Colnago retro frame: gearing advice urgently needed

Sionnach7

hesker wrote: »

Haven't read all this thread in detail but I can give you my experience.

I have several bikes of that vintage. 52/42 up front. Your first step should be to try a 26 cog in back. This won't require a long cage and will cost you less than a tenner off ebay, postage included.

I have this set up and can get up almost all hills I come across. Obviously the steepest ones are a problem but these are a rarity. I'm average enough on strength and fitness.

Anyway reckon you should try this before more drastic measures.

After that I'd look at the long cage options.

Hi Hesker,
Thanks for the suggestions. Yes I see your point about the 26 tooth, but it just wouldn't be for me Bud! Sorry! It just wouldn't be low enough for extended severe climbs and I really dislike big gaps in gearing which would occur after changing up from the 26 to the 21. Yes I could like a 26 to 23 or something like that, but it would just compromise mid range selection then.
But listen, thanks again for your time on what is my problem. I appreciate it.

Sionnach7

clog wrote: »

Suggestions :

Get a 25-28 freewheel
and/or
Get a compact crankset and new bottom bracket
or
Get a triple crankset, new bottom bracket, front mech and rear mech.
or
Put new 10/11 speed groupset and wheels on
or
Sell the Colnago and buy new carbon bike.

Also
(Your hubs will not corrode from the inside, the bearing races will be steel. Get yourself a tube of Autosol for cleaning ).

BTW you explained in you first post why a bike shop will not do the work


It really comes down to time and money for the bikeshop not ignorance and laziness as you suggest. The proper parts are not available from normal distributors, have to be sourced second hand and could be of dubious quality.

It is not worth the reputational damage to bodge together something which 'may' work. I believe you are looking for a sub optimal solution on the cheap instead.


There is nothing else I could add

Clog,
Like I've said to everyone else here who has contributed, I *do* appreciate your time on what is *my* problem.
The suggestions you've made so far make sense in different contexts. I don't find them attractive or practical for me though. Please, I do appreciate your efforts. Like everyone else here you don't know me and owe me nothing, so fair play.
I'm not sure, but reading between the lines, I think I may have offended you by a sloppy collective inference. Do you own a bike shop?
For what it's worth, I should clarify. Two of the three separate individuals that I was dealing with were quite useless and very obviously lacking in expertise. The first, is actually a very decent person, but just wasn't interested, said he "doesn't deal with that kind of stuff", and directed me to another bike shop. I followed his recommendation, and visited the next shop. The individual I was dealing with shouldn't have been anywhere near customer service as he had a permanent scowl. Though he wasn't 'impolite' he wasn't courteous either. He grumbled, grumbled, grumbled the whole way through the conversation. Against my better judgement I left the frame with him. Months past and I didn't hear anything. I am a patient person and understand that businesses can have previous commitments. But eventually after three months I had to call him, and got an earful about what 'might' happen. In the end I just took the job to another shop owner who was highly recommended.
This third individual to give him his due, was extremely courteous, didn't brush me off, and did his best at sorting it the way *I* wanted it. I *am* the customer. But a few weeks later he came back to me and said it was becoming "prohibitive". I believed he had done *his* best, and against his insistencies, I left the E25 deposit with him, as he had spent *his* time on *my* problem.
I visited a fourth bike shop two weeks ago who reckoned it wouldn't cost a whole lot to do the way I want it, has given me 'some' direction, but not enough. He too was surprised that the other three shops couldn't or weren't willing to sort it out. But he has still left me to find the parts myself. At times he says I am "overthinking it" and seems quite sure that it can be worked out.
Erego, I am here, looking for help from people who may know more than me. Obviously quite a few people do.
The points Tonyandthewhale have made concur with the 4th bike mechanic and seem to show that it is possible. Things either work or they don't. And somebody who has experience and competency in their field should know these things. Therefore I don't actually suggest "ignorance and laziness", I assert them. This was definitely my experience with the first two. The third was far from lazy, and a shining example of polite customer service, but he didn't seem to have the knowledge either that Tonyandthewhale and the 4th mechanic has. He said the only BB he could get me began at E70. 4th mechanic said that that was nonsense and would not be more than E20.
I understand that second hand parts can vary in performance levels. But these guys didn't even seem to know as Tony attests to, that a 5,6,7,8 speed chain can work with a 9 or 10 speed chainset. They didn't even make suggestions that I could have done things like this: buy my own 2nd hand parts under their suggestions, and have them put the parts on for me. They just weren't willing or competent enough. Someone who really knows their job would confidently be able to say what's needed. I'm sorry, but there's only 4 parts in contention, and not very many parameters or combinations of. It's just a bike, not a car, or a space shuttle. I'm not impressed.
" I believe you are looking for a sub optimal solution on the cheap instead."
I am going to say that this is offensive and unnecessary. It is my prerogative how I want to spend my money, and it seems like you are trying to judge me here. Maybe I'm wrong, sorry if I am. I don't want the gaps in gearing which you don't seem to mind. But as a full-time mature student, I don't have the money for a whole new groupset, or a flipping carbon frame, which is rather missing the point in more ways than one. We all have our priorities, and I've outlined mine. I am sorry that it doesn't concur with your views.
I don't want to be falling out with you Clog, partly because you have been willingly generous with your information.
Thank you for your advice about the hubs. This was something I really needed to know, and yes, I'll try "Autosol", thank you for that suggestion too.
Have to hit the leaba.
Good night and thanks mate

secman

Picked up the 1992 Raparee from Peter in Revolve bike shop Gorey today. The new vintage chainring set fitted, new chain and block, new brake pads and new computer. Took it out for a spin this evening and she is purring again
67km down to Arklow and back on the coast road to Ballygarrett and then home.

triggermortis

I'm a little confused by what your're aiming for here OP. You want to use the original cassete to keep the gearing close but want and extra lower gear on the front for climbing, is that right?
Have you tried sourcing a triple crank yourself and giving it a try? You said yourself it's not a space shuttle, so what do you have to lose? If it fits and works, you're sorted. If it doesn't you can just sell it on. In the months you've been waiting for someone to do this for you, you could have at least found out what didn't work for yourself.
I'm not having a go, it's just that this is the approach I would have taken myself.

Sionnach7

secman wrote: »

Picked up the 1992 Raparee from Peter in Revolve bike shop Gorey today. The new vintage chainring set fitted, new chain and block, new brake pads and new computer. Took it out for a spin this evening and she is purring again
67km down to Arklow and back on the coast road to Ballygarrett and then home.

Good man secman! Lucky you! Bet she's riding real smooth yeah?
Any aul photos that we could have a sconce at her?
Good man

Sionnach7

triggermortis wrote: »

I'm a little confused by what your're aiming for here OP. You want to use the original cassete to keep the gearing close but want and extra lower gear on the front for climbing, is that right?
Have you tried sourcing a triple crank yourself and giving it a try? You said yourself it's not a space shuttle, so what do you have to lose? If it fits and works, you're sorted. If it doesn't you can just sell it on. In the months you've been waiting for someone to do this for you, you could have at least found out what didn't work for yourself.
I'm not having a go, it's just that this is the approach I would have taken myself.

Thanks triggermortis but at my knowledge level at the time, it wasn't that simple. Though there aren't a 'lot' of parameters, there's still enough for a novice to go wrong and order the wrong parts. One is then caught with either having to send them back and have to pay for return postage, or try selling the parts on again oneself. Pain in the ass.
I don't see any excuse for someone who calls themselves a bike mechanic though. If the fields which I've worked in contained as few parameters I would have been overjoyed.
Anyway, that was then. Now, thanks to a couple of key posters online here, and a bike mechanic with a bit of savvy, I'm a lot clearer on what *not* to do.
I've parts ordered and will know within the month if it will all work. I get the impression that for some bizarre reason some would like to see it all go awry for me. What can one do?
As I've already said, I'm a mature student with kids. I've very little room for financial errors on this. I hope I have got it right, as cycling is my freedom and escape and thrill. I'm riding an old bone shaker aluminium hybrid which gives me the most DREADFUL vibrational pain in my wrists and lower back after an 80km spin.
So I can't wait to get the steel frame back on the road again. Far lighter, and far more comfortable.
Cheers anyway for your input.

Thud

clog wrote: »

I have had success fitting 7 speed Sunrace freewheels (these are re-makes of a Suntour patent freewheel from years ago). You can get them in 13-25 or 13-28. You will get a much easier low gear. In fact 39/28 will get you very near the same gear ratio as 30/21.

Link to freewheel
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/freewheels/1325-sunrace-7-speed-freewheel/

Try this first, it'll cost you €20

Sionnach7

Thud wrote: »

Try this first, it'll cost you €20

Thanks Thud for your contribution, but for the reasons outlined above I'd rather not.
Cheers Bud

Tonyandthewhale

For the record though my rather limited expertise has been lauded I'd like to point out most of it was gained from a brief stint working as a bicycle mechanic. So while I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm offended I certainly take exception to the negative comparison to auto mechanics (apples and oranges really).

From the sounds of things Sionnach you've been dealing with some prize lemons within the bicycle mechanicing trade but some of your trouble sorting this is down to the fact that you're refusing to go about things in the simplest way. A bicycle mechanic should be able to diagnose the issues with your bike and understand the various options available and the compatibility issues to consider. As I've it's not big deal to swap round components on a bike like yours and I outlined a few of your options. However if I was still working as a mechanic and you walked into my shop I'd be quite clear that all you really need is the simplest/cheapest option of a larger cassette. I'd be able to help you out if you insisted on fitting a triple but I'd feel professionally and ethically obliged to advise against it as it means spending more money for a less elegant solution.

While fitting a triple (assuming that's still what you've your heart set on, I've kind of lost track) is a simple enough job there are complications. Finding a nice retro triple to match your frame could be very difficult, a roughly equivalent contemporary or near contemporary road triple should be easy enough to find but might mean changing the bottom bracket if one can't be found in square taper format. Most bike shops will have an old second hand square taper mountain bike triple lying around somewhere (there were at least half a dozen in a drawer in the shop I used to work at) but they might look a little funny on your bike. Also (something I forgot to mention earlier when going through compatibility problems/options) if you've got a double now and you switch to a triple then your current front derailleur might not shift properly meaning you'd have to shell out more money for a triple derailleur. Again these are relatively standard and not hard to find but it's more time and money. If you go down this route you might well find you're spending north of 100euro to fix a 10euro problem. No bike shop worth it's salt is going to recommend this. All the same if you've parts ordered already, assuming they're the right ones you should have a bike that works fine and a range of gears that suits you so no harm done.

PS by integral derailleur hangar (which I mentioned in a previous post) I just mean a fairly standard means of mounting a derailleur which is compatible with modern rear derailleurs (just in case you had to change yours) and not one of those weird odly shaped simplex hangars from the 70's or an axle mounted claw hangar or anything weird and obscure like that.