pcb 

At this point in time, the way it works is all the bikes with modern-ish components are 1x, and the vintage builds are all double/triple.

Part of this scheme is experiential, meaning when I jump on a modern build I don't want to be bothered by no front shifting, thank you very much, but when I'm on a full-vintage rig, part of the fun is re-creating the world of front derailleurs. It's more about remembering/experiencing the gnashing of chain on tooth, adjusting derailleur/chain rub, and all that. I feel closer to my 20s when I have two shifters, and nothing clicks.

Another part of it is visual/aesthetic. Unless the vintage build is a time-trial bike, or uses a 3spd rear hub---more on that in a little bit---there oughta be multiple chainrings to look "right" to me.

Lastly it's technical, being more difficult to put together a 1x vintage drivetrain that would give me a reasonable gear range. No 11t-small freewheels, hard to find 34t-large that don't start with 13/14t, and the gear gaps are big because we're talking 6-7spds max i/o 10-11spds. Plus zero anti-chain-drop technology, so I'm less likely to leave asphalt. Not a lot of long-cage rders I'm happy with, and if I'm not sitting on them, and have to buy them, they're pretty pricey. Could make it work, but ultimately doesn't seem worth it, especially since it kinda negates the other considerations above.

Maybe one exception would be my '74 Harry Quinn Tourist, which to my shame I completely left out of my vintage touring group. The Quinn only has a right-side shifter braze-on, so it was built either for a single chainring, or maybe a very old-timey suicide fder? I figure it was for an English gentleman, of a certain age, with a Sturmey-Archer 3spd or 5spd rear hub.

I call the Quinn my Tumor Bike, since I was tweaking it in the workstand when my kidney tumor made itself known. Last bike I touched when I had two kidneys, first bike I rode 6wks later, slowly and gingerly, in monokidney mode. I don't blame it for causing the tumor, but it's kind of a weird touchstone in my herd. Every time I put it in the stand, I remember what came next That Time, but every time I ride it I'm pleasantly reminded I'm still f'in alive. It's like the death bike that wasn't---so it has a tendency to get overlooked. Like just leaving it out when showing off all the other kids. I'll have to ride it soon to make amends. It also gets extra pix compensation.

It was originally a kinda burgundy color, IIRC, and a previous owner had it resprayed by Argos, I think, in the UK. Restomod build, and with the single dt shifter boss, if I went vintage with it I'd have to figure out a single chainring build.

First in the wild, then in the basement studio. There's a few things I want to tweak, but somehow I'm not anxious to pop it up in the stand....

beicster 

These two are 2nd cousins. An 84 Paramount Touring and an 85 Schwinn Voyageur.

Untitled by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

Untitled by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

casanewt

So I am actually faster on my long wheelbase, cantilever beauties than I am on my flashy, racier geometry, road racers. Does that make me weird? Just makes me chuckle when I make passes on the trail.

mechanicmatt

Finished up, maybe need some new water bottle cages...

RiddleOfSteel

This is me on my Specialized Expedition. There is an ease of rapidity in all riding situations that I didn't expect. You could call it planing, you could call it a symbiotic, you could call it a perfect match. Between the frame, its wheelbase, my pedaling style, and the wheelset, it just moves well and without strenuous effort. Even out of the saddle. Magic, I tell you!

polymorphself 

Saguaro

That is a beautiful bike.

polymorphself 

Thanks! And you’ve definitely got one of my favorites on the forum/

ZudeJammer

1982 motobecane grand touring
Out for a 25mi mixed terrain ride today

browngw 

The venerable 1965 Dilecta LeBlanc has had some notable updates since it's last showing. Over the winter it got some lower gearing via a Regina freewheel with a 13T to 31T. The B17 aged was moved off the Salsa and the Dilecta just feels right with it. A nice set of Pivo alloy bars (39cm) replaced the slightly narrower generic steel bars. Wrapped in Brooks microfiber it looks and feels splendid. An afa1 pump bracket and Zefal solibloc pump round out the look.
Love riding this old beast and the changes were done to ride it once again in our local Le Tour de Norfolk which never happened due to the pandemic. On the day, I did a 50km tribute ride.

polymorphself 

Now that's a french fit! Lovely bike though. Such a pretty color combo.

Germany_chris

Last pic before I swap it back over to barcons

tpadul 

Hi There! I love these Handlebars!! Are these Tourist or Cruiser type handlebars? I would like ones like this for my 1984 Schwinn World Sport I am fixing up. My back can't handle the drop handlebars, I'd also like to know where you bought the hand grips?

Jeff Neese

What size tires are those? I have the same year Trek 750 (1991) also with drop bars and I've been thinking about putting bigger tires on it.

cooperryder

Hi tpadul.

The bars on my Passage are Soma Oxford bars which I think are fairly similar to the Nitto Albatross bars.

I also have the aluminum alloy version (preferred over the steel version)
of the Sunlite North Road bars on two or 3 bikes that I also like quite a bit.

The grips are the Ergon GP1.

When I first got the Passage it had a low stem and narrow road bars which I found uncomfortable after just a couple miles.

Now with this upright cockpit I can regularly do 20 to 40 mile rides on it pretty comfortably.

Your experience may differ.
Each one has to find what works for them.

As I've gotten to senior status I subscribe to the Grant Peterson of Rivendell philosophy of making a bike more comfortable.

I have a friend that probably has been through at least 20 handlebars to get to his happy place.

Safe riding and please post a pic when you finish.

Sunlite North Road bar.
I think the North Road has a bit more rise.



Soma Oxford bar


Nitto Albatross

gthomson

This post has really inspired me to convert a late 80's road bike into a touring bike like these. I think someone posted a picture of a bike in the show us your purple bikes the other month with this gorgeous English bike from the 60's and I was amazed. I won't expect anything as fancy as that but would like to know how I get started. The positive points to this bike is it's 18 speed and has an OvalTech crank which I think would make it a little nicer to tour then a 10 or 12 speed. Wheel size is 27" but might convert to 700c.

Where do I get fenders and a back rack to fit onto it? I would prefer steele or aluminum instead of the black plastic fenders I can buy at the bike shop. I went down to a local coop and they had a bin full of them but the guy said you need to bring the bike with you and get it all fitted. Is there another source to buy for 1980's road bikes or specific details I should look out for? I suspect most of the fenders in the bin were for 3 speed CCM vintage cruisers or for beach cruisers with wider 26" wheels.

trailmix

1988 Cannondale ST700

trailmix

1990 Cannondale ST400

trailmix

1983 Panasonic PT5000

trailmix

1984 Cannondale ST

trailmix

1989 Cannondale ST600

polymorphself 

While any bike can definitely be toured on, there is a lot more to most of the bikes in this thread than fenders and racks. Some specifics for touring bikes are:

• A long wheelbase to keep the bike stable while carrying a load.
• Lots of braze ons and eyelets for front and rear racks, fenders and two or three water bottle cages.
• Cantilever brakes.
• Mid fork mounts for low rider panniers.
• A triple crank for wider gearing to help with climbs.
• Clearance for wider tires and/or fenders.

Of course not all of these are necessary, but many of them go a long way, and purpose built touring bikes have most if not all of these features (the further into the 80's you get the more of this you see). The mid-late 80's is sort of considered the golden era of touring bikes as they seemed to have reached their max potential by then (at least by vintage standards). Some easy examples of bikes with all of these features are the mid-late 80s Miyata 1000, Specialized Expedition, Trek 720, Schwinn Voyageur, Centurion Pro Tour, Fuji Touring Series V and similar models.

I would say the long wheelbase, good rack mounting options and gear range is probably the most important thing and there were plenty of amazing touring bikes before the mid 80s that had these features.

All that being said, before you go scouting for fenders make sure that your bike has the clearance for them, many don't. Also double check what braze ons and eyelets you have for a rack. It helps to have double eyelets in the back to easily attach both the rack and the fenders.

Velo Orange, Honjo and SKS are the most common sources for fenders. Velo Orange and Nitto are popular sources for racks, but they are pricey and certainly not the only options.

trailmix

Just picked up another. This one is an 84 Univega purchased from the original owner's widow. I like the half-step gearing chart.

polymorphself 

I love these burgundy Specialissimas.

trailmix

It is funny, sometimes it looks black or gray and other times it looks burgundy