Classic & Vintage - The Porteur Build V.3.0

Advice and opinions are very appreciated

I'm going larger on the frame and geared 2x6 (with thumb shifters), upgrading tires, switching to inverse brake levers, etc...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4433867368_387fb6442d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/4433867368/)
Townie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/4433867368/) by (cobrabyte) (http://www.flickr.com/people/cobrabyte/), on Flickr

The new frame will be a Gitane Olympic Record II which fits the bill quite nicely. I'm going to have it powdercoated the same sandstone color as the frame above, and will be outlining the lugs with maroon or black

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/5777009344_4dfba0f194_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/5777009344/)
1977 Gitane Olympic Record II (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/5777009344/) by (cobrabyte) (http://www.flickr.com/people/cobrabyte/), on Flickr

Most parts from the Gitane have been assigned to other projects.

Starting off is the gearing portion; I've got some ideas so far:

So i have a nice set of vintage Dura Ace cranks and no chainrings. I'm going to use them.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3927804556_47ab6dc8ac_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/3927804556/)
Drivetrain Close Up (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobrabyte/3927804556/) by (cobrabyte) (http://www.flickr.com/people/cobrabyte/), on Flickr

I came across these Surly Stainless Steel 130mm BCD rings and was wondering if anyone has had experience with them?

http://surlybikes.com/parts/stainless_steel_chainrings/

I'd like to use a 38T inside ring and a 48T outside ring. I plan to set it up with a 14-28T 6 speed rear freewheel assembly which should give me a nice easy gearing for puttering around town.

I will be visiting my LBS for advice and to order the Surly rings if they suit the need. I was hoping those C&V folks who have done something similar could provide some feedback on how well the rings shift. I'm also open to advice on what my 6 speed freewheel range should be. I haven't done the math yet. I live in a fairly flat area, no hills to really speak of, but we get some strong winds. I will be loading the front pretty often with food and beer, and sometimes attaching a trailer. My rear derailleur can handle up to a 28T I believe? (Suntour VX GT)

I'll try to update this thread as things progress, just for fun.

If it turns out as nice as the top bike, I approve.

The 37/48 x 14/28 will give you a range of about 37-93 gear inches. That sounds like a pretty nice range to me. If you can spin 93 inches while puttering around town, more power to you.

I like the sound of maroon lug outlining. Black on beige always seems a little off to me. I'm not sure why - black on white, eg. on Peugeots, looks good.

Anyway have fun with it and post lots of after pics.

[edit] your rd will have no trouble with 28t.

thanks!
Hmm 93 gi does seem excessive. Maybe a 46t may be in order
Ill be spending some time reviewing Sheldon Brown after work this evening.

Also, I am leaning toward maroon lug lining as well
*edit* gold might be nice & subtle also...

Looking forward to progress. What tire are you going with?

Im thinking a 32mm Grand Bois Cypres. It seems like a great tire if not a bit pricey...Im curious to try them.

If your aim is to use it as a real porteur, you might want to estimate what kind of front end trail the Gitane has, and if it's not low enough, have the fork re-raked before powder coating. From the one off-center picture, I would estimate the trail to be in the mid-40s, not really low enough to use that rack like it was meant to be used.

While you're at it, have some canti studs brazed on for 650B wheels and go wide with the tires! Then you'll have so much more of a true porteur.

Good advice southpaw! There is a local framebuilder (and friend) I could talk to about the canti studs and raking the fork. Do canti brakes work well with inverse levers? I would imagine there's no problem...

Also, what type of trail should I be looking for? Maybe copy the trail on the Kogswell forks?

Good advice southpaw! There is a local framebuilder (and friend) I could talk to about the canti studs and raking the fork. Do canti brakes work well with inverse levers? I would imagine there's no problem...

I don't think there would be a problem with inverse levers and cantis. Most cantis use the same amount of pull as centerpulls. The levers might pose a problem if you had V-brakes.

I was half joking when I made that suggestion... I mean, it's a good idea, but going cantis is a big deal, though. That's a full-blown 650B conversion with no possibility of reverting to 700c unless you don't mind seeing unused canti studs! And there's the cost of a new wheelset and new canti brakes to work with it. If you didn't want to go whole hog and just wanted to utilize the porteur rack to its fullest, I would consider just having the fork re-raked. Most frame builders should be able to do this. The key is to figure out what you want the final trail to be, then have the frame builder add xx mm of rake to the fork to achieve that final trail target. You will have to know the head tube angle and the existing fork rake for this. Typically, adding 10mm of rake to the fork will decrease trail by about 10mm.

Well, I need a new wheelset anyways, so the only additional cost would be the canti studs. My friend is a big 650b MTB enthusiast and has modified a number of MTB frames by moving the canti studs to accept 650b wheels, so it's not too crazy of a suggestion. I also have a set of Dia Compe canti's I can use, so really, it's possible :)