Gibbs was applied to the frame with a cloth. (The only item that should not be treated is the brake discs for obvious reasons!) Liam has found that bikes cleaned with Gibbs stay cleaner for longer, due to the way it leaves an invisible, protective dirt-rejecting coating. (Just hose the bike down and watch the mud and salt fall off).

Wheels Day 2013

Wheels Day  (Classic car and bike show), is held every Good Friday at Rushmoor arena, Aldershot and tends to be a precursor to the car show season.  Although a unseasonably cold start it didn’t stop the car enthusiasts  and the arena was full.

The Gibbs mustang was in attendance and proved popular. Gibbs lubricant was available from Gibbs dealer Pop Browns on the day.

In the afternoon a number of cars and bikes were invited to an open day at Jack Hammer Hot Rod and Kustom, the latest Gibbs stockist. It was a well attended launch for Gibbs brand and the coffee an choc eggs were appreciated in the cold weather. Miles the owner was kept busy all day.

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Unblocking a Heating fuel oil counter

counter meter 001

There are two properties using one fuel oil storage tank and to register what oil is used per property I installed fuel counters. Unfortunately these units block quite often (mainly in cold weather as the fuel becomes waxy) and need to be taken off and an airline used to clear them. I decided to fill them with Gibbs and let them soak overnight. I refitted them and they haven’t blocked since.