mazdaspeed

Keep it original or change stuff? Right now everything on the bike is original, but it's somewhat taken apart for cleaning. It has alloy 27" wheels but they're still fairly heavy, and the front dia-compe brake caliper is bent up. I also don't like the handlebars much. All I've done to it now is take off most of the emblems because they were all in bad shape (the rest of the bike isn't, I dunno why). I also threw away the saddle and seatpost because they were both junk.

Should I convert it to 700c wheels and upgrade the brakes and handlebars, or keep it original with 27" gumwalls and the red cable housings? I think it might look nicer if it's all black and chrome.

rhenning

If it was mine (and I have one that is painted) I would just ride it and only replace parts as needed. Roger

mazdaspeed

Who made this frame by the way? It's japanese.

nlerner

Panasonic.

Neal

mazdaspeed

panasonic? that's awesome. I figured it was either them or bridgestone. (now I need a bridgestone too)

well I think i'll probably do the black and bare chrome thing, the red doesn't do it for me.

I realize the value of these bikes has gone up a LOT these days so i'll just save the original parts.

thoughts or suggestions?

McDave

I built mine up as original as possible thinking I was going to flip it (frame too tall). But a funny thing happened on the test rides. It was/is the best riding bike it my stable and as long as I am careful on the dismount, I don't care if it is too tall. I actually like the view up there! So then the mods began. Still my favorite ride, by far.

(wish I could find a tapered bb wide enough to handle the Takagi Tourney AD triple crankset I bought for it though)

Walter

I like those chrome Schwinns alot. If different bars and a lighter wheelset get you out on the bike more then by all means switch them out. You've already said you're going to keep the original parts so there's no harm here as everything is easily reversible. Make sure 700C wheels will work with your brakes.

Bikedued

+1 on the sweet ride. They did a fantastic job with them, that's for sure. They didn't clean up the brazing all that well before dipping them, but oh well. Still gorgeous! Mine doesn't see the weather, but does get ridden on the occasional sunny day.

If it were mine, I'd only replace parts as needed, and Dia Compe G calipers are still reasonably priced(AFAIK?) 700's sounds like a plan, but save the wheels for a rainy day. Bar end sifters would be a nice touch. And for cable housings, one of our regular suppliers has or had the clear silver type. That would blend in. Black is okay though I guess, my PX10 came with black.,,,,BD

Bikedued

PS: level out the rack.,,,,BD

mazdaspeed

the rack (and reflectors) are going to sit in a box until further notice

Scooper

IMHO, the chrome plated Voyageur 11.8 is one of the most desirable vintage touring frames around. They're well built, attractive, and have purpose geometry.

Whether you keep it as is or or cold set the rear triangle for 130mm to accommodate modern components is up to you, but either way it's a winner.

pastorbobnlnh 

Have you just been trying to use a traditional adjustable BB? Certainly a cartridge BB can be found in a size that will work. Sometimes it can be a hit and miss experience find the correct length. This is where taking the frame and crankset to the LBS is sometimes the best bet. If all else fails, a Phil Wood BB should always work but will be the most expensive.

Mazda, great project. The clear cable casing sounds like a perfect match for your decal-less bike. Too bad clear saddles can't be found.

McDave

Hi PB. I haven't tried an adjustable bb yet as I haven't found one of those wide enough either. The original bb is a 68 x 124 English, which I thought was awfully wide for a double crankset. I tried a Suntour XC 128 that I happened to have, but it still lacks a couple mm to clear the chainstay.

Not sure where to turn next.

Bikedued

Oh what the hell. For the sake of pure bling show off factor, here's mine in it's current state. I'm still debating on the fenders. I don't really have another bike they would go this well on at the moment. Stainless fenders off of a Gazelle.,,,,BD

mrmw

Tested and confirmed: the original brakes work perfectly with 700c wheels, no problems whatsoever.

McDave

Same here, though I did have to grind about 1mm off the bottom of one slot. The other 3 slots were fine.

pastorbobnlnh 

You might need to turn to a different crankset. At the risk of hijacking Mazda Speed's thread, I do find BBs challenging. Maybe this will be helpful to his crankset selection. Here's my current puzzle:

Cranksets, BBs, and how they fit with a particular frame, has to be one of the great mysterys of vintage bike wrenching. I'm currently working on the '83 Paramount I bought from mrmw in Atlanta this winter. As is normally my case, I'm interested in switching to a triple in order to buy some insurance on my steepest hills here in NH. To this end, I picked up a brand new modern Campagnolo Mirage triple for $30.

When I pulled off the Nuovo Record double, I tried the Mirage, and with just a hand fit, the big ring was about 10mm further outboard then the NR big ring. Too far--- dang! I measured the traditional NR BB spindle at 110mm. I couldn't believe I would need a shorter cartridge BB! But when I looked for a recommended modern Campy cartridge BB for the Mirage at BikeTiresDirect.com, they recommend a 115mm for triples. We'll see how it works.

Now somewhere kicking around in the back of mind is a thought that Campy changed the taper on their newer cranksets, thus the Mirage will not work with a 25 yo NR BB taper? Is this my challenge?

McDave

I could understand the crank going on too far if I were putting on a JIS crank on an ISO bb, but that's not the case. I'm thinking the chainstays just aren't designed for a triple and stick out too far in the critical few inches from the bb. Time for a bigger hammer! (kidding, I think)

due ruote 

Very nice looking bike. Thanks for sharing the pics. Switching the bars is a no brainer if those aren't comfy. I might also think about aero levers as they work better. I like the red housing but the clear would be nice as well. Is that a kickstand I see? That, I'd lose. But I'd add toe clips. Have fun with it.

Blue Order

The red does it for me.

I think at the most, you should replace the cable housings (although I would leave them). if you take it down to bare chrome, it's only an 11.8 in your eyes; it's "supposedly" an 11.8 to everybody else down the line.