Classic & Vintage - Alan Super Record

I ‘think’ I have an Alan Super Record but as I bought it years ago, off a friend of my uncle and didn’t ask any questions I am alas in the dark.

Some photos: http://www.urbansmurf.f2s.com/

I’ve been riding the thing for years now and love it to bits, sadly in the literal sense of the word. 6 months ago I buckled the back wheel and it’s been left to collect dust. Every bike shop I’ve been to can’t sell me a ready made 6 speed wheel. So my options seem some what limited. One guy said I could just fit a 7spd but then I’d have to fit a new derailleur, gear levers etc. Then another told me the frame would crack as the 7spd is wider and it’s an aluminium frame. Another option was to build a new rim onto the old hub, something like the shimano open pro rims. But I’m worried that after spending £200 odd pound on a couple of custom builds something else is going to fail.

I was thinking just to use original campy parts but having looked on ebay and campyold etc and are seriously out of my price range. Given I only paid £100 for it 8 years ago.

The frame is quite scratched so I expect I can’t sell it for peanuts. So I can leave it to gather dust until I can afford original parts and buy a new bike in the meantime. But I really just want to get it going again preferably as cheaply as possible, are there light 6 speed wheels out there to buy for cheap and I’m not looking in the right places?

I realise I haven’t got a clue, and there isn’t really a straight answer cause there isn’t really a straight question in all that but hey humour me Please :)

Why wouldn't a 7 speed freewheel work? I'm not sure how much wider it is than the 6, but if the der has the range of movement, you should be able to adjust it to work with your current friction shifters.

Also, if your rear span is 126, it should go right on. I'm not an expert but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't.

7 speed freewheels can be had new at Nashbar for less than $20. $10 on sale. Might be worth trying.

55/Rad

Just get the rear wheel rebuilt. Use your existing hub and a new rim and spokes. Shouldn't cost you that much.

Ok I just went and measured the rear span (distance from the inside edge of the rear forks where the rear axle goes between I presume), It is 126. I measured with a tape measure so if the tolerances for this are lower than +-2mm then I better do it again with a steel ruler to be sure.

So are 7spd wheels 126mm as well?

£200 was for both wheels, £65 x 2 for the rims the rest on labour. It may be I was being taken for a ride :) But then central london prices have a habit of being inflated.

Wow, that is a good bit of money for building up a new wheel set. As stated before, you should be able to use the old hub and 6sp and just get new rim and spokes. Rims are common on ebay, you may even be able to match your front wheel brand if you have some patience. Then all you need is the labor to build the wheel, which should not be Tooo much, depending on where you go, I guess. It is not that difficult to do, I have built up a couple wheelsets just using a cheap Bike Nashbar wheel trueing stand. Nice job for cold winter nights by the fire. But thats up to you. Good luck! ew

I'd also suggest using the existing rear hub & 6sp freewheel. Build a wheel around it using new spokes and a new or good used rim (if used, inspect it closely). You should be able to find a rim that is similar to the front wheel. If you don't want to try building the wheel yourself, perhaps there is a fellow bike rider that may want to do it in exchange for Guiness or something. Building wheels is not that difficult, but definatley time consuming. Make sure to get a good instruction book if you plan to try it yourself. A rear wheel is trickier than a front because of the "dishing" required to offset the freewheel.

Another thought, depending on how bad the current wheel is damaged (I haven't seen your pics)...
Can you do a rim swap and use the current spokes? That is pretty easy if you can tape the new rim beside the bent one, swap the spokes over and then true it.

Best wishes!

7 speed freewheel should work

On the Super Record model the seatstays where integrated in the seat lug not bolted on as on your bike (and mine). But I think that the SR was built with thinner alu tubing which made it even flexier than the Nuevo Record that I believe both you and I have. I like mine a lot.

yes a 7-speed freewheel would work. However, the guys at the shop are probably talking about a 7-speed cassette hub which would can buy for cheep off the shelf and are spaced at 130. I.E. no good for the original poster. The best option and if should cost no more than $100 so maybe 50 pounds... would be to rebuild the rear wheel on the original hub as stated earlier. Open pro rims are really expensive just get a nice ambrosio or something which should be much more affordable.

P.S. the scratches aren't that big of a deal since they can all be polished out.