Originally Posted by
the_mahout
I was intending to replace the brake pads. The original pads have no wear on them but the compound they are made of leaves a lot of black residue on the rims. I can't find a Kool-Stop replacement for the Dia-Compe on their website. Could you have a link?
Changing out the 6-speed cassette to a 7-speed - I am assuming the Suntour Cyclone RD will accept it, correct?
RE brake pads: If you are trying to keep the original pad holders, it's possible one of the Kool Stop Weinmann replacement blocks would work. I think there's 3 or 4 sizes. You would need to pull out the old pads and measure them with a caliper. If that sounds too difficult, just replace them with the modern 'dura' pads/holders. Or use the Continental pads for a period correct look.
RE the "cassette": There is no cassette. They hadn't been invented yet. It is a freewheel. It threads onto the hub. Yes, you can swap it out for a 7 speed. Just buy a 7 speed freewheel and spin it on. They both use the same 126mm spacing in the rear triangle. No frame resetting is required. 7 speed can be a little tight WRT room for the chain when it's in the smallest cog. Sometimes you have to fudge it by adding a 1 mm washer to the hub.
I'm fairly certain the derailleurs will have plenty of travel to work with 7 speeds. You will need to readjust the limit screws obviously.