Classic vintage with modern kit

[avecReynolds531]

I, like you are a member of the horizontal cross bar, (when did they become top tubes?) I do own a compact frame bike, and it is very comfortable to ride. But my last purchase was a Columbus SLX framed traditional geometry bike from Condor, and I love riding it, and just looking at it.

Congrats, that will undoubtedly be a wonderful bike. I've ridden an Italian SLX frame & it was fabulous.

You're right, it was always a cross bar

 

[Smokin Joe]

Brifters for me, I'd never go back to DT shifters. Neither do I think threadless headsets are ugly, there are plenty of elegant designs on the market and the ease if fitting and maintenance would swing it for me. I'd stick with square taper bottom brackets though, fit and forget. Hollowtech does nothing for me looks wise and if there are any advantages in stiffness and weight it wouldn't be enough to matter to all but the elite.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I like having the modern conveniences, although I keep one bike original for Eroica type events. I find brifters convenient on my 1985 Trek 600, which also has external bearing BB and newer rear derailleur. I like all of these things on the all-rounder Trek 600, at 60 I have to make a few
concessions to common sense.

My 1986 Trek 400 Elance has all the original Shimano 600 on it, including down tube shifters. Cannot say it really presents much of an inconvenience, I rather like the old feel of the old components on the old frame. Except for my winter bike, I don't think my bikes have gotten much past the early 1990's. Except for the recumbent trike.

 

[Gunk]

That is very nice!

 

[rogerzilla]

Not much chance of carbon cranks on a standard BB shell.

 

[raleighnut]

Not much chance of carbon cranks on a standard BB shell.

Do Campagnolo not make em anymore, when I built up my TT bike the Centaur crank I fitted was the highest in their spec that wasn't CF

 

[mjr]

Brifters for me, I'd never go back to DT shifters. Neither do I think threadless headsets are ugly, there are plenty of elegant designs on the market and the ease if fitting and maintenance would swing it for me.

Brifters are the devil, changing gear when I wanted to brake, leaving me with a crunchy low-cadence shift to pull away again. I don't insist on DT levers as long as they're not on the brakes.

Threadless headsets seem fiddly as hell to set up compared to threaded but maybe I've just not yet worked on a good one.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I've never had a problem with brifters from day one, either Campag or Shimano.

Threadless headsets are a doddle to fit and set up, the whole job can be done with one Allen key.

 

[Scotstounman]

I’ve just completed a project this week taking a Dawes Super Galaxy frameset circa 1993 and putting it together with some nice Mavic wheels and various other components. It wasn’t my intention to create an accurate replica, but to use some modern components to improve the original - so I’ve replaced the original canti brakes with mini Vees and the bottom bracket and headset with sealed bearing units. From this thread it sounds like thats an acceptable approach. Still to test ride it (waiting for a break in the Renfrewshire rain).

 

[Gunk]

That’s lovely! You’ve done a really nice job

 

[Scotstounman]

Thanks Gunk. The orange was my daughter’s idea - a departure from the rather somber grey of the original but it seems to work. Test rode it today and it went along very nicely. This is my first bike with bar end shifters and they work well. I like being able to tweak them to get minimum gear noise, which you. Can’t do with indexed changers..

 

[mjr]

Threadless headsets are a doddle to fit and set up, the whole job can be done with one Allen key.

Minimising the tools from two spanners and an Allen key to just an Allen key seems rather like optimising the bit that doesn't matter at the expense of ease of adjustment!

 

[Smokin Joe]

Minimising the tools from two spanners and an Allen key to just an Allen key seems rather like optimising the bit that doesn't matter at the expense of ease of adjustment!

The beauty of sealed cartridge bearings it they never need adjustment. And that isn't at the expense of bearing life, I've never needed to touch the bearings on a threadless headset no mater how long I've had a bike. Replacing brinelled crown races and knackered bearings on the old style headsets was a job that often cropped up.

 

[mjr]

The beauty of sealed cartridge bearings it they never need adjustment. And that isn't at the expense of bearing life, I've never needed to touch the bearings on a threadless headset no mater how long I've had a bike. Replacing brinelled crown races and knackered bearings on the old style headsets was a job that often cropped up.

You can't ride in wet weather much, then! I've pulled grindy lower headset "sealed" bearings out of bikes where once you remove the seal with a pick, the grease looks almost like chocolate!

And the bearing cartridges for threadless are often £20 a throw. I know they last longer than loose balls, but 20 times longer? I'm not sure they do.

 

[Smokin Joe]

You can't ride in wet weather much, then! I've pulled grindy lower headset "sealed" bearings out of bikes where once you remove the seal with a pick, the grease looks almost like chocolate!

And the bearing cartridges for threadless are often £20 a throw. I know they last longer than loose balls, but 20 times longer? I'm not sure they do.

I've done plenty of wet weather riding, never suffered bearing problems. Old style loose bearings were no better protected from wheel spray than cartridge bearings.