jblackmd

I like the downtubes. They’re not going anywhere.

noglider 

I'm with Kurt. I used to look down my nose at stem shifters, but they're perfectly suitable.

desconhecido 

Your occasional auto-shifts may be due to the shifter. If it didn't get done during the service, you might try to tighten it up a bit with the plastic wingnut. Be carefull, though, because all that plastic Simplex stuff gets fragile with age. Also with those shifters, if you go to replace the cables, the lead head that fits into the shifter is smaller than on Shimanos -- maybe cables specified for Campagnolo shifters will be a better fit. I know that about 10 years when I was messing with those shifters on a Peugot there was a problem getting the lead into the shifter, but can't recall what I did about it.

I know you're not going to replace your shifters, but if in the future you think about another approach, the Suntour mountain bike thumb shifters from the 80s, I think, work pretty well and would fit a 22.2 mm bar.

jblackmd

Well, I asked questions and got a lot of sage advice, which I listened to. I'm glad I did. I should mention that I think of my bike not as my vintage bike, but just as my bike. It's been my bike for 40 years. I only think of it as vintage when I come here. I did in fact replace the derailleurs with SunTour Cyclones, and I paired them with SunTour Power thumb shifters. It's like I have an all new bike, that's faster and shifts much better with no more skipped gears. It's like night and day!


Before

After

After

Before

After

Before

After

And after yesterday's ride:


Before

After

I don't know what kind of world we live in where you only get 40 years out of a saddle! When I find the receipt I'm asking Brooks LTD for a refund! Heh. I already ordered a new B17 and it's on it's way.

Schreck83 

Nice work all around! We don't see the TT variant very often; the red paint looks great. Could you post a close-up photo of the headtube? Thanks.

jblackmd

Yeah, the TT's are really rare. It's the original paint, which when I look up the color it says Brilliant Red, but when I got it in 1980 it came with some touch up paint called Royal Carmine. I got it new even though it was a 1973, but I figured the sew up tires scared a lot of people off. I switched the rims over after my first flat. You want a shot of the head tube from the front?

Schreck83 

That's perfect! Great bike

jblackmd

Thanks! I think it's great too. Kind of threw me when the seat tore, but it'll look even nicer with a new one. It's a really smooth ride!

DiegoFrogs

How did you deal with guiding the cable to the front derailleur? Your original Simplex has a stop for the housing, but the new cyclone does not.

You might consider changing out the brake cables and housing when you get a chance. Braking will probably improve dramatically.

I think the decision to go with Suntour thumbies was a good one on a build like this.

belacqua

You may find the shifters even more pleasant if you switch them L/R--the current configuration looks backwards to me

jblackmd

I left it in the capable hands of Velovix.