Originally Posted by
kabex
I do too, but I live at 8500 ft and there's climbs up to like 14000 around here. What can I do to get a wide range without going off historical realism?
I've been thinking about the new Specialized Steel Allez, it's oh-so-awesome and looks just like the ones in American Flyers. Problem with classics is that here in Mexico we don't have them- sure you can find a few in junk yards but they're unusable. I'd love to have something like craigslist- but alas... the Steel Allez is a good compromise because you get a brand new retro frame with decent down tube shifters. I'm just saying.
First, I totally agree with Bianchigirll's perspective about vintages. And here we don't chase away people wondering what to do with their vintage 2003 Cannondale, nor the flippers. They're usually true vintage fans, anyway.
Vintage climbing is a good question, and considering where you live, I'd say you're forgiven for wanting to break the 52/42 with straight-block racing paradigm.
If you look back at mid and entry French bikes of the late '60s and early '70s, some had what's called an "Alpine" gearing system, which is a kind of wide-range 2x5 system. Generally it's something like a 40/52 in the front, and 14/17/20/24/28 in the rear. The gear inch range is 39 to 100, with 27 inch or (nearly the same) 700c wheels.
A wider-range 2x 6 would be 40/52 again, with 13/16/19/22/26/32. That will give 34 to 108. If you didn't want a gear as high as 108, you could do a 48/38 or 48/36 (48/37 would be a near ideal match to 40/52). The 48/36 with that same freewheel will give you a gear range of 30-100, which is wide-range and all usable. And doesn't it sound like a modern compact or CX gearing?
So vintage-style, yes. True vintage, I can't say. I'd have to point to a specific example, and I just don't know one - maybe the UO-8?
I'm confused about your statement regarding cassettes and freewheels. What kind of rear-end system are you working with, or are you planning? 120mm OLD hubs, for which 5-speed is designed, are getting hard to find. 126 mm setups for 6 or 7 speed freewheel are still very common, and there were some cassettes back in the day. I'm not sure there's a good way to use a 130 mm cassette hub for a 5 or 6-speed rear end and still maintain the chainline for which the frame was designed.