Touring cassette...

[contadino]

Hello,

I want to take my Raleigh Record Ace touring again this summer in England but the gears are going to be an issue. I need a lower gear for hills in the West Country.

It currently has a 6 speed cassette 14-28 with 42 & 52 up front.

I've seen 6 speed cassettes with a 34 big cog. Shimano 'megarange' like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/m/product/shimano-14-34-thread-on-6-speed-freewheel-megarange-779.htm

How do I figure out if my rear mech can handle it? It's a Suntour Cyclone (1700, I think).

If I have to swap out the RD for the trip that's fine. Could someone recommend a suitable non-indexed alternative?

Many thanks.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Hello,

I want to take my Raleigh Record Ace touring again this summer in England but the gears are going to be an issue. I need a lower gear for hills in the West Country.

It currently has a 6 speed cassette 14-28 with 42 & 52 up front.

I've seen 6 speed cassettes with a 34 big cog. Shimano 'megarange' like this:

http://harriscyclery.net/m/product/shimano-14-34-thread-on-6-speed-freewheel-megarange-779.htm

How do I figure out if my rear mech can handle it? It's a Suntour Cyclone (1700, I think).

If I have to swap out the RD for the trip that's fine. Could someone recommend a suitable non-indexed alternative?

Many thanks.

Your rear derailleur should have a long cage. It probably has a short cage but I think I heart someone saying, in the past, all derailleurs were long cage.

A MTB derailleur would do but you need a 9 speed or below. 10 speed has a different pull ratio.

You could also change the chainrings, for something like 48 and 39.

Good luck

 

[T4tomo]

Is it worth swapping for a triple up front? Friction shifter wouldn't need changing I think.

 

[biggs682]

loads of 32 - 14 screw on rear blocks about and these should be ok as long as you avoid outer fr and inner rr situation

 

[simon.r]

If you do need a new longer cage rear mech don't worry about it being indexed - anything will work with friction shifters, just set the limit screws on the mech.

 

[mjr]

Would a front mech of that era take 52+39, or maybe 52+36? So swapping the small chainring might be an option.

 

[Poacher]

Suntour cyclone 1700 seems to be a shortish cage, with 28t the largest possible sprocket, according to DisraeliGears.
So a different RD would be needed, cyclone GT would be nice! Mine broke many years ago after a nasty chain incident, but I kept the remains out of nostalgia!
As for the chainset, 42/52 suggests to me that this could be an old 144mm BCD crankset, in which case you're just about on the limit already.
Check Sheldon's cribsheet to see whether this is the case.

Edited: there are loads of basic MTB rear mechs available off the shelf, just get a cheapo but decent quality one for this trip to handle the increased range of gears.

 

[Hardrock93]

Is it worth swapping for a triple up front? Friction shifter wouldn't need changing I think.

That was my solution. My 'pre-loved' 90s hybrid had a standard double up front with a 14-28 freewheel. Way too high geared for me on some of our hills. I fitted a second-hand 48-38-28 triple plus a Shimano 14-34 Megarange freewheel. The (non-indexed) front trigger shifter coped with the extra travel needed for the triple, but I did need to fit a longer cage rear mech. I bought a cheap and cheerful Shimano TX35 RD and ended up with a budget tourer, which has negotiated many a challenging hill. The jump from 24T to 34T is huge, but you soon get used to it and the 34T sprocket is not required very often anyway.

 

[mjr]

As for the chainset, 42/52 suggests to me that this could be an old 144mm BCD crankset, in which case you're just about on the limit already.

If it's http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1...-22-1-2in-57cm-FRAME-531-TUBING-/331505043406 that @contadino got in https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/help-me-decide-raleigh-record-ace.176424/ then the crank photo makes it look like you may be right and it's on the limit

 

[Poacher]

If it's http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1...-22-1-2in-57cm-FRAME-531-TUBING-/331505043406 that @contadino got in https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/help-me-decide-raleigh-record-ace.176424/ then the crank photo makes it look like you may be right and it's on the limit

...but the good news is that the RD is a cyclone GT, which should be capable of handling a 34t sprocket!

 

[Sharky]

If you have a classic bike, with all the mechanicals working fine, I would leave as is. 42 X 28 is a 49" gear, which is a lowish gear, especially when you consider that the Fixie fans will probably go touring on a 65" fixed. If it is too high, walking for 10 or 15 mins to the top of the hill is always an option.

But have a good tour. Whereabouts? My son was at Falmouth uni and must admit, some of the coastal paths are up and down.

 

[contadino]

...but the good news is that the RD is a cyclone GT, which should be capable of handling a 34t sprocket!

That's the bike, but the RD isn't the GT - just the Cyclone.

There's a GT on eBay now, but there are a few on Disraeli Gears that have a max cog size of 34t or more. Is that all I need to worry about?

I have been thinking about fiddling around with the chainrings, but want to try it with just this bigger rear cog first. I'll be spending more time cycling in the Peak District in the future so may well need need do the chainrings too.

 

[contadino]

If you have a classic bike, with all the mechanicals working fine, I would leave as is. 42 X 28 is a 49" gear, which is a lowish gear, especially when you consider that the Fixie fans will probably go touring on a 65" fixed. If it is too high, walking for 10 or 15 mins to the top of the hill is always an option.

But have a good tour. Whereabouts? My son was at Falmouth uni and must admit, some of the coastal paths are up and down.

That's the issue. Around here the stock setup is spot on. Perfect in fact. But it's just rolling hills. So it's important that I can swap it between 'hilly' and 'stock' setup.

I hate walking a bike up a hill, and when it's loaded for touring the lowest gear isn't low enough for me. In Tuscany last year I just had a saddlebag and ended up walking several times. Plus my mates will give me a load of 'get yerself a proper bike!' stick.

We're planning on starting in Holbeach, then Oxford, the Mendips, the Dartmoor, then Port Isaac up to Barnstaple.

 

[mjr]

42 X 28 is a 49" gear, which is a lowish gear, especially when you consider that the Fixie fans will probably go touring on a 65" fixed. If it is too high, walking for 10 or 15 mins to the top of the hill is always an option.

I've done many day trips on a 3-speed set at roughly 44/60/80 and there are hills in Norfolk which I find barely rideable at 44" (mainly the short sharp shocks like the west end of http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/85556112). I would lower the gearing if I was riding it in Somerset. Unless you've got knees of steel, powerful legs and very light luggage, 49" means you will be walking lots of climbs south-west of Bristol.

 

[Poacher]

That's the bike, but the RD isn't the GT - just the Cyclone.

There's a GT on eBay now, but there are a few on Disraeli Gears that have a max cog size of 34t or more. Is that all I need to worry about?

I have been thinking about fiddling around with the chainrings, but want to try it with just this bigger rear cog first. I'll be spending more time cycling in the Peak District in the future so may well need need do the chainrings too.

The vendor advertised it as a GT, and the photo shows a GT cage, so maybe it's this model which just shows "SunTour Cyclone" on the body but GT on the cage?
If so, it can handle at least a 32t and probably a 34t cog.
If you're going to fiddle about with the chainrings you'll need a new crankset; a modern 34/50 compact with 110mm bcd would be easiest way to go, but an old Stronglight with 86mm BCD would be more in keeping with the bike's vintage. These obsolete cranksets and chainrings are now scarce, though!
The FD, assuming it's the Suntour cyclone shown in the advert, is certainly capable of a wide jump between chainring sizes.