Mr Danw

Can't yet call myself a roadie but my road bike is up and running. I have this old Motobecane Super Mirage that just received new wheels, tires, chain, and brakes. That thing is pretty fast and light. I guess I have no excuse not to get into the MS 150.

dbikingman

If you don't post pics, I won't ever call you a roadie!

Mr Danw

I'd have to post pics here because my tire sticker is not opposite my valve.

Tex_Arcana

No the tire sticker goes right where the valve is.

Makes it easier to find that piece of glass stuck in your tire by matching the hole in your last tube.

Mr. Beanz

Nah, he's refering to the thread in the road forum where someone said he OCP thing is to place the label across form the valve for some stupid reason. Forgot the reason but something stupid. People argued about the tracking reason but they said OCP reason, not for any real world functionability reasons. It was something stupid like the weight of the paint is balanced out by the weight of the valve.

Wogster

You know your a weight weenie when you start worrying about the weight of the tire label.....

flip18436572

I honestly don't care where the damn label is when I put on a tire. I check the tire for damage and something sticking through it. If I blow out a tube, I pull the tube to see where the damage is and then compare that to the tire on the rim. I rarely have a flat, but it does happen and I still check the entire rim and tire for problems anywhere on both.

muccapazza

Still waiting on the old Motobecane bike pics, Mr D. I don't care where the tire label is, as long as the it's of the drive side, with the crank and shifty bits in full view.

txvintage

I have a Super Mirage, in my favorite Moto balck with deep red head tube and down tube accents.

It's awaiting a general overhaul and spiffing session. Red cables seem to be my stumbling block. I have learned that non traditional cable housing is a real pain when it comes to availability.

I need to get hopping and the OP and I can have a fashion show of nice vintage Moto sweetness.

Mr Danw

Tx, mine is also moto black with red head tube and cables. I'll get some pics up soon. My cables are also supposed to be red but they are pinking out as we speak. I have a connection with a shop with alot of NOS parts. Hopefully he has some red cables. I even kept the spoke protector, not for function, but for form, since it is vintage steel

txvintage

My cables are pinkish on their way to being bleached out. I may have a line on some red housing. If it works out I'll post a link.

That dork disc is hard to part with. The only thing is I wish it didn't hide the Mallard hubs since they are so sleek.

I'm actually halfway tempted to hang some Campy Nuevo Record bits and pieces I have laying around on it. Of course, I've also been tempted to stick some Sora brifters on it too

Mr Danw

pics. I do like the stitched on grips.

dbikingman

Nice bike you ROADIE.

Tom Stormcrowe

This bike, technically makes you a retrogrouch. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Mr Danw

I have been called other incarnations of retro grouch. I also collect antique carpet tools and supplies. I try to keep everything as close to original as I can and still have function.

txvintage

Nice example Mr DanW.

My sew up bar wrap is going to be a casualty of having spent some time leaning against the wall outside from the previous owner. I hate to lose it, but it makes it easier to replace the suicide levers with aero levers. I'll stash the originals incase I ever let it move on.

I have a lot of clean up and shining to do.

Mr Danw

I am amazed at how well this thing shifts so smoothly. I had to do alot of cleaning but it was mostly a thick film of oil covering the whole thing. I think the oily film was an accident to my benefit.

Tom Stormcrowe

Well, Dan, it's a really nice old Motobecane. It looks like it fell into good hands, there.

Pinyon

My old Trek is not as old as your Motobecane, but it also shifts smoother than my more modern bikes. Derailure companies really dialed in those older 5-6 rear-cog shifting systems. My old Trek has ancient 6-speed Shimano 105 components, and the gears shift like a dream. And I don't have to worry about cross-chaining rub on the front derailure either.

Wogster

I think a lot of that has to do with the shifters, with a down tube or bar end friction shifter, if you got a little rubbing and a shift that wasn't right, you tweaked the lever and it stopped, once you got used to this, it became automatic, it was an an action that you didn't think about, because it was a normal part of shifting. Modern shifters with their click stops mean that it's an abnormal occurrence, so you need to think about how to resolve it. I think eventually technology will fix this with computerized shifting that will automatically adjust for poor shifts, then again eventually the race for more and more gears will exceed the capabilities of the dérailleur system. Is the limit 11,12, 15 rear cogs, I don't know, but eventually they will hit the limit. Physics only allows a gear to be so thin, and a wheel to be dished so far, before it becomes impossible to give it enough strength to work properly. You can also only make a wheel so wide, and you can't make the wheel off centre.

Dérailleur gearing is fine for road and comfort bikes, but it's never been great for mountain bikes, that rear dérailleur is in a pretty vulnerable spot, and some trail riders knock one into oblivion on a regular basis.