C&V guy, first modern bike purchase
08-12-21, 09:20 PM
#1
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C&V guy, first modern bike purchase
I have a few c&v bikes and decided I wanted a new one. So I got this 2018 Fairdale Goodship a couple days ago. Really like it so far.
Last edited by LibertyFLS; 08-13-21 at 01:41 AM.
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08-12-21, 09:58 PM
#2
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Edit: Also, you should probably cover those unused bottle cage bosses on the seat tube. It's aesthetically unpleasing to leave those open, and it adds places for water and gunk to intrude into the frame. A bottle cage is the most obvious thing to put there, but if not, round-headed bolts tend to look nice for this purpose.
Last edited by HTupolev; 08-12-21 at 10:05 PM.
08-12-21, 10:08 PM
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So, are you going to purchase a modern bike with way wider gearing than existed back then? Seems like you still need to N+1.
Edit: Also, you should probably cover those unused bottle cage bosses on the seat tube. It's aesthetically unpleasing to leave those open, and it adds places for water and gunk to intrude into the frame. A bottle cage is the most obvious thing to put there, but if not, round-headed bolts tend to look nice for this purpose.
Edit: Also, you should probably cover those unused bottle cage bosses on the seat tube. It's aesthetically unpleasing to leave those open, and it adds places for water and gunk to intrude into the frame. A bottle cage is the most obvious thing to put there, but if not, round-headed bolts tend to look nice for this purpose.
That photo was taken a few hours after I got home. There are bolts there now, and a different cage on the down tube. 👍
Last edited by LibertyFLS; 08-12-21 at 10:14 PM.
08-12-21, 10:44 PM
#4
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I'm not saying it's not modern. I'm saying that it doesn't have way wider gearing than existed in the 80s. At least not how it's set up in your photos, where it has a 53-39 crankset and a cassette that appears to be an 11-28 or maybe 11-30, for a total range of about 370%.
Your new drivetrain's 53-11 top-end is significantly higher than was practical to put on road bikes in the mid-80s, but substantially lower gears than your ~39-30 were also very possible. For instance, a lot of long-cage rear derailleurs could tolerate a 34-tooth big cog and could wrap 38-40 teeth. This meant, for instance, that you could pair a crankset of something like 52-42-34 with a 14-34 cluster and remain completely within spec, which would give a 371% gearing range with a 1:1 low gear.
NR and SR were short-cage racing derailleurs, and their mechanical design had made only slight incremental changes from the 1951 Gran Sport. Their limitations have very little to do with what was possible at the time.
Heck, even the limitations of the Gran Sport have very little to do with what was possible at its own time; derailleurs that could tolerate wider gearing than it had already existed for decades.
You're phrasing this as "way wider gearing than existed", but what you're actually describing is way wider gearing than was fashionable in the racing market.
Your new drivetrain's 53-11 top-end is significantly higher than was practical to put on road bikes in the mid-80s, but substantially lower gears than your ~39-30 were also very possible. For instance, a lot of long-cage rear derailleurs could tolerate a 34-tooth big cog and could wrap 38-40 teeth. This meant, for instance, that you could pair a crankset of something like 52-42-34 with a 14-34 cluster and remain completely within spec, which would give a 371% gearing range with a 1:1 low gear.
In 1973 a 24 was “big” on a freewheel which is what’s on my Falcon and the Campy NR jockey wheel touches it. On my SR I have a 26, wow!
NR and SR were short-cage racing derailleurs, and their mechanical design had made only slight incremental changes from the 1951 Gran Sport. Their limitations have very little to do with what was possible at the time.
Heck, even the limitations of the Gran Sport have very little to do with what was possible at its own time; derailleurs that could tolerate wider gearing than it had already existed for decades.
You're phrasing this as "way wider gearing than existed", but what you're actually describing is way wider gearing than was fashionable in the racing market.
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08-13-21, 02:56 AM
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08-13-21, 04:58 AM
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Never mind the gearing nonsense. It’s a nice bike! And the brand is local to me. If they still made the Goodship, that’s probably what my wife would have on the trainer.
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08-13-21, 06:12 AM
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While it is a nice bike, it's more "retro" than "modern" in design. I suppose the geometry, headset and drivetrain are modern. Enjoy the ride! It does look fun.
08-13-21, 06:19 AM
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Being more retro, I like it. Should be SS, though. 😊
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08-13-21, 06:34 AM
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I like the blend of retro and modern. When it was time for tires on my modern bike, I went with the GP 5000 tan-walls for more of a vintage vibe. I don't know how they would look on a bike like this but I'm glad there is someone making bikes like this.
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08-13-21, 06:48 AM
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It was a little less “retro” in 2018, when my R2 was also sold new with rim brakes and shallow wheels.
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08-13-21, 07:53 AM
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I think it looks great. I'd ride one.
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08-13-21, 08:10 AM
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Looks like a great multi purpose bike to me that would be comfortable on the gravel.
How wide can the tires go ? (canti brakes may limit but they can be changed)
How wide can the tires go ? (canti brakes may limit but they can be changed)
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08-13-21, 10:18 AM
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I’ve only had it a few days and will definitely be changing some things. This was built buy the guy I bought it from with a bit of a parts bin approach; Sram rear brake, Bianchi front. Sram rd, Dura-ace fd. Specialized Axis wheels and tires which I am looking at options, maybe carbon, not sure.
I put a seat from one of my other bikes on it because the Kona seat it came with is not comfy, origin8 pro uno-s are on my vintage bikes because I like the style and they are super comfy. For this one I ordered a Fabric Scoop.
Everything I read about this bike says it is a race bike, there’s no fender mounts, no rack mounts, it’s very light, for steel anyhow. A factory build is 18lb, mine is 20- I am sure the wheels are part of that extra weight. Still 4 pounds lighter than my 1973 Falcon San Remo which was the bike I rode the most though.
https://theradavist.com/2015/08/raci...ndre-chelliah/
Anyhow, I’m old (50-ish) and not racing anyone but it feels great so far, rode 15 miles on weds, went on a 22 mile ride yesterday and super happy. Compared to my 40-50 year old bikes although it’s steel, it’s much stiffer, that was something I noticed right away. Of course I reached down to shift a couple times and hitting an empty downtube was like wth? Oh yeah, brifters! Overall though it feels more similar than different.
The brakes are long reach but I think a 28 is about as big as possible, it has 26 now and there’s just a few mm between tire and brake bridge although there’s more room in front. I definitely want to put gum-wall tires on it when I change them, I saw a pic of one and it looks killer IMO.
Thanks for the comments, I love it and it will probably be with me the rest of my life. 👍
I put a seat from one of my other bikes on it because the Kona seat it came with is not comfy, origin8 pro uno-s are on my vintage bikes because I like the style and they are super comfy. For this one I ordered a Fabric Scoop.
Everything I read about this bike says it is a race bike, there’s no fender mounts, no rack mounts, it’s very light, for steel anyhow. A factory build is 18lb, mine is 20- I am sure the wheels are part of that extra weight. Still 4 pounds lighter than my 1973 Falcon San Remo which was the bike I rode the most though.
https://theradavist.com/2015/08/raci...ndre-chelliah/
Anyhow, I’m old (50-ish) and not racing anyone but it feels great so far, rode 15 miles on weds, went on a 22 mile ride yesterday and super happy. Compared to my 40-50 year old bikes although it’s steel, it’s much stiffer, that was something I noticed right away. Of course I reached down to shift a couple times and hitting an empty downtube was like wth? Oh yeah, brifters! Overall though it feels more similar than different.
Thanks for the comments, I love it and it will probably be with me the rest of my life. 👍
Last edited by LibertyFLS; 08-13-21 at 11:46 AM.
08-13-21, 10:26 AM
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No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
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08-13-21, 11:39 AM
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I'm not saying it's not modern. I'm saying that it doesn't have way wider gearing than existed in the 80s. At least not how it's set up in your photos, where it has a 53-39 crankset and a cassette that appears to be an 11-28 or maybe 11-30, for a total range of about 370%.
Your new drivetrain's 53-11 top-end is significantly higher than was practical to put on road bikes in the mid-80s, but substantially lower gears than your ~39-30 were also very possible. For instance, a lot of long-cage rear derailleurs could tolerate a 34-tooth big cog and could wrap 38-40 teeth. This meant, for instance, that you could pair a crankset of something like 52-42-34 with a 14-34 cluster and remain completely within spec, which would give a 371% gearing range with a 1:1 low gear.
Your new drivetrain's 53-11 top-end is significantly higher than was practical to put on road bikes in the mid-80s, but substantially lower gears than your ~39-30 were also very possible. For instance, a lot of long-cage rear derailleurs could tolerate a 34-tooth big cog and could wrap 38-40 teeth. This meant, for instance, that you could pair a crankset of something like 52-42-34 with a 14-34 cluster and remain completely within spec, which would give a 371% gearing range with a 1:1 low gear.
08-13-21, 12:28 PM
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08-13-21, 12:29 PM
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Nice build. I had to go to their site and look. The Spaceship Ti caught my eye. I have all the parts and aero carbon wheels from my warranties Madone 5.0. Rack mounts would have pushed me over the edge and lightened my wallet. Retro modern.
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08-13-21, 01:08 PM
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You sir have a good eye! I had assumed it was 11-32 (remember, my first "modern bike") because that's what is spec'd on Fairdale's website, and it looks huge to me, but this bike is an individual build not a Fairdale complete and it actually has 11-28 like you guessed on the Specialized wheels it came with. I counted the teeth today, and I noticed on my ride yesterday, it was easier on the climbs but not what I was expecting, my Falcon is 39/24 and this is 39/28 currently so it's a difference, but not a major one. I definitely want to get a 30/32 out back. I'm looking for wheel sets to replace these, used or new, and either way I'll be changing the cassette.
50/34 with the 11-28 cassette will be significantly different compared to the gearing you are used to. And you wont need a huge cassette(not sure if your RD can handle 53/39 with 11-32).
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08-13-21, 01:19 PM
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Beautiful frameset!
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08-13-21, 02:00 PM
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...or a more common approach is to just get a compact crankset. That reduces the size of both rings and makes more gear ratios usable. I mean, 53/11 can be used, but is it really useful?...the correct answer for most is 'no'.
50/34 with the 11-28 cassette will be significantly different compared to the gearing you are used to. And you wont need a huge cassette(not sure if your RD can handle 53/39 with 11-32).
50/34 with the 11-28 cassette will be significantly different compared to the gearing you are used to. And you wont need a huge cassette(not sure if your RD can handle 53/39 with 11-32).
08-14-21, 07:12 AM
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I find 50-34 to be a much more reasonable set of rings compared to the old 52-42 or the 53-39 I have on one bike. If I could maintain 90 rpm in 50x11 I'd be doing 32 mph, which I cannot do on the flats ..... and rarely exceed on the downhills (braver riders go faster, but I am old and break easily.) (In fact my highest downhill speeds are achieved by tucking tight and coasting ...... )
53x11 will get you about 34 mph .... a whole two mph more---If you can spin at 90 rpm. On a steep downhill, I doubt gear ratio would matter as much as leg speed---spin a SS-like 200+ rpm in any gear and you would be flying.
What I find is that with a 50-34x11-28 have a lot of useful ratios on both rings and can climb most of the hills around where I live (in Flatahoma, so no big hills but then I am not at all a climber.) I actually use the top two cogs on the big ring---ride in them, not just hit them occasionally for a few seconds--during normal riding.
I have a couple other bikes set up with 50-34x11-32, and I Rarely use the biggest cogs .... but those are my distance- and working bikes, so if either a large load or a long ride leaves my legs too tired, it is great to have that 34x32. If I lived almost anywhere except in the mountains, I think i could get by with a 11-32 cassette---though of course I can get a good 11-34 now too.
I just don't see much use for a 53-39 unless you have huge power or compete (or are @livedarklions.) How often do most riders spin 90 rpm and 32 mph for any distance anyway?
53x11 will get you about 34 mph .... a whole two mph more---If you can spin at 90 rpm. On a steep downhill, I doubt gear ratio would matter as much as leg speed---spin a SS-like 200+ rpm in any gear and you would be flying.
What I find is that with a 50-34x11-28 have a lot of useful ratios on both rings and can climb most of the hills around where I live (in Flatahoma, so no big hills but then I am not at all a climber.) I actually use the top two cogs on the big ring---ride in them, not just hit them occasionally for a few seconds--during normal riding.
I have a couple other bikes set up with 50-34x11-32, and I Rarely use the biggest cogs .... but those are my distance- and working bikes, so if either a large load or a long ride leaves my legs too tired, it is great to have that 34x32. If I lived almost anywhere except in the mountains, I think i could get by with a 11-32 cassette---though of course I can get a good 11-34 now too.
I just don't see much use for a 53-39 unless you have huge power or compete (or are @livedarklions.) How often do most riders spin 90 rpm and 32 mph for any distance anyway?
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08-14-21, 05:27 PM
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I’ve only had it a few days and will definitely be changing some things. This was built buy the guy I bought it from with a bit of a parts bin approach; Sram rear brake, Bianchi front. Sram rd, Dura-ace fd. Specialized Axis wheels and tires which I am looking at options, maybe carbon, not sure.
I put a seat from one of my other bikes on it because the Kona seat it came with is not comfy, origin8 pro uno-s are on my vintage bikes because I like the style and they are super comfy. For this one I ordered a Fabric Scoop.
Everything I read about this bike says it is a race bike, there’s no fender mounts, no rack mounts, it’s very light, for steel anyhow. A factory build is 18lb, mine is 20- I am sure the wheels are part of that extra weight. Still 4 pounds lighter than my 1973 Falcon San Remo which was the bike I rode the most though.
https://theradavist.com/2015/08/raci...ndre-chelliah/
Anyhow, I’m old (50-ish) and not racing anyone but it feels great so far, rode 15 miles on weds, went on a 22 mile ride yesterday and super happy. Compared to my 40-50 year old bikes although it’s steel, it’s much stiffer, that was something I noticed right away. Of course I reached down to shift a couple times and hitting an empty downtube was like wth? Oh yeah, brifters! Overall though it feels more similar than different.
The brakes are long reach but I think a 28 is about as big as possible, it has 26 now and there’s just a few mm between tire and brake bridge although there’s more room in front. I definitely want to put gum-wall tires on it when I change them, I saw a pic of one and it looks killer IMO.
Thanks for the comments, I love it and it will probably be with me the rest of my life. 👍
I put a seat from one of my other bikes on it because the Kona seat it came with is not comfy, origin8 pro uno-s are on my vintage bikes because I like the style and they are super comfy. For this one I ordered a Fabric Scoop.
Everything I read about this bike says it is a race bike, there’s no fender mounts, no rack mounts, it’s very light, for steel anyhow. A factory build is 18lb, mine is 20- I am sure the wheels are part of that extra weight. Still 4 pounds lighter than my 1973 Falcon San Remo which was the bike I rode the most though.
https://theradavist.com/2015/08/raci...ndre-chelliah/
Anyhow, I’m old (50-ish) and not racing anyone but it feels great so far, rode 15 miles on weds, went on a 22 mile ride yesterday and super happy. Compared to my 40-50 year old bikes although it’s steel, it’s much stiffer, that was something I noticed right away. Of course I reached down to shift a couple times and hitting an empty downtube was like wth? Oh yeah, brifters! Overall though it feels more similar than different.
The brakes are long reach but I think a 28 is about as big as possible, it has 26 now and there’s just a few mm between tire and brake bridge although there’s more room in front. I definitely want to put gum-wall tires on it when I change them, I saw a pic of one and it looks killer IMO.
Thanks for the comments, I love it and it will probably be with me the rest of my life. 👍
I think it looks great, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
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