oldeskool

* Feel free to move this post to a more appropriate forum *

I want to overhaul some butted, lugged Schwinn's. These will be a his and hers pair used for commuting, exercise and weekend trips.

I don't care about weight but I want some reliable, more or less modern components that are easy to operate and most importantly Low Friction. Still, I need to keep costs to a minimum

Questions:

* I'd like Shimano 105 hubs only with solid (nutted) axles. No Quick Releases. What would meet my needs for a reasonable amount of money?

* I'd like a relatively lightweight triple crank setup and a low friction bottom bracket. What should I get? And what would be a cheap front derailer to go with it? (I personally don't see much benefit to expensive front derailers)

* I can get Tiagra brifters for a somewhat reasonable price off ebay. What is preventing a cheap Tourney derailer from working with these shifters, considering that the spacing is all in the shifters? Am I just simply better off getting a Deore derailer?

Thank You

04jtb

To have nutted axles, i think you would need to get a QR hub, and change out the axles to make it Solid (find info online about that)

Not sure about the crank, but almost any BB, even old-school cup and cone are low friction set up right

Sora? edit: this has to be the right kind, so it works with the crankset

I'd personally just buy a Tiagra Long cage RD, they work perfectly well in my experience, and aren't expensive

Ex Pres 

Depending on the age, your WS frames may have 120mm or 126mm rear spacing. Modern wheelsets use 130mm. Stretching 4mm to insert the wheel each time is usually not a big deal, but can be bothersome. 10mm is an issue and will probably require you to cold set the rear triangle.

As for the other stuff, mix and match with whatever you find cheap locally, Nashbar or other mail-order, or can steal off eBay.

Bottom bracket - you'll need an English threaded (1.37"x24tpi) one that matches the crankset you select.

The C&V forum can be a good resource for these older bikes.

jgedwa

The original driveline components are no higher friction than components available today. If they feel that way, it is because they are dirty and have ancient grease in them. With any luck they would clean up nicely and have good bearing surfaces.

I think you might end up being rather put off by the total cost of components to upgrade these bikes to modern standards.

I would suggest one of two routes: look into overhauling the bikes as they are now, or look into buying all new bikes. I highly recommend the former, but then I have my biases.

jim

oldeskool

I would be fine with keeping the cup and cone bottom bracket. But the cranks that are on there are road doubles with 42t small rings. Way too hard to get up some hills, especially with a backpack or groceries.

I'd really like a casette as opposed to a freewheel. Less likely to bend the rear axle, but mainly I want to have more gearing options. I've swapped from the 5 cog freewheel to a 7 cog freewheel but still... all of the freewheels I've ever come across have the same big and small cogs.. just a few more or less in the middle.

jgedwa

Going to a triple is a good reason to swap parts. You can swap that out without too much trouble.

There are so-called "mega range" freewheels out there.

You are right that freewheel hubs put more assymetrical stress on the axle than cassette hubs. I am very much a retro-grouch, but I will admit that the in-board bearing on freewheel hubs was a bad design that was dramtically improved in cassette hubs. I think, however, that the old design is good enough for the way lots of people ride. If you are are heavy, or if you are a heavy rider (not the same thing), or if you do lots of long touring, then I would say do it. If these things are not true, then it might be unnecessary.

Not trying to talk you out of anything, I know that playing with the accoutrements is part of the fun of any hobby.

jim

mparker326

As Jim said you can get a mega-range freewheel that has a 34 tooth bail out sprocket. Your bikes weren't high end bikes in the first place and you would be putting more money into the bikes than they are worth with all the new components & shipping charges.

Alternatively, there is no shame in walking up a hill every now and then, afterall you already lost your cool factor by riding these old bikes loaded down with a couple bags of groceries

Also you could sell these bikes and use the proceeds to buy new bikes more suited to your needs.

oldeskool

I dont know.. i see lugged, butted cro-mo frames selling for 800 bucks (Rivendell). Makes the $25 i paid for these look like a real bargain. I realize of course that not all butted tubes are created equal.

in any case. I can buy components and put them on the bikes as money allows. If I get good components, I can always transfer them to better frames in the future.

I think i've decided though to go with:

105 hubs
bar end shifters
deore rear and tiagra front derialers
And a Truvative triple crank

will the iso-flow chainrings work with a "super narrow" 9 speed chain?

thanks,

dave

bent-not-broken

I also don't want to come across to negative, but you are paying more for weight reduction than performance with your component upgrades. You could knock a lot more weight off with a higher quality steel frame. There are many 80's Japanese frames that are comparable to the $800 Rivendale you reference, often for not a lot more than your Schwinn frame. If your goal is a good sturdy frame proceed, but you will not see a huge performance upgrade over a well maintained 1980's steel sport or touring bike equipped with alloy wheels.

jgedwa

Well put.