Even though not much has happened with the build in the last few days, I keep thinking of things I want to add to this blog. For the most part, I've decided how and what I want to hang on my frame. I've ordered some parts from Rivendell which have arrived in good order, and I'm waiting on a shipment from Lickton's out of Chicago.
First, a rundown on how this build is going to come together.
I've decided to build my own wheels. I've replaced spokes, and trued my own wheels, but I've never actually built one from scratch. I'm using several sources to help me with this one, including the late great Sheldon Brown's wheelbuilding webpage http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html and Leonard Zinn's "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance." I think these two sources of information should tell me most of what I need to know, at least to get started.
I want to get started with wheel components and build those first, so I spent an inordinate amount of time researching bike components; looking at hubs, rims, and spokes. Here's what I eventually came up with, ordered from Lickton's:
(1) 36 spoke Shimano 6600 Ultegra Front Hub
(1) 36 spoke Shimano 6600 Ultegra Rear Hub
(2) 36 spoke Sun CR-18 700c Clincher Road Rims, polished silver
(72) DT 14/15g Double Butted Stainless Steel Spokes
(1) Shimano 6500 Ultegra 9sp Cassette 12-27
I ordered these parts almost two weeks ago and I'm still waiting. Hopefully, they will arrive soon so I can really get started. In the meantime, I also ordered a few other necessary components from Rivendell which have already arrived...including:
(1) Brooks B-17 Honey Champion saddle
(1) Nitto Crystal Fellow seat post
(1) Nitto Technomic Stem
(1) Set of Silver downtube shifters - I'm going 'old school' with friction downtube shifting
Brake and shift cables, and housings
Bar tape
Velcro spoke reflectors
Other odds, ends, and bits, e.g. an A. Homer Hilsen coin purse???
...and don't forget (1) brass bell!
The frame already included Nitto Noodle bars, an Ultegra headset and bottom bracket, and Shimano sidepull brake calipers. So really, all I have left is the crank, chainrings, front and rear derailleurs, chain, pedals, and tires. I have some Riv Ruffy-Tuffies on my Le Tour, which I'll swap out for some low end 7ooc-25 Michelin Dynamics I have lying around.
The square taper bottom bracket seems to limit me to Sugino, Specialites TA (Peter White cyclery), or vintage NOS cranks. I saw some vintage NOS SunTour cranks for sale on the Harris Cyclery website but crank length was only 160 mm. I'm going for at least 170 or 175 mm cranks similar to my Quickbeam. I also believe Campy still makes a square taper crank but you also have to use their bottom bracket. It would be kind of an odd match with the Shimano derailleurs I'm planning on buying anyway!
Most of the cranks I see now have outboard bearings or are splined, e.g. ISIS or Octalink. I could swap bottom brackets but I've decided to keep what I have and get a Rivendell standard Sugino crank. Velo Orange sold some compact double (50 -36) Sugino cranks, unfortunately, it seems Sugino no longer makes that model and they're sold out. The only Sugino crank that's readily available seems to be the XD-600 triple, 110-74 BCD, 46-36-26. This is really a mountain bike or touring crank, so if I go this way I'm planning on swapping out the chainrings and going 50-38-28. I figure this should work with an Ultegra 6603 wide range (medium-cage triple) rear derailleur.
If anyone reading this blog has some other ideas for drivetrain combinations, please drop me a line.
2 comments:
You should check out Velo Orange for TA Specialties cranks and other square cranks. He has good prices and pretty timely delivery.
I bought a Rambouillet in 2006 and love it.
Thanks, johnb!
I've checked out Peter White Cycles and the TA Specialties cranks he offers, but I hadn't thought about Velo Orange. Is that what you have on your Rambouillet?
My Quickbeam is a great bike too!
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