bradtx

Until '89 all road frames had steel forks, in '89 only the lower couple of models used them. Some of the upper tier bike models did have a steel fork, reason is unknown.

Brad

stykthyn

That's a mb cassette isn't it?

pastorbobnlnh 

@stykthyn the way I look at it is that a 11-36 9 speed is a just another bicycle cassette. It could be used on an MTB, a road bike, a recumbent, a trike, etc.

My philosophy: Assess the rider's ability, needs, terrain ridden, etc., then gear the bike the way the rider wants it geared. Since I do all my own wrenching and even mix different sprockets together, I'll gear the bike to suit the ride I'm on or anticipate.

We have a great deal of really steep hills and long climbs in my area. They can run from smooth pavement, to broken pavement, to dirt/gravel pack. Some are as long as 10 miles. The picture of my R600 is near the top of a local mountain at about 2700 feet. The climb starts 8 miles away at about 500 feet. Other climbs are maybe just a few hundred yards- but can be at around 20%.

I'm big at 6' 1", 230+lbs, 59 y.o., and my profession tends to include a great deal of sitting (i.e. writing, meetings, visiting people, driving to and from hospitals). When I visit folks, they want to feed me. It can be a real challenge to stay fit.

Riding is my sanctuary and I never want a climb to keep me from entering because I was too proud and geared my bike too high. I never want to say no--- and not tackle the hill in front of me.

Sorry to diverge from the main topic at hand!

stykthyn

its all good. As long as the wheels go round and round

OldsCOOL

In the last years of my ministry life (30 total) I fought weight gain with a Trek 460 and fell into a passion for riding and wrenching. I can still gain 10lbs in a winter if I dont watch it.

stykthyn

I'm just now looking at your beach pic. Is that Saint Andrew's state park?

pastorbobnlnh 

BINGO! My wife's family has owned a very small place next to St. Andrew's on Panama City Beach. My ride often includes a few laps around the park and the camp grounds. I like this particular picture from in the park.



I didn't realize you were a pastor. What denomination? In Michigan or elsewhere?

Mrs. PB was able to retire early (3 years ago). She says I need to keep going until Medicare since we receive medical insurance through my church. So, I have six more years of battling the feeders. Fortunately I serve a great and very healthy congregation. By the time I retire I will have almost 43 years in church service.

stykthyn

Nice! I grew up there. Still own a house in Panama City.

OldsCOOL

I'm with the Assemblies of God (Pentecostal). I still preach in various churches and am currently an assistant pastor. My assignment in those 30yrs was pastoring very troubled congregations.

pastorbobnlnh 

I had guessed maybe you came camping here. Over the years of riding in the park, I've noticed quite a few regulars. Mrs. PB is currently in PCB with her sister. We will arrive for about 2 weeks the second half of April.

Bless you for taking on the troubled ones! Never an easy task! I was an assistant pastor in two different challenging churches back in the late '80s to early '90s. I learned a great deal by just observing the pastor, elders and members go at it. It all helped tremendously. I was/am blessed by both churches I led and currently lead as their pastor.

icedog

My 85 R600 has a steel fork..

DMC707

White Nitto stem is original

--- here's my untouched (except the seat and bar wrap) criterium with the same stem --- interestingly this one made it out of the factory with a full 600 tri color group as opposed to 105, but has the 105 decal on the chainstay

stykthyn

No way. That is too cool.

stykthyn

OK, back to the 93, I have a technical question. I can't get the rear to index to the largest 1st gear ring. I'm wondering if spreading the rear stays for the 130mm hub has changed the geometry or if it's a chain length issue. @pastorbobnlnh what was your experience with the r600?

kingston 

I've had a similar problem that was resolved by cleaning and lubricating the RD, so I'd try that first if you haven't already.

bradtx

I doubt this is the problem. Double check that the L limiting screw isn't restricting the RD's lateral travel by moving the RD by hand with the cable disconnected or very loose. Or you may not have had the shifter in top gear during installation. Put the rear in top and try to upshift one more time, no indexing should be felt and the cable shouldn't become looser along the down tube.

One more possibility is that the jockey pulley is hitting the bottom sprocket and the B screw needs adjusting.

Brad

PS I'm guessing it won't shift to the largest cassette sprocket while on the smaller chain ring. If it's a problem on the big chain ring, the chain could be too short.

pastorbobnlnh 

In my case, the bike was rarely ridden when I acquired it due to the gearing. 53-42 chainrings working with a 11-24 cassette does not make for a very hill/mountain friendly riding experience--- at least for me. The other challenge was that the PO had swapped the down tube shifters for those funky SRAM barend twist shifters. I was never able to make them work properly.

In my experience the 130mm 10 speed rear wheel slips right into place. My R600 was spec'd with an 8 speed cassette, which IIRC, was also 130mm. So there might have been a difference with the R400 originally running a 7 speed spaced at 126mm? Just a guess.

FWIIW, my winter bike is a 1988 C-Dale ST400 (originally a 6 speed). The '93 8 speed wheels are now on it and I have to just barely spread the drop outs to mount this wheel. I run Shimano barend friction shifters on the 8 speed HG cassette with no issues. The RD is a modern Shimano Deore spec'd for a 9 speed cassette.

qcpmsame 

@bradtx has the right thoughts, I'd look at the possibility of too short a length chain, having the chain length sufficient for the tooth counts, and the low limit screw being properly set, usually come in the picture for the problem described. Then follow the advice to go over the "B" adjustment screw's setting.

I think that making sure you have adequate chain length, and correctly setting the high and low limit screws, should uncover and solve the problem. If it is beyond these items, punt. (Please don't do that, a poor attempt at some levity and humor)

stykthyn

Thanks for the input guys. It's an issue in both rings. In 11th gear the rear derailleur has a tendency to bounce and is almost touching the cassette so I was thinking that maybe I had too much chain. I will unwind the limit screws and try again. If I can't get it I will bring it to the shop and see what they say. I'm very much a novice at this so maybe there is something I overlooked during set up.

stykthyn

Finally got everything 100% today. Ended up taking it to a shop. The tech was very cool about taking me back and showing me exactly why it wouldn't shift correctly. I was very up front about having set the bike up from watching YouTube tutorials. He found faults from front to back and ended up replacing all the cables and housings with jagwire. I had cut everything too short and there was a good amount of binding going on. He wasn't fond of the wax cables that shimano uses in the kits and insisted if I use them again to buy dura ace cables. I must admit the jagwire was MUCH nicer than what I started with. All in all I spent more than I wanted to get it all sorted out but it's done and with regular maintenance should give me many miles of reliable performance.

bradtx

stykthyn, The important thing is that it's all sorted out and I'd guess that the one-on-one time with the mechanic will make the expense worth it in the long run.

Brad

pastorbobnlnh 

It is always great to find a reliable LBS mechanic who is willing to talk to you when you reach the end of your capabilities--- and doesn't judge you for what you attempted. The one I use is named Mike. The LBS he works for is 40+ miles distant from my house. But when I'm stumped, Mike is my go to mechanic. I drive past 3-4 LBSs to reach his shop. Worth every mile!

qcpmsame 

+1 for having a good qualified mechanic to sort things out. As much as I would like to be 100% able to do my maintenance and repairs, some things are beyond my capabilities and knowledge.

Tom, at the LBS here, is always great about helping out when it gets hairy trying to fix things. No scolding, no humiliation, just fixes the problem and explains what went south in my attempt at getting the job done. His other mechanic is just as cool about things, he really pulled the fat out of the fire with his rebuild of a left Shimano RSX brifter I had buggered up. Good folks bring you back to a shop when you lack the skills or tools.

Glad you found the problem, and your mechanic has using the Dura Ace cables spot on. Made the switch to DA cables in an Ultegra 6800 equipped CAAD 10, excellent performing, smooth cables and housing too.

Bill

stykthyn

Necro bump. Put some new to me wheels on and it rides even better. In the last 2 years it's done commute duty, weekend fun rides, and numerous centuries. It's in dire need of new bar tape now