Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
I pretty much agree with @
jyl about don't fix what's not broken. You should be able to clean most of the caked on gunk without too much disassembly.
Originally Posted by
bikemig
I'd be sorely tempted to get rid of the Helicomatic wheels and go with 700c wheels as this is a more common size. The cantilevers may end up giving you a problem as the 700c wheels are a bit smaller in diameter but that can be fixed. For hubs, it is hard to beat phil wood which still makes a 126 mm hub. Alternatively, spread that frame (I can hear the cries of horror on this list at that idea,
). It's your bike though and a modern drive train is pretty sweet. Personally, I'd get the Phil freewheel hub (it's expensive) or a velo orange 126 mm rear hub (less than half the price of the Phil). Velo Orange also sells built up wheels.
I will do my best to clean it up assembled. I figured that was the only thing I really needed to worry about disassembling. I will likely go with the VO hubs and perhaps their diagonale rims when I can save up $400
. For now, I'll clean up the stock wheels, as I could use the practice servicing hubs anyways. Don't the helicomatic hubs use a different ball bearing size? Resources for purchasing new bearings?