Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
You have a pretty uncommon 110mm BCD Campy crankset--very nice! Campy will be perfect for the bike. Your '84 520 shares its 45.5cm chain stay length with the same-year 620 (which I have). That's pretty long, and I really appreciate that length, but the '82 720's 47cm stays are another step, and one that you can feel. I think it's fantastic. The 520/620 can still feel sporty with the right setup, but there is a grace and stability that the longer chain stays of the 720 (and '85 620) have.
At 535g a hoop, those Dyad's are built for battle. And touring. I have no experience with them in how they handle road irregularities--I hope they are well mannered. TB14s, which I have and enjoy, do well with wide tires as they are a bit harsh with anything 32mm and smaller, in my experience. One's mileage may indeed vary with regard to ride quality preference, style, and sensitivity. The 38mm tires will do a great job of taking out road impacts not adequately absorbed by the rim. I still run Mavic MA2s on my 720, which run in the 440-460g range, and they feel great. Pacenti Brevets at 455g also feel good (good impact-translating characteristics), even as they are wider and a little stiffer.
If you were planning on 650B, those Tektro R559s would be perfect. 539s are perfect for 700C. I ended up drilling out the fork on my 720 to run recessed nut calipers.
Looking forward to how this ends up!
Oh wow! Here I thought the 45.5cm chain stays were the longest ones. So the '82 720 and '85 620 have whopping 47cm chain stays!? Can't wait to see how different that will feel.
I picked up the Campy group in a trade a long time ago, from a buddy who had warned me the original rims needed replacing. The parts sat for a while before I decided Dyads might be good for a "road+" build on a Surly Cross Check. I put a lot of miles on that bike, both on and off pavement and they always felt great. Granted I only ever ran them with 700x42 Gravelking SKs I haven't tried the Dyads with any other tire, so I'm hoping they still perform well with 38 slicks.
Definitely going to squirrel away the R559s for potential 650b build down the road. I can see that being a fun "hey, I haven't done this kind of build yet" when there's a project lull. I initially disliked the idea of drilling the fork, but kinda warming up to it. I mean the rear brake bridge can accept a recessed nut so why not make them match. Also easy enough to use a plug if I decide to visit a retro build.