JaccoW

I am. But we were talking about which triple would be a good fit for the bike.

The Shimano double is a leftover from a previous owner who apparently wanted to make it more of a racing bike.

JaccoW

It was surprisingly mild weather today and I had a day off to prepare for a trip...
so time to work on the bike!

I had ordered the missing bits for the VO campeur front rack I bought off someone but they needed to be cut to size:



Lovely with that Weinmann fender. <3
(Clickable for large picture)

The screw connecting the rack to the fender might need some spacers but then again I prefer running my fenders a little bit less tight than you Americans seem to do.
Solid connection though.


Further on I took off the FD and the headset bearings on the fork to give them a good clean in the ultrasonic cleaner and lube everything again.
Good thing too because the bearing were pretty dry. The Tange Seiki headset is still pretty shiny after a good clean.


Another thing was the seat post.
It was scratched up pretty badly by someone who seems to have dropped it all the way down and then wiggled it to get it back up.
Some 600 grit dry/wet sandpaper and silver polish and it's nice and shiny again. Not a mirror finish but I don't think I have the right materials for that right now.


Now together with Raleigh Mixte 20-30 tubing frameset I picked up for free today it has been a pretty bicycle-productive day.

JaccoW

I was reminded today that eBay is a dangerous place...

Last week while I was on vacation I was looking around eBay.fr for some good deals on Spécialistes TA or Stronglight cranks.
Found a pretty good deal on a set of Spécialités TA Pro-5-Vis "Cyclo Touriste" triple cranks. Paid for everything and looking forward for all of it showing up here so I can clean and polish it.

When I checked my list however I noticed I had bid on two more pairs from different sellers and I am the only bidder... So there is a second crankset on its way to me.

Let's hope someone else bids on the third one.

I would contact the seller and cancel my bid but these prices are so low that I will probably pick out the best one and sell the others again with a better description so that non-French buyers can find them.

Anyone else have similar stories to this one? Would you have done it differently?

JaccoW

Quick update and a question:

I just put on the TA crank after removing the old one and I ran into a small issue.
Seems like the spindle of the current bottom bracket is too narrow. The inner chainring and the screws rub on the chainstay.





The current bottom bracket is a Shimano 600 Ultegra BC 1.37 68x113mm in English thread.

Bottom brackets are a new world for me so could someone tell me what I would be looking for?
I'm assuming:
- 68mm width
- English thread
- spindle longer than 113mm?

noobinsf 

I peeked at the close up pic of your bottom bracket, and yes, you're correct, based on the markings you see -- standard 68mm width, standard English threading. You can get a cheap Shimano or Tange sealed bottom bracket, since the JIS tapers on the spindle ends will match the TA crank's taper. A new unit will run you about $15-20 US, depending on where you buy it, though no clue about international shipping through eBay. You will need a spindle length of about 123mm-124mm.

I had this same question recently and this thread was helpful:

TA Cyclotouriste triple bottom bracket

JaccoW

That is very helpful indeed. 125mm it is!

I thought just a few mm more would have been okay but apparently not.

Thanks!

JaccoW

Spring has finally arrived in the Netherlands!

Spent the day making the bike rideable again.
While I wait for the new bottom bracket I just took off all other rings but the big ring and rode with that.

The end result of today:


Now as the eagle eyed may notice I put on a new saddle and the pedals are missing.
The saddle is a Lepper Tourer in honey. More pics can be found here (box), here (side) and here (bottom).

While the Specialistes Ta Pro 5 Vis crank did come in English thread mine was of course the smaller French thread... Walked the bike halfway across the city three different places to find a bicycle mechanic that was willing to rethread it to the slightly larger modern thread. I'll be taking my bike there again when I need new wheels built with a dynohub.

I'm really looking forward to taking it for a spin tomorrow.

JaccoW

Done a few shakedown rides the last 2 weeks to see how the bike rides. Yesterday we cycled back from Leiden to Rotterdam. A 40km ride (25 miles) along a canal crossing several old Dutch towns.

In preparation of a group of parts coming in next week I decided to make a light bracket.
While Nitto and VO have one it is much more fun making one myself.

I've come across a few examples online, most recently @rhm with a tiny chainring where people use old chainrings.

I had a Stronglight crank lying around and the 42t ring looked like a good starting point.


Cleaned up nicely and a cutting wheel and some files later we had the start of a bracket:


I'm leaving the other side unmolested for now since I'm not entirely sure what size hole the light needs.


More updates next week.

JaccoW

And the light itself mounted. The B+M IQ-XS is a 70 Lux light and looks great on the bike. Not sure if I really like the lightfield though. I'll ride around a bit more the next few days in the dark to see how I like it. Compared to a Cyo T Premium (80 lux) it seems to throw a failry narrow beam,

If people are interested I can shoot some pictures for comparison.




For some reason this shot makes the bike look really weird but I swapped the stem and replaced the hoods, cables and bar tape. I think it looks really nice with the contrast.

non-fixie 

For as long as we can get away with it. Might have to switch to Deore here as well ...

non-fixie 

Coming along nicely!

I do think I prefer the look with the old stem, though.

mikemowbz

This is a very cool, very practical, and rather versatile bike - and it's great to see the progression as you make modifications for your use.

The TA crank and rack make great additions.

I'm especially interested by the light bracket made from an old chainring, machined down to a small section with two bolt holes and a slight upward arc from the attachment point at the rack - resourceful, and aesthetically pleasing. I might have to try that idea out myself, as I am about to set out installing a dynamo setup on my commuting/touring/monstercross bike.

I have to agree that the look of the old quill stem is more pleasing, though if you need the stack height in the front to bring the bar up for comfort and enjoyment - do what you have to do to make the bike more rideable! I might consider, if I was in your position, something like the VO high-rise quill (or a vintage equivalent with a long quill and a bit of rise): https://velo-orange.com/collections/.../vo-quill-stem.

To my North American eyes, the rear wheel lock and bottle dynamo in front really add some additional, distinctively European flavour!

JaccoW

I agree bit it was simply too low. Once I figure out the best setting I'll probably replace it with something more fitting.

JaccoW

I enjoy the tinkering and making pictures of it. And the riding of course.

I have a few more ideas for the bracket to cleanly hide the cables. I was thinking of drilling a few tiny holes in a cross pattern and full/overcast-'stitching' the wires to the bracket using thin (metal) wire.
I'll be sure to make some pictures when I do though.

The bottle dynamo is a temporary solution. It's easy enough to wire up a modern light if you know how to connect it. Just connect the main wire to the bottle and connect the ground wire to the screw. A dynohub would be my preferred choice but that's an extra $200 to build and means I can't use the cool Weinmann concave's anymore.

As for the stem, I really like the look of the Grand Cru quill stem but I fear it won't be high enough. Perhaps the VO quill stem with removable faceplate is a better choice and means I won't have to remove all the cables and tape again.

My next thing will probably be a new bottom bracket and wiring everything up to use the FD again as a double/triple setup.

mikemowbz

I'll definitely look out for pics of further modifications you describe to that little upcycled/fabricated light bracket.

The removable faceplate VO quill would definitely get some good height up front, with a little more ease-of-install.

Happy tinkering/happy riding!

noglider 

I have a similar rack and a B&M light. I mounted it similarly using a part of a centerpull brake, but it's not so good, so I'll try your method. I have some old steel cranksets, and I think I'll use one of those chainrings.

JaccoW

I've always wanted to know a bit more about the geometry of this bike and how much trail it had. I already suspected it had a low-trail fork but after measuring it it turns out it has a trail of ~34mm.

Some measurements below:


For those that are interested or want to compare:
Link: Batavus Randonneur GL geometry - BicycleCalculator.co.uk.

Key Metrics

• Trail 34mm
• Wheel Flop Factor 8.9mm
• Head tube Angle 74°
• Seat Tube Angle 72.8°
• Virtual fork angle 8.966°
• Bottom Bracket Drop 70mm
• Bottom Bracket Height 265mm
• Wheelbase 1030mm
• Seat Tube Length c-t 640mm
• Effective top tube 565mm
• Reach 373mm
• Stack 616mm
• Seat Middle - Bottom Bracket 238mm
• Fork Length 385mm

No big plans for the bike this month as I've got some taxes to pay but the weather has been nice around here with some excellent riding weather in the evenings.
The headset seems to have developed some play but then again I only overhauled the top parts. Time to open it up this weekend.

I do plan to add larger tyres and a shorter stem on there and look into having a front bag made for the bike. Not sure yet about the color though...
Suggestions?

EDIT: Seems like I measured the saddle displacement (O) wrong. Needs a few more centimeters to actually get to the top of the sadddle.
EDIT2: And maybe the Front axle offset. Sigh, back to the measuring board again.

JaccoW

Some more sunny pics and a bit of (aesthetic) work:


I wanted to paint the fluted bits on my seatpost for quite a while but it took me till last week to go out and grab some paint.
The end result looks great though... especially from a distance.




Another thing was the ugly black tape that I used to finish my bar tape. I got some waxed cotton thread and finished it with twine.
Looks much better now. There is still black tape underneath as an extra safeguard.

JaccoW

JaccoW

I have a few items on the way to prepare the bike for a short loaded tour we have planned in a few weeks.

One set of items that have arrived in the meantime are two pairs of Schwalbe Marathon GT tour tires in 37-622 size and a rear rack for my girlfriend.

It has got me thinking though about my gearing range.
The parts are on the way for a 52/42/32 triple up front and a Shimano MF-HG20 6-speed 14-28(?) 14-32 freewheel in the back.

That would offer a low of 27 gear inches and a 102 high.

Source: Ritzelrechner.de new version: Ritzelrechner.de

A 25 low would be preferred. The derailleur can handle a 36T max rear cog so perhaps I can replace it with another freewheel?
27 low should be alright. Can always swap the 32T for a 26T. But perhaps I will try something else for the 42. A 46/48 geives a nice halfstep.

JaccoW

37-622 (or 28 x 1.40, 700x35C) Schwalbe Marathon GT Tour tires mounted on the bike.



There are some tiny seating issues left on the tire which I will address this weekend but I have to tell these tires were a whole lot easier to mount (and remove) than the Schwalbe Delta Cruisers they replaced.
Noticably more comfortable too by the way. I'll give it a spin later to find out how the speed is in comparison.

JaccoW

Finally had the bottom bracket installed and the triple mounted. A 122mm axle was too narrow and just barely scraped te frame.
The shop switched it for me with a 127 and all is well.

Pulled the wiring through the frame but the actual connecting will have to wait until tomorrow when I have more time.

I should receive a custom handmade randonneurbag today! Pics tomorow.

JaccoW

Almost done for now.

This week I wired up the lights and received my TimTas Randonneur bag!



It is a custom bag mad of cordura but waxed cotton is an option too for those that prefer a slightly more classic look.

I wanted mine with Fidlock connectors ,as these are self-closing magnetic connectors, and plenty of pockets all around.
Personnaly I think it looks great but I will probably drill a new hole in the VO decaleur as it is slightly too wide as is.

More pictures:

JaccoW

The lighting was a fun exercise as well.
When I had the bike over at the bike shop I pulled a wire through the frame all the way to the dropouts.
From there it took some soldering, looking up several techniques to connect wires on Youtube, and lots of heatshrink.
It works well and is hardly visible:




Not much left now.

I have a few things I still want to change but I'm taking the bike on vacation next week and the budget is gone for now.

Time to put it to the test in the Alps!

KenNC

NICE job on this. TA triple looks good on there and am eager to hear how it performs for you in the alps!