Bought a used classic steel bike
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Bought a used classic steel bike
I recently bought a used Waterford RS 2200 bike. The seller said that the frameset is from 1997 and the Campy group was from 2007.
The parts are: Campy Centaur (except Record triple crank). Nitto Technomic stem, Nitto bar. Dura Ace aero seatpost. Mavic OpenCD wheels with Campy hubs. I added my Terry saddle and Look Keo Classic 2 pedals. Wipperman chain. I'm going to replace the seatpost with a longer Thompson one. The current Dura Ace one is about at the limit with the saddle height I want. Also the stem is too short. Will replace with a quill adapter so I can use a 120mm Ritchey stem and wider Ritchey bar that I have from another bike. Longer term, I was considering going to a 1 inch (25.4mm) threadless fork like the Hylix or Columbus Minimal fork.
The parts are: Campy Centaur (except Record triple crank). Nitto Technomic stem, Nitto bar. Dura Ace aero seatpost. Mavic OpenCD wheels with Campy hubs. I added my Terry saddle and Look Keo Classic 2 pedals. Wipperman chain. I'm going to replace the seatpost with a longer Thompson one. The current Dura Ace one is about at the limit with the saddle height I want. Also the stem is too short. Will replace with a quill adapter so I can use a 120mm Ritchey stem and wider Ritchey bar that I have from another bike. Longer term, I was considering going to a 1 inch (25.4mm) threadless fork like the Hylix or Columbus Minimal fork.
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#2
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Really nice bike. A nitto technomic stem is another cost effective solution. That bike may be on the small side if you need that much seatpost and stem showing.
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Yes, its about the smallest size for me. But I still like being a little more over the front wheel with a 120mm stem. I ended up ordering a stem quill adapter from nashbar.com. Will replace the stem and bar soon when it arrives. Another mod after that will be to replace the wheels with a pair of Campy Zonda I have. I also have a 14-25 10 speed cassette on that wheelset so might use that as well. The triple is overkill for my commute. But will leave it on to play with on some short steep hills near my hood. I also haven't been doing the regular commute since late February due to COVID. So I got a little older and fatter as a result.
Last edited by ptempel; 10-27-20 at 09:26 AM.
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Beautiful. I wanted a Steel bike, but the best ones seemed to be in England (Genesis) and out of my budget. I finally found a 1994 Specialized Allez that was gorgeous for $250 in mint condition. A few months later Specialized did a re-issue of that bike, where frame only cost thousands of dollars.
Gotta love the peak of steel, back when quill stems were the norm (love how we can change the handlebar height in a couple of seconds.).
Gotta love the peak of steel, back when quill stems were the norm (love how we can change the handlebar height in a couple of seconds.).
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I had my eye on an older Specialized Allez a year or two ago. I forget why I did not pull the trigger (maybe condition or size too small). I think they and some of the Japanese built Schwinn, Univega, Centurion Ironman, Bridgestone, and Miyata are probably the best values out there. My only beef with Bridgestone is that they usually had a shorter top tube than seat tube. I usually want it square or the other way around.
Last edited by ptempel; 10-30-20 at 09:09 AM.
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I just measured the frame and got 21.75 in (55.25 cm) c-c seat tube, 22.25 in (56.5 cm) c-c top tube. The seat tube is 22 in (55.8 cm) c-t so I guess that's where they got the 56cm measurement from. I'm actually glad that the top tube is a little longer since the 120mm stem I want to install next should be right on the money. I just bought a used Thompson Elite 27.4 seatpost and installed it. It is in great shape and I like those posts (I used the same on two other bikes). Its also a little longer (310mm) than the Dura Ace one so should be safer for me since I need more height for the saddle (I'm using 30 in or 76.2 cm for now). I never knew that these frames (or Reynolds 853 in general?) use a 27.4 mm seatpost. Its a bit of a PITA to find a laid back post for it. You would probably have to get a shim and a thinner post which I did not want to do.
Edit: Rechecked and I don't see a Reynolds sticker on the frame. So I'm not sure what tubeset they used on it. Have read that Waterford also used True Temper on many of their framesets. This page claims Reynolds: https://waterfordbikes.com/w/about/history/1995-2001/ . Was told that its a 1997 but haven't verified that.
Edit: Rechecked and I don't see a Reynolds sticker on the frame. So I'm not sure what tubeset they used on it. Have read that Waterford also used True Temper on many of their framesets. This page claims Reynolds: https://waterfordbikes.com/w/about/history/1995-2001/ . Was told that its a 1997 but haven't verified that.
Last edited by ptempel; 10-30-20 at 09:18 AM.
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Nice find. I'd keep the steel fork, unless it's damaged. A carbon fork won't make the bike any faster or offer any other benifit. Waterford makes a very nice fork.
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When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.
When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.
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The problem I see with the forks listed above, and almost all modern forks, is they are stiff and straight. The old school forks (like on the bike as purchased) had a nice taper and J bend, and actually absorb a lot of road chatter. Put a new fork on and old bike and that will make the front ride pretty stiff (in my experience). Quality control goes out the window when you buy direct from China (that Hulix fork has a 1 star review on Amazon).
(besides, a fork that matches the frame looks cool). ;-)
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I just bought this quill stem adapter for $16:
Its the cheapest solution for me at this point. It will let me reuse a Ritchey bar and stem that I used on another bike. Only thing missing are brake and derailleur cables. I'll most likely have to replace them if I move the brifters out further. What cables do you recommend? I'm looking at a Jagwire cable set:
https://www.amazon.com/Campagnolo-JA...g-goods&sr=1-3
Its the cheapest solution for me at this point. It will let me reuse a Ritchey bar and stem that I used on another bike. Only thing missing are brake and derailleur cables. I'll most likely have to replace them if I move the brifters out further. What cables do you recommend? I'm looking at a Jagwire cable set:
https://www.amazon.com/Campagnolo-JA...g-goods&sr=1-3
Last edited by ptempel; 10-30-20 at 05:20 PM.
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It looks like you’re wasting a ton of money, time, and effort making that medium bike work for your large body.
You really should just sell it on to someone whose body will fit it and get yourself a 60-64cm bike.
You really should just sell it on to someone whose body will fit it and get yourself a 60-64cm bike.