Vintage bike performance tweaks - what can be done...

[@milburnsmedia]

That SR Apex crankset you showed us (along with Stronglight 80, 99 and other SRs) is 86 bcd and can handle as low as a 28t granny ring. You don't need to set it up as a triple in order to enjoy that lovely low gearing. But you do need to reduce the size of your big ring a little bit in order to ensure reliable upshifting at the front. I use these cranksets on a few different bikes with 44/28 rings and both vintage and modern Suntour and Campy front derailleurs. Works flawlessly :-)

[@stephenturner7512]

Another informative video. Well done. I rode 104 k Sunday Eroica last year. WRT braking…I started at the top of the hill so as to be able to control my speed downhill. I endured so much arm pump and knackered fingers. Don’t know how smaller women’s hands coped. One Italian was shaking hers out with a grimace. I’d kept all original parts on my 85 bike but on return, like your good self, fitted new longer chain. Also modern brake cable outers. Plus best of all, found some old style MTB brake pads. 50% longer and with conical washers to fit the rim nicely. No need to bend the arms or file the pads. Work soooo much better. Jfyi. I also use Schwalbe double Durano tyres with the 5 mm protection for peace of mind. Cheers

[@vintagevelos9517]

When the organisers pop the "dangerous descent" signs out they are not kidding - saw a fair number of riders walking the more extreme descents, Dan

[@Jack42Frost]

Derailleur trouble can come with big cassette sprockets. One hack involves removing rear dropout axle adjustment screws(bolts), this enables the axle to sit right at the back of the dropouts if required.

[@vintagevelos9517]

I usually set them as far back as possible without removing them completely - might give it a go. Dan

[@martinjames672]

Nice story. I also did last years medium route on my '87 Daccordi. It was tough, but I managed to avoid walking. Last minute I found a Shimano 14/34 cassette, so I swapped my Campag RD out for a long cage silver 105 triple. This handled the 52/39 and 14/34 perfectly. Athena original brakes were hairy though on those descents. I used 25mm tyres with no problem. This year I'm doing the Dolomiten version. I have a 1965 Major Nichols. Doing some preparation now. Managed to obtain a 46/30 Velo Orange crank. 122mm drop out will only take 5 spd so I have found a 14/28 freewheel. I'm intending to use all the Nuovo Record dérailleurs that it came with. Hopefully this will all work together. The cranks fitted no problem, no fouling. I will try out some 28mm tyres as there is more gravel than at Chianti! I shall let you know once I've done some test rides....

[@vintagevelos9517]

Sounds good - as ever, the more vintage the bike, the trickier the settup gets - 46 is a bit small for the big ring and you`ll probably top out... Dan

[@martinjames672]

@@vintagevelos9517 your right, but with the at best average centre pull brakes, I am more concerned about arriving safely. A buddy of mine, who flew in from the USA for Gaiole last year, fell and broke his collarbone after 35km.... top speed is really not a concern.

[@slowerandolder]

I worked on all this stuff when it was new. SunTour introduced Ultra-6/Ultra-7 freewheels in late 70's to allow 6 cogs in a 120mm space or 7 in 125mm. You want to bend the stays to the proper number and realign the rear dropouts to parallel, otherwise the QR or axlenuts will put bending stress on the rear hub axle when you do up the wheel. It's not that anything blows up when that's wrong, it's just what a proper job looks like! Old centerpulls often had flexy cable housing stops/hangers as well as thin, stretchy cables, modern stuff there along with good pads can make the difference. On loose surfaces, bar end shift levers can help; never very big on the Continent, they WERE used a great deal in British racing during the 50's and 60's, and American touring into the 90's. Cheers.

[@martinjames672]

@slowerandolder thanks for the insight. I'm going to keep the frame as it is as I still have the original 27" Birmalux rims on high flange Spidel hubs. I did get a (nos) pair of 700c built for eroica rides. Shimano high flange 110hc hubs, Ambrosio Durex Elite rims on DT Champion spokes built as the Birmalux are probably a bit fragile and tyre choice is very limited. Though I did find a modern pair of Conti 32mm that are very comfy on the rough. I have put new pads on the Cantis. Searching for new straddle cables as those mounted look a little worn. It is fun but a bit stressful at times working on safe solutions for these old bikes. Good functionality for brakes, wheels, and steering are critical, particularly on the very challenging routes. As mentioned, a high top speed is not the priority. Enjoying the magnificent experience and scenery is for me. I live in the Alps, so I have a great need for everything to work flawlessly with a low enough gearing to match my capability. Great series to watch.

[@vintagevelos9517]

Now thats some knowledge right there... Dan@@slowerandolder

[@davidbee9563]

Looks like that crank would fit some smaller chainrings that are closer in size. What about some padding on the bar? Some cloth tape on top to keep the look. Another idea is a set of Raleigh 26x1 3/8 wheels(38x650A) with modern tires. They were available on bikes before 1980.

[@vintagevelos9517]

Issue is I want to keep the top end speed for the flats and road descents so limited in what to do, Dan

[@steveprice9737]

I have been stretching the gears on my early 80 race bike (used for hilly tt) Stronglight cranks, 36 and 52 rings 13 28 on the wheel. Rear mech long cage VX with some 80s Campag front mech. Works fine. Now has 8 speed Shimano sti brake/gear shifters with XT mtb mech , works better than it ought. Stupid what you can get away with. If I get chance I'll see if the VX works with sti😂

[@vintagevelos9517]

Makes sense on an `80`s rig, alas would look out of place on `60`s, Dan

[@steveprice9737]

@@vintagevelos9517 yeah, agreed, I race mine so want efficiency over appearance. The 1964 Moulton is the same, some modern bars and brake pads etc, the other vintage bikes , 2 Hercules, a 531 Aston Club and a 1950s unknown upright are original but still getting the occasional race , mostly just evening club events for fun. I organised a vintage bike tt a while back, some great bikes including pre 1900 stuff racing on a closed road. Might do it again sometime.

[@vintagevelos9517]

Now thats a cool idea - let me know if you do another one, Dan@@steveprice9737

[@steveprice9737]

@@vintagevelos9517 for the time being: show up at your local tt , they need our support to keep going. There is a separate category for road bikes in most races so not a big disadvantage riding older bikes particularly on hilly slower courses where aerodynamics are less important.

[@JonathanBays]

Campag Victory or Triomphe BCD is 116 i think and yes you can go 36T on that one

[@vintagevelos9517]

Yep - alas wrong era and doesn`t look quite right on an early `60`s Legnano, Dan

[@JonathanBays]

@@vintagevelos9517 Sure it's a bit earlier fine for Eroica or a sympathetic renovation but not for a full restoration

[@pastorius]

nice mods. how are those balloons in the corners ? they sit quite tall so i imagine with lower pressures they can feel a bit mushy while cornering.

[@vintagevelos9517]

They feel ok - got to see how they handle a combination of gravel and road - tyre size of choice would usually be 23/25mm for road but these older vintage bikes do like something a little bigger, Dan

[@bernadinism]

Where can I get those stick-on soles from?

[@vintagevelos9517]

I had them sorted by a local cobblers (yep, found one that hasn`t shut down...), Dan

[@johns3106]

Isn’t using Kool-stop pads on a “vintage” bike a bit of cheating?!

[@vintagevelos9517]

Hmmm... I do like to stop when I need to - Koolstops are a god send... Dan

[@slowerandolder]

And Kool's, like the Scott/Mathauser pads, were a VERY common site on club bikes in the 70's. Hell, they were developed BECAUSE so many pads back then were lousy (ie, Universals). Universal side- and centerpull brakes were a cost-cutting measure on every Euro-made, Campy-equipped bike in the 60's.

[@vintagevelos9517]

Yep, just default to Koolstops where possible, Dan@@slowerandolder

[@nonfixie]

FYI: Koolstop also makes replacement pads for the original Weinmann (and MAFAC) holders. They look exactly like the originals.

[@pminiger9278]

Change the stem and bars to some proper cinelli or 3t.

[@slowerandolder]

It's a Legnano with Record or Valentino mech, they didn't come that way new and no performance improvement there anyway. Prettier, yes.

[@vintagevelos9517]

Got to disagree - being an early `60`s bike the stem has to look period - this one is spot on for me - though I am partial to an Ambrosio Champion... Dan@@slowerandolder

[@petergiourelas3753]

Biopace

[@vintagevelos9517]

Alas not period for this Legnano, Dan