On 07/23/2017 04:22 PM, Lesli Larson wrote:
Patrick-
As always - thanks for your wisdom. I'm definitely looking for
functional vintage over spendy pretty bits.
The bike will be for serious rando so durability is an issue. I just
don't like how most new/tech parts look so I'm always erring on side
of shopping from the past where I can secure something that will look
nice and still perform a job.
I'm very intersted in Shimanon derailleurs that you mention. I'm just
not sure which vintage to target.
It's hard to go wrong with any of the Deore XT / XTR Shimano MTBs of the
8 or 9 speed eras, except for "Rapid Rise". They all work
wonderfully. And they index really well, too. Hard for me to accept
that they're "vintage" technology and I don't consider them so.
Friction shifting Hyperglide is all very well and good, and except for
the lack of auditory feedback and a relentless desire to ghost shift
built into its basic nature - in many ways better than friction shifting
ever was back in the 1970s - but for a serious randonneur it's hard for
me to see the point. Indexing just plain works better -- at least
setups with bar end shifters and 8 or 9 speed wide range cassettes --
and you don't have to fuss over it or concentrate very hard on it to
make it work well.
It's one thing to set up a bike for Eroica-esque historical
re-enactment, it's a whole different thing to set a bike up for
randonneuring. I'm sure nobody would suggest "vintage" bottle
generators and Jos incandescent lights for real honest to god brevets;
as far as I'm concerned it's the same for drivetrains.
Here's my latest (and also my oldest). The frame happens to be from
1963. The drive train is as contemporary-functional as it gets: XTR
M900 crank & rear derailleur, circa 2002 9 speed XT front derailleur
(although just about anything including the Campagnolo Nuovo Record I
took off my Paramount back in 1975 would probably work just as well),
NOS 8 speed Shimano bar end shifters and a customized 12-32 8 speed
Sunrace cassette I turned into a 13-32. The range and spacing suit this
frame very well, better I think than a 9 speed of the same range would do.
The front wheel came off my VO Randonneur when thanks to Bosch's
settlement on the VW Diesel Emissions Scandal I upgraded the front wheel
to the lastest Son Delux Widebody, and the brakes are Mafac Racers Igor
worked over and made as new. The brake levers are Dia Compe aero levers
I got somewhere and didn't even remember I had, probably came on my Alex
Moulton AM. I've got the parts but haven't finished the lighting yet -
still recovering from the epic struggle of putting fenders on this bike.
I'm current running friction on my bike with a TA crank and XTR rear.
Not sure about the front derailleur.
This bike has a compact double with a wide cluster in the back -
requiring medium/long cage rd.
I use the Tektro levers with the quick release button. I'd like to buy
vintage aero levers if i can find one with the equivalent reach.
I'm also looking for a lightweight handlebar that works for smaller
hands. I use an on one midge bars which I like because of the short
reach and wide top part. Most of the Nitto offerings are just too
large/wide. I need something with a shallow drop.
Not sure if anyone is making lightweight classic looking parts (ala
Nitto) for smaller/shorter cyclists (and women).
On Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 3:46:39 PM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:
Leslie: It all depends what you mean by "vintage." Some "vintage"
bits are exorbitantly expensive -- Dura Ace 7410 brake lever
hoods. Others are still very reasonable -- Shimano 600 levers. 9
speed LX derailleurs IME shift wonderfully; are those old enough
to be "vintage"?
10 speed? 9? 8? 7? Fixed?
And what sort of stuff. Racer? Mountain bike? Just ride?
You can find on this list, on other lists, and on eBay, enough
decent non-current drivetrain, wheel, and other bits to build up a
very nicely working bike for far, far less than you'd pay for
current, mid-level Shimano bits. In fact, if there is a good bike
shop near you, you may well find bins and piles of abandoned 8 and
9 speed bits that work perfectly well and that you can buy for
pennies on the dollar. I know that I can do this at 2 bike shops
within 8 miles of where I live.
My favorites, discounting my "style" affectation for 8-speed era
Dura Ace: old 8 speed XT derailleurs, cranks, and hubs and, even
older, pre-XT "Deore" 7 speed stuff, which may well have been the
same stuff as the 8 speed XT, just with different name and
slightly different appearance.
FWIW, I'm a man (I deprecate using "male" and "female" instead of
"man" and "woman", and I hate using "gender" instead of the proper
word, "sex" -- nouns have gender, people have sexes, though only 1
each), but I have small, elegant, but bigger than Trumps hands,
and I really like the old Shimano aero levers -- easy to reach,
and powerful in the pull. I've not used any Campy levers except
the old Record non-aeros, and the Shimano 600 and forward aeros
are far easier to use, IME.
The beginning of a list:
Hubs: 8 speed XT or 7 speed Deore or 8 or 9 speed LX
Derailleurs: ditto
Brakes: Mafac centerpulls are fine, as long as you don't use Mafac
levers. Shimano aero levers, it doesn't matter what vintage. Do
use Koolstop salmon pads, though.
Bar end shifters: the Silvers are wonderful, but fragile IME --
I've broken 3. I like the old SunTour Power Ratchets. I shift 10
using mine, but perhaps 8 may be easier.
Cranks: 3 of my 4 bikes have the old Pro 5 Vis; the 4th, for dirt
roads, has an old Ritchey Logic. Either of these, or the same 8
speed XT or 7 speed Deore. If you can deal with 52/38 rings (I
did; I just started my cassette with a Miche 16 t outer cog), the
Dura Ace 7410 crank is the most beautiful crank ever made, over
and out, amen. It takes a 103 mm bb spindle, though.
I build my own cassettes from cogs scavenged from bike shops;
where I need a special outer, I buy Miche. My 10 speed "road bike
for dirt" has a cobbled 14-15-16-17-18-19-20-22-24-28 driven by a
42/28, with Power Ratchets pulling a 7410 rear derailleur. A
modern, Nashbar "Microshift" rd would work better, but would't
look as nice.
On Wed, Jul 19, 2017 at 3:47 PM, Lesli Larson <lesli....@gmail.com
<javascript:>> wrote:
It's been awhile since I sourced parts for a new bike. I
haven't done this since I ordered my custom Riv ages ago.
Use: randonneuring
Question: what's the current wisdom regarding classic long
cage derailleurs, front derailleurs, rear hubs (freewheel or
cassette), seatposts and shifts?
Have things gotten crazy expensive or is vintage still a
viable alternative to new stuff.
I'm sorry I missed out on the Riv Phil hub (what I have on my
older road bike).
I already have Mafac racers, a TA crank, and a set of Campy
brake levers in hand.
I'm a female with smallish hands and shortish stature. I'm
going to set the bike up as a compact double with either
bar-ends or downtube shifters.
Wondering whether folks recommend in the way of classic,
duable, stylish, lightweight parts? New or old.
Let me know if you have anything for sale that might match my
shopping list!
Regards,
Lesli Larson
Eugene, OR
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