At 7:42 PM -0700 3/16/07, Mark Bulgier wrote:
>John Redman wrote:
>[snipped]
>> The reason is that I, several months ago, bought an original
>> set of 531 SL tubes. The other day, I bought this very neat
>> set of lugs but they are "racing angles".
>> I'm 63 and don't race but I ride horrible distances at a time.
>> Then there are two upcoming auctions for Nervex lugs. Most
>> of my Motos have Nervex lugs. It will probably be a certain
> > R.S. that builds the bike for me.
>
>This brings up the fact that "racing" angles of not too many years ago
>are considered perfect touring angles by most folks today.
Many classic (and current) racing frames used 73 degree head angles. Many of the best French randonneur and cyclotouring frames also used 73 degree head angles. The difference between the two is in the fork offset, which is independent of the lugs.
As the article on bike handling in the current issue of Bicycle Quarterly explains in detail, the old "touring" geometries with shallow head angles, lots of trail and lots of wheel flop are useful if you carry significant weight on the rear, and none on the front. Whether that is a good idea is a different question altogether...
So I would not worry. Look over some of the geometries of the best old randonneur bikes, and pick one. Most likely, your "racing angle" lugs will be perfectly suited. Most of my favorite old randonneur bikes are built from Reynolds 531 SL, so that seems like a great choice, too.
Jan Heine
John,
The challenge of using the Nervex lug set you have will be the greatest with the angle of the down tube lug. Several factors come into play determining the head tube/down tube angle, including bottom bracket drop, top tube length and fork length (especially with longer reach brakes). The top and seat lugs angles won't be much of an issue because it is possible to slope the top tube a degree or so to make steep angled lugs become more shallow.
Nervex lugs require much more filing and skill to make look really nice than today's investment cast ones. There is a good reason Richard Sachs redesigned these lugs to become Newvex lugs. As a matter of fact, they are about as difficult to make them look really good as any lug in existence. I've never been crazy about them because lots of frames I repainted in the 70's and 80's were Schwinn Paramounts and I wanted to avoid something so common as what was popular in the Midwest. Not every builder can (or wants to) turn these into something special so choose carefully. In my career, I've only used them a couple of times and distinctly remember what a giant black hole of time they took until finally finished properly - both before brazing to get the lines right and after to thin them down.
Doug Fattic not missing building with Nervex Pro lugs in Niles, Michigan