bigwooly

Thanks for the info that's why I haven't wrapped the bars yet and after the last ride by left elbow has been real sore. So that i guess could be why. I'm having a hard time visualizing what you're saying about getting the levers even but I'm sure with the powers of Google-fu and You-Tube combined I should be able to get it done. And when all else fails I'll head to the co-op and beg for help!

I can definitely tell the difference in the geometry of the bike vs my Schwinn sprint. This one has me way farther forward. Almost too far forward. What would i need to change to counter act some of that? the stem length? This stem is visibly longer than my other bike which I find a little more comfortable.

I've taken two rides on it and from the second one (14.0 miles which is my 3rd longest ride in the last 4 months of riding) I'm noticeable sore two days later. With nowhere close to the same gearing as the bike I've been riding on it was much more demanding physically to ride my neighborhood. Legs, elbow, arms all sore not like in a hurt way but in a wow haven't been using those as much kinda way.

Bianchigirll 

One of the toughest things about this forum is your get everyones opinion.

I don't recall if you mentioned anywhere how tall you are. If the bike basicaly fits you, you can comfortable stand over it and pic the front wheel up an inch or so then it does. I am not sure if this model is known to have along top tube or not but it does look a bit stretched out to me.

If you schwinn fits and is comfortable measure the distance from the nose of the saddle to the bars. If it is more than a 2-3 cm you likely could use a shorter stem. However this can be affected by your saddle set back.

The short answer is if the bike feels long you can use a shorter stem to bring the bars closer to your saddle.

Depending what the chainrings are you might be able to get a smaller one and that will give some 'lighter' gears for the hills.

Bikedued

Good point about measuring the other bike. A lot of bikes I have found from the mid eighties up to the mid nineties have VERY long stems. What's wrong with an opinion if it gives a good guideline for a starting point? Most brake levers are designed to be used from both positions, and the rear part of the hood being level to the ground is how most bikes achieve that goal. The further up the hoods are, the more you have to rotate your wrists upwards to reach the brake lever in the drops. I worked in a bike shop for two years, and owned/rebuilt literally dozens of road bikes for several years prior to that. I was just trying to help out...

The lever position I mentioned earlier... It doesn't work for all lever/handlebar combos, but for the Shimano aero levers that the OP is using, it does.

bigwooly

So a lot of google-fu tells me that i should be able to take this "cassette" apart and put on some bigger cogs and change up the gearing on this thing.. The spacers are separate from the cogs and from what i've found i can use cogs from any Accushift Plus/or PowerFlo suntour cassettes.

Velo-base says my 600 tri-color RD has a max cog size of 28

so i'm proposing purchasing the following two cogs and then customizing my current cassette (also the cheapest option i see for a better climbing setup)

28t Powerflo(APII) Cog
23t Accushift Plus Cog

Total shipped will be under $30 bucks.

Then the cassette will go back on as follows 12-13-15-17-19-21-23-28.

Anyone see any problems with my logic here? Also the seller has verified that they will go on my hub since they are the same thickness and the spacers aren't attached to the cogs themselves.

Bikedued

The 23-28 shift might give a tiny bit of trouble sometimes. The only way to really tell is a bench test. Sometimes the gear jump is too much and the upper jockey wheel could just stop and refuse to move over. The 28 cog has ramps so the issue could be minor or no trouble at all. I am betting it will work pretty well. Starting with a small cog like a 12 and ending with 28 makes it more of a "modern" gear spread. A lot of newer entry level bikes that come with 8sp have a similar progression.,,,,BD

bigwooly

They made a 24t cog(or is it sproket?) in this line too I just haven't found one for sale anywhere yet would that make the shift better?

Bikedued

Try it out, I think it will do okay with the ramps. If anything it might have a slight delay as it climbs up onto the gear. If the derailleur handles a 28t cog (which it should) there shouldn't be a problem.,,,,BD

You will be thankful for the 28T once you hit a steep hill.

bigwooly

digging for index shifting info for my current setup and i came across this forum post it says that spacing for suntour 8s cassettes was the same even spacing as a shimano 8s cassette. Does this mean that i might be able to swap my Shimano 105 downtube shifters over to index and have index shifting for this ride?

Also in the age of the internets this information could just be the ramblings of someone who wasn't 100% on what they were saying (no offense to the OP if they happen to see my post)

The Golden Boy 

Everything ELSE I've read is that the spacing is the same on Shimano/Suntour 6 speed- after that is where it gets dicey.

I have Suntour shifters, a Suntour derailleur and a Shimano freewheel in a 6 speed system. It works fine.

Shimano had a better system- it's not just that Suntour's isn't in production anymore- it's that, despite a few people here and there, most people will agree that Accushift is "finicky."

If you're after indexed shifting, and you're interested in using "classic" components and you want as few problems as possible- go with Shimano. The only reason I have the Suntour stuff on my bike is because I wanted the Command shifters and Shimano's "answer" or "solution" was STI.

bigwooly

Going Shimano means a new Wheelset or at least a matching campy rim laced to a Shimano rear hub. That sounds like way more funds than i could scrounge up. But i did make a dumb mistake today. I left a Shimano 105 hub sitting in the bin at the co-op and that would have been a way cheaper project. Maybe it'll still be there when they open saturday. The 105 DT shifters i have on there are index (7) or friction. i wonder if i can find one of these rims.

The Golden Boy 

I think you should be able to swap a freewheel on- I've gone from Suntour non-indexing to Regina to Shimano on the same hub.

bigwooly

If this were a freewheel i would be golden. Unfortunately it's one of those in between designs that is proprietary.

The Golden Boy 

Eeww... sorry about that.

I guess it's time to appreciate the virtues of friction shifting!

Really, I love the Suntour ratcheting shifters- I have a set of the Sachs Huret shifters that have the same action- really sweet.

Best of wishes in getting it running awesome!

bigwooly

So to how to get the hoods even. Went to the LBS asked the guy how he does it and he pulls out a tailors tape measure. Measure from the bottom of the lever under the hoods to the end of the bar...... Wow now i feel stupid it's can't really be that easy.

Well that's how he assembles every bike they sell.

Guess what it works.

bigwooly

so now that i know the hoods are even i took it out again last night for a short ride (9.4 miles). Still waiting on my 23t and 28t cog to come in so i can't take it for much of a ride yet.

Everything else about the bike feels wonderful but towards then end i was having the same pain in my left elbow. I do feel way more stretched out on this bike than on my Sprint which is very comfortable to ride but it's just soooo much heavier than the 660.

I'm beginning to think this is because of the stretched out position i'm riding in with this mile and a half long stem on here. I've got another stem that i think is an 80 mm stem i'm going to give that a try once i can find a replacement stem bolt (the heads rounded off on this one).

What would i need to measure to "duplicate" the riding position from the sprint as much as possible on the 660?

Sorry to sound so dumb but i've only been riding since June and had never worked on a bike in my life prior to that time.

Chris_in_Miami

When I'm comparing the reach dimension of different bikes, I measure the distance between the center of handlebar close to the stem and the spot on the saddle where my "sit bones" make contact.

bigwooly

Cogs Came in yesterday and a trip to the co-op followed to have a go at building a custom cassette for this thing. It went wonderfully. glad i had done my homework on taking it apart cause the folks at the co-op were like huh? when i asked them about taking this cassette apart. But thanks to the internet i was able to use a small pointed "nail set" from my wood working tools to tap out the pins then it was just a matter of reassembling and then tapping the pins back into place. It was also a learning experience for some of the folks a the co-op who were watching the process.



And it shifts it like it was meant to make the 23 - 28 shift. I'm still kind of thinking i might like to swap out the RD for something suntour. I'm thinking maybe med - long cage suntour xc pro from their Mountain line. After all my 23t and 28t cogs are from mountain cassettes.

Still need a shorter stem before i can wrap the build up. The co-op had nothing shorter that didn't look like it had been driven over by a cement truck so today at lunch it's time for a trip over to my new favorite bike shop in Stone Mountain Village. Kris should have something that will work for me there he always does.

Hoping next update will be a completely buttoned up final photo shoot. The Jagwire Racer set (yellow) I ordered from my LBS in Conyers came in. Once all the ride details are finished i'll put that on right before a thorough degreasing of my hands and then the yellow bar tape.

Anyways that's all for now.

bigwooly

Well it's complete..... for now. It rides like a dream it's quick, snappy, and very responsive. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

Final Photos