Classic Bike Building

[SquareDaff]

I've registered for L'Eroica next year. Unfortunately I don't have a classic bike - but am considering getting in the "full spirit of things" and building my own up. Now I can pretty much repair/replace anything on my own modern bike - but suspect there may be a lot of potential pitfalls for me with the old frames/bottom brackets/component sizings etc... as, to be blunt, I know nothing about bikes of that age!!

Can anyone out there point me in the direction of some suitable reading material (or give some generic advice) so I can start to educate myself?

 

[compo]

Richards Bicycle book. Earlier paperback version. How do you define classic though?

 

[SquareDaff]

Richards Bicycle book. Earlier paperback version. How do you define classic though?

Anything pre 1985 - now personally I'd call that quite modern and would perfer to go for something 60/70's or older.

 

[biggs682]

@SquareDaff there must be a guide to what is allowed and what isnt surely .

are there different groups dependent on ages ?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Can anyone out there point me in the direction of some suitable reading material (or give some generic advice) so I can start to educate myself?

Given there are specific rules* albeit they appear to leave you with quite a bit of freedom, I guess the precise choice would be dependent on your budget, your choice of route, your fitness (which determines e.g. gearing), your personal preference etc. etc.

It is hard to generalise but if I were you I would pick a quality classic 531c/753/531 bike/frame from the early/mid 80's. Even for one with a large frame it is possible to pare bike weight down to sub 10kg while sporting a wide range of gears. I would probably avoid French and Italian frames just because the threads are less common and will restrict component choice. I would probably go for a high end classic Campag gruppo.

It is not a problem if you know nothing about classic bikes because there is plenty of info around in the public domain. What I can recommend is this article and of course many pages by Sheldon that are relevant. For vintage parts there are also a few sites but this is probably the most comprehensive.

Just my 2p.


* Only cyclists with "heroic" bicycles will be permitted to participate.

"Heroic" bicycles are bicycles which have all the following characteristics:
• road racing bikes, built before 1987 (not cyclo-cross or time trial bikes);
• steel frame (the only aluminium frame bikes permitted are ALAN or VITUS with either screwed or glued joints);

• gear shift levers on the down tube of the frame (exceptionally, only pre-1980 bar-end gear shifts are allowed);

• pedals with toe clips and fitted straps (quick release pedals are not allowed, except Cinelli M71 pedals);
• passage of brake cables outside the handlebars (the passage of cables inside the frame is acceptable);

• wheels must have at least 32 spokes with a low profile (less than 20 mm).

Steel-frame bicycles, of new construction but with vintage characteristics, may be used (but joints must be brazed in construction) and they must be assembled using vintage components (gear levers, handlebars, pedals, etc).

Both tubular and clinchers are allowed, the adjustment of the rear wheel with higher gears will be allowed, due to the difficulty of the course.

 

[SquareDaff]

I'd be attempting the 100 mile route. I've done a few 100 mile runs and live in Yorkshire so have some experience of the northern side of the Peak District. My normal bike has 20 gears (50/34) front and an 11-28T rear casette - so I do have some concerns about gearing - but I have plenty of time for hill training with restricted gear ratios. I have a decent base fitness (doing and will be doing 40-50 mile 18mph average runs over off season) so should be able to adapt for June 2014 (I hope!)

Whatever bike/components/frame I end up with I have no problems building from scatch and I'm a dab hand with a spray can if the frame has so much surface rust it needs totally stripping and respraying. I would then need some help with links to get the original decals is if I had to respary I'd try to recreate the original "look".

My main concerns are bottom brackets and geometry at the moment. I gather from what I have read that the bracket in bikes of that age is a "screw in" type? So that raises questions (in my head anyway) about thread types, diameters etc.. as I assume there wasn't a manufacturing standard?!?!? It looks like most cranks have a square fitting? Again, are there different sizes? And then to geometry - I'm 5ft 6 with shortish legs (30 inch) and a longer torso. I use a 54cm on a modern bike - so should I be aiming for a 21-22inch older frame? Or is the frame geometry so different I should be aiming for a larger or smaller frame size?

Oh, and thanks for the info to date!! Appreciate it.

 

[PpPete]

Decals - http://www.hlloydcycles.com/
BB Unless very old raleigh or non-british/US the BB will be 68mm English thread - so from a practical point of view a Shimano UN55 square taper would work, but not sure if they are allowed under the rules.
Frame size - 21" would be my first guess. You typically don't have as much seat post showing on a vintage frame.

 

[compo]

Square taper on a classic bike!? Surely it should be cotter pinned cranks or am I getting too old and becoming a classic myself. When I was young a "cotterless chainset" was something to drool over, something beyond the reach of my pittance wages. On a more serious note would BB sealed cartridges be allowed within the rules of the event. I would like a real classic roadster, pre-war, with rod brakes and a huge sprung saddle. I have a Harris Tweed sports jacket and trousers so I am part way there.

 

[Hacienda71]

My 1980 Carlton Super Course complies with exception of the pedals. Bakewell isn't far. Anyone got a route profile? Not sure my 42:18 lowest gear will get me over too many hills.

 

[oldroadman]

Have a look at www.retrobike.co.uk
Plenty of kit there. In 1960s there were Campag (gran sport, record, all available as a groupset) , and Stronglight chainsets. All square axle alloy cotterless. Plus non-working (by modern standards) brakes - except for GB Synchron dual pivot - made in UK to aircraft quality and easily as good as any current DP brake. The old boys in the first club I joined all used this sort of stuff and loved 753 frames, Campag seat pins with twin bolt cradles, even a few B17 saddles. A decent race bike back then was under 20lbs in old money!
Looking at the retro sites it's easy to spend an awful lot of money for something that is beautiful but 40 - 50 years out of date......
My first decent (and very secondhand) race bike was a Holdsworth built in 531, sloping fork crown, Stronglight chainset, Campag Gran Sport gear mechs (on 5 speed screw-on cluster), GB brakes, Campag headset and seat pin, Cinelli bars and stem, Zeus (Spanish copy of Campag) pedals - clips and straps of course - Mavic rims on Campag hubs all handbuilt. It was about 20 years old when I was using it, and not the lightest, but good for a few successes, and it looked lovely. Sold on after a season and I believe went on for another 10 -12 years as a hack bike. None of your plastic bikes then!!

 

[fossyant]

Looked at the rules. My Herety is 5 years too young. Pah. Aero Brake levers and Look pedals don't comply.

 

[SquareDaff]

All of my bikes are about 25 years to young!! I really wish I'd kept the Eddy I had when I was a young kid. That would have been ideal!

 

[rbreid]

Oh dear! oh dear! oh dear! All my bikes bar one comply fully. I'm getting old

 

[SquareDaff]

Well I have a bike. Managed to get hold of a Langsett Cycles 1953 hand built road bike. It's not in bad condition either.

1st job is to strip it down and remove all the rust from the frame and forks and then respray it. I've been in touch with Langsett Cycles to see if they can advise me about the bikes "original" colour scheme. Then it's a case of working out what components are salvageable - think the pedals are beyond redemption but was pleasantly surprised with the wheels. The rear is true and the front is about 1mm out - but the bearings just run and run.

Does anyone have any experience of these bikes?

 

[rbreid]

Very nice frame. Hope your restoration goes smoothly. What make are those centrepull brakes?