SwissCross gravel project
#52
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If you're going to buy a wider-range cassette, why limit yourself to 9 speeds? A Shimano or SRAM 11-speed cassette will work on your freehub.
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#54
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#55
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Nope never broken anything on a bike in fact but make some decisions based on robustness, simplicity, etc. eg: decision to go 28/32 spoke on the wheels.
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#56
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I am new to carbon forks and its been a very long time since I've worked with threadless. I have not ridden this bike yet but my gut is that I'll want the stem lower than the previous rider had it (see below).
Do folks usually cut the steerer to suit, eliminating shims or leave it long with shims on top of the stem....
A) to preserve flexibility for resale?
B) to preserve flexibility for rider comfort changes?
Do folks usually cut the steerer to suit, eliminating shims or leave it long with shims on top of the stem....
A) to preserve flexibility for resale?
B) to preserve flexibility for rider comfort changes?
Just a heads up, but it looks from your photos that you’re exceeding the recommended number of spacers under the stem. With most carbon forks, it’s suggested not to exceed 15 or 20 mm of spacers between the top cap and stem, to be on the safe side. It’s unlikely to be a problem in practice, but you might look into this.
This routing is correct. The frame wasn’t designed for a v-brake; if it were, it wouldn’t have the cable guide and it would have a cable stop at the rear of the top tube. What you want is a cable carrier that clamps to the straddle wire so you can compensate for the asymmetric pull. Or a link wire, which similarly gives more control over centering.
#57
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Quick follow-up on the carbon fork question: some Googling suggests 20 mm spacers below the stem is fairly conservative. The only way to know for sure is to ask Ritchey. It’s very important, though, not to stack too many spacers on top of the steerer (I knew this but forgot to mention it above). The reason is that the compression plug provides the resistance to crushing and fatigue from tightening the stem bolts. So 5 or 10 mm is the MAX amount of spacers that you should have on top of a stem on a carbon fork, and lower is better. Basically you want the compression plug to go as deep into the steerer as the bottom the stem. This is something you can check empirically. Now, if you don’t ride hard and you aren’t heavy, the odds of a catastrophe are low. I’ve done a lot of riding and racing hard with 10 mm above my stem and so far I’m alive. But it’s nice to avoid the risk if you can.
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Well I took her out for a bunch of really fun rides in the north west corner of Connecticut. First off don’t let anybody tell you and old 911 is not a practical vehicle. With the right number of suction cups…

I found some really beautiful rides thanks to ride with GPS I also enjoyed their turn by turn directions since I was in unfamiliar territory


there were some pretty significant climbs on this and I found that the 38 front 27 rear was just not enough. I got a deal on a nice SRAM PG990 11 to 34 9sp and put it on the back on the hub. From my Bottecchia I know that you can push derailer is past air rated limit. I was using an eight speed or Ace on that bike and got away with an XTR 12 to30 to 8 speed with no problem. I’m using a nine speed race on this bike and it can handle the entire range.
what am i missing? If it works it works?


I found some really beautiful rides thanks to ride with GPS I also enjoyed their turn by turn directions since I was in unfamiliar territory


there were some pretty significant climbs on this and I found that the 38 front 27 rear was just not enough. I got a deal on a nice SRAM PG990 11 to 34 9sp and put it on the back on the hub. From my Bottecchia I know that you can push derailer is past air rated limit. I was using an eight speed or Ace on that bike and got away with an XTR 12 to30 to 8 speed with no problem. I’m using a nine speed race on this bike and it can handle the entire range.
what am i missing? If it works it works?


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If it works it works. With Shimano I've gone past spec on a few occasions: 32t on an Ultegra 6600 short cage rated for 28t max; 36t on a 105 10sp medium cage rated for 32t max.
#60
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Shimano is conservative in their numbers, but 34t may be a lot to ask of an older short cage DA RD. Yeah if it works though, cool. You may need to tweak the B screw to push the RD back enough to clear the 34t cog.
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It clears all the cogs no problem, no noise in any gear. The odd thing is it feels easier to land between gears than it did with the 9sp ultegra cassette which makes no sense since the pitch between gears has got to be the same. I've not used an SRAM cassette before, perhaps the ramps are not as well designed and tend to want to dump the chain left or right if not perfectly centered? I am using friction btw.
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Typo - cassette is 32t max cog btw.
I decided to ditch the front derailleur. Never liked having to trim it and the 46 got zero use even on my majorly hilly ride. LOVE that you can remove the shifter from the Audax. BTW did I say how much I love the Audax? I do. Love.
I'll check the chain size then decide if I spring for a drop-stop profile chainring. Wolftooth offers one in 130bcd which would work for these cranks. In some cost no object world I'd love white brothers cranks and their TSR ring but it comes out to over $500 as I'd need a new BB (either square taper or their 30mm external). https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...oss-chainrings
Turned up some real tiny spacers for the chainring bolts on the ole Precision Matthews (no pics sorry).

I decided to ditch the front derailleur. Never liked having to trim it and the 46 got zero use even on my majorly hilly ride. LOVE that you can remove the shifter from the Audax. BTW did I say how much I love the Audax? I do. Love.
I'll check the chain size then decide if I spring for a drop-stop profile chainring. Wolftooth offers one in 130bcd which would work for these cranks. In some cost no object world I'd love white brothers cranks and their TSR ring but it comes out to over $500 as I'd need a new BB (either square taper or their 30mm external). https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...oss-chainrings
Turned up some real tiny spacers for the chainring bolts on the ole Precision Matthews (no pics sorry).


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maybe the only thing better than a 911 / Ritchey combo is ......
ummm ... forget it ... there might be nothing better ...
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Thanks! I think I'd find friction shifting 10 or 11 speeds challenging. Plus 9sp stuff is cheap (got this cassette for forty bux) I'm gonna put some miles on it and see if I'm cool with the jumps in gearing. I doubt I'd go for any more range even if I went to 10, 11 sp.
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UPDATE - I chanced upon an original Swiss Cross and couldn't resist. The Fork is signed and dated 11/8/96 and the frame is stamped SC 0050. Am I wrong to think this looks like its a super early bike, number 50 ?







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First step - pulled the BB apart. Nice old "Ritchey Super Logic" 107mm. At first these looked like standard bearings I can grab from McMaster-Carr but the more I looked the more confused I was, it seems the threaded shell is a sort of integral outer race? Am I missing something, can I service these?


