So taking advice from http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/911109-simplex-prestige-derailleur-adjustment-idiots-needed.html I gave up and resorted to using a Suntour V-Luxe parallelogram derailleur....which was fitted to the Allin when I was time-trialling.
Ok, so I persevered with the Simplex Prestige gear, but to no avail! Yes it changed gear ok, but it just didn't take up the chain slack. Checking the spec sheet on http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Simplex_Prestige_derailleur_%28637%29_-_instructions_%281st_style%29_scan_2.html the total capacity is 37 teeth, so accordingly with a 42T/52T chainwheel and 14 to 26T rear sprocket, this gives a range of 32 teeth....so it should have been ok. But it wasn't, I even shortened the chain and re-positioned the rear wheel in the drop out. No difference. So taking advice from http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/911109-simplex-prestige-derailleur-adjustment-idiots-needed.html I gave up and resorted to using a Suntour V-Luxe parallelogram derailleur....which was fitted to the Allin when I was time-trialling. So I found the original gear in the garage, stripped it down, de-greased it gave it a polish and oiled the jockey wheels and it came up like new. Not bad for over 40 years old! So does it work? Yes! The gear screws in to the gear hanger fine but needs a thin washer to clamp down securely.....(.another trip to the garage) I had to lengthen the outer cable as the entry point was in a different position to the Simplex, but luckily I had plenty left over...and it was an excuse to use my new Park Tools cable cutters I got for my birthday! The gears work fine up and down the sprocket and between the chainrings and to be honest looks better than the Simplex. After final tightening and checking and a shake-down ride, the cables will be cut to length and a ferrule crimped over the ends to keep things neat and tidy.
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I knew I had this wheel lying around in the garage roof space and can remember using it when I was racing 40 odd years ago. So I decided to get it down and have a look at what I had. The wheel itself probably dates from the 1950's. The hub is a BH Airlite large flange 76mm diameter, laced with 32 chrome single butted spokes to a very rare San Giorgio alloy sprint rim. Tyre is a well worn, at a guess, Wolber Junior tubular. I'm not sure what happened to the rear wheel, if indeed I ever had one. It would be nice to find a matching rear wheel to fit on the Viking.
New addition or welcome home? Saved at the eleventh hour from the threat of ending up in a skip, this bike was collected from Berkhamsted where the it had been stored in a basement for the last 17 years. It was built up by my Dad for an ex-girlfriend of mine 35 years ago! The frame is a 22.5" Viking Severn Valley and a mixture of components raided from Dad's parts bin. The frame, built in Wolverhampton with Reynolds 531 tubing and beautiful Nervex lugs features optional 3/4 chrome ends with Campagnolo drop outs, at extra cost, including the little adjuster screws, which so often goes missing. According to the excellent Viking cycles website http://classicvikingcycles.com/ the frame number 178187 denotes it was built circa 1962. A decal on the seat tube states Ist World Championships and Olympic Games. Angles are 73 head and 75 seat with a 41.5" wheelbase. Other equipment include Mafac centre-pull brakes with Weinmann levers. Chainset is a chrome single cottered item, whilst the pedals are French Lyotard fitted with GB professional clips and well worn straps from esteemed north London frame builder H R Morris ....whom Dad built wheels for! Talking of wheels, these are a rather heavy and clunky steel 1 1/4" Endrick rims with Sturmey Archer hubs. The rear mech is another Simplex Prestige derailleur from Dad's box of gears. Saddle is a Selle Royal item on a standard alloy seat-pin. Also fitted to the frame are a set of period Bluemels mudguards. One of the most fascinating items fitted to the bike is the handlebars and stem combination. The stem is a steel/chrome plated short reach Titan with aluminium bolt. This was sold with the alloy handlebars which has a raised central ferrule with engraving. The inscription on the left hand side refers to Sylvere Maes who won the Tour de France in 1936 and 1938. The engraving on the right hand side refers to a professional Belgian road racer Marcel Kint who was World Champion in 1938. So possibly these bars date back to the late 1930's early 1940's? Detail showing lovely Nervex lugs and chrome fork crown. So what are the plans for the bike? First is to clean the frame and polish the components, then the wheels need replacing with something a little lighter and narrower! So I'll be keeping a look out on E-Bay and put an advert on the Matlock Cycling Club's forum. Maybe the chainset could do with changing for a period double set up, possibly alloy cotterless as the frame has braze-ons for a front changer. Then it will be Eroica ready....as they say! The following link is to another Viking Severn Valley machine which has the frame number 178186......one number before mine! http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/avtviking.html
As winter has finally arrived I thought it a good time to set up the turbo trainer. The bike I use is now becoming a vintage bike in its own right. It's a Reynolds 531 steel framed Nigel Dean which I bought second hand back in the late eighties or early nineties. The picture shows the chrome forks and the rust on the crown caused by sweat dripping on to the surface when it's on the turbo! The bike is equipped with Campagnolo double chainset, front and rear derailleurs, headset, seat-pin and bolt and Campag GS brakes. Steering is courtesy of Cinelli Criterium 65-42 bars held in a 100mm Cinelli stem. Brake levers are Dia Compe whilst the down tube shifters are Simplex alloy. Pedals are period Time titanium clipless. I also have the red and silver Time cycling shoes to match. Wheels were bought separately from an offer in Cycling and they are Mavic MA 2 rims laced with stainless spokes to a set of Shimano 105 QR hubs. They came complete with Specialised 700 x 25 tyres and tubes and 7-speed block. I seem to remember these were on offer for about £80. (I recently replaced the wheels on my Scott with some Shimano R500 wheels which were on offer for only £73!! ) I hadn't ridden the bike on the road much, as soon after buying it I caught the Mountain Bike bug...but that's another story!
As a foot note, whilst looking through my old Time Trial result sheets I came across the programme for McMullens Hertford Criteriums back in July 1974 and riding in the professional race for the Holdsworth-Campagnolo team was....Nigel Dean! Other team mates included Keith Lambert and Les West. Also amongst my memorabilia was the Verulam Cycling Club Annual Dinner and Dance invite/menu held in November 1975, where the guest speaker was.....you've guessed it, Nigel Dean! Disraeli Gears. The title of the great album by sixties rock group Cream came about when Eric Clapton was thinking about buying a racing bike and his roadie is reported to have said "that's the one with those disraeli gears isn't it?"........ And of course the Allin has got all of 10 gears; 5 on the back and a double-clanger up front! The rear is a Simplex Prestige derailleur whilst the front is a much newer Shimano changer. This is the original mech on the bike from 40 years ago, when the trend was to have every component drilled....including the jockey-wheel cage. In the box of bike stuff retrieved from Dad's garage were 2 other plastic Prestige bodies and from the three I managed to make the nicest looking one. One of the benefits of the plastic Simplex gears where their weight...this one weighs in at approx. 180 gr. The main body of the original is silver compared to the red of the replacement...maybe a later model? The problem of mixing different parts is trying to get the spring rate correct. Some have index marks which when aligned and the stop installed give the right pre-tension in the spring. When assembled on the rear drop-out, the body should be aligned at the 4 o'clock position. We will see if this is all correct when the rear wheel is installed! On my replacement time trial bike....Hugh Porter Bantel frame...the rear mech was a new fangled parallelogram Japanese early Sun-Tour derailleur, which of course I still have! Note the polished drop-outs, not Campagnolo, but very similar with provision for the small adjustment screws, which are missing. Next on the list is to replace the gear cable, including a new outer casing, and connecting to the Campag bar end shifter.
Although I didn't get rid of the bike, I must have chucked the original pedals, which is a shame as they were Lyotard platforms fitted with Christophe toe-clips and straps. I've been checking on EBay for Lyotard replacements but they tend to fetch rather a high price as they are quite rare. I had considered other pedals off EBay but some of the threads looked a bit dodgy and for the same price I could buy Japanese MKS quill, Campagnolo look-alikes for the same price. The bar tape in the picture is Velox cloth tape, but I remember back 40 years ago and how difficult it is to remove so I will replace it with some more modern cork tape...although Brooks leather tape would be nice but is rather expensive at E35 a roll! As for straps, I've found some blue Allez ones in the garage which will complement my new retro Peugeot jersey...courtesy of Bob Towers.
First job was to clean the Mavic rims with Autosol metal polish and plenty of elbow -grease. Unfortunately the wheels had been stored in a garage for many years and the chrome, double-butted spokes had succumbed to the dreaded rust, but after using some fine wire-wool and metal polish, they didn't look too bad. The Campagnolo hubs run sweet and are as good as the day they came out of the box! All they needed was a quick clean. Next job was to remove the original 700 x 20 Michelin tyres. Although the tread was in very good condition, indicating a low mileage, the side-wall was showing signs of perishing and probably wouldn't take to kindly to the Strada Bianchi roads of L'Eroica! The original Velox rim tape looked in good nick and left in position. I have been checking on the Inter-web for suitable vintage looking tyres and came across the Michelin Dynamic Classic. Being a tight fisted cyclist they met with approval at costing only £7.99 a rim. One of the negative comments on the write ups; they weren't very puncture resistant. So I decided to fit puncture resistant tape inside the tyre and replace the original tissue-thin inner tubes with some fresh rubber. The freewheel is the old fashioned screw on type rather than the modern cassette, with a staggering five sprockets! ....half as many as on the rear wheel of the Ribble.The Regina block has a range of a sprockets from 14 teeth to 26 teeth, which matched to the 42T/54T chainwheel gives a range of gears from 43" to 104"
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AuthorI have been riding bikes since I was 11 years old and used to race my Allin in time trials back in the early 1970's. CategoriesArchives
January 2016
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