Late 80's early 90's Mercier frame with Campagnolo bits.
 

Hello everyone!

I'm a tooled up eager man wanting to rip apart a bike (first time) and do it up, I think it must be my need for instant gratification, but I'll do my best to take it easy and don't run before I can walk.

Anyway...

I'm looking at repairing (to the best of my abilities) my dad's old commuting bike, and taking it over for my own daily big commute (saves on petrol!) I'm very sketchy on details, so I hope you good people can help me out and nudge me in the right direction should I go off on a tangent.

Right - Some back ground history. The bike was bought in the 90's Mercier frame (which is very light) used to be a dark pink colour with Campagnolo gears set(?) Wheel hub, breaks, saddle post and crank/bottom bracket. The Front Derailleur however, is a Shimano RX100. I don't know any of the model numbers of the Campagnolo stuff or the Mercier frame.

In 2002, I got some guy to tinker with the machine, he changed the colour and did some other things (not very well) and I had nothing but problems and threw it in the shed.


Here it is:
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3241/bikeup9.jpg

Back derailleur:
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7334/backkz2.jpg

Front derailleur:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5...ontsiderw8.jpg

Breaks: (side pull?)
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3...akfrontuy1.jpg

Bottom Bracket:
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/917/pedalby4.jpg

Cassette:
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3933/cassettepa6.jpg


Have I missed anything?

Well as you can see on most of these pictures, the spiders have got in and there is rest galore, the shimano front derailleur particularly suffering. I'm going to deal with the frame myself so I’m not worried about that, it's more the other parts.

Will it be ok to clean them up by stripping and rebuilding? I don't want to break anything during the clean up? Also I'm guessing that I have 12 gears on this bike? Do I need a new cassette? I'm also worried about the wheel hubs, I think their ok, but how do I know?

I'm sorry for dumping this on you all, I'm going through the process over the next few day's of stripping the bike totally from the frame so that can be cleaning and sprayed properly, while doing that I'd like to replace/repair all the other bits at the same time.

Ah another question, Should I get rid of the Shimano front derailleur and replace it with a Campag? Or does it matter? If I do how do I know what will work with what???

Right, I'll leave that with ya!

Cheers,

Jon

That's a nice looking bike!

The rust on the front derailleur should clean up nicely with a little metal polish. I've dealt with worse, and they usually bounce back. A good cleaning and tuning will probably be all that's needed, as long as the parts aren't totally shot.

Gearing - multiply the number of cogs on the back by the number of chainrings. It looks like a pretty close ration freewheel. If the teeth are worn out, it should be replaced. It looks like it's an older freewheel style, as a opposed to a modern cassette.

Wheel hubs - You could probably just rebuild them. I have no experience with Campy, sadly, but they are known for being rebuild-able. Take them apart, clean them up, replace pitted/worn parts, fresh grease, reassemble. If they run smooth, i would probably just keep them as is.

The Shimano front derailleur - You're mixing Campy and Shimano?!?!! Someone's going to have a heart attack!! Seriously, though, i'm guessing the shifting is all friction, or at least the front, so functionally, it shouldn't be a problem. If you want to convert it to index shifting, you'll want to get compatible shifters/derailleurs, usually the same brand/style/speed. With friction shifting, you can mix and match. To replace it, get one with the same clamp diameter so it fits your frame, and one that can handle the same jump between the chainrings.

As long as you're stripping the bike, check the headset and bottombracket. Clean, inspect, grease and rebuild. It should be good.

Again, awesome bike!!! Have fun with it.

Yes, stripping and rebuilding whatever possible is a good idea. Going on what seems like your limited understanding of bicycle mechanics, you can either opt to do the work yourself (which requires a lot of specific tools and a bit of prior studying/reading), or take it to a local, reputable, bike shop to have the work done for you.
The best thing for the bike is an overhaul - clean, inspect and grease all bearing surfaces (bottom bracket, headset, both hubs), and make correct load adjustments. Inspect cable housing for cracks and breaks, and replace with new housing and cables if necessary. Inspect tyres for cracking and dry-rotting and if absolutely necessary, replace. The list can go on - depends on how much you are willing to put in, and more to the point, pay, if you have it done for you.
The Campagnolo parts are Triomphe, from the mid '80s. They look okay, but I guarantee that Shimano parts from the same period will perform a lot better, especially when it comes to shifting - derailleurs (especially the rear), shifters being the obvious points. If you want indexed shifting, you are looking at a total makeover to a pretty much all-Shimano drivetrain.
The brakes are good, pretty much like any single pivot sidepull from the period. The difference here comes more from non-aero v.s aero levers, the latter having more mechanical advantage. Yours has the former, but you can easily change if you desire.
It all depends on whether you want fashion or function. Campy parts may look better (some may argue this point when it comes to the Triomphe group), but Shimano will provide for a nicer ride. I'd say keep the Shimano f. derailleur if it's in good shape - make sure the springs still seem strong, there isn't too much play at the pivots and wear on the inside of the cage.
You will not need a new cassette if is it isn't worn out (check for skipping under load, especially whilst running the hardest two or three cogs).
I know this all opens up a can of worms for you, but hopefully it is of some help.

Rubbish!

So, would like to expand on what you think is rubbish about my advice? What is the point of just replying with one word?...Or would you rather just leave it at that?...:(

...no response....what a surprise!...:rolleyes:

I personally don't have any problem with friction shifting, so I'd be inclined to leave the setup as it is, or possibly replace the FD if the mis-match bothers you. But some others no doubt will differ. As others suggested, the decision you'll have to make is whether to D-I-Y or turn it over to a good shop. Working on bikes of this era is pretty straightforward, and your parts are good enough that it's pretty satisfying when you get things adjusted properly. However, it does take time, the right tools, and know-how. If you want to work on the bike yourself, it would be best if you could find someone in your area (through a bike club, the forums, whatever) who could work with you. There are also lots of good resources online. Check the Mechanics forum for specific questions, and refer to the Park Tool website. There are also lots of good tech. tips on Sheldon Brown's (RIP) website.

By the way, your front brake pad holders are on backwards. The pads should slide in from back to front, so that the braking action can't push the pad out of the brake.

Thank you all for the feedback.

This is going to a D-I-Y project and I'm happy to leave the setup as is, if that is ok. I don't mind dealing with friction shifting (It's just the FD pushing the chain yea?) I'm not worried about Shimano on Campag either I just want the bike to ride just as my dad's did.

If I was to go get a Triomphe FD will it add to the performance of the bike? Probably not.

Thank you for pointing the break situation out to be Jbonamici, that is something I would never have noticed.

Right I'm going to start cleaning up, will post next week with an update.

Thanks again!

Jon

No problem. Just to be clear, what you need to do is unbolt the pad holders from the brake arms, and switch the right and left holders.

You'll enjoy the bike, and we'll enjoy the pics.

Thanks again,

Just out of interest, the back derailleur doesn't have a bolt as such just a hole.... I'm guessing a alan key would be used to take it off of the frame?

Sorry to bump this up, just a quicky.

I think i'm going a bit mad, I'm sure that the bike is a 12 speed unit. (6 at the back 2 at the front) Now i've been floating around ebay for a Campag Trimphe/Victory front Derailleur (as i think they will work, via friction?) But they don't seem to be avaliable anywhere.

The front derailleur's out there seem to only support 9/10 gears?

Is this right? or am i missing something?

Cheers,

Jon

Chances are most campy victory and triomphe derailleurs will be misslabelled.

LOL this is the best I could find I don't even recall what group this is but it's bottom of the barrel...labeled as "c-record"

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-C-REC...QQcmdZViewItem

I think that you'll find good service with just about any campy front derailleur, if the brand match is important. The one that cyclotoine put up is a 90's chorus, and it would match the esthetic of the Triomphe group. It is also very functional. But if esthetics are not important (ahem!) then that shimano derailleur could be made to work okay. What, exactly, is wrong with the front shifting?

Nothing at all, I think i'm just jumping ahead of myself.

The current way of describing deraileurs is to say how many cogs on the rear freehub that they can handle. So yours would be a six speed. A nine/ten speed would still work with your hub, but some have narrower cages for the chain to pass through, so you may have to use a compatible chain. There are a lot of older deraileurs that would work fine. Look for something labled as 7 or 8 speed compatible. The other issue would be if you want indexing. Then you need to have a deraileur/freewheel/shift lever combination that work together.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but the brake pads on that front brake assembly are on backwards. They could cause you a real problem if they decide to leave under heavy braking. Nice bike though, good luck with it.

jbonamici mentioned it earlier, but a second pair of eyes are great, thanks for the input velomateo!


I'm happy to stick with friction for this bike, I'm sure i'll get used to the feel.

Thanks again.

Jon

Oh and thank you Pompiere as well.

That gearing is tight. You will probably have trouble finding replacement chainrings, but you can always swap out the freewheel if you want more range. Something like 13-15-17-20-23-26 work work well with your 52-42 ringset.

Although I generally like Campagnolo components, I am not a big fan of Victory/Triomphe, primarily for aesthetic reasons.

Cheers, John.

I think I may have blagged myself a bargain on a Campanolo front derailleur....

$2 dollars? :D

Check here for a lot of great repair help!
I used this site along with two books for my overhaul and rebuild.
http://www.parktool.com/repair/

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=150215338382

5 dollars for a Veloce front derailleur.

Not bad?

Thanks for the link ridethecliche!

It had to happen sometime :D

Problem #1

Back mounting Bolt stuck - Nut on the rear end of the bolt is Stripped -____-.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/259/breakskj6.jpg

Front break (complete) with good bolt.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6...odmboltzu0.jpg

I think I'm going to have to cut the 'bad' bolt so I can forcefully remove the blighter (it's totally stripped "doh")

Just wanted to say it out loud.

:D

Updates!

Well i've pretty much stripped the bike, taken off most of the horrid blue and I'm doing a few other bits a bobs.

I have a few questions....

Rear Cogs.......

I was always under the impression that all my bits were campy, but they are not! (shock horror)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/400...sbetterrt1.jpg

This as you can see is a Shimano jobby! It is a 6 speed unit which has been working with the Triomphe RD, as it's been working fine (the cogs are a bit worn) I'm going to try and buy a replacement Shimano unit (seems the campagnolo 6 speed is very difficult to get (with english thread)

Could the Triomphe only deal with a 6 speed cog or was there play between 4 speed and 10 speed?

One other thing, the advertised SIS MF-Z012's on ebay all have 15 points on the first cog, mine has 13, is that going to be a problem?

Thanks again guys and girls!

Jon

Anyway, removing the crank tomorrow (fun fun fun)

Cheers,

Jon