Bike Rat

A flipper friend has '70-80's Campy Record low-flange hubs w/27" Mavic GP4 tubulars that are take-offs, he offered to sell them to me for $75. They're dirty, but spin smoothly, and wear the vintage tires which still hold air, though I'd replace the tires with new.

I've never ridden tubular, for my riding they seem impractical, but I'm tempted because this seems like a reasonable deal for a wheelset. Completed ebay sales show these average about $50 for hubset only, and $30 for rims (700c); and approx. $150 for wheelset (700c).

The real problem is the Campy wheelset is 6-speed, and the bike I'd use them on (mid-80's Bianchi) is 5-speed shimano/suntour equipped, so I'd need to replace at a minimum both derailleurs. His reasoning is the Bianchi deserves Italian and it would raise its value, which I agree with, but don't really need, especially since I'm unlikely to sell it.

Value, and thoughts? If I should switch to Campy, would this be a fun and inexpensive spare wheelset? How much am I looking at to go full vintage, low/mid-level Campy?

repechage

A mid 80's five speed block Bianchi... probably a lower end model then? I would double check the rear triangle width with the wheel out, 126 mm was typical in the mid 80's for all but the cheapest of bikes.
For function, there should be no need to replace the derailleurs. To keep nationalistic congruent, yes.

Tubulars are a bit more work of course. You may not need new tires, but you should probably reglue them for peace of mind. I do not fear riding them, but others do. The danger is you may get addicted to the ride and handling.

I think the value of these really depends on the condition of the rims, if true, even spoke tension, no hops or flat spots, a decent value. If the brake tracks are unscathed, a better value. Tubular wheel sets are undervalued in general, folk are afraid of them.

wrk101

Mid level vintage Campy parts sell high, particularly if you are going to buy parts one at a time (ebay). I've been selling off my Campy box of parts recently on ebay, and have been pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

If you want to go Campy, best route as always is to find a donor bike. That's basically what I am doing in reverse, I'm parting out several donor bikes that had Campy parts.

Most people don't want to mess around with tubulars. Check out the price of a set of decent tubular tires, plus glue. Sticker shock. And if you have someone install them for you? Local shop here won't do it, his insurance carrier won't cover him, without an expensive additional rider. The one shop I know that will do it charges $60 a wheel to install tubulars.....

Your five speed derailleurs should handle the six speed just fine. I have never had a problem with it. Squeeze it in, adjust RD stops, and go.

Bike Rat

Yep, just a Bianchi Sport. It's actually a nice riding frame, and is stamped Ishiwata. Being a Japanese Bianchi, I didn't give it much credence until I read the first section of this site: https://sites.google.com/site/bianchisportssrestoration
It was supposed to become my errand beater, but as clean as it is, it's outgrown that...more so after my friend the shark started swimming circles, haha!

I just measured, the rear dropouts are 126 mm. I'll be sure to check fit beforehand, thanks. Good to know they'll work with the existing derailleurs...I'd like to match, but that'll allow for greater options, or to add parts piecemeal; we're trying to figure out a drivetrain trade of sorts so we shall see.

Aside from needing a good cleaning, they appear to be in good shape, though i need to look them over better, and will keep your words in mind. I've never ridden tubulars before so that's really my main interest in getting these.

Bike Rat

Thanks, if we don't figure out a trade, I'll look for a donor bike, though I'm not well versed in finding inexpensive buys.

Yeah, that's part of my dilemma...do I want to mess with them, learn how to do it...didn't even think about shop cost or liability. I've already mentioned to him the replacement cost may not be worh it to me, so the only real value is the hubs themselves. Now that i know they'll work with the existing drivetrain, I'll see if I can try them out first. I guess part the problem is feeling the need for everything to match, so it's not just buying the wheels, but the added cost of changing the drivetrain. Thanks!

FastJake

If you decide to give the tubulars a try, do it right and learn to glue them yourself. It's the only way you can appreciate the time and effort it takes to mount them. Paying a shop to put on your tires is a huge waste of money IMO.

I'm still undecided on tubulars but for some reason I ended up with about 5 sets of them... They do ride nice. I'd recommend using them for nice day rides while having a backup set of clinchers for commuting or whatever.

jyl

If your bike is 80s it probably has 700C wheels while the set under advisement is 27". Not a big difference but fit them and make sure there is clearance and the brake pads will adjust enough.

It is a good price for sure.

Bike Rat

Ugh, that's the real problem, the last thing I want is to have learn one more thing. I already have enough toil and trouble, but like you said, it's the only way to truly appreciate them. They sound addicting so maybe it'll lead to many future evenings of glue ups.

FastJake

It's worth noting that there's no such thing as 27" tubulars. If the OP already has 700c clinchers he is good to go.

From Sheldon Brown's site: