Veloria

I was amused to find a thread I started exactly a year ago about making my (then fixed gear conversion) Francesco Moser more period-correct.

Well, that did not exactly go according to plan. Instead I now have this:



Don't hate me!

But the interesting thing? It does not seem to be any slower or more cumbersome than the modern road/racing bikes I have tried so far. I am still experimenting and comparing and it's fascinating.

Also, this bike is tiny and has no TCO. I did not realise how unusual that was when I first got it.

Anyhow, just wanted to follow up, since I've posted about this bike here before. Full description of it here. Long live Francesco!

KonAaron Snake 

I really like it actually...combining the advantages of classic steel with modern parts convenience is a winning combination. Like everyone else has pointed out, wheel weight and tires matter a lot more than frame weight...so a build like this makes great sense. Mosers are nice bikes, but it's also not as though you took apart a panto'd Masi either. Great job!

I generally go for more modern frames for the OS tubing...I would flex that badly.

calamarichris

This isn't the Road Bike Forum. The crowd here is less judgmental and more tolerant.
Gosh-heck, I even put those mountain-bike/threadless-style stems on my old steel bikes and that wasn't enough to draw any ire in here.
Good folks.
You can post bigger pics. They don't bite in here.

ColonelJLloyd 

Very nice! Glad you're finding the new build a lot of fun. I'm looking to hang modern Campy on a 1977 steel bike soon.

Veloria

Yeah, at my weight the Moser's tubing feels pretty much ideal; I definitely do not need OS.

Forgot to add that the complete bike is 21lb as shown here.

non-fixie 

Thanks. Nice story! I've successfully evaded such a project until now (wasn't sure it's tolerated on C&V), but now I kinda want to build myself something like that. I've got plenty nice old frames and enough modern brifting stuff in the parts bin I think. Hmmmm .... winter project #2.

Veloria

Speaking of modern brifting parts... Ideally I would like to switch out that crankset (9 speed Record, 52/39t, 175mm cranks) to something equivalent that is 50/34t, 170mm cranks. If anyone is interested in a trade (or has something appropriate to sell), please let me know.

rat fink

Sweet ride! I like what you did with it. I find it interesting that it doesn't have any toe overlap, that's rare indeed!

As long as you don't have 3+ inches of saddle to bar drop, C&V will usually leave you alone. Also, the bias toward Campagnolo is working in your favor, here. Even modern Campagnolo is above reproach.

KonAaron Snake 

Especially with a 175mm crankset!

There are folks here who won't like it...but they're typically generous enough to leave things alone...unless provoked by something that really offends them. I LOVE that particular campy gruppo actually...I think the crank has the elegance of the c-record without the extra, blocky aesthetic. The brakes are BEAUTIFUL. My one complaint is that I think Campy's stuff without model names looks better...of course the flip side of that is always wondering which gruppo it is. The ti campy seatposts are also a thing of beauty - I'm lucky enough to ahve one, scratched, and it's a cool piece.

southpawboston

Looking at the picture you posted, what strikes me is the slack head angle-- seems quite slack for a road bike (no steeper than 72 degrees in my estimation). All other parameters remaining equal, a shallower head angle will increase the bike's front-center measurement, reducing the chance of TCO. If the head angle were steeper, I think TCO might become an issue.

Oldpeddaller

Thanks for sharing Veloria, nice build, great story. So who was the builder of your frame? From what I've read I'm sure Francesco would approve so who are we to criticize? I actually like this kind of build since you've got the best of both worlds, a classic frame with the technical advantages (and I have to grudgingly admit there are some) of modern brakes and drive train. My 1954 Holdsworth Typhoon was built up in a similar fashion, although I do have older parts on it - Suntour V GT gears, Weinmann centre pulls but it now wears red 2003 Vuelta Airline rims on Miche hubs - and rides like a bullet. Before you all start howling, I've posted pics of it far too many times already.

Anyway, well done Veloria.

Force 

I think it is fantastic. I'm considering doing the same thing. Interesting about the bike's weight - that's pretty good! P.S. - I enjoy your blog!

Veloria

"There are folks here who won't like it..."

Oh I am sure. And I don't mean to provoke them. But I can sincerely say that there were zero aesthetic considerations in the components choice here, not counting the colour of the bar tape. Someone gave me the wheels & drivetrain and the rest I had among my spare parts. The goal was to make it comparable to a modern roadbike, and the reason for Campagnolo is that I can't use Shimano brifters (sad, poor me, I know, have to make do!)

SteveSGP

It's a beautiful bike, I think you did a great job with it.

orangeology

looks pretty. interesting and in fact exciting to see that an old frame can work with new"er" parts in a beautiful way. it's like matching an old bespoke sports coat to an engineered denim, to me.

what do i know, i am a newbie

noglider 

We expect nothing less from you. :-)

So you like that saddle? That's a surprise.

A friend is slowly convincing me that most of us ride with cranks that are too long. Consider getting something shorter than 170mm if it's not too difficult. Also, you can redrill and tap many cranks yourself. That's what my friend has done.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

While I think it would be nice to try some 165's or 160's I'd have some trepidation drilling and tapping such a nice crankset.....although I understand its not like its a Chater Lea or anything super rare.

lovely bicycle.

Veloria

Noglider - I do like Selle Anatomica saddles overall.
Here is my review of the last one I had.



When perfectly adjusted, it was the most comfortable saddle ever.
However:
1. The leather would need to be tightened every 300 miles or so, and
2. The cutout would get uncomfortable once in a while



The manufacturer then sent me the new generation version to test (that's the black one on the Moser). The leather is tougher on this one and seems less prone to stretching, but I am still on the fence about the cutout. There is a version without one which might suit me better.

KonAaron Snake 

I'm with you Tom - I tried one of those and sent it back. AWFUL for me! The nose came right up into the areas you don't want your saddle in and it was a hammock.

We all know how subjective saddles are.

noglider 

I wasn't asking about the cutout; I was asking about the narrowness. Generally, women like wider saddles than men do because of the distance between the sit bones. I have no idea what it would be like to be a woman sitting on a bike seat.

My doctor says I need a cutout saddle, as I'm apparently pinching my perineum. The trouble is that the feedback is slow. I have no pain on the bike. The pain comes the day after I ride. Experimentation will take a while. I'm going to open a thread in the 50+ section. Women will probably not want to read it.

catmandew52

Beautiful build.
Stumbled across your blog earlier this year, and I thought "Oh no, this is just for chicks!"
I now find myself lurking there quite frequently, waiting for a new article to appear. I like your writing style, and although your audience seems to be broad based, I always seem to find something specifically interesting.
You don't appear to be tall (in your pic's) so, as Zaphod suggested, maybe someone HERE has an un-used , dust gathering, I'll never use this, crankset to donate with 160 or 165 crankarms. (That's a hint you hoarders)

KonAaron Snake 

I guess you're thinking b-17 imperial? I've been considering one as well...I've been trying out a flyer, and it seems to be pinching me in places a regular B-17 would not. I was thinking a flyer with an imperial cut might be interesting.

MetinUz

It does take quite a bit of experimentation to get this saddle to work just right. Once adjusted, it is the most comfortable saddle I have used. The adjusting bolt tends to move with road vibrations, a little Loctite fixes that.

Veloria

"I wasn't asking about the cutout; I was asking about the narrowness. Generally, women like wider saddles than men do because of the distance between the sit bones. I have no idea what it would be like to be a woman sitting on a bike seat."

Oh I see. No, the width of the Selle Anatomica is just perfect for me. I find the B17S too wide on bikes with dropbars and go for the B17 anyhow. Berthoud men's even better. I may have narrower sitbones than the average woman, who knows. On upright bikes I do prefer the "S" versions of Brooks saddles.

RobbieTunes

Nice idea. Here are 59 pages of those...

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...STI-s-or-Ergos