Hi,
i have this lovely (to my eyes) Dave Russell Reynolds 653 frame and forks.
Dave Russell was a UK framebuilder who only did so to order(see Classic lightweights) - i think this frame is from around 1989 but here's my dilemma...
Being 653 means that it has 753 stays which in turn means that the 126mm spacing will have to stay as just that.

I'd love to build this as a campagnolo 10 speed equipped steed but am not sure if the 130 hub will fit or if indeed if it doe it will put too much pressure on it and cause damage.

the purist could say build it with 7 speed 126mm spaced rear hub but to be honest i don't like friction shifting although it would look the part - i converted my Gazelle champion mondial to 10 speed and love how it rides.

The other option is to make it a single speed (WITHOUT altering anything on the frame) but i already have a Bob Jackson SS/fixed club racer.

I'm a bit stuck as once i decide what to do with it i'll get it restored to it's former glory.
Any suggestions re: how to build it and with what would be appreciated.

oh, here's a pic.

Why not just restore the bike and then allow yourself the opportunity to ride it, the way it was intended. It is a beautiful bicycle and would probably offer a rewarding ride in stock configuration. Just a thought.

I'm with randyjawa but if you must have 10 speed (130mm rear spacing) the rear dropouts can be spread to accept a 130 rear hub. You could, if you are a bit 'rough and ready', spread them with a little brute force or a bike shop could do the job.

There are special tools that will spread the stays and forks and then return the dropouts to a parallel position at the new 130mm spacing. The dropouts can exert unwanted forces on the axle if they are not parallel.

best of luck,

Gary.

it is a good thought too - i suppose it would make a classy 7 speed bike and maybe i could change my attitude to friction shifting - after all i did ride a 7 speed carlton for years when i was younger...
Apart form Campagnolo what other 7 speed groupsets are any good? Did mavic make them?
I had a pair of Suntour superbe NOS hubs and went and sold them a while back .... Damn!

What he says ! ^

Have you given friction shifting a fighting chance? I'm in the "try it as it was designed" camp with this particular frame, but no matter how you build it up I'm sure it'll be a great bike. Enjoy the build and get it on the road!

Put friction shifting on it. You'll like it, especially with Shimano teeth and chain. It's almost indexy.

what would be a period correct groupset for it (if it's arond 1989/90)?

I know dura ace is top of the shimano pile and can source some 7 speed hubs but in that era what was the pecking order? - my carlton had shimano 600 (arabesque?) which was great

I would need to be able to source the items off ebay probably or look for a bike of around that era and use the groupset

then i have the dilemma of budget.. keep it reasonably priced or sell a kidney to get some nice dura ace kit (my other bikes are campagnolo equipped so i could probably do with a change)

IMO, get excellent Suntour shifters, FD, RD, and a ramped Shimano freewheel, plus a good chain. Butter, done right. Then you can go with any calipers you want, too.

I'm half-way to a 6-sp indexed DA group, but my guess is he'll want to keep all but the shifters/FD/RD.

who said 6-7 speed had to only be friction?

8 speed Dura Ace STI running a 7 speed on a 126mm 105SC rear hub. Remove 1 cog from the cassette and your good to go.

spreading (not cold setting) the stays 2mm each side to accept a 130mm hub will harm the frame?

Absolutely not but I think you knew that already. I said it in another thread but every steel frame ever made by hand has been cold set. Every one. Any builder that says they've never needed to cold set is lying.

The OP stated it had 753 stays, and implied they should not be spread beyond 126mm. I'm not up to speed on all things 753, hence my question.

Ok, my misunderstanding. I k ow 753 has different properties but nothing comes out of the jig perfect. I'd imagine 753 frames need to be tweaked like every other steel frame.

My thoughts exactly.

Put 7 speed on it and get some 7 speed indexed shifters...then flip the little switch and use em as friction when you wanna take a ride on the wild-side

+100. Plenty of seven speed STI options out there, as well as seven speed DT index shifting.

thanks for all the advice - as far as i'm aware the stays can't be cold set due to having less flex than 531.
I'm definately leaning towards Dura ace for this build - is 7400 compatible with 7401/7402 ?

Wheelwise how does this sound? Dura ace 6/7 speed cassette hubs laced to campagnolo omega 19 rims (black) with veloflex pave tyres (black and tan).

What should i be looking for re: brifters / shifters?

cheers

I think a 740x series derailleur can be run 6 or 7 speed as long as you have the Dura-Ace freewheel and shifters to match. I'm pretty sure you'll be looking for DT shifters; pretty sure they didn't make 7 speed Dura-Ace brifters.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html

on a recent build I wanted Dura-Ace hubs but didn't want to deal with the rest of the compatibility issues with Dura-Ace. So I just threaded a Sun Race 7 speed Freewheel on and used Ultegra components.

well after a bit of emailing and thinking i've decided to go against all advice given and do the following !...

I spoke to ARGOS cycles in Bristol, UK and they can rebuild the back end to 130mm spacing and will do so with silver solder.
Then it'll have a repaint to the exact colours of the original with decals that i already own.
It'll then be built with a black cinelli 1R stem with Giro d'italia bars and white fizik tape, a full Campag Record Carbon 10 speed Groupset, wheels will be Campag record titanium hubset (1998) chrome (NOS) on mavic open pro ceramic rims with veloflex pave tyres, selle itali flite on carbon record post, KMC gold chain and Chris king gold grip nut headset.
All parts are brand new so hopefully this should be a very useable and unique bike...

I'll post pics of progress.

Cool build.

Keep us posted with pics, perhaps a lot.

It's snowing to beat the band here, so my racing bikes have been tucked away for the winter.

This will be another pleasant diversion during the winter months watching these builds.

Good luck!

Since you have prepared yourself to replace the rear stays....is there any harm in trying to spread them? Any final word on 753 workability??

Very cool build nonetheless!