Thank you for replying Jon.
Originally Posted by
jonwvara
If you want to use the triplizer, you will need a longer spindle, but exactly which one will depend to some extent on the cups you are now using. Generally speaking, you'll get a good chainline if you measure the drive-side length of your existing spindle (you will need to remove the spindle to do this, of course) and find a matching spindle that's 6 or 7 mm longer on the drive side. If there's a good bike co-op near you they likely have a drawer full of assorted spindles for you to try.
I am not the best bike mechanic. I would not know what to look for, in a bin of parts.
Anything I do, I'll have my LBS do it. But I know these vintage bikes are not profitable,
so I don't what to waste anymore of his time than I have to.
Is a longer spindle something that be just be ordered from a catalogue?
Another option would be to replace the existing Swiss bb with a Grand Cru threadless BB, which costs about $50, I think. You might be able to sell your existing Swiss BB on ebay for that much if it's in good shape.
I just don't like the threadless bb. I think they are a last resort. It's just personal.
And Phil Wood stuff is pricy.
If you can live with a 37-tooth ring for a low--I'm guessing you have a 42 on there now--you could keep it as a double without having to make any changes beyond switching chainrings. Going to a freewheel with a 34 big cog at the same time would give you a sub-30-inch low--not far below what you find with a lot of triple setups.
I really like your 37 tooth option. I'm riding now with a 52/40 rings with a 14-28 six speed.
I live in a hilly area, and some of the hills here I'm borderline making it up to the top.
Surprisingly, when I do gear calculations your 37 tooth gear option gives me
a lot less overlap of gears. So it's more than just one lower gear.
If it comes down to having to replace the bb, I'll probably go that way.