CO_Hoya 

I found that raising it to ~4mm above the outer chainring, and v. slightly angled out at the back, gave best results. I can avoid the rubbing in larger cogs by clicking once on the left brifter to slacken the cable a touch.

I first tried with a different crankset with the chainline further outboard and it was a complete no-go. Switching back to the orig crankset and getting the rings in much closer and I was able to get all the travel I needed.

I just wish Shimano had a micro-ratchet for the FD shifting, rather than indexed.

sbrudno

I had the same problem but it was solved by replacing the FD with the exact same one and, for unknown reasons, it worked...
I am also in favor of a slightly higher clearance, 4 mm seems about right.

CO_Hoya 

Huh. Did you note any differences between the two?

With the weekend forecast calling for bad weather, I'm tempted to take another shot at improving things, with blunt and/or abrasive tools.

sbrudno

No, they looked EXACTLTY the same except for the age. I lubed the spring but otherwise they were identical...
Good luck!

El Chaba

This has moved to the stand for assembly with suitable Gallic components….

capnjonny 

Mercier Kilo tt . Just finished custom paint job and build.
Frame was a donation to the Bike Exchange, steel, Just over 4 lbs . I wanted to build it as light as possible from parts we had laying around.
The fork is aluminum, I found it in the bin after I had started painting. Colors match perfectly.
As shown it weighs 19.5 lbs.
As with all my restorations it will be sold to support our non proffit which donated almost 1000 bikes to needy folks in the community .

BTinNYC 

STI clockwork gizzards after flushing with WD-40. No wonder this treatment works.

VintageSteelEU

Didn't have that much time, but made some start on a couple of large flange hubs. First one is Sunshine 5345, so nothing overly amazing and it was very gunky. But I found the bearing cups are in a perfectly reasonable condition. Cones, washers and locknuts are already soaking in white spirits for degreasing and the hub shell has been thoroughly cleaned. Just needs a bit of polishing when I have some more time. I'm actually quite pleased it came with a QR skewer. On my Superbe I have Suntour branded skewer in the front and Sunshine branded one at the rear and I have a Suntour branded QR on its way, so this way I can have a set of vintage Suntour skewers on that bike and use the Sunshine one for something else. I also have the rear 5345 with English thread, so let's hope the cups and cones on that one are also good. It's not a super high quality hub, but seems decent enough and the wheelset will probably be a spare / commuting one or will end up on some bicycle to give away. And I think after polishing it will actually look quite nice.



The next one is Maillard 700 Professional. The "dish" in the DS flange looks a bit weird to me, but it seems uniform and doesn't look like an effect of some accident. I don't see any damage and otherwise the hub shell looks normal, so I guess after cleaning and repacking I will eventually lace it to some rim. Well, when I get the front one to match. It should polish nicely, though I think I will have to replace the hub decal, the current one is tatty.
I don't think the locknuts are original, but who knows. On the bright side, it looks like the bearing balls have been replaced recently. I do have a set of small flange version ones and they are very nice.

juvela

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Sansin Matsumoto was part of the same keiretsu (trade group) with MAEDA & Sugino so Suntour marked hubs are always Matsumoto built and Suntour marked chainsets are always Sugino manufactured

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Maillard 700 hubs were produced by the firm of Etablissements Perrin et Courson, makers of Pelissier, Exceltoo & New Star brand products

advert of July 1973, launch time -



there are two generations, cannot tell from your image if your example early or late type.

one inconvenient feature of the design if that the axle hole in the bearing cup is of larger diameter than the hole in the shell for the axle. the seat for the cup in the shell is square in cross section such that there be no space behind the cup to knock it out with a drift punch should it require at some point replacement.


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noglider 

I did a fair bit on the weekend. I cleaned most of the drivetrain on my commuter bike (1974 Raleigh International): a quick cleaning of the chain and chainrings. I forgot to clean the cassette, but there wasn't that much dirt anyway. I did a spoke inventory and some calculations for the wheel I'm going to build for it. I spent time troubleshooting the reason the dynamo powered taillight doesn't work, and no luck yet. I'm using a very nice battery powered taillight, so it's not a big deal. My rear wheel is out of true, and dammit, I can't find my spoke wrenches. My LBS was closed, and there was a sign saying business is slow lately so check google maps to see if they are open. I stopped into a LBS near work, and they only sold the round multi-size type which I don't like.

VintageSteelEU

Later type, with metal seals.I have the small flange earlier type, with plastic seals and Bianchi branded (though I do have new Maillard decals for those somewhere).

RB1-luvr

when you've completed that, here's a 1:87 scale bicycle kit for you (eBay). Ya, 1:87. Even with so few parts it's a challenge, especially to paint. I used a jeweler's loupe.

juvela

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wager spokes and cables a bit of a challenge...

loup might also be required to appreciate completed model


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jPrichard10 

Wrenching? Not quite:




still working on getting all little bits of paint off this Centurion Pro-Tour (don't worry, the paint was already quite bad).

As for actual wrenching, I'm building this Trek 710 back up after cleaning it all up. Anyone know any sub 5' C&V enthusiasts?

VintageSteelEU

That's a nice frame and it looks straight. Are you rolling out that dent in the downtube (if that's a dent)? Or just a repaint?

jPrichard10 

​​​​​​Neither. Going to leave it bare chrome and build it up as a Japanese copy of a Singer 700c Randonneuse.

​​​​​

VintageSteelEU

That sounds like it's going to look pretty nice. Looking forward to photos of this build.

More wheel building here. I've almost finished the Specialized + Excellence 36H set, though have to double check the spokes. Sapim D-light come in 2mm length increments, and when I was getting spokes for three wheelsets I couldn't get them in exact lengths I needed, had to compromise and get them in 290, 292 and 294 (instead of getting them in various lengths ranging from 290 to 295 in 1mm increments). After lacing three rims now, I'm not sure whether I'm going to have the right length for the next wheelset. Oh well, I guess something to find out. Looks like I'm a bit short on 290mm ones now...
Today I had a few minutes to lace another one, this time Maillard 700 to Excellight. Well, Maillard 700 made for Bianchi. I had a bit of a hard time finding decent French hubs with 32 spoke holes, made in late 70's / early 80's. Nor actually any Sunshine / Suntour / Sakae Ringyo hubs with this drilling. And when something decent shows up, it's usually in £150 ballpark and 36H. So when I found this Bianchi version in a very decent condition, 32H, I had to grab them, whatever branding they were carrying. And then I thought I'm still going to add Maillard decals. The wheels are not for sale, I'm building them for myself and the build is supposed to be a French / Japanese mix. Perhaps some day I will find the elusive 32H late 70's hubs and then I can build a new set.
Interestingly, and this might spark a discussion, they were previously laced in a pattern opposite to what I do. I lace the first spoke head out, but looking at these hubs, the spoke markings indicate the first spoke was previously laced head in. So now I'm thinking whether I should re-lace them to the original pattern or just keep mine. Not that I ever had a slightest problem with any of the wheels I've built over the past 4 years this way.
Anyhow, the lacing exercise today was mostly to check the weight of this wheel when built. It came to 920g, so roughly 100g lighter than Excellence + Specialized 36H hub. If the front one offers similar weight difference, that would mean around 1750g per set. Not too bad, though I was hoping for lighter than that.

Mad Honk 

My Gran Compe calipers need new pads. Kool Stop does not have a replacement model, but the Modolo inserts are the right size for the pad holders. So off to the modification bench to see if I can make them fit.

The pad and the holder. Note the post in the middle of the holder, which prevents the pad from full insertion.

The modification; remove a bit of the pad with a Dremel and sanding wheel.

After removing a bit of the center oft he pad.

Finished pad install and back to a normal look for the brake blocks.
Smiles, MH

ascherer 

I bought a DAG-2 clone from a commonly used commerce site and put it to use on my Paramount, with all the others to follow. The hanger needed a few tweaks. There’s something very gratifying about frame alignment work. No idea if I’ll detect improved shifting but I expect a positive placebo effect at a minimum.

The tool is sturdily built and does the job as expected.


And just for the blinginess I put a set of Chaser jockey wheels on the NR on my Paramount.

Mr. 66

Some braided cable was pulled to the stash, only an appropriate use for such a treasure.


This demands Suntour, so Suntour it is.



The last brake cable was to the gran compe.

The cablestop was set for loosening upon need of wheel removing. I should be able to slacken enough to mount the inflated 32mm tires.

Opening up some perspective, Gran Compe adjustable brake levers are a most wonderful match. A Kashimax saddle was thrown on the mix, not as comfy as a turbo, but just a ringer for the lotus. The wheels are Mavic MA 40 on Suntour Sprint hubs.


A test ride was in order, the Odyssey made of Tange 2 preformed in a fabulous manner. The saddle does need to come down a huge amount, more than an 1/8 but lees that 1/4”. The cranks are 170, that felt tight with the gearing, or lack there of. The brakes are are superb!


The bottle cage positioning tape has been removed and the lower band on the seatube is masking tape. I do have the bag for the rack, I’ve cleaned up bag but it’s not readied for display. With the black brake levers I’ll probably go grey wrap, perhaps royal blue.

MrGastrognome

This Cyclone GT decided it didn't really care for wrapping chain about 50 miles into my ride Saturday, so I set it to 44/16 did the last 20 miles single speed. Broke it down on Sunday to find the pivot was bone dry. To be fair I hadn't gone through this mech since I bought this bike at the end of summer. Cleaned it up, lubed the springs and pivots and (unsurprisingly)... shifting performance has been greatly improved.

VintageSteelEU

I've been taking my sweet time with this wheelset. It built very well to start with, but I was obsessing over minute imperfections. On the bright side, it was worth it. It's probably my best built wheelset to date. Also the priciest, even without taking my build time under consideration.
Last year I decided I'm not going to look for vintage rims any more, no matter their condition. NOS are way too expensive for what they are, and finding some in used but usable condition can still be a pricy option with potential problems attached. In search of contemporary, low profile and lightweight rims I considered quite a few manufacturers and models. Don't hold current Mavic rims in high regard (they should make the cheapest rims on the market, because that's where their quality is) and some other options were too heavy, but found Ambrosio Excellence and Ambrosio Excellight. Don't know when they started making them originally, I think Excellence back in the early 90's, but they are low profile and could pass for vintage rims. Not the cheapest, but the quality is very nice indeed.
This build is meant for a lightweight vintage French bicycle, hence using late 70's / early 80's French hubs. These were originally a Bianchi branded version of Maillard 700 professional (hub decals are repro). I was hoping for black Sansin Pro-Am, however, the only pair I found was a bit out of my budget (and 36H, not 32H like these Maillards), so some compromises had to be made. Maillard 700 (in whatever version) seemed appropriate for a French frame. I converted them to solid axle, first reason being weight savings (surprisingly, a hub with nut and axle is lighter than one with a hollow axle and QR skewer), second reason being making removal just a bit time consuming (they will get anti-theft nuts at some point). Spokes are Sapim D-Light with brass Sapim nipples. The wheelset without tape, tubes and tyres weighs just below 1800g. Which isn't bad at all. You can find modern alluminium wheelsets that will weigh less, but those usually have plastic hubs and 4 spokes between them. They also got one of the lightest tyres on the market (Pirelli P Zero Race Classic, 206g front, 210g rear) and I did cheat with the inner tubes a bit as they are Pirelli SmarTube TPU (38g each, sadly, version with 40mm valve doesn't seem to be easily available any more). Tape is very basic Wiggle LifeLine High Pressure (17g per tape). I was considering Veloplugs instead and actually have some on the way, but that's a saving of only 20g or so per wheelset and I'm not sure whether they will work with these rims. The wheelset as shown weighs just under 2300g. And, whilst it's not a fully vintage one, it's "C&V inspired" and I quite like it. They spin like a dream. Can't wait to try it on the road.

Bikedued

Working on this currently. Did a 2.4" tire check. Yep, they fit fine. Stock was 2.1". Definitely a shorter stem this weekend. Looks ridiculous ATM.,,,,BD

Mad Honk 

I took my Ochsner and horrified it for the Horror bike contest. But I have it on the trainer now, and the seat has been bothering me a bit, so today it got a proper saddle installed and my butt is much happier. Smiles, MH

An old Avocet sponge saddle with the cover that moves around while riding. Ugly and uncomfortable.

The new Turbo installed on the bike, and set up for a more comfortable riding position. I got lucky and found a deal on the saddles about a year ago and picked up five of them.

bikamper

This followed me home today.

It's a 1935 or 1936 Craftsman Metalcraft lathe, probably a model 918. It looks like sin, but save for the belts, it's in great shape mechanically. Better than some of the bikes I bring home. Tomorrow's project, should I accept it, is to figure out how to get it out of my truck and onto my bench.