I haven't completed the build for my 'tout Mavic' because I'm struggling to find a 66cm or 27" (frame not wheels size) Cannondale frame that hasn't been abused. Most 66cm Cannondales sold are actually 63cm frames (which are 66cm to the top of the seat collar). I'm looking for a true 66cm frame (around 68cm to the top of the collar) or a 27" frame which is around 73cm to the top of the collar.

So I haven't actually tried out my SSC brakes yet. Considering so many people have reviewed these and like them better than the Campy exoskeleton brakes, the SRAM Red calipers, the Shimano Dura-Ace calipers, and the Zero-Gravity brakeset, I've just got to ask: What makes the Mavic SSC calipers 'better' that everyone is replacing their high zoot kit?

I'm using 'em 'cause they are Mavic, but what makes 'em "good"?

Sounds like much hype & hot air to me. It's all about the sale.

on the topic of tout Mavic, mtnbke got me motivated to plow thru my very small collection of Mavic parts and I've unearthed a few things I'll offer for trade to the ISO/Trade subforum up above the fold.
I have a braze-on FD (model 862, I think) with one small defect and missing the plastic mounting washer for under the braze-on bolt,
a pair of braze-on retrofriction shifters (model 821, I think) plus one extra for parts,
and a pair or used pulleys for RD, teeth are eroded, but needle bearings still good.
here's the photo album:
http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...MavicPulls_FD/

i just checked your photos of your 862 .
you seem to be missing ( or someone has lost it ) the screw, mounting screw plastic washer .
i am looking for ONE of these . anyone have one ?
pictured here

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/...a7b59e88f9.jpg

i have one but not 2 and i ahve 2 of these deraileurs .
thanks

Cheers
/T

ok im still a bit confused about what part for the aero bar ?
i have this set up and i dont have these parts on ine . i have never seen this before . as stated in previous posts .

more info please mtnbke


Thanks
/T

/T, you're right, I had not realized that was missing, so I updated my description^
I actually do have one but it's staying on my other FD which is not for sale or trade...yet...;)

I dunno.....Aerobar shifter mounts??
Saw that item some time ago too. Couldn't figure it out either, but It looks to definitely be realted to bars because of the shape on one of its ends.

Chombi

:lol: I know.

unworthy, the shifters appear to be model 821 (or at least that's the model number given to them on velobase). I heard these are kind of ratchet / retrofriction style and not true indexed style shifters correct? Just trying to get a confirmation on that. Thanks! :)

Thanks Jon, I'll edit the description with the correct number...AFAIK the ratcheting action is just to provide a kind of resistance similar to the Simplex retrofriction's spring, more akin to SunTour or Shimano ratcheting, but the detents in these Mavics make for a much 'coarser' feel than the fine-tooth feel of the SunTours.
I don't think there was any indexing system that these were supposed to correspond to, just a variation of standard friction and will certainly work with 6-spd gears, probably 7 and 8 too, but I haven't tried.
I should point out that the 3rd extra lever I have to trade was modified: the plate that fits on the frame boss was ground nearly flat (maybe to use on an OS frame like a Canondale) so it's a spare for parts, IMO. I didn't do the mod.

If that s the part I'm thinking of it is the Aerobar armrest support cover.
#357 016? and #357 015
Its Title is "Riser"

Damitol!!:mad:
I'm Touting cash up the wazoo these past couple of weeks because I've caught a bad case of Mavic treasure hunt fever:twitchy:! I might end up with a Mavic gruppo that's more expensive than the Vitus frame I am currently restoring to it's former glory....
So who driving up the price for these compnents?? did I hear correctly that the Japanese collectors have recently taken a big liking to anything "Velo Franciase"??!!
Someone please tell them that the Italian stuff's kinda nice too so I can find a SSC Erector RD and FD for a good price!;)

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone 7 Plus

You have to remember that Mavic stuff was the most expensive kit available and by a decent margin when it was available new. It was usually the 'Pro's pro' stuff...

Its a veritable bargain today compared with the crap that Campy tries to pawn off today at Monopoly money price points. The funny thing is that half the innards of Campy stuff comes from China, Taiwan, and Romania only to be assembled in Italy, and often times not even that takes place. You can't begin to compare the quality of components available today with what was available in the previous generation. The quality and finish of Japanese components when the Yen ruled was unparalleled. There was a day when Campy couldn't throw enough titanium at its groups to lighten the race level components. Now its merely sufficient to throw a plasticky carbon sticky fascade on a heavier component and the nameplate and brand appeal will carry it. Its kind of like the Harley Davidson brand, at some point it is no longer about what it is, but what people think it "is". Less than one in a thousand sets of Campy components really end up on bikes that are raced competitively. Performance ends up being secondary as a consideration of design. Rather, the push to be cutting edge, with 10, then 11 speeds, carbon Ergo levers that are less reliable, heavier, and more finick than 'drillium' downtube shifters and dedicated brake levers.

I think cyclists are starting to come to terms with the fact that the quality of what is available new, and the force fed technological advancements aren't really "best", and many cyclists are starting to become a bit more sophisticated. They no longer are merely longing for climbing a rung up the component hierarchy or even to jump from the Shimanoculture ship to Campy, but are looking for something...well...better.

There is a whole cult of cyclists that place a very high value on 7/8 speed kit. Its absolutely bombproof, its more durable, and the drivetrain of choice for those that have the imagination to build projects for the unsupported world tour they most likely will never take.

It just so happens that Ergo and STI 8 speed stuff was problematic and not at all durable, being the early inception of integrated shifting. Mavic stuff happens to be the high water mark of 7/8 speed, has no integrated issues (in terms of reliability or weight penalty), is completely disassembleable and can be repaired/relaced down to the last part, and is conveniently available in tourist configurations (medium and long cage derailleurs). When a group has the pedigree of being on a Tour winning bike, and has a Paris-Roubaix win under its belt, and is light enough for Pro peleton bikes while being strong enough to essentially rebrand half the group without any significant changes for mountain bike XC race use, well...what do you expect?

This stuff is epic.

Would you really rather have some disposable Rival, Force, Chorus 10/11, or what have you in the cycle of constantly latest/greatest nonsense that SRAM, Campy, and Shimano keep shoveling or would you rather have something epic, with personality, history, and panache?

The Mavic groupe is a bargain in real dollars, compared to what it used to cost, again in real dollars. Be thankful it hasn't kept pace with its original valuations and had a collectible premium added to reflect the true scarcity of the stuff...

Mavic 770
 

Does anybody know anything about the Mavic 770 hubset? I've always thought of the Mavic 871/2 36 drill HG freehub body to be the Grail of Mavic kit, but this 770 hubset is something that I can't find ANY information on. I mean ANY information.

There are tons of people who have the 571/2 hubset on their bikes, and I personally find it sad how many Mavic only freehub bodies are being used as fixies with spacers, but that's just me.

However, this 'screw' type freehub body is just the cat's pajamas. I've never seen anything like it...

The weird missing link between the epic 500RD and 501 freewheel hubset and the scarce 571, 571/2, and 577 cassette freehub hubsets?

It sold for $250 as a 'Buy it Now' on eBay, and that's a freakin' bargain to any serious Mavic collector. Heck that's merely the price for a set of used but excellent condition 430 levers.

Chombi, be careful with that Vitus frame...

We can thank the Vitus for probably more than half the supply of Mavic SSC kit out there. For those obsessed with being period correct, or having the appropriate canvas for their Mavic kit the Vitus is the bike.

Maybe a more modern Vitus would a safer acceptable alternative?

From old threads on Vitus bonded aluminum bikes I gleaned that Guywires Cyclery in Vancouver, BC can repair 'em using the original materials if one of the Tubes on a Vitus 979 comes loose (which they do). I'm still looking for information as to how often Sean Kelley's frames were replaced, as to whether this was daily, weekly, or if he really subjected the same frame to the rigors of an entire gran tour.

Bonded tubes aside, flex and aluminum are NEVER good bedfellows. Aluminum has a finite number of fatigue cycles before failure. The Vitus bikes were lively and springy, but they should definitely be understood to have a limited useable safe life due to the flex and the resulting fatigue, then when you consider the issues with the bonding...

The old tech editor for Bicycling (Jim Langley) and CyclArt restoration expert Jim Cunningham both advise against riding a vintage/classic Vitus:

Vitus Restoration Saga - Maynard Hershon

The perfect way to showcase Mavic SSC, but take seriously the dangers of such a vintage bike. If you have little kiddies is it really worth it to ride such a bike 3 feet away from the asphalt monsters screaming along? Is it really? :eek:

I owned a Vitus frame for years years but never built it up. It was used & i never trusted the thing.

I agree that an all Mivic Vitus would be cool. At least on this side of the Atlantic they were almost never equipped that way.

That's curious. For whatever reason every vintage Vitus I've ever seen had Mavic kit on it. Maybe only the Mavic spec'd glued Vitus bikes were ever really imported to the States? Do the rest of you see a lot of Mavic/Vitus bikes?

I'd like some feedback on my latest acquisition. I picked up a pair of NOS 40 drill Mavic Module 4 rims in 27".

Now as far as I can tell these were the heavy touring/bombproof rim by Mavic back in the day. About all I could find out about them came from Bikepro:

http://www.bikepro.com/products/rims/mavicroad.html

How would you guys think the Mavic Module 4 rims compare to the modern A719 (T520) rims? I certainly would have just gone with the A719 (T520) if I could have found 'em in 27" (630bsd). I hope I didn't drastically overpay.

The biggest seller of Vitus Al frames in the 1980's was Performance mail order. Performance didn't offer Mavic groups. Most ended up with some form of Shimano.

Most 80's Vitus aluminum and carbon bikes I've seen here in the states are outfitted with Shimano groupsets.
My Vitus Carbone Plus 7 came to me with 7400 series DA compnenets which have seen some miles and are tired enough to warrant replacement.
For my resto project /"Tout French" buildup for it, the dissasembly/cleanup process that have already taken bout two months, revealed a frame that is still pretty solid with no sign delamination or looseness anywhere. The frame (52cm) and fork even "rings" pretty nice and even when you tap it all over. I think this one's good for many more miles but I will make sure to inspect it very carefully after every ride.
Just snagged an "erector" SSC rear and front derailleur and a NOS set of 500/550 32H hubs for my "Tout French" buildup for the bike. Didn't go all the way Mavic cause I don't really like the Modolo and Diacompe brakes that they used in the 80s (kinda strays away from the "Tout French" buildup effort). I decided to use my spare NOS Spidel/Mafac LS1 sidepulls instead.
Still looking for the proper BB, crank, chain, bars and pedals to finish the project. Trying to stay away from the "Patrick" style Mavic cranks. the lines on those just don't look quite right on classic bikes with traditional round tube construction IMO. The "Uber Aero look on those cranks will look more at home on monocoque CF frames or TT bikes.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

Hi,

this is just in - and I thought it would fit here:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2716/...80c250f3_o.jpg

I am itching to post up mine but Until I find a 3G rear or another 24hole GL330 it will remain moments away.
Also I cheating by using modern Mavic bartape, this project isnt even over and yet i'm already drooling over the next.
The Mavic curse is even worse than the general french curse.

Hey Cool Steve what are you going to do for a replacement cassette on that proprietary Mavic 571 rear hub? I've never even seen a Mavic shark tooth cassette for sale that wasn't paired with a Mavic hub...

I've been looking for a 36h or 40h 130mm rear Mavic cassette HG compatible cassette hub for a long time. I see Mavic 571/2 hubs come up from time to time but they are always 32 drill. I've heard that you can replace the hub cassette body, but I really doubt that you can use a modern Mavic hub body. Anybody know?

I saw a 40 drill Mavic 501 rear hub on eBay recently but it was a freewheel hub, and I already have a NOS 36h one. I'm not inclined to build it up as I'm currently too heavy for anything freewheel, save a Phil Wood.

Why don't you source some Mavic road drop handlebars for that bike instead of the TT bullhorn bars? They wouldn't be particularly safe (alloy bars shouldn't be used but a handful of years and then retired) though...

[QUOTE=mtnbke;10091133] what are you going to do for a replacement cassette on that proprietary Mavic 571 rear hub? I've never even seen a Mavic shark tooth cassette for sale that wasn't paired with a Mavic hub...[QUOTE]

i have a set of those 571's on one of my merckx commuters . i took off all the cogs but one , the 19Tooth cog is on . and i guess ill run it until it dies , i cannot find any replacements for the 571 .
im running a 53/19 on my commuter .
anyone have a 571 cassette or know where to find one ?

Thanks
/T

I saw 8 NOS mavic cogs on eBay last month sell for $140
Best bet would be finding some on hubs, or on a bike.

Has anyone here ever had any success with the Zap and Mechtronic derailleurs?

Not sure if this is true but, weren't they outlawed from sanctioned competition, thus Mavic discontinued them?
Otherwise, they go for lots of money at Ebay when they come up. I think they are more of a curiosity/conversational piece than something people would like to use everyday on their bikes. Specially being that maintenance and replacement parts, I would think, are now very expensive and hard to come by.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7