Classic & Vintage - Stealth Updating

A couple of years ago I saw a rod-braked Raleigh with a Shimano Nexus-7. If you didn't look closely, you'd never notice and the owner said it made the bike much more rideable -- and unlike some of the travisties shown here lately, it was a bolt-on upgrade that didn't damage the original. That said, I have that Falcon/Merckx but all that came with it is a pair of 27 inch clinchers with Campy hubs. No bars, stem, seatpost, saddle, brakes (original specs were for center-pull), or crank. The wheels would have been tubulars so I might not even want to use those particular hubs.

Since I don't have an stash of NOS Campy laying around, I'm thinking about building it up with modern (or relatively modern) components that have a classic look. I'm not above removing the paint from a pair of modern rims but I'll avoid going to hubs that require cold-setting the frame. And a new derailleur should be able to handle a on 5-speed freewheel. What about cranks? What can a guy find that looks old? Bars and stems should't be too much of a problem, but what kind of levers would give the right look? If you had to put together a bike to look old, what components would you look for?

Conversely, convince me I'm wrong (but you'd better be telling me where to find the parts for less than a fortune!)

Let's help the man out!

East Hill

TA cranks look kind of retro.


A couple of years ago I saw a rod-braked Raleigh with a Shimano Nexus-7. If you didn't look closely, you'd never notice and the owner said it made the bike much more rideable -- and unlike some of the travisties shown here lately, it was a bolt-on upgrade that didn't damage the original. That said, I have that Falcon/Merckx but all that came with it is a pair of 27 inch clinchers with Campy hubs. No bars, stem, seatpost, saddle, brakes (original specs were for center-pull), or crank. The wheels would have been tubulars so I might not even want to use those particular hubs.

Since I don't have an stash of NOS Campy laying around, I'm thinking about building it up with modern (or relatively modern) components that have a classic look. I'm not above removing the paint from a pair of modern rims but I'll avoid going to hubs that require cold-setting the frame. And a new derailleur should be able to handle a on 5-speed freewheel. What about cranks? What can a guy find that looks old? Bars and stems should't be too much of a problem, but what kind of levers would give the right look? If you had to put together a bike to look old, what components would you look for?

Conversely, convince me I'm wrong (but you'd better be telling me where to find the parts for less than a fortune!)

Avoid anything carbon, brifter-y, or black and you're set. Seriously, as long as you have down tube shifters, a quill stem, and cranks/derailleurs are silver your bike will look the part from twenty feet.

PS stainless bottle cages, chrome toe clips, tire choice, and a vintage-y saddle will help a ton, too.

Well, if you avoid Nuovo/Super Record stuff, you can find actual vintage parts pretty darn cheap on eBay. Campy Tipo/Gran Sport, Normandy, or Gnutti hubs, Stronglight, Nervar, Gipiemme or Ofmega cranks, all manor and variety of derailleurs to choose from. For rims I'd recommend new Sun CR18s if you prefer a wide rim or the Sun M13 IIs for a narrow rim. The only way I'd use other modern parts is to really upgrade to something like a modern indexed 9-10 speed system.