Wildwood 

Creamsicle Orange is what I call the color. Since the Mondia often looks red in photos (instead of burnt orange) I can always post this one in the "orange" threads. Rides and shifts smoothly.

Miyata75

I used a threaded rod, some nuts and washers to pry the drop-outs apart to cold set em in place. Had to go 5mm more than needed as they spring back a little. Worked like a charm, didn't even need to adjust my derailleur hanger afterwards!

himespau 

I used that trick as well, and then also used the same rod to make sure my dropouts were parallel. Seemed to work ok.

robertorolfo

A lot of cool bikes here, and so I've been inspired to embark on a similar mission myself. I'm going to use my Lotus Legend frame, and I want to use Campagnolo parts (for various reasons, one of them being to balance out the karma from all the Italian bikes with Japanese parts).

Anyway, I'm trying to decide exactly what stuff to use. There is some really reasonably priced Veloce 10 speed stuff for sale right now, but I'd actually rather go 9 speed so I can use a nice 8/9 speed crankset that I have. And while I don't mind silver, I'd prefer black components. Also, I have a set of Veloce skeleton brakes (black) from another project, so I don't need to buy a full groupset.

So that brings me to Xenon. There is some ridiculously cheap 9 speed Xenon stuff out there, and I'm wondering if anyone has any direct experience with it. I've read that the shifters actually use a different mechanism to all the other Campagnolo stuff, and that's a bit of a deterrent to me. But it's so cheap, that I'm tempted to just try it anyway and see what happens. Any and all opinions are appreciated.

Chrome Molly

I have some Xenon components. They are workable yet aesthetically unrefined. Very heavy.

That said, if you’re working them into a 9 speed setup it should be fine.

Veloce is much higher end (by comparison).

Ymmv

PhilPub

Not mine, but it doesn't get much better than this.

Jimbo1983

Holy ****

Narhay

Buying all the components except the crank leaves you probably paying the same price as a new veloce groupset...and you could sell your existing crankset.

RobbieTunes

Freakin' Ace.

If I had that, I'd be tellin' the Tarmac Twerps to bite me.

athrowawaynic

Why not both?

I'm using 9sp Daytona cranks with 10sp Veloce everything else.

(It presented an interesting matching problem--black or silver. But here's the thing: silver shifters come with black hoods and the black front derailleur still has a silver/gray cage. I just decided to mix it up--silver shifters, black mechs and brakes--though silver brakes would have been fine too.)

I think you responded to a comment from 2007. But yes, I used the rod and nuts method too. RJ the Bike Guy has a video of it on YouTube. I had to spread it considerably though... 165mm, IIRC, to go from 126mm to 129mm.

robertorolfo

Thanks for all the input guys.

Believe me, I'm thinking about it since the prices on some of the Veloce groups are pretty reasonable right now, but the economics are still borderline.

From what I can find online, a pair of Xenon shifters can be had for less than $100, and a 9 speed rear derailleur for the ridiculous price of $30. 9 speed casettes can be found for around $40-50, and maybe another $40 if you splurge for a decent chain (less if you want to save a little).

I have the front derailleur (Veloce) at home, as well as the brakes and crank. I wouldn't sell the crank though, because it has little value (It's an old Gipiemme Sprint with black pantographed Franceso Moser rings that I got for about $20 on ebay. I love it, but I don't know if it can work with a 10 speed chain).

So I'm looking at a 9 speed setup for a little over $200, while even the best deals on a full group are going to be close to $500.

Actually, that got me thinking, and it's a pretty good idea. First, because I'm not THAT obsessive about matching stuff, but also because the bike has black rims with stainless spokes, and a chrome fork, so a mix of black and silver would actually look rather nice.

Can I assume your 9sp Daytona cranks play perfectly nice with a 10sp chain?

Thanks, that's good to know. Veloce shifters are also very reasonably priced right now, but I only see 10 speed versions out there, so that would mean a new crankset as well. Not the end of the world, but I'm trying to keep the budget within a limit.

noglider 

Do the chainrings on your crankset have ramps and pins? I believe you'll need them.

I can't tell you about Xenon stuff, but I can tell you that my 2x10 Veloce drivetrain has exceeded my hopes. I got the brifters slightly used and the derailleurs new from a UK web site, ribble, I think. I'm using nine-speed hubs and a nine-speed crankset I got used.

If you're willing to wait for used stuff to show up, patience will pay off. On the other hand, if you're buying new, you may want to hurry, as the dollar is weakening against the euro and pound.

athrowawaynic

I embraced the contrast, and you can get a rough idea of how it will turn out. My bike is posted above on this page.

It is all working perfectly right now.

Caveat: I will say that's because the front mech is perfectly dialed in at the moment. And I'll admit it wasn't always so. Story time: the store (I think it was Ribble, but it might have been ProBikeKit) sent me the wrong front mech. I ordered the smallest band clamp. They sent me the next size up. It was fine until I wanted wider tires (28mm GP4000Sii), and then I found that with the normal shim, the tire would rub. After much searching, I found a custom eccentric shim to solve the tire clearance problem. To be fair, I can't be sure, but... I had trouble with the front mech after that--I reindexed but could not get it to shift reliably. It doesn't make sense that this would make a difference. So maybe there was user error, or maybe something about the geometry made a difference, or maybe something about the shim material screwed up the cable tension. Who knows... But eventually, I switched back to 25mm tires, I reverted to the normal shim, reindexed and now it hits every shift. I think perfect shifting is possible, just be sure to follow the install instructions carefully. Haha.

robertorolfo

No, my crankset most definitely doesn't have ramps and pins. Would that be essential for 9 speed as well? You might have just helped a lot with my decision.

Plus, you are also confirming that a 9 speed crankset will work with a 10 speed setup, so that gives me other options. As well.

And thanks for the added urgency of the exchange rate!

Oh, I hadn't realized that Atala was yours. It a really pretty bike, just my style, with some great colors on that frame.

Timo 2.0

Turned out very nice!

kansukee

Here's an updated pic of the Fuso:

robertorolfo

Is anyone familiar with the Merlin Cycles website (no affiliated with them in any way)? Their prices on some items seem too good to be legit...

obrentharris 

They're legit.
Some of the British sites (Merlin, Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Ribble) have some pretty low component prices.
Brent

Timo 2.0

Thanks! That bike is both no-nonsense and sexy

Timo 2.0

Did you consider removing the decals from the wheels? The frameset is gorgeous but IMO the wheels and frame combined are too busy

noglider 

Now I can't remember if Campagnolo chainrings have pins and ramps, and I'm not near my bike to check. My understanding is that pins and ramps are important if you have an indexed shifter on your front derailleur, and it has nothing to do with your rear shifting. Now, one thing I'm considering is using a down tube shifter for the front derailleur. It's not as crazy as it sounds, since you don't expect your front to shift as fast as your rear. If you're willing to do that, you can use any chainrings.

I'll check to see what the crankset on my Lemond looks like. I have 2x10 Veloce shifters and Veloce derailleurs. I got them from ribble at mystifyingly low prices. And as I said, I'm very impressed with how well these things work. The only problem is that it's not compatible with Shimano. I often start with a Shimano compatible hub or derailleur, so I have to finish with Shimano compatible stuff. This build started with the cranks and hubs.

athrowawaynic

You're reading my mind. I also find them to be nonsensically braggy--I mean, really, why would anyone brag about/advertise budget wheels like Sciroccos?

The thing is... those wheel decals are really stuck on.

kingston 

Hit 'em with a heat gun. They'll peel right off.

robertorolfo

Thanks for the feedback. Just went ahead on some Veloce Ultra-torque cranks and cups for $73 shipped. Seems insanely reasonable, so I'll confirm that they show up as expected (description said Ultra-torque, but pictured showed Power-Torque).

Your Lemond looks awesome. Must be really light with that carbon fork, and I like the mix of black and silver. That has actually been my biggest dilemma so far, whether to go black or silver on all, or some components.

As mentioned above, I ended up getting new 10sp cranks, since they were so cheap, but I also considered just using a single friction lever for the front. It would have been perfectly sufficient for my needs.


So what do you guys recommend for colors/finish of components? Pics below can be considered as "before", with the first from the catalog and the second with the bike as is, save for fresh white bar tape.

I want to keep the white tape, and I already ordered a black crankset. So currently I'm leaning towards silver shift/brake levers, black brakes, and black rear derailleur. I think it would coordinate well with the black logo and head tube paint, plus offset nicely against the chromed seat stays and fork. I ultimately decided against silver cranks because I didn't think they would match well against the chrome stays.

What say you all?

noglider 

That's a really nice Lotus. I saw one on the street and thought of you.

I usually prefer silver over black. I got the black because it was the only color available, but I won't complain. I'm a little too thrifty, so aesthetics often suffer.

I haven't weighed my bike yet. I just did a frameset swap. The previous frameset was another Lemond Ti in a smaller size. That bike weighed 20 lbs, so I expect this is similar. I haven't had the chance to ride the new one much yet. Looking forward to it.

I'm glad you got that crankset. I'm sure it will work well.