gugie 

Just purchased a 1974 Raleigh Competition frame, the type that Peter Weigle magically transforms into 650b heaven. Got it at a steal price. But, of course, it has an issue.

The rear derailleur hanger was hacked off. But I knew that when I bought it.

It used to be common to braze on a Campy 80/1 rear derailleur hanger to otherwise nice frames that didn't have one. Now I'm looking for one. I know I could just buy a rear dropout from someone like Nova Cycles and hack it, but that somehow feels wrong.

And, no, I can't be talked into a claw. I've got other bits to braze up on this frame, and it doesn't have the original paint job.

Any leads?

KonAaron Snake 

These are pretty common bikes...why not just be more patient and wait for one in better shape if you feel strongly enough to call it a grail?

rhm

Campagnolo Rear Dropout Wderailleur Hanger Eylet Road Touring Randonneuring | eBay

rgver

If you are brazing parts on, why not get the complete drop out removed and rebrazed

edit: so pretty much what RHM said

gugie 

Hey, I did say it was my opinion.

Maybe you missed the part about it being a steal due to the missing hanger, which I can easily rectify.

gugie 

Thanks for posting that.

I can get these for $14.25 locally , cut off the hanger part, file it flat and square and braze it on. It just feels kinda funny to hack a perfectly good set of dropouts.

himespau 

Why do that hack. Seems like it'd be stronger to remove the old dropout and put the new one in its place.

IrishBrewer

Yep, do that. Not so much of a hack.

gugie 

But then I'd have a mis-matched set of rear dropouts* (I know, picky-picky), so that would mean removing both. Even if I had the correct one, it's a lot more work to replace and align a dropout than to just add the derailleur hanger piece. This was a pretty common job in the 70's on bikes with forged bits without hangers, which is why Campy made the 80/1



*This vintage Competition used Huret dropouts

rhm

You could do the same thing with a claw; that is, cut off the part you want, and weld or braze it to what you've got.

I have a bent frame with some decent forged Tange dropouts. I could cut off the drive side one for you if you want....

gugie 

hard to find claws without chrome, but your offer to hack a donor frame is mighty nice of you! If the frame is really unsalvagable, that is.

PM me if you want to make arrangements and how to reimburse you.

Henry III

My friend who was in my framebuilding class just did this for a customer. It's was on a lower end peugeot but it had a lot of sentimental value to the owner. Friend only charged $85 and did a really nice job and the customer was ecstatic. Just looped off the old hanger and brazed on a new one. No need to replace the whole dropout.

Pars 

Looks like Campyoldy has some, but they want 25 pounds for one...

Campyoldy - Campagnolo parts and accessories for 'vintage' cycles | Stock File

Grand Bois

Have you considered an internal gear hub? I have a hanger-less Competition with a Sturmey Archer 5 speed and and I love it.

noglider 

I was going to suggest an IGH before I even saw @Grand Bois's comment.

jonwvara 

You've already said you won't consider a claw. That's sort of too bad, because claws have the important benefit of letting you use any type of derailleur (Campy, Simplex, Huret, whatever) without altering the frame. Life would be a lot simpler if integral hangers had never existed.

I wouldn't hack off an integral hanger to use a claw. But c'mon, yours is already hacked off. It will still be hacked even if you braze on a new one.

Even if you're going to repaint anyway, I wouldn't be in a hurry to braze those additional "bits," as you call them, onto the frame. I've spent about a decade (so far) regretting the cable guides and shifter bosses I had brazed onto my Gitane TdF. It works fine, but isn't as cool as the original.

EDIT: Almost every thread on this forum contains at least one post from a busybody who tells the original poster not to do X, Y, or Z to his or her own bike. This is my day to be that guy, I guess.

JohnDThompson 

Brazing the hanger onto the existing dropout would be plenty strong for what it has to do, and not require as much heat or work as replacing the entire dropout. And, as the OP points out, he'd still have matching dropouts.

OldsCOOL

I concur.

simmonsgc

Whoa! Self-actualization. So seldom seen these days. Another reason I like the peeps at C&V!

“First Thoughts are the everyday thoughts. Everyone has those. Second Thoughts are the thoughts you think about the way you think. People who enjoy thinking have those." -- Terry Pratchett

noglider 

To counter what @jonwvara says, I don't regret all the bits I had brazed onto my McLean. I wouldn't do the same today as I did back then, but I did the best with the knowledge I had at the time. So my bike is far from original, but it serves me just fine, and I don't stare it and muster up a whole bunch of regret.

noglider 

It's more common here in C&V than in other sections. Other sections have large populations of rear orifices.

gugie 

Jon, you ignorant ****,

Alright, I had to get that out. Shoulda had you come over to see my collection of ugly ducklings in need of new bits when you were out in my neck of the woods visiting family!

I don't like claws. They make wheel installation a trickier, and they tend to bend more than integral hangers (as I remember from my bike shop days). There's a stress riser where the claw meets the dropout that acts as a fulcrum when you hit it. That's my engineering analysis right there, but I went to a third rate public institution. I think they're still accredited. I'm not particular to Campy, Simplex, or Huret derailleurs, at any rate, so I don't have that particular affliction.

Now I do have this lovely lady hanging in my workshop. This one deserves a pure restore. But take a look closely, brazed on bits everywhere, but built in the late 40's or early 50's. It will, however get new paint, restored back to it's original, new condition. I'm collecting original parts for her, 4 speed rear freewheel, a 2 bolts Simplex rear derailleur, steel cottered cranks, etc. Some would be aghast in horror that I plan on painting it.

So here's my old guy rant: As far as all of those clamped on parts, they just seem to dig into the paint and create rust over time. I'll stand by the constructeurs of the past such as Rene Herse, Alex Singer, or, more recently, Mssr. Weigle as far as their ability to see the the bike as a whole, and incorporate the parts in the frame rather than as afterthoughts. Loaded racks and fenders with p-clips just seem to be a slip away from disaster. Centerpull brakes work better when you braze on the posts rather than bolt them on. You have to go back decades to find examples of cantilever brakes that are bolted on. Brazed on pump pegs never slip. Brazed on bottle bits never create a band of rust around the frame. Front derailleur braze-on? That's the one thing I stop at. I've always had trouble getting them dialed in, you tighten the bolt and the damn thing moves on you. Or maybe that's just me.

Once I braze on a hanger, the only way that one gets hacked off is if some skinny jeaned hipster gets a hold of this bike and is determined to make it a fixie.

Maybe I just view everything as needing heat, flux, and brazing rod, like the guy that only has a hammer and sees everything as a nail. Maybe I'm the one that's hacked off.

Damn, this would be so much more fun if we did it at a barbershop or a bar! Got a Gran Turino? Next time you come out this way let me know, I have a few spare bikes, all with plentiful brazed on bits. We can go for a ride then get a beer and argue this out proper. Or, this being Portland, we can go to a bike shop and have a tap beer at the same time. Maybe use triplizers as coasters.

gugie 

When I first saw this Classic & Vintage site, I thought it meant the posters. So I joined.

gugie 

Hey, I resemble that remark!

noglider 

That is a lovely lady, but are you sure there was a derailleur hanger originally? I thought they came out after this frame's vintage.

I see some paint buckling on the down tube behind the head tube, indicating a front end collision. The damage is probably minor.

Are you planning to replicate the original paint job?