JaccoW

Ah, I get it now. Fixed.

JaccoW

We had some snow here over the past weekend and it led to some beautiful views here.

First of all the bikes were all covered in snow but that doesn't bother them all that much.




Still kind of tricky to ride though.

JaccoW

I still love this bike but I am tempted to redo the rear wheel next year with a more modern SA hub like the RXL-RD5 that I have on the tandem right now. Slightly thicker spokes too.

Remember how I modified the hub with a stronger clutch spring so the 4th gear was less finicky? The last month the 1-2 and 4-5 gears were still working but the direct drive 3rd gear wasn't working properly anymore. Which is weird since that is the most robust one of the gears.
So I tore the hub open and found numerous chipped parts inside. Now, this is probably user error because of my own modifications but for a daily commuter I just want something that's set and forget. When it runs it runs wonderfully but cable stretch will lead to shift misalignment.

Also, the H+Son Archetype is still a very strong rim that barely goes out of true even with two broken spokes but next time I'm putting thicker spokes in the rear wheel. Not because the current spokes are bad, far from it, but for a Dutch commuter bike that uses a ring lock something thicker might be better.
The DT Swiss Alpine III spokes are wonderfully strong and light on many of my other bikes but with the very thick spoke bed and Sapim HM spoke washers it was the weakest link. You can tell that it wasn't because the spoke was incorrectly installed because it broke off at the very top of the threading.


Chipped clutch teeth


Chipped gear ring pawl


Noticable wear on the inside of the hub shell. Probably because of the stronger clutch


Spoke head torn off

JaccoW

Right... it's been a long time since I have posted anything on here.

Part of it is because of some necessary introspection earlier this year but also because I have been rediscovering some of my older hobbies. I spent way too much money on music and the gear needed for playing it these last few months. Just dropped off my grandfather's Akai tapedeck for a full revision at a specialist so I can record and listen to everything that's on there.
Incidentally, if you're into the (slightly experimental) UK jazz side of things then do take a look at Matthew Halsall, Portico Quartet and Vels Trio. I've got a few more Ambient or Techno/House suggestions if anybody is interested but most of us are here for the bikes.

I decided to rebuild the rear using the modern Sturmey Archer RXL-RD5 hub. The XL-RD5(w) that is on there right now has been feeling draggy, the 4th gear doesn't work and it feels like I might break it if I push too hard. That's fine for a restoration project but not for a dependable everyday commuter.

Since it is a rotary shifter hub that's also wider (135 vs. 120mm) it also needs new spokes. FreeSpoke puts the new spokes at 277mm and 274mm so slightly longer than what is on there now.
Parts are ordered, so hopefully I will have a nice little project for the holidays next week.

Maybe I will show you how filthy the bike gets in a Dutch winter.

JaccoW

New parts are in. Time to strip the rear wheel and build a new one.

It's surprising how much parts you get for the money. With the exception of the thumb shifter everything was included for €136.95 ($155)

JaccoW

Right, so the SilverAce was back in the living room shop for a rebuild of the rear wheel. First I had to take out the old hub and I took the time to give the rim a good clean before reusing it again.

The original XL-RD5(w) looks pretty skinny next to the somewhat portly XL-RD5 but make no mistake, these are both big heavy hubs. Lacing it up was relatively straightforward even though I had to start over because I mixed up the starting point, again.
I have now done a couple of shorter, spirited rides on it and it feels good. Fairly low drag and snappy during shifting though I need to recheck the shifter cable run. Either there is too much drag on it or the hub is pulling too much, causing the shifter to automatically shift from 3rd to 4th gear.
Not much of an issue right now because the hub only came with an 18T sprocket where the old hub had a 16T sprocket and a higher 5th gear so I'm rarely using the lower gears. All in all it feels good but needs some finetuning.

Maybe I will post some pictures of the state of the bike in spring when I'm giving it a good deep clean again. Just to show what 2 years of commuting does to a bike around here. Mostly dirt and some surface rust.

cudak888 

You know, with exception to anything that can obviously cause corrosion, there's a satisfying feeling of seeing your well-built commuter with a pound of brake dust and grime on it. "It's doing what it was made to do."

Love the trailer connector. Starting to mount that exact one on my own machines for my thrift store trailer. Found a generator in the trash today and dragged it back home on that trailer, with that connector. Zero problems.

-Kurt

JaccoW

I've got one of those Ikea trailers. Used it to haul 75kg (165 lbs) in gravel last year. It worked fine (though the wheels started to flex outwards) but for anything that doesn't equal a fully grown man in weight they are awesome.

matchy99

I'd be interested to hear your ambient and techno/house suggestions.

Found your build thread and was inspired to upgrade my bike with Berthoud fenders and Honjo mud flaps. I have them in hand and was wondering what tool you used to make the holes for the mud flap bolts? Looks like you did it without fraying the tarpaulin.

I also noticed you put the S.A. thumb shifter on the outside of your handle bars (right side). Perhaps you already tried this but I have found placing them on the inside of the handlebars to be more ergonomic. You would have to put the right thumb shifter on the inner left side or get a left shifter pod to put on the inner right side.

JaccoW

Hey, glad I could inspire you.

I think I just used a classic revolver hole punch for the tarpaulin and a stainless steel specific drill bit for the fender. I don't think I even needed to take a lighter over the edges.

Yeah that's a side effect of the extremely short grip area of the VO Porteur handlebars. Those are designed for inverse brake levers and those just won't work all that well with drum brakes. I will try your approach when I replace the handlebars with something more comfortable later this year. Looks like you can almost use them as a trigger shifter that way.

matchy99

Your entire thread is an inspiration to many......

Excuse my ignorance, but which of the following is a "revolver hole punch"? The top one is a paper hole punch and the bottom is a leather hole punch. I own a paper hole punch.

JaccoW

The bottom one.

cudak888 

Have you thought about handlebar extender plugs? You wouldn't see them under the grips:

https://www.amazon.com/Control-Tech-...ng%2C87&sr=1-4

-Kurt

JaccoW

Guess what arrived on my doorstep? They do need some minor milling as they are less than 0.5mm too thick to fit inside the handlebars. I have a black pair of Ergon GP1 BioLeder grips on the way so these should be pretty comfy.



That wasn't the only thing to require some work though. The drive side crank suddenly fell loose last weekend and only when I came home did I realize why... the crank bolt had snapped in half. Probably not just the crank bolt. I have been having issues with these Nexus style Sturmey Archer cranks (I'm on my third and final pair). I think it is time to just use some regular 5-bolt cranks with a nice chainring on it. Perhaps even a move up from the 33T one that is on there now since it limits the gearing on this bike. Currently it is geared way too low for my tastes at 33.6 to 80.9 gear inches. Maybe something like a 45T in front with 20T in the back for a 38.8 to 99.3 gear inches range since I often start from a full stop in second or third gear.
That would mean however the full chainguard might have to go. Perhaps I will replace it with something like the Velo Orange alloy chainguard or basically the exact same thing from Pelago. Or one of the vintage chainguards I still have lying around of course.

Wait, I was talking about that crank bolt. Three tiny drillings with a stainless bit and a flathead screwdriver later I could easily take it out. Long live greased bolts.

cudak888 

Jacco, have you considered going Hollowtech? I'm not sure if you could get one with enough offset to fit the ring in the chaincase, but it is an option which will pretty much always stay in place (not to say that square tapers don't).

-Kurt

JaccoW

Hey Kurt, I haven't to be honest. I could look into it but don't those outboard bearings have a tendency to start creaking? The problem seems to be more with these particular cranks really. All my other bikes have square taper as well and have been without issues for years.

I could look for older Dura Ace cranks like the ones on the Gazelle Lausanne? Or the slightly newer Dura Ace FC-7800 if I want to stay in the shiny category.

cudak888 

Ditto for square tapers being reliable, though I really do like the Hollowtech II on my '80 Sports. No creaking yet, though I did go for a MTB crank.




-Kurt

Rooney 

Creaky bottom brackets tend to be more related to the press-in variety. It's due to bottom bracket shell tolerances being off in the frame's manufacturing.

That problem isn't much of a factor when converting from square taper to Hollowtech because you're still screwing the Hollowtech bb into the bottom bracket shell as you did with the square taper bb.

JaccoW

Good to hear. I will take a good look at what's available around here.

Got the Ergon leather grips in yesterday and modified the other extender plug. Looks good and feels even better. Time to take it for a ride this afternoon even though the temperature dropped down from a comfy 20ºC (68ºF) last week to freezing 0ºC (32ºF) this weekend. But that's why we have gloves and sweaters.

JaccoW

I think I'm going to give the silver Shimano Alfine FC-s501 cranks a try next month.


Should look nice with this Simplex chainguard once it arrives.

cudak888 

Very nice choice. Basically a single-ring version of the Dura-Ace 7800 crank.

-Kurt

JaccoW

Yeah exactly. But a lot better availability. Lots of manufacturers still use them on their commuter bikes, especially belt drive ones, so there is plenty of support.

I'm thinking a 42T x 20T (36.2 - 92.6) should give me plenty of range. And it's very shiny.

JaccoW

Got some new parts for a drivetrain upgrade for the SilverAce.

Based around a Shimano FC6603 Ultegra Triple for a stiffer bottom bracket and higher top end. Should be a good gear range for me with a 42T in front and 20T in the back. Just waiting for the bashguard to arrive.

JaccoW

Teaser shot:


Surprisingly, I received all parts I needed today to upgrade the drivetrain.

The square taper bottom bracket worked well but the full chaincase required a particular crankset and for my type of riding in the city... well let's just say I was on my third crankset already and my second bottom bracket because the crankset would develop play and just mess up everything. @cudak888 suggested a Hollowtech II crankset and I started looking.

Together with a Simplex Chainguard REF C2 A I scored on French eBay a couple of months ago and a bashguard the Shimano Ultegra triple crankset should look pretty nice. I might throw on the Simplex Chainguard REF C1 A with its characteristic bump, polish the current one or head back to French eBay for another 'carter de chaine' with a bit more coverage. I do mostly ride this bike in jeans. Since I needed to take out the rear wheel to change to a larger sprocket I relubed some of the bearings in the rear hub. The original grease is decent but I find these hubs to work better with a bit more grease and a couple of spurts of Phil Tenacious Oil inside. All in all it took a couple of hours and I feel like the bike looks faster with these cranks and the gold chain.

The chain guard took a bit more time so only a teaser for now and hopefully some better pictures tomorrow when it's not raining.

T700

Hi Jaeco,
I have been inspired by your thread to renovate a well-used Gazelle tourer "Superieur Special" with a design very similar to the Silver Ace, which I took over from a senior citizen in my neighborhood. Unlike you, I decided to put minimum money into the renovation which is quite close to stock condition.“Buying price” was six bottles of red wine, and I went for the bike because it was the more rare version (for Germany) with Sachs Super7 drum brake hub and matching front drum brake. I put back the stock 32 mm tires and modified the primary gearing to 38-21 which is the lower limit of the hub (compared to stock 46-19). Because my area is quite hilly, I wanted really low gears close to 1:1 ratio. I also cleaned and re-lubricated the gear hub which was otherwise in good condition. Braking power was poor initially although the pads were OK, after putting metal instead of plastic levers and low-compression Jagwire cable housings, it improved a lot and compares to 90ies rim brakes, I would say. This bike is now my runabout-town-bike for all seasons/all weathers. I am surprised the gap between the conservative “opafiets” look and the quite sporty handling… so different from the traditional Gazelle “Speciaal” tourer that I also own.