Notices
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling Do you enjoy centuries, double centuries, brevets, randonnees, and 24-hour time trials? Share ride reports, and exchange training, equipment, and nutrition information specific to long distance cycling. This isn't for tours, this is for endurance events cycling

Used bike or new for randonneuring?

Old 03-11-18, 04:16 PM
  #26  
FBinNY 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,544

Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter

Mentioned: 139 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5703 Post(s)
Liked 2,427 Times in 1,342 Posts
Originally Posted by kingston
Apologies if my post came off as rude, but I still don't get your point about the silk purse. The whole 650b conversion thing is pretty well understood by now, and I assume the OP has done a bit of research since he already ID'd french bottom brackets and appropriate centerpull brakes earlier in the thread.
No apology needed, I didn't think you were rude.

You read more into the "silk purse" part of the post, and skipped over the part where I detailed the specific issue.

In any case, I suspect it's a matter of perspective. I saw someone asking about randonneur bike options, and you saw someone wanting to convert an older bike.

Either way, no apology is ever called for when honestly posting your opinion. people ask questions, and we each respond in our own way. That gives the OP plenty of varied info, and the elements needed to make his own decision.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site

An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.

Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.

“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN

WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FBinNY is offline  
Old 03-11-18, 04:22 PM
  #27  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
the randonneuring season has started in the northern hemisphere, so that is another thing to consider. I know most people don't start bike projects until the weather is nice, but randonneuring is a little different in that regard, earlier is better.

I like the idea of 650b, but my 650b frame is one of my stalled projects. For randonneuring, there are a lot of advantages to 700c. I am running 700c x 32mm and I'm pretty happy about that.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-11-18, 07:28 PM
  #28  
clasher
Senior Member
 
clasher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Kitchener, ON
Posts: 2,737
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 147 Times in 102 Posts
I started off in the rando world with a 80s vintage road bike upgraded to brifters and I liked it a lot, then I thought my miyata 1000 with a generator hub and 9 speed downtube shifters would be the cat's meow since it took fenders and wider tires. I don't know what it was about the fit or the crank but I pulled a muscle or something in my calf and DNF'd my first 600K, I ended up buying a used specialized roubaix and I rarely ride either of the vintage bikes anymore. They were fun projects to restore and ride but I found the roubaix to be a better fit for me... somehow I survived my 1200K on 28mm tires and a carbon frame, which has also held up being flown across Canada in a plastic bag. YMMV, of course.
clasher is offline  
Old 03-11-18, 09:23 PM
  #29  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
I've done a lot of randonneuring on 25mm tires. But the roads in Pennsylvania are getting worse, and my night vision isn't getting any better.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 09:14 AM
  #30  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by Flounce
This is largely a matter of style, no? Modern or old , whatever floats your boat. My next might be a specialized diverge in carbon.
Yes, I think so. Style, or aesthetics. I find 'modern' bikes unattractive and, as I've mentioned elsewhere, my bikes tend to be art projects. I think a lot of those of us who do 650b conversions on old road bikes do it for the aesthetics.

The bike I've been riding for the last couple years is a heavily modified Holdsworth from about 1976.

The important features, in my opinion, are a handlebar bag and dynamo lights. I like bigger tires, but I'm not convinced they're faster.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 11:50 AM
  #31  
StephenH
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
My take on the original question- you're working on two different hobbies. One is fiddling with/riding old bikes. One is randonneuring. And either hobby is fine, but the two aren't really connected. So yeah, you can get the old bike and do randonneuring on it, and other people do, but there's no particular motivation to combine them, either.


It's sort of like if somebody asked, "I like '57 Chevys and I plan to drive cross-country. Should I do so in a '57 Chevy?" and the answer is just "Sure, if that floats your boat", but there's no great motivation to use '57 Chevys for cross-country touring, either.


Personally, I'm kind of waiting until one of those rod-brake Raleighs shows up somewhere semi-local or can be shipped. Yes, I'd ride a 200k on it, but not that's an especially good choice for it.
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 01:40 PM
  #32  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by unterhausen
I like the idea of 650b, but my 650b frame is one of my stalled projects. For randonneuring, there are a lot of advantages to 700c. I am running 700c x 32mm and I'm pretty happy about that.
I doubt I would have ventured down the 650B path if my bikes could fit 700x32 tires and fenders. I got fairly beat up on a 400k with heavily-seamed roads, and decided that my 700x28s weren't cutting it.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 02:07 PM
  #33  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
the one thing that got me thinking about it again was riding with someone with 650b tires on rough chip seal pavement. He was definitely having an easier time. The advantage of a conversion in my view is that the easily available 650b bikes seem to all be fairly heavy, or are significantly more expensive than a 700c bike. I think the bikes that would be comparable to the mobobecane are in the $2000 range.

I need to go get some acetylene, speaking of projects.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 06:14 PM
  #34  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by StephenH
...
Personally, I'm kind of waiting until one of those rod-brake Raleighs shows up somewhere semi-local or can be shipped. Yes, I'd ride a 200k on it, but not that's an especially good choice for it.
I suggest the three speed instead of the single speed model. I think copies of it are still produced in India under the Eastman brand. When you get to the bottom of the page you will see that this retailer no longer stocks them.
Eastman Roadsters from Yellow Jersey
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 06:31 PM
  #35  
StephenH
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I suggest the three speed instead of the single speed model. I think copies of it are still produced in India under the Eastman brand. When you get to the bottom of the page you will see that this retailer no longer stocks them.
Eastman Roadsters from Yellow Jersey

For a while, Chinese copies under the name of Flying Pigeon were being imported, I'm not sure if that's still the case. The Raleighs were made in a 22" and 24" size, and I'm not sure if either the Flying Pigeon or the Eastman were made (or imported) in the larger size. I've got a low-gravity bicycle that is Arpan brand, and they (and several other companies) also make the Raleigh copies.


A similar bike is available here, but only in the 22" size. From the price, I would assume it is Indian or Chinese, more likely Indian:
Antique Replicas: Gentlemen's Roadster - Rideable Bicycle Replicas
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 06:37 PM
  #36  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by StephenH
For a while, Chinese copies under the name of Flying Pigeon were being imported, I'm not sure if that's still the case. The Raleighs were made in a 22" and 24" size, and I'm not sure if either the Flying Pigeon or the Eastman were made (or imported) in the larger size. I've got a low-gravity bicycle that is Arpan brand, and they (and several other companies) also make the Raleigh copies.


A similar bike is available here, but only in the 22" size. From the price, I would assume it is Indian or Chinese, more likely Indian:
Antique Replicas: Gentlemen's Roadster - Rideable Bicycle Replicas
I worked at a Raleigh retailer before I went to college. I was the only one that could figure out how to make rod brakes work well, so that made me the Raleigh DL-1 specialist. I never saw one with smaller than the stock 28 inch wheels. But as a kid, I had a 24 inch kiddie bike with rod brakes under the Parliament brand.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 03-12-18, 07:32 PM
  #37  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
I'm generally critical of the idea of buying an old sports touring bike for randonneuring, because most of them are pretty heavy and came with low-end components. However the one the OP mentions is a really nice bike. Nicer than most of the inexpensive 650b bikes available now. It's not some historical footnote, like the bikes that Drew Buck rides. I want to ride a hirondelle one day, but not across France like he did.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-13-18, 09:32 AM
  #38  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by StephenH
My take on the original question- you're working on two different hobbies. One is fiddling with/riding old bikes. One is randonneuring. And either hobby is fine, but the two aren't really connected. So yeah, you can get the old bike and do randonneuring on it, and other people do, but there's no particular motivation to combine them, either.


It's sort of like if somebody asked, "I like '57 Chevys and I plan to drive cross-country. Should I do so in a '57 Chevy?" and the answer is just "Sure, if that floats your boat", but there's no great motivation to use '57 Chevys for cross-country touring, either.


Personally, I'm kind of waiting until one of those rod-brake Raleighs shows up somewhere semi-local or can be shipped. Yes, I'd ride a 200k on it, but not that's an especially good choice for it.
I have three responses to this.

First, that's an excellent reading of the issue.

Second, riding a 200k on an old Raleigh DL-1 (or the equivalent) would be a crazy thing to do.

Third, crazy as it is, I'd do that, for sure. In fact just this past September I did a flat central NJ randonnee on my ca 1938 Fothergill bike, with cottered steel crank, three speed hub (plus a Trivelox derailleur; so a six speed transmission really), Resilion cantilever brakes, a pretty archaic looking bike (though nowhere near as heavy as a DL-1). I like riding that bike.
rhm is offline  
Old 03-13-18, 09:44 AM
  #39  
Bandera
~>~
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: TX Hill Country
Posts: 5,932
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1112 Post(s)
Liked 180 Times in 119 Posts
Originally Posted by unterhausen
the one the OP mentions is a really nice bike. Nicer than most of the inexpensive 650b bikes available now. It's not some historical footnote.
For perspective the Motobecane Grand Jubilee and Grand Record were a popular choices for experienced club cyclists looking for the "high-end" long distance machine > 40 years ago. Famed for a compliant yet efficient ride quality, full 531 tubing, beautiful finish and a well though out component group they rivaled the Schwinn P-10 Paramount and Raleigh International as the trick-setup(s) for fast century + rides and overnight club events "back when".

Nothing about that ride quality has changed, unless abused/crashed, in the last decades.
Try to find a "modern" frameset with that quality, perhaps what BQ refers to as "planing", these days with over-built "gravel" and "touring" on offer not light/fast/compliant steel designs.

Doing a full-on "modern" retro-fit regardless of wheel size choice requires a frameset in exactly the right size in great condition, tight/specific requirements planning, a good sized budget, considerable C&V knowledge, good mechanical skills, competent frame spacing/torch work, a good finish shop and a considerable time-line. The result can be a particularly suitable LD machine with idiosyncratic character or a horrid/expensive/kludge. One or the other.

-Bandera

Last edited by Bandera; 03-13-18 at 12:23 PM.
Bandera is offline  
Old 03-13-18, 07:49 PM
  #40  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
Eastern PA 200k's have been ridden on a woman's 3 speed bianchi, fatbike, and possibly some other crazy bikes that I have forgotten about. I particularly remember being passed by the Bianchi, because it had a rollo the clown horn on it. Which scared the crap out of me because I hadn't heard anything before that.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 03-13-18, 10:18 PM
  #41  
friday1970
Senior Member
 
friday1970's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 658

Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 223 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times in 106 Posts
So where does one get 650b wheels with 100/130mm hubs? Most of what I see out there are 110/135mms, and I don't want to cold set my frame.
I have a Peugeot PGN10 56cm frame, but at my height of 5'6", it's a tad big for me. So I figured I could lower the bike a bit by converting the bike to 650b from 700.
friday1970 is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 07:22 AM
  #42  
camjr
Senior Member
 
camjr's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Lewisville, TX
Posts: 660

Bikes: 1976 Motobecane Grand Touring, 2013 Fuji Absolute 2.1 hybrid, 2000 Mongoose S2000 MTB, 2009 Schwinn Jaguar beach cruiser

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Liked 193 Times in 99 Posts
I just recently resurrected this 1974 Motobecane Grand Touring that had been hanging from ceiling hooks since 1982. It took a lot of elbow grease, replacing the consumables, saddle, and completely disassembling and cleaning the brakes and derailleurs, but it was worth it. I spent less than $125 on it when all said and done. The bike rides beautifully - the steel frame rides extremely smooth, it tracks straight and turns well, and is very comfortable on longer rides. I opted to keep the 27" Weinmann wheels. As another said, classic French steel frames are wonderful.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
20180313_130911.jpg (174.6 KB, 140 views)
camjr is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 07:29 AM
  #43  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by friday1970
So where does one get 650b wheels with 100/130mm hubs? Most of what I see out there are 110/135mms, and I don't want to cold set my frame.
I have a Peugeot PGN10 56cm frame, but at my height of 5'6", it's a tad big for me. So I figured I could lower the bike a bit by converting the bike to 650b from 700.
Here's wheels that fits that description (you could add 2 mm spacers on each side to bring it up to 130, or add them only on the right side and redish the wheel):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sta-Tru-27-...gAAOSwyXFapAO5

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sta-Tru-Rea...kAAOSwomJapu5m

I don't know anything about those rims, so no recommendation is implied. If I were looking for new wheels, I'd be building them myself so I can use the hubs I want.

I wouldn't expect the 650b wheels to lower the bike much, though.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 09:10 AM
  #44  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by friday1970
So where does one get 650b wheels with 100/130mm hubs? Most of what I see out there are 110/135mms, and I don't want to cold set my frame.
I have a Peugeot PGN10 56cm frame, but at my height of 5'6", it's a tad big for me. So I figured I could lower the bike a bit by converting the bike to 650b from 700.
Here's a wheelset with a rear that's 130mm and cassette hub: https://www.ebay.com/i/253479386283?chn=ps

And I agree with everything @rhm wrote. A 650B conversion won't lower your bike much, unless you go for the skinniest 650B tires you can find, which defeats the purpose somewhat. I would start my search for a ~54ish bike/frame.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 11:41 AM
  #45  
rando_couche
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,377
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 225 Post(s)
Liked 160 Times in 106 Posts
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I have a 1961 or 62 Italian bike with Columbus tubing that I occasionally ride. I really like the ride, but I find that within my fleet I ride it very little because of the inconvenience of the friction downtube shifters.

I made several upgrades to the bike, some of these upgrades may or may not be practical with a French bike. Upgrades are as follows.
  • When I bought the bike used in the late 1970s, it was badly abused. I have repainted the frame twice since then, most recently was a couple years ago.
  • In the 1980s, the early 1960s rear derailleur had a major bolt come unthreaded and a piece of the rear dérailleur was lost in the ditch. I installed a new Nuevo Record at that time.
  • And the last upgrade from the 1980s was adding some plastic fenders from that era. Other upgrades were in the last couple years.
  • Wheels were 120mm rear hub spaced five speed with tubular tires. A couple years ago I got a great price on a used pair of mid 1980s wheels, 126mm rear hub spacing and clincher rims. I tried to cold set the frame to take the wider hub, but the Columbus tubing was like spring steel and I finally gave up. But I use that 126 spaced hub, it just takes more effort to squeeze it into the frame.
  • The original crank with Campy 151mm BCD chainrings was 52/48 and I wanted lower gearing. I installed a Campy square taper cartridge bottom bracket and a Campy triple that was 52/42/30 for better gearing.
  • The original five speed freewheel was 13/21, I put on a six speed freewheel on it with slightly higher gearing. When using the 30T granny, the rear derailleur will only work with the largest three sprockets on back because the derailleur cage will not take up all the slack.
  • I prefer interrupter brake levers. The original handlebars were way too narrow for me and needed updating. I used modern handlebar, modern brake levers, interrupter brake levers, threadless stem, quill to threadless adapter. The reason I went threadless was that wanted the ability to try different reach, meaning different stem lengths without major effort.
  • Clipless pedals.
Everything else is stock including the Mafac brakes, but as noted above the brake levers were changed.

I really like the ride of the bike, but because of the friction downtube shifters, I just do not ride it very much. I just like indexed shifters too much.

First photo, the new handlebar setup, second photo is of the bike, third is the reason I do not ride it very much.

I am now retired and have the resources to make any changes I want. I bought this bike when I was still in college, so it has been an on-going on again and off again project over many decades. I worked in a bike shop before college, so I have done all of my own work on the bike.

The reason I am going through this long list of changes that I made is that you might find that updating an older bike can take a lot of effort and in the end, you do not know if you will still want to use it as much as you would use a modern bike.

And as a hobby, I enjoyed working on the bike but I do not know if that would be the same situation for you.

rando_couche is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 12:08 PM
  #46  
Bandera
~>~
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: TX Hill Country
Posts: 5,932
Mentioned: 87 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1112 Post(s)
Liked 180 Times in 119 Posts
Originally Posted by friday1970
I have a Peugeot PGN10 56cm frame, but at my height of 5'6", it's a tad big for me. So I figured I could lower the bike a bit by converting the bike to 650b from 700.
See Post #39:

retro-fit regardless of wheel size choice requires a frameset in exactly the right size
It's a waste of time, effort and $$$ to try to "fix" a frameset that does not fit by messing about w/ hardware changes, move it along and find one that does.

-Bandera

Last edited by Bandera; 03-14-18 at 02:33 PM.
Bandera is offline  
Old 03-14-18, 07:23 PM
  #47  
Carbonfiberboy 
just another gosling
 
Carbonfiberboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,500

Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004

Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3872 Post(s)
Liked 1,920 Times in 1,369 Posts
I'll chime in, hoping that the OP is still watching this thread. The main thing about randonneuring which I've enjoyed is riding my bike up the road. When randoing, one gets to do a lot more of that, usually seeing and experiencing things which are interesting and novel. So for me it's the riding. And nothing beats a modern bike for getting up the road. They don't have to be expensive. $1000-$1500 will get you an all-carbon bike that's entirely suitable for randonneuring as long as you are riding on pavement or hard-pack gravel. From an entry-level road bike on up, basically for every $1000 you shell out, you save one pound in bike weight. You're not going to care about that. What works best for rando is a stiff bike that handles well and converts your pedal pressure directly into motion. All the rest is a lot of palaver.

The only thing special you're going to want will be a bigger cassette and thus a longer chain than the usual road bike. A big cassette will save your legs. A 50-34 crankset coupled with an 11-34 cassette will get you up most anything, even with a few hundred kilometers in your legs. That's another reason to buy new.

As far as vibration, comfort, and all that, it's mostly a question of tires - and a carbon frame. I think every frame made will take 25mm tires, which is all you need. I've always ridden 23mm tires and quite happily. I ride them out of choice.

Performance Bike and Bike Nashbar have several bikes in this price range. I'm sure there are other sellers as well. You might be able to get one delivered to a local Performance Bike or other shop along with a cassette change at low cost.
__________________
Results matter
Carbonfiberboy is offline  
Old 03-16-18, 06:29 AM
  #48  
friday1970
Senior Member
 
friday1970's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 658

Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 223 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times in 106 Posts
Originally Posted by Bandera
It's a waste of time, effort and $$$ to try to "fix" a frameset that does not fit by messing about w/ hardware changes, move it along and find one that does.-Bandera
I'm starting to think the same thing. I got a lead on a nice 52cm bike on craigslist near my fathers place. I'm scheduled to meet the guy and see the bike. If it fits nicely, I'll buy it and possibly sell my beloved PGN10
friday1970 is offline  
Old 03-18-18, 09:25 PM
  #49  
ericjd
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hi folks,

Thanks for all of the responses and, yes, I am still following this thread and appreciate the different perspectives.

I decided to go for the 1973 Motobecane Grand Jubilee because there were things that seemed very usable about this bike in addition to the frame (which is in excellent condition inside and out). This Grand Jubilee was very well maintained and comes with the Huret Jubilee derailleur and friction shifters. I grew up with friction shifters so that didn't worry me one bit. It shifts very well so I don't anticipate any changes there. The freewheel is (as you probably guessed) 5 speed in a 14-17-20-24-28 configuration. I am going to pair this with a new 46-30 crankset from Velo Orange ($200), which I think will handle hills and flats pretty nicely.

I am in the process of cleaning and repacking the 100/126mm M Maillard high flange hubs (again, these are in excellent shape with very clean cups and cones) and will use these for building the wheels with new Pacenti Brevet 650b rims (~$200 for the pair). The stem and handlebars will also be replaced with a Nitto quill stem and VO rando bars (about $120 for the lot). The brakes will be replaced with some Weinmann 750s that I have.

So for about an extra $500 bucks and some labor I think I will have a very nice, comfortable bike for randonneuring. I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished bike.

Thanks again!

--Eric
ericjd is offline  
Old 03-19-18, 10:33 AM
  #50  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Originally Posted by ericjd
Hi folks,

Thanks for all of the responses and, yes, I am still following this thread and appreciate the different perspectives.

I decided to go for the 1973 Motobecane Grand Jubilee because there were things that seemed very usable about this bike in addition to the frame (which is in excellent condition inside and out). This Grand Jubilee was very well maintained and comes with the Huret Jubilee derailleur and friction shifters. I grew up with friction shifters so that didn't worry me one bit. It shifts very well so I don't anticipate any changes there. The freewheel is (as you probably guessed) 5 speed in a 14-17-20-24-28 configuration. I am going to pair this with a new 46-30 crankset from Velo Orange ($200), which I think will handle hills and flats pretty nicely.

I am in the process of cleaning and repacking the 100/126mm M Maillard high flange hubs (again, these are in excellent shape with very clean cups and cones) and will use these for building the wheels with new Pacenti Brevet 650b rims (~$200 for the pair). The stem and handlebars will also be replaced with a Nitto quill stem and VO rando bars (about $120 for the lot). The brakes will be replaced with some Weinmann 750s that I have.

So for about an extra $500 bucks and some labor I think I will have a very nice, comfortable bike for randonneuring. I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished bike.

Thanks again!

--Eric
Not sure if the Huret Jubilee has enough cage to take up the slack with that big of a range on the crankset (46/30). I mentioned above that with my Campy Neuvo Record derailleur and a modern triple that I could only use the three largest sprockets on my six speed freewheel when I was using the granny gear because my derailleur would not take up all the slack. You might run into a similar situation. But I have that problem with a triple so I still have a lot of functional gears remaining after I lost a few gears.

You might find a chain catcher is an advantage to avoid dropped chains. The jump from 46 to 30 on the downshift is a big jump.

Finding the cables that have the odd shaped end to fit in the Huret shifters might take a bit of work, I instead used a file on the cable end with a Shimano cable so that I could fit it into the shifter on my bike with a Huret friction shifter.

A five speed freewheel (or a six if you change it later) on a crank with a 46/30 double won't give you very many gears in the range you likely will spend most of your time. Most of your time will be on the 46T and I would not be surprised if you spend 70 percent of your time in only your top two gears. If you have not ordered the crank yet, you might consider a triple with a half step plus granny setup. I use that on two of my touring bikes. That would give you a granny gear for steep hills plus two chainrings for everywhere else. Perhaps a 44 and a 48 for middle and big rings, plus the 30T granny on a triple. That combination would only require 2 more chain links for chain wrap, so it would not be much different for dérailleur chain wrap capacity.

Good luck with your project.
Tourist in MSN is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.