I bought a beautiful 1991 miyata 600 grand touring bike about a year ago and converted it to fixed gear for commuting. I recently decided to convert it back to a touring bike because I like it too much to ruin it in the rain and I would like to tour my state in the summer. However, the components that came with the bike were not so beautiful and I need to replace almost everything. So far, I have gotten a shimano 600 triple crank, and a 105 front derailure. I need help replacing the rest, so please share any ideas you have. I like the idea of using parts from around the same time period. Here are some specific questions I have:

1. I bought some campy friction bar-end shifters but they don't fit in my handlebars! Should I buy new bars or just stick with the index suntour barcons that came with the bike? Naming no names, I have been advised not to use index shifters on long trips because of reliability issues.

2. Is there an ideal tire size for 700c wheels and a medium laden bike? I have canti bosses so I can run bigger tires, but I'm not sure what size/brand to get. Any help much appreciated!

Are you REALLY from Siberia? Oh, um, is there a Siberia in North America, too?

You've asked some holy questions that can initiated some religious debate going on for two or three pages, so be prepared. I can understand why you haven't named names.

Indexed shifting is fine on tour, and more so if your barends will go to friction with a simple twist of the knob. If you are going with seven or eight-speed from the period, I would suggest any predicted problems with indexing would be further mitigated to almost zero.

I have ridden down to 700 x 25C on a touring bike, but 700 x 32C seems to suit me better now that I am separting out the randonneuring and touring roles of my bikes (Fuji Touring doing what it is supposed to, and Shogun for randonnees). I have just ordered a new set of Velocity Dyad wheels with sealed bearings for the Fuji and they will be fitted with 700 x 32C tyres.

Incidentally, check your wheel width to ensure it is compatible with wider tyres if you go that route. I have run 32C tyres on Velocity Aerohead rims and they don't like each other much... the beads ended up being a tight fit almost against each other in the rim itself before inflation, and they couldn't be run "soft" in pressure without throwing wobblies.

Sheldon Brown (yet again) has a method of deciding if tyres will fit a certain rim width. And, it might not even be an issue for you.

Index shifting works fine--- although nothing is stopping you from using friction.

I'd start with a new Deore rear derailer, 12-32 or 13-32 rear cogset or freewheel and new chain. Your bike might not allow the use of an 11 thooth cog. Performance bike has all this stuff for under $50.

You currently have 2 sets of barend shifters (either one will work fine in friction mode with Shimano parts)

You'll need a triple crankset, bottom bracket, and a frount derailer. Hunting down a used crank and matching derailer isn't a bad idea, or get a new Sugino crank and Sora FD. Buy the best bottom bracket you can afford.

The cheap way will cost less than 100 bucks

The right way, with better new parts and custom wheels, could run you $500.

Remember, it's just a bike and have fun!

You're off to a good start by owning a touring bike. You know a rider can't have a proper tour without a true touring bike equipped additionally with a Brooks saddle, friction shifters, a front rack, waterproof panniers, low gearing, fenders, kickstand, spd pedals, and 36-spoke wheels. I realize now because I didn't have a touring bike or any any of these equipment (except front friction shifters), I wasn't really touring, but instead just riding a bike a long distance with some stuff on the back of it. Kidding aside...

Rear derailleur. I'm extremely partial to the XT rear derailleur (long cage if you want low gearing). If you require something around 1990-91, then look for the M735 model, which will support a 32T cog, and will likely support a 34T cog. I believe the reason it doesn't officially support 34T is when you spin the pedals backwards it'll push the cage upwards and rub the upper pulley into 34T cog. (I haven't tried it with 34T, so don't quote me on that; however, I have tried it with 32T and there was some B-screw adjustment left.) You can get these derailleurs used on eBay for as low as $20-30, but make sure they're not bent in any ways. New XT models will support 34T.

Shifters. Next time, I'm going with pure indexing or maybe indexing with a friction option. I've purchased some well-used index shifters, and the shifting problem generally has to do with an internal spring that pushes a widget into the gear wheel. If the spring has a problem, then it won't engage the widget properly, and there won't be any resistance when the shifters are pressed. Just removing and bending the ends of the spring a little solves the problem. (This is just for the mountain bike shifters, so it may be different for road bike shifters.) Another thing about front friction shifting for me was that I looked down at the front derailleur almost everytime after shifting from the smallest chainring to the middle chainring just to see where the cage was positioned.

Front derailleur. If you're going with 3 chainrings upfront, make sure the front derailleur cage will support proper shifting of 3 chainrings. There are some good derailleurs from 1991 made by both Suntour and Shimano.

Brakes. All my life I've ridden with cantilever brakes, but recently installed v-brakes, and I highly recommend them because of the strong stopping power and easy adjustability, but there's nothing wrong with cantilever brakes on tour. One problem with v-brakes is when you get a flat, you may want to disconnect the brake cable to disengage the brakes to allow removing the wheel. (A simple tube puncture can be fixed without removing the wheel from the bike if the fork blades or seatstays have enough side clearance.)

-Lance

I really appreciate the input! Please keep it coming.

I have a wheelset that I think will work well for touring. The rear wheel is an araya 36 spoke and is wide enough to hold even the largest 700c tire, according to sheldon brown's chart. The front is just a nice older mavic m2 36 spoke, but is also wide enough to hold a 35.

I have a new set of avid shorty canti's that work awsome, so that is covered.

I tried the bar-cons with a few rear derailures and it doesn't work right, so i think i will replace my bars and go with the campy friction shifters.


HOW about pedals? I have a set of crank bros egg beaters, but they start to hurt after 10 miles. I also have some look pedals. What do you all recommend?

That hurt may be more to do with the shoes than the pedals. What shoes?

sidi

Several things I have found with shoes is that if they are too narrow, you will get foot soreness, and if the depression for the metal plate that locates the cleats is too deep, you will get foot soreness or hotfoot (because those small bones behind the toes, the metatarsals, squash together and play havoc with the nerves that run through them). And, if the cleat is tightened down too much, you will get the trap on the pedal pushing harder against the plastic sole... and have some difficulties clipping in and out.

The first is not really fixable unless you get new shoes; you might try wearing thinner socks or none at all to see if that works. The second may be fixed by sliding an old, expired credit card over each depression, maybe taping it in place and reinserting the insole (Specialized take care of this with their BG sole inserts). The third may be fixed by loosening off the cleat screws and inserting very thin washers or spacers between the sole and cleat. This design of pedal gives you float, so that's OK, you just need to be careful not to create too much space so you get vertical movement on each pedal stroke.

I find it quite stange that you should get foot soreness after such a short time despite the Eggbeater design and their lack of platform.

As a by-the-by, I was doing research on an old Shogun that I have that is now FG, and like your Miyata (I presume) it was made in Japan. There was an archived discussion on the Shogun model and consensus was that they are very nice frame. I think I can understand the charm of the Miyata with its skilled Japanese assembly.

thanks for the shoe ideas. i'll start with the easiest solution (thinner socks) and work from there.

as far as japanese engineering, i am very impressed. it really blows away my trek 520 made around the same time. the miyata has splined triple butted cromoly, longer chain stays than the 520, more brazes and better geometry in my opinion. it also has much more style!