davester

Ditto. I can make it work by shortening the chain, but then big-big is no longer possible without drivetrain lockup and ensuing dropout/derailleur destruction.

Andrew_G

I was taught (in 1973 or so) that the 'ideal' chain length made the pulley wheels vertical in both lowest gear as well as highest gear. Using a 'vertical pulley' guideline, I've similarly found that I can get only about 22 teeth on a Nuovo Record rear derailleur (with the wheel forward in the dropout) and about 26 teeth on a Super Record RD. (This is with a 54" chain, and the wheel forward in the rear dropout.)

The setup shown on the Paletti uses a slightly shorter chain. Using a shorter chain causes the top pulley to rotate away from the cogs, which increases the clearance between the pulley teeth and the largest freewheel cog. Thus, you can smoothly shift into a cog a bit larger that 28 teeth.

Eroica-CA is not rigorous about some of the nit details of 'period correct'. A few EC riders have used a rear derailleur extension tab, which lowers the derailleur and adds additional cog clearance.

The Wolf's Tooth part is supposed to be very good: https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...ducts/roadlink

I've not used the Wolf's Tooth part, but I've read from a user of the WT that it was much better than the cheap copies. The WT hangar has to be tightly secured against the dropout to ensure a correct hang angle (height) of the rear derailleur. Cheap copies of the Wolf's tooth part did not allow for changing the angle setting/height.

The Wolf's tooth part is available only in black. I bought a cheap copy of the Wolf's tooth part on eBay because I wanted a silver colored part. The hang angle of the cheap copy could not be changed; it was too horizontal and put the derailleur too close to the cogs.

I gave the silver-colored Copy part to a machinist friend. He made a stainless steel stop pin (stepped down in diameter), drilled the hangar and pressed in the pin. Adding the pin made the hang angle much better.





I'm using a 54" chain and can comfortably fit a 28 cog (shown above on the IRD freewheel, along with a 34 small chainring), by using the modified derailleur extension tab. The effective chainstay length is 42.5 cm. (I recall that I can fit a 30T with the setup shown above, too.)

I get much better shifting on to the smallest cogs by using the extension tab instead of installing Super Record pulley plates on to a NR derailleur. The SR plates hang 1 cm lower (the pivot point is 1 cm higher, thus giving greater clearance to the freewheel), but the SR plates are thinner (and more flexible). When using SR plates instead of the extension tab, the shifting on to the smallest cog is always sluggish. I usually have to shift on the small chainring, shift into the smallest cog, and then upshift to the large chainring. Using the extension tab and the original NR pulley plates eliminates that fuss.

Classtime 

I think running two smaller chainrings like a 44/34 (or even smaller) would work better and look more "proper" than long cage derailleurs and big cogs. Just my opinion and likely what I will do before the end times and I tell my wife, in a final act of defiance, to deal with my Sachs on the living room wall and I become a walker. I just love a tight cogset and I love trying to keep up with riders so old that they have no business going so fast on vintage bikes riding the gears of their youth. That is MyEroica and I can't wait.

nlerner

I just hope they have these at all of the rest stops:

gugie 

Well, it would keep up with your need for coffee every 20 miles.
But I hate to tell you, they ain't keto.

nlerner

I'll take the coffee any way I can, and keto rules are definitely relaxed during long bike rides and multi-day tours. How else can I drink the beer?!

gugie 

Caffeine suppositories ftw!

bikingshearer 

Yeah, but they're kind of a pain in the @ss.

gugie 

I want a new bike, one that won't make me bored
One that won't make me crash going down Cypress
Or make my legs feel three-feet thick

So I'm in the Atelier this morning staring up at Raleigh Row and realize there's a copper International frame that I bought a few years back in my size.

As purchased:


It's a Frankebuild, and needs a more appropriate build for Eroica.

Dug around, found a NR crankset and a Red Clover triplizer in my stash, some large flange Record hubs, and a pair of 36 hole rims I got when VO actually had a few sets in stock for about 90 seconds last year. Get me a 7 speed 13-32 freewheel, put a 24t granny on that triplizer, got some 35mm wide Compass Rene Herse tires on order (bonus at work will just cover those), Cypress may go down this year.

mgopack42 

Well, I finally decided on my game plan for Erotica weekend. Since I did the Heroic route last time, I have nothing to prove in that regard. And since it was so bad last time, they threw in a free Nova Erotica ticket for next time. So I plan on riding my gravel bike on the Saturday ride, the long one if there are two (I can't recall). Since I will be pretty pooped after that, I will ride the short road route (is it Piedras Blanco?) On Sunday, but I think I will do the Andy hack of early start to Cayucos, and back in time for the Peidras Blanco route. Up to Ragged point if I am really feeling years younger than my age (and if the training has paid off). This way I get the off road part, just on a bike designed for it, and I get to show off my new 3Rensho. Plus I can leave more period correct gearing on the bike so that it looks the 80s part.

mgopack42 

I also wanted to use my power meter pedals, on the 3Rensho, so I kluged up a solution

PowerTap pedals

Amazon platform with toe clips and straps on top and a cleat on the bottom

Clipped in. Power meter works, and 100(ish) percent compliant with toe clip rules.
I just need to engineer a kick tab, so I can actually clip in moderately quickly.

mgopack42 

gugie , you seem to have forgotten there was just one flat, and it was up by the Elephant seals on Saturday. So a bunch of us rode down the coast, over 1300 bike miles, and the only flat was a guy that drove in, and rode with us on Saturday and Sunday.😀
Sorry, even though I shared a bed with him (or maybe because of that?) I cannot remember his name. The curse and blessing of age!

Kabuki12

My Eroica Bike
Well the Colnago is ready as she'll ever be ...the rider? I just did a 40+ mile ride which included a canyon ride that goes in 5 miles and about 1500 ft of climbing . It ain't that bad and the downhill was AWESOME! I guess me AND the bike are ready!! See y'all there , let's make it great!!

gugie 

Musta been Dana. I didn't remember him having a flat - I thought he got behind us when he lost one of his cookies from the place in Cayucas?

I won't tell Jill about the whole bed sharing... What goes on in the bike tour, stays in the bike tour...

Classtime 

mgopack42 the 3Rensho has tires that say gravel on them. Is that your Saturday bike? I'm considering clipless with a stock 42/32 low C&V for Saturday's long route.
(Btw we always have something to prove. Go long.)

nlerner

Last I checked, there’s still nearly three months until this ride. Don’t peak too early!

Spaghetti Legs 

1998 too early?

gugie 

Well played.

mgopack42 

Yeah, it does have 28mm Gravel Kings on it, but the gearing is certainly not what this old guy needs for a long on/off pavement route with lots of climbing. Staturday's ride will be on my gravel bike, with low low gearing, and 47 mm tires.

Since this picture I have actually lowered my low gear ratio by installing a 11-40 cassette, and tweaking the "B" screw to allow clearance between the upper jockey wheel and the larger cassette cog. 30-46 front, 11-40 rear. Gotta love the 0.75 low ratio!

I learned my lesson last time using a 39-52 and 11-30 on my Ciocc. Firstly, even though I was well within the capacity of the first gereation Chorus equiptment, either I hadn't dialed it in well enough, or I misread the specs, but it didn't like that, and the RD failed with about 8 miles to go (cage return spring, gave up). Secondy, my legs were not up to the task, especially Kiler Canyon, and Cypress Mountain. With my gravel bike on Saturday, I figure I have a punchers chance to spin my way up most of the tough climbs.
I do have a Tripleizer set-up, that I can put on the 3Rensho, or a 9 speed Campy triple I can put on the Masi, if i change my mind (for instance, I feel great after Saturday) and want more challenge on Sunday. I will be flexible, and take it as it comes, and be prepared for what ever my body says is right! All I need to do is bring parts and tools, and "Bob's your uncle".

Here is the tripleizer I have for the DA crankset. It requires a ridiculously long BB spindle for the inner chain ring to clear the chainstay.

Fredo76

I would be fine with people not using the words 'correct' or 'incorrect' when referring to other people's bicycles. Except maybe in a safety context, like "the open ends of your brake pads are pointing to the front - that's incorrect because they could come out while you're braking!". Something like that.

gugie 

Correct.

cyclic_eric

But if there's nothing to be irate about, we wouldn't really need tequila, etc.

Kabuki12

^^^ or bikes! Riding is my mental floss

Classtime 

This is an Eroica thread. There are rules. Shame on anyone riding their Masi GC with this:


This is also incorrect:


No mo better.

gugie 

"It is important to know all of the rules inside and out so that they can be broken properly."

Right now I'm thinking of running 52-42-24 / 13-32. Might be incorrect, but it's within the rules. As penance, I"ll wear wool shorts with a real chamois.