Message: 3 Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 14:10:12 -0500 From: Steve Freides <steve@fridayscomputer.com> Organization: Friday's Computer, Inc. To: Classic Lightweights <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR]Super Record Drivetrain Questions
Steve,
Your Maeda is a Suntour freewheel. Your concern about tightening the cogs will be solved when you ride in the top or smallest cog, thus tightening with your own "human" torque. That is something I periodically do once or twice during the season, regardless. I witnesses a freewheel come completely apart by a fellow rider in full stride because the top (high gear) cog was not tightly torqued.
I presume that your derailleur is a Campy Super Record. The SR is great for 28s as I have a Puegeot with that configuration. Your positioning the axle more forward in the dropout is decreasing the chain gap (or the number of inches between the large cog and the jockey pulley), hence providing an optimun situation for the derailleur and the lowest cog ("gear") to get together. Others may have more exact method of positioning the axle in the drop out, but I say, while the bike is mounted on the bike stand, trial and error should suffice as you shift from high to low. If you don't have threaded drop out adjusters, you can make adjusters out of aluminum (as inserts)as I did to effect better chain gap with a Campy SR derailleur and Suntour freewheel. With these drop out guides that can be made or purchased as old stock from members of the group, will make removing and replacing the rear wheel easy.
As my bikes are to be ridden daily (errrr...although not all at once) I just use Sachs chains spliced to various lengths and they shift fine. In my opinion, find another Regina chain to borrow links from to have when you show or sell the bike.
Regards,
Carl Gonzalez
CR post from Steve:
My 1981 Raleigh Team has been using a Maeda (sp?) 13-14-16-18-20-23 freewheel merrily until now, paired with a 52/42 up front. I've been wanting a 26, so I swapped in a freewheel I had here that has never been used before, a 14-16-18-20-23-26 Shimano. (Apparently my choice of cogs wasn't the norm for a 14-26, but my selection makes the most sense to me. The others I saw went from 22 to 26 at the end, something like 14-15-17-19-22-26, if memory serves.)
First, the new freewheel was given to me as a body and loose cogs. I just hand-threaded the cogs on there. I assume I don't need to take chainwhips to them to tighten them individually as the force of riding will do that - am I right about this? I cranked on them each a little in the repair stand just by holding the rear brake and pushing on the pedals.
Second, I noticed that, with the wheel all the way back in the horizontal dropouts, I couldn't shift into the 26. Moving the rear wheel halfway or a bit more forward solved that problem. Is this normal? How does one negotiate between using the "B" screw and the placement of the wheel - which should I try first, and is the center of the dropouts the "default" place to put the wheel?
Third, I need longer chain to wrap the 52/26. The 52/23 on the old freewheel, although I rarely used it, did work just fine and I'd like to be able to go big/big if I forget and use it. The chain I have says "Regina" on the links. What model of chain ought I to look for to be period-correct (we're talking early 80's here) and does anyone on the list have one for sale, NOS? I'd like to just put on a new chain to go with my new freewheel and keep the old one around for a rainy day. FWIW, the original owner replaced the original pulleys with blue Bullseye's, and those are what I have on there now.
Many thanks in advance.
-S-