nfmisso

And then there are these..... https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Handle...8260116&sr=1-1

roashru

i like stem shifters over downtube ones sunrace is really the only good source for new 7 and 8 speed components. shimano replacement parts quality control is down (china).

bike tools etc, SU-SLR397F222 SHIFTERS 7-SPD INDEX/LF W/22.2 CLAMP

only good source for hard to find sunrace / sturmey-archer

u.s.a. mail order

borobike

Sure! Sorry it took me so long to get to this.







For mine (and probably all stem shifters) this would be the smallest chainring (left shifter) with the smallest cog (right shifter). Hope this helps!

I like that yellow grip tape! Really sets the bike off. I might have to look into that the next time I need to replace my tape.

My flush mounted second water bottle cage is just the standard add-on cage from Wal-Mart. I can't remember if it came with screws or I had to use my own, either way I did have to drill the frame. It's pretty easy to do with good drill bits.

As for the shifters, it's been a while, but it's all pretty straightforward. My shifters came with cables, but even if they didn't, it's every easy to do.

First, you'll need to remove the old cables from the front and rear derailleurs. This is accomplished by loosening the bolts that hold them in on each. You'll also need to cut off the cable end so that the cable can slide through.

Second, you'll need to locate the bolt that holds the shifters down onto the handlebars. I can't remember exactly where that is or how it loosens, it may just be a phillips head screw or it may be an allen head, or something else. Either way, it's easy enough to find and loosen.

Third, you'll need to remove the four allen head bolts that hold the handlebar to the stem. A plate with the four bolts will remove from the front.

Next, there will be some sort of a larger tube in the middle joining the two handlebar pieces. This is held on by another allen head bolt I believe. Loosen that and the two pieces should disconnect.

With the shifters already loosened, they can now slide off either side of the handlebars from the inside. You can re-assemble the handlebars now and put them back on the stem. Make sure everything is nice and tight.

Pull the cable from the shifters (already loosened from the derailleurs) and completely remove the shifters and old cables from the bike.

Loosen the bolt at the top of the stem to remove the stem from the headset. Pull stem and handlebars up and out of the headset.

Take a look at your new shifters. I'm pretty sure all stem shifters are clamp-on, but you definitely need for them to be. Mine tightened on with a simple phillips head screwdriver. Make sure it's loose enough to fit over the bottom of the stem, then slide them up into place. You may now replace the stem back into the headset, and tighten in position. Make sure there's plenty of room for the shifters.

Tighten down the stem shifters into position. Be sure there's plenty of room for their full range of motion.

Next, it's simply a matter of routing cable. You may need to cut your old cable shields to fit (I did) or your shifters may come with them. Once routed, tighten cables down at the derailleurs.

After that, all that's needed is adjusting. If your shifters are friction, you just need to make sure that the shifters work with the full range of motion (most will) and that the upper and lower limits are set correctly. You'll also want to crimp on a couple of new cable ends on the new cables. Very simple!

Hope that helps. It's been a while so I'm a little vague on exactly where to remove the old shifters and cables from the derailleurs, but it should be easy enough to find. Good luck!
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borobike

TexasPedaler, you inspired me!

I decided to set my original Kenda 700x32c tires aside and opt for some 700x23c tires, just to try them out. Went to the bike shop and actually ended up getting the exact same tires that you got, based on the recommendations of my LBS. Serfas Seca 700x23c slicks inflated to 130 psi...

By the way, if you don't mind, could you let me know periodically how yours are holding up in terms of flats, etc? We're both in the slightly odd position of running 23mm tires in a 19mm rim, which ordinarily is a definite no but I've been reading several accounts that say it's perfectly okay with proper pressures and that many have been doing it for years. When installing the tires I couldn't see any particular reason that it would be a problem but I don't want to end up stranded.

I went on a brief one mile or so test ride this evening. Not really long enough to get a conclusive idea yet, but enough to get an initial impression.

I don't really know what to say about differences in terms of speed, but then again my ride wasn't really long enough. I do think it may have been easier to accelerate from a stop. I also noticed that part two of my observations made me really want to fly around more, but I'm not sure if it was necessarily easier or not. Not sure what to say about hills either. Tomorrow's killer (for me) 30 mile, 18 mph average non-stop group ride (our local fast group, save for the time trials which have ended) will tell me a lot more in regards of ease and speed, comparing my results to last week.

BUT, I noticed a HUGE difference in terms of feel. I also noticed that I've got a lot to do in terms of rattle-proofing my bike, namely just my aluminum water bottle and my Cateye headlight rattle around a lot with these new tires, the bike itself doesn't rattle. That being said, there is a TON more vibration which is a bit unpleasant, but the bike is also much, much more alive feeling. More responsive to inputs during turns and whatnot.

I may have gone a bit to the extreme with the 23c tires. I originally went in looking for 25c or maybe 28c, but when I told the bike shop guy I wanted tires for group rides that were a bit on the fast side he went straight to the 23c's. I'm guessing he knows more than I do.

We'll see tomorrow how well they perform. In the meantime, I need to see about making my water bottle and headlight stop rattling.

As we all know, it doesn't exist without pictures. So here's one.


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nfmisso

Time for that carbon fork

lookame2002

Hi guy!
I just want to say thank you specially you borobike. I read all 12 pages and I am very impress with the upgrade you do with the bike. I have this bike about 2 week now and enjoy to ride it but I have some problem with the crankset. At speed 14/15mph, it will make a clicking noise and the brake was terrible. So, I decide to upgrade mine as well but I don't have any tools since this is my first bike. borobike do you mine I ask what kind of tool and size to take out the crankset, so I can buy online to get the job done. I will change also the shifter, brake, chain. I already order the crankset from ebay FSA TEMPO 170mm with 52-42-30 chainrings 8 speed compatible with RPM sealed bottom bracket. I know it's triple chainring and not double like your, I couldn't find any where online. Thank you for your help and written this thread

screamtone

I just read this entire thread. It made me smile, many times.

This is what it's about... having fun with bikes.

Thanks for the happy thread, Borobike!

MyBikeGotStolen

Thanks for the pics Boro! Unfortunitely (lol however you spell it). it looks like the shifters wont work with my threadless adapter. I have an old set of 26mm bars I may be able to get into the original 25.4mm stem, then the shifters would work fine. However, with 40-50 hours a week of school and another 20-30 hours of school, it may be awhile before I get to try it all out

borobike

I'm seriously thinking about it! Swapping the tires out may have lost me close to another pound. The old ones were heavy! The weight savings would be nice.

Plus, as you were originally leading toward, it would most definitely soften the blows. It's a much stiffer ride now.

Glad you're enjoying the thread! That sentiment goes out to screamtone as well.

Removing the crankset is actually quite easy, let me see if I can find which tool I used...

Here it is, CCP-22. https://www.parktool.com/product/cran...-cranks-ccp-22

You may end up needing a different tool to remove your new crankset if it's not also square taper. But you won't need that tool to put it on, I don't think.

As for my bike with the new tires, everything is great! I've put 37 trouble-free miles on them, from every grade of pavement ranging from excellent to poor (and hit a few decent cracks/potholes) but NO pinch flats! Very glad of that. Looks like just maintaining proper pressure is key.

Still not sure if I'm faster. I did the Wednesday ride much better than I did last week, but it was also five miles shorter and we took brief stops now and again (as opposed to before when we didn't). So on speed I really can't say much. I certainly don't think I'm any slower though. And I know I've shed some weight.

Although, come to think of it I am flying up on people when going uphill a lot more, so maybe I am going faster. "It doesn't get easier, you just go faster" and all that.

The bike is much nimbler, in fact it's a bit squirrelly. But it'll just take getting used to. It feels much less unstable now than it did when I first got the tires.

Fixed the rattles (headlight and bottle). Still a fair amount of vibrations though, but I'm getting used to them. That's all for now, I guess! 1137 miles as of today.
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borobike

Hi all!

Still working with the tires, but I think I've got myself a bulletproof combo now. I had a rim-induced flat from the remaining Denali wheel last week. Concluded that the problem was due to my lack of high pressure rim tape (remembering that the original tires were only to be inflated up to 80 psi). Replaced tape with cloth medical tape, problem solved! No more flats.

And for that matter, no pinch flats either. I unintentionally gave my tires a ride of hell last night riding over limbs, potholes, and just about every obstacle in the road because my lights weren't charged and I couldn't see. Not only did I not get a pinch flat, but both of my rims are perfectly in true. Trust me when I say I hit some HUGE holes and debris. Both the stock Denali rim and the replacement rear Weinmann rim are very tough, as are my tires and the original Kenda tubes that my bike came with.

1163 miles now, no problems. Except for the rim flat mentioned earlier, which was due to an error on my part. I'm used to the vibrations now and the bike rides really nice with the 23c tires.

But, I have an update on another front. The Denali now has a stablemate!

The amusing part of it is, it's also a department store bike, but a vintage one. And, like the Denali, also one of above average quality for department store selections of the time. Allow me to introduce my 100% steel, lugged frame (looks like an exact copy of a Reynolds 531 frame although I don't believe it to be one) Free Spirit Sovereign 12 speed road bike with a three piece cottered crankset and 27" wheels initially sold at Sears in the early 1980s:



As you can see, she's still missing a few parts. I'm waiting on brown leather-like bar tape and a new set of downtube shifters to install and make this bike completely functional, but it's almost there.

About a week ago I rescued this bike from the side of a road where the owner had left it propped up on display, I'm guessing in hopes that someone would come along and restore it. I happily obliged. When I picked it up, it was a rusty, seized mess. It's no longer rusty nor seized. I managed to save almost all of the original parts, including both derailleurs, the crankset, wheels, tires, tubes, and even the chain. The only component that was really a write off were the shifters, as one lever was snapped in two. Cables and housings were also replaced. I also replaced the original pedals because they would have been too time consuming to remove the rust from, and the seat because it made rude noises when sat on.

Interestingly, the seat you see pictured is the original Denali road seat from the bike this thread was originally made for. I've developed a liking for that seat, it's actually a decent stitched leather (or more likely pleather) seat that provides decent padding and support, and is actually very visually pleasing. I think part of the original problem I had with the seat stems from my complete unfamiliarity with any decent bike seat, and perhaps the extra 60 pounds of fat-ass I was carrying at the time. I don't think I'll be putting it back on the Denali because I've gotten that bike so perfectly adjusted that I don't want to mess with it. But it will serve my new old bike very well.

If you want to read the full story on the restoration of my vintage steel road bike, including before and after detail photos, you can find it here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...hat-have-I-got

The thread is still in progress. I will be updating it again when I finish getting my parts, but I don't intend to do any kind of ride report thread there as I don't think I need more than one of those.

I'm sorry to say that the cold months are fast approaching, and with it and the acquisition of this new road bike it's likely that the Denali will start seeing fewer and fewer miles until the warmer months come back. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with it, but it lacks a chaingaurd and I've already noticed some stains on my ankles the times I've had to wear long pants to keep warm. Plus, I've developed sort of an inclination towards having seasonal bikes. To me, the Denali feels like my fast summer bike, when I push myself and attain speeds I couldn't before. I love flying around on that bike.

The Sovereign, on the short test rides I've taken it on, has a completely different character. It's freakishly smooth, and comfortable. It's also more laid back in the way it feels to the rider. I don't feel the need to push the envelope, even though the capability is there. It seems more adept to simply encourage me to sit back and enjoy the ride wherever it may take me.

That being said, I enjoy both bikes too much to simply put one away completely for an entire season. I'm sure I'll be riding the Denali plenty during the winter, and the Sovereign plenty as well during the summer. But you can bet when I need a bike for a fast ride that will be pushing my limits I'll be calling on the Denali, and when I need a bike to keep me comfortable when the world around is anything but I will be depending on the Sovereign.

Since this thread has become more "Boro's Bike Blog" than anything else, I'll likely be keeping tabs here on the Sovereign as well as the Denali. I'm sure both will be seeing many miles.

My ramblings for today!
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himespau 

Sweet, a new ride.

roashru

borobike, you should be able to put 38-622 winter tires on the kent denali since you dont use fenders. their are aftermarket circle type chain guards or just use an old frisbee to make one.

LesterOfPuppets

Reynolds 531 is the name of a set of tubes that manufacturers can make a bicycle out of. It's not a frame that one could make an "exact copy of".

You are almost certainly correct in supposing that bike's not made from 531, however. It's probably a hi-tensile steel frame of some sort. Looks pretty nice except the saddle, though.

borobike

I could indeed, but that's the beauty of having a second bike! I'm hoping at this point to tailor my needs in separate directions for each bike.

My mistake, I only began learning of these things on Monday when I picked this one up. Whatever you may call a grouping of tubes with a Reynolds 531 badge on it, this one looks a lot like it! But it's definitely not, though. This bike has Asian origins.

I agree with you about the saddle, although I like the look of it by itself it doesn't fit the bike. For now it works and is comfortable though. Ultimately I'm hoping to get a brown Brooks saddle for it (reason why I'm going with the brown bar tape).
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nfmisso

Something like this might be more $$ workable: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Premium-...item2c5e8cc219

I just searched ebay for "brown saddle" and sorted by lowest price first.

borobike

I could, but I'm striving for the legendary Brooks comfort as well! This bike might be my go-to for future long distance rides. I'll have to see how the Vitesse does first, it actually has proven to be a pretty comfy saddle so far. But, if I do spring for the Brooks, I'll likely be asking for it as a Christmas present.

Here's the finished pics of my vintage ride:







You'll have to excuse the component pics, it's been ridden a bit so they're not completely dirt-free...













And lastly here's the cockpit with everything attached...



Total bike weight comes up to 31 pounds, not too bad for a less expensive all steel road bike. As I mentioned earlier, it rides really nice. The Denali is certainly faster though. But that's good, I don't want them to be too similar in how they ride, otherwise it somewhat defeats the purpose of having two bikes.

Starting the odometer on the new bike at 0. I'll be keeping tabs on this one as well!

So to start with, a couple of issues noted from yesterday's group ride:

One, the front wheel vibrates when braking sometimes. Pretty sure it's a headset issue. Tightened it up and we'll see if that fixes it.

Second, I was getting some intermittent creaking while pedaling. Aside from blaming it on the bike's age, I also found one of the cotter pins was a little loose from my maintenance. Tightened it back up and we'll see how it goes.

No further issues. I find downtube shifters work great but they also encourage me to shift less. Not entirely a bad thing, it encourages me to think ahead.

More later!
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SlimRider

Hey there Borobike!

Looks like you're really the lucky one, eh!

So the steel one feels more comfortable. That's just great!

I'm happy, you're happy!

- Slim

borobike

It does indeed! I'm thinking it has something to do with the inherent stiffness difference of the materials. Aluminum can't flex much or it will fatigue soon, thus it can't dampen the incoming road vibrations very much. This is fine for a bike that gets ridden solely for the purpose of going fast which is where I think the Denali will ultimately end up going. But for my new bike, comfort is going to be key for sure since I'll be more focused on getting there comfortably rather than getting there fast.

On that note I'm giving serious consideration towards going to the bike shop tomorrow morning and getting a rack for it. I don't want to cut out my truck entirely (I love it too much) but I'd like to reduce it's usage a ton to save on gas as it seems the days of sub-$3 gasoline are gone. My only concern is whether or not I can keep up with commuting in the bitter cold long enough to offset the initial cost of the rack, and hopefully offset the cost of the bike as a whole. My guess is that if I kept riding until the end of the year I could make this entire bike purchase become basically free or very nearly so. But that's gonna be a lot of cold rides, for sure.

So that's the direction I'm thinking the new bike will go in...modifying it to make a good tourer/commuter. Future plans for the Denali? If I can ever get some spare cash around, look for STI shifters and possibly a carbon fork to drop another couple of pounds. Until then, the time is drawing close to where it's time to service the hubs and headset.
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SlimRider

Hey there Borobike!

I wouldn't sweat the carbon forks..

Personally, I think carbon forks are a lot less than what they're all cracked up to be!

- Slim

Sixty Fiver

You do some good work... saw the before and after and am most impressed.

Have provided a lot of bikes from this era and quality level to many people at our co-op and they continue to provide decent service year after year with regular maintainence... the only thing wrong with cottered cranks is that they are heavier as is what is most likely a carbon steel frame.

31 pounds sounds about right... if you wanted to compare this to a frame built on 531 tubes with a better part spec (as you usually get with better frames) you'd be looking at a bike that curbed out in the low twenties that might not ride as nicely as the Free Spirit due to more aggressive geometry and skinnier, higher pressure tyres.

It is important to note that the steel rims on that Free Spirit are probably not hooked and will not handle tyre pressures over 70psi regardless of what the tyre says is maximum... inflating beyond this can cause the tyres to blow off the rim.

roashru

i have a raleigh sprite for beater / bad neighborhoods that has steel wheels this has happened to me luckily i had my tool bag to remount it. i normally keep the tire air pressure at the minimum 75 p.s.i..

ThermionicScott 

STI's, bah!

Have some DT mounts brazed on.

borobike

I hear ya about the carbon, Slim. These are all possible thoughts for the future anyway, I'm not really sure what direction I'm going to go except faster!

Thanks, I appreciate the extra information! Really surprised the 531's weighed so much less, I would have expected mid 20s at the very lowest.

I just had the tire off the front wheel the other day and I honestly can't remember whether the wheels were hooked or not, but I'll keep your advice in mind until the next point I have a chance to look in there and know for sure. Max tire pressure is listed at 90 psi. I imagine it's probably drifted down to around 75 psi now so I'll just let it stay there.

Is that possible with an aluminum frame? If so, heck yeah! I went with stems because clamp on DT's weren't possible with the funky frame shape. I'm enjoying the DTs with the Free Spirit so far, but the stems work nice too. Either way I'm a big fan of the simplicity of friction shifting.

Today's update!

I went to the local bike shop and found a rack that is almost exactly what I was looking for at a heck of a good price. I say almost because the only thing I would change would be for it to be silver in color to better match the whole 'vintage' theme. But hey, it's a Free Spirit not a Rivendell.

Here's my rack setup along with a couple of component pics I forgot yesterday:









I used the stock reflector from the bike to mount on the rear of the rack.

I love my LBS...with their help I firmed up these single pivot brakes further. That combined with tightening the headset removed a lot of flex and stopped the shuddering during braking. I also managed to eliminate my squeaking in the crankset by tightening up the cotter pin so, no further issues with the bike.

I may take the FS on a fast group ride tonight. I should really take the Denali, but I'm in the mood to get this bike sorted out fully so I can start commuting on it right away. Either way I'm sure one of them will be going tonight.

More later!
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TexasPedaler

Sorry for not replying to all the suggestions made to me from everyone from beginning of month to now. Wasn't intentional. Been very busy with work, home life, charity rides etc. I appreciate and appreciated all the suggestions to me so far with upgrades. I haven't decided on shifters yet, but have not had any problem with my Serfas 700x23c tires and new Saddle Vader-much more comfortable. Rode several 25 mile rides with killer hills and did just fine and seem to keep up for many minutes with the "competitive" riders even though it was a charity ride.

It was funny as they keep looking at me, my frame, my tires and I would pull away. Now that angered them and they would catch up and I would slip ahead again, it was so funny and fun at the same time! Saw several stock GMC Denali's there as well and they loved my upgrades, the little I did. Now, the only thing I have to say is my freewheel has broke on the 7th gear prematurely after 700 miles. Called manufacture and the agreed to replace under warranty. The freewheel accident happened on one of my 25 mile rides and was able to shift above and was fine for rest of ride.

Took it to a LBS in hopes to remove freewheel, but they couldn't as the tool to remove it would not work as it was put on originally too tight and the teeth inside are non existing. Although for $60 dollars an hour they could have pounded it out. No thanks. Go figure, two fold on that one. Good looking new bike you have there Borobike. I still love my Denali and will mod it some more once I get Wheel replaced. I do have a Alex XRIM 622x16mm RIM silver/silver on for now with quick release to get me by. Really wish the stock RIMs had that feature.

Non the less, I have a co worker and a fellow road bike rider that has a set of new Shimano RS10 rims from his Cannondale SuperSix he upgraded that he said he would give me for 50 bucks and they are not the low end ones, these have RED nipples on them. Not bad, just need a spacer to accept my current 7 gear freewheel. In the end I will most likely use them as they are lighter, but keep the others for a spare.

One more addition, anyone know the fork measurements as I am thinking of seriously getting a CF fork and aluminum stem next before I get shifters replaced. There are many out there new, used and just not sure which ones to go for? I heard it can be done and it would tremendously improve my riding. Keep they forum alive with more updates from everyone. Happy riding!

AlphaDogg

^You'll need a spacer AND a 7 speed cassette. Freewheels are something different.