Originally Posted by
repechage
My late 1974 Harry Quinn with impossibly short chain stays had this trick by Mr. Quinn from the get go. Really allowed easier rear wheel removal that way.
Wheelbase on that bike? 37.25". toe clip overlap? Lots. 11" high bottom bracket. A terrific criterium bike.
Only a guy with a Schroder could pedal through the corners with me.
Our shop was doing a lot of wholesale business with Gus Betat out of New Orleans. In early 1975 I decided that I needed a custom frame and had those folks build me one. The workmanship was great.
I was quite a masher back then and I told them that I wanted a frame that was "stiff" and wouldn't ghost shift when I was climbing. I also wanted it to be smooth riding plus I needed a short top tube because I was having some neck problems.
The frame had a 38" wheelbase with 71° angles and a 53cm top tube. The chain stays were about 16" (405cm). It climbed great and rode smooth but the handling was wonky and toe clip overlap was severe.
I built it as mostly a Campy free zone except for hubs and seatpost bolt. I got some of the first Suntour Cyclone derailleurs to hit the States in 1975, same with Weinmann Carrera brakes. Went with Stronglight 93 cranks because I could get a 38T small chainring and the sharp pointed teeth shifted better than Campy's with the chains that were available back then.
I rode big 30mm Clement Paris-Roubaix sewups and had to deflate the rear one to get any wheel in and out. There was just about 10mm of clearance with the 71° seat tube and as you can see in the picture, very little clearance between the front tire and down tube.
Notice the aluminum rail Brooks Pro hybrid saddle. We had 2 trashed saddles in our junk collection and I melded Brooks leather onto Ideale rails.
After riding the bike that way for a while, I partially rebuilt the rear triangle to lengthen the chain stays and change the head tube angle plus I put in Campy vertical dropouts which fixed the rear wheel clearance problems. I also re-raked the fork to improve handling.
I sold it in 1976 when I started building frames. This was it's replacement but I modified geometry for touring: 106cm wheelbase, 75° seat tube, 73° head tube, 53cm top tube. It rides and handles perfectly. No wheel clearance issues here!
verktyg
