smontanaro 

I have this Redcay frame which is starting to give me fits. It's a death of a thousand cuts. When I bought it, I thought I had just about everything I needed, but noooo....

• First, it needed recessed brakes, but the two sets I have are nutted. I have a recessed set on order from Barbara, the Ebay fairy (she's in France - her foundation sends bikes to Africa)
• Then when repacking the headset I found that the fork crown race wasn't a press fit. After exploring various options (knurling tools are expensive!), I punted and used a bit of super glue, figuring it would be strong enough to keep the race from spinning, but not so strong that it would be impossible to remove at some point in the future.
• Then I discovered that it needs a 27.0 seat post. (Still looking for a Campy post at a reasonable price, made more expensive by the fact that it seems most decent candidates are in Europe.)
• The other day I mounted the rear derailleur (a nice 1st gen SR), but when I snugged up the the hanger bolt, the cage didn't pivot smoothly. I carefully removed a bit of paint from the mating surface of the hanger and applied a drop of oil. It's better, but still not perfect.
• Then the NR front derailleur I planned to use was too small (came off a Romet, a Polish bike). Fortunately, I have a drilled flat cage NR derailleur that does fit.
• Today I went to mount a nice Cinelli 1R stem with an equally nice Campione del Mundo bar only to discover the stubborn Redcay wants a 22.0 stem while both of the stems in my possession are 22.2.

So, I will now start looking for a 22.0 1A or 1R stem. It appears the center section of my CdM bar is 26.0. Is the 22/26 combination pretty common, or am I only going to find 22.0/25.4 or 22.0/26.4 stems?

bibliobob

I'd sand down the 22.2.

I'll check to see if I still have a 27.0 post....

When do we see photos of the frame!

zukahn1 

For 22.0 you will need a 22.0 stem which will likely take 25.0 or 25.4 bars. Or an adapter 22.0 to threadless adapter all of which are pretty pricey. For help when surching look for french stem.

smontanaro 

I'll give sanding some consideration, but I'm inclined to hunt around for a suitable one that doesn't need work (as I would likely botch it).

As for photos, I haven't really taken any. Here are a couple I took right after I got it.

rootboy 

Skip,
I keep my eyes open for French 22 mm Cinelli stems and all I can say is, good luck. They turn up but, are very scarce. Start sanding bro.
Go slow, you won't botch it up.

As for the hard swinging SR derailleur, try another mounting bolt if you have one. I've noticed some Campy upper pivot bodies , while very uniform, sometimes will work a little better with some bolts for some reason. Alternative might be taking a large flat file and skimming a bit off the back side of the pivot body, but that is delicate work.

Edit: just read it again. First generation Super Record rear derailleur? Skip the file routine!
And if you can't get it to fit, it's probably defective and you should just send it to me.

repechage

22.0 insertion Cinelli stems are almost always found for 26.4 bars. BY the time Cinelli transitioned to 26.0 bars French sizing was almost over.

As to the seatpost, I have a 27.0 that came on a Small Colnago Super I bought, Why on earth someone did that is beyond me. I have to check if it is a regular length or "shorty" though.

rootboy 

And... If you really want to use that rear derailleur and just can get it to swing freely, a very light spacer between the end of the bolt and the face of the dropout might make it work. I'm talking a thin piece of shim stock here, punched the exact same diameter as the end of the hanger bolt. Not easy to make but might work. PM me if all else fails.

due ruote 

Try the stem in the fork alone? Sometimes it's the locknut that is too small.
Filing/sanding isn't that bad. I did one recently and it took about an hour or less.

peugeot mongrel

You can use a small brake cylinder hone inside the steer tube like this Just go slow and don't take off more than necessary. That way you can keep the stem and bars.

thenomad

I think that cyclinder hone would do well at trimming some weight off my straight walled frame.

Road Fan

22.0 seems strange - Redcay is an American custom builder, Jim Redcay. You can probably find him on-line and ask if a fork with a French steerer is a possibility for his products. If not, you have the wrong fork. That could also address your crown race issue. Getting a replacement top-grade fork on Ebay is probably easier than what you are doing.

rootboy 

I thought so too. Someone building modern bikes actually used that spec? Sounds weird.

redcaymatt

I thought the same. Can we see some pics? Your link needs permission.

Road Fan

Well, I don't know about modern. Berto mentioned in his book "Upgrading your bicycle ... " that he owned a Redcay, and that was written in the late '70s, I think.

I don't know if he is still building.

Road Fan

Skip, have you tried to date the frame, based perhaps on geometry and its details?

old's'cool

If it's any help, I'm in Switzerland right now and my next trip to IL is in 3 weeks. PM me if there's something I can facilitate for you.

redcaymatt

Redcay stopped building in 84. If you give me the serial # I'll tell you when it was made.

seedsbelize 

Just this morning I shimmed a much smaller stem with a tin can. I accidentally left my 60 mm stem in the US. Haven't finished the build yet, but expect no problems. I realize I'm in the minority on this topic. The seat post on my mountain bike is shimmed with an aluminum can. Maybe the Redcay would be responsive, though, if you showed it you're willing to go the extra distance for it.

Edit: Having lived in Appalachian Ohio for 20+ years, extreme southern Belize for 6, and now SE México for 6 more, I've learned to make do with what I have around. I can't just go out and buy the exact post, or stem, or whatever, either new or used. It usually just doesn't exist. I will admit to having used a piece of galvanized pipe for a seat post a few years ago, when my cheap steel one broke.

smontanaro 

Holy smokes! I didn't realize there were so many replies! None made it into my mailbox until old's'cool's note about facilitation. What's the point of subscribing to a thread if it's not going to notify you of updates?

Anyway, I'll try to touch on all/most of the comments here.

• Based on the Redcay secret decoder ring I got from Paul Brodek, it's a 1979, s/n K3439030 (type "3", 74 and 73 degree angles, 30th frame built in 1979).
• I've located a seat post and brakes at this point.
• Still hunting for a stem, though I found a fairly nice looking 3TTT 22/26 from Barbara, the Ebay fairy (in France). It's a bit long, so I'll keep looking for a bit. If nothing pans out, I'll give some thought to either sanding down a 22.2 stem or honing the steerer a bit. For now though, I'll keep looking.
• Regarding images, I always forget to make photos public on Picasa. I've now done that, so you should be able to see a few photos I've taken over the years.
• It's my understanding that Jim Redcay has been retired for awhile (according to the CR page, he stopped making custom frames when he started with Ross in the 1980s). I don't know if he's online, though I've heard no indication that he is.

Thx,

Skip

smontanaro 

Sometimes you have to fess up to your own stupidity. This is one of those times. I decided to take another look at the stem I have. I figured I'd clean it, so I pulled the expander bolt to clean it of old grease. While apart, I tried it in the steerer. There was some resistance at first, but then it went in. So, I no longer need a stem. I think the expander nut must have been in a bit further than I thought when I originally tried. I must have mismeasured or misinterpreted my measurements.

I also solved my sticking derailleur problem, at least temporarily. I fashioned a little washer from a piece of picture hanging wire. I'll figure out something more permanent down the road.

smontanaro 

Update on my Redcay. Once built up, it became my favorite bike. I've had an early Chris King headset knocking around for a few years and decided to finally swap out the ugly (to me) Chorus/Athena headset I'd been using. I think it looks better now:



That took a bit of effort as well. The cups were just a bit too large (about 0.5mm oversize, while the Park instructions suggest 0.1mm-0.25mm is about right for an interference fit) for my homemade threaded-rod-and-washer "headset press," so I took it to the LBS to have the head tube reamed and headset installed.

RobbieTunes

Excellent.

crank_addict

Nice call on the change out. I remember the first time seeing this handsome machine. The color reminded me of a BMW 2002tii I had...circa 72 or 73. Only until you bumped this thread, now have me thinking of an upcoming project. Best-

RiddleOfSteel

Gorgeous bike! All that struggling paid off--flawless! Also, tall bike, so I am compelled to comment on it as a rider of the same size frame. 65cm CTT?

smontanaro 

Thanks. Not quite that tall, I measure 61x58 CTC.

The previous owner had touched up the paint under the bottom bracket. That touch-up has failed, so I have a quarter size patch to clean up. Fortunately, the bottom bracket is thick (investment cast, I believe), so there's no structural problem at this point.