Sancineto

After that froggy green Gitane, for reasons still unknown to me, I totally got into road bikes.

I was lucky enough to find two very nice bikes, and a so-so donor.

I would like to start with Mr. Sancineto Columbus Genius beauty. This bike should be dated 1995 (I will take a picture of its BB soon), and the most iconic detail of his bikes were the vertical stays. Look at the way they are welded on top of the seat tube!

The piece where you see his "signature" is actually pressed in a bar, is not a round tube anymore. 

I found a very good source of info in: Sancineto Bicycles | The Utah Randonneur (wordpress.com)

I am very puzzled about how to build it. It came with some random Campagnolo components which I totally don't like. I could go with a DA 7402 (not really period correct), but I have in mind to buy a modern group, probably Campagnolo or Sram and go with it, making it my daily (rotfl, like if I ride daily) bike.

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Swiss Cross - nearly there

Yeah, I said myself here: https://avvsavv.blogspot.com/2021/03/swisscross.html, a lot ot items were not right, starting with the handlebar and its setup. I bought a good Deda compact bar, 42 cm, which makes more sense for a skinny human like me. And when mounting it up I took this opportunity to resize the cables and bring them to the right lenght. And I really like this setup and I actually wonder if I should have moved to a 2x10 rather than 1x, nevertheless I have other plans for 2xsomething bikes, one is this: https://avvsavv.blogspot.com/2021/03/old-steel.html. And yes, the blue horseshoe is something I have with me since probably 10 years! I could not wait to use it. s

Gitane Record old steel

I really don't know why I actually spent some money on that. 

With hindsight is not the type of bike I would buy. There are no components I can easily swap around, everything here is one step older than my usual bikes. 

Well, anyway, I fell in this and I must admit the bike is in very good condition, very close to a NOS. This is somehow dated around 1989-90; but I confess that it is very difficult to make an educated guess. 

Gitane catalogues from that time does not show any "Record" model, neither made of Columbus tubings, until going farther to 1994-95. I never saw any model with this colour scheme. The only thing I am sure about is that Sachs Aris 600 was issued around 1990 - when no catalogue shows "Record+" model at that time. 

 The frame is made of lugged Columbus Cromor (main triangle), unknown steel tubes for the remaining pieces, and Vitus dropouts. The painting is very very 90-ies with dark green fading in bright (almost fluo) green, I must confess that I kind of light it.  

Transmission is full Aris 600, except for the crankset, a modest Stronglight 80 with a triple chainring. This crank has a 86mm BCD, very uncommon these days, with the option to go down to 28T!  

The bike works very well but I never used it yet. I will think what are the odds with it.  

Not sure if I want to use a more recent wheelset and put it on a sturdy and reliable transmission!

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Swiss Cross

Ah, so nice! 

 In 2014 I had to sell my beloved Swiss Cross because I was moving and I did not know if and when I could have use my bikes again, and with the SC I sold almost every piece I had with me. 

Anyway, this Christmas I had the opportunity to buy a (not so cheap but) brand new frameset: https://avvsavv.blogspot.com/2021/02/two-special-guests-for-2021.html 

I actually spent a lot of time tinkering how to complete the bike. I did not exclude anything, even going for a flat bar. Eventually I went for a conservative 1x setup, with Sram transmission and a very nice DT Swiss wheelset. 

 Here it is:  

There are some items I don't still like. 

Pedals: very very nice PDM737, this were my first clipless pedals. And when I say my first ones, I mean that I used to have exactly this pair on my 1991 Giant Cadex CFM 1. 

Handlebar: too big, it's a Pro 46, probably good for a monstercross but not on this bike. I will go for a 42. 

Cables: omg, very bad workmanship here. Length is totally wrong. Will shorten them once changing my handlebar. 

Saddle: old Flite Max. Very comfortable but not what you'd expect here. I will go either for a classic Flite or for something new. 

I will spend some more time on it. 

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Stevens X8C trekking

OMG, just one word: trekking. Is it not enough just to close this post? 

Well, actually not really. I had a very good opportunity to get a 2010 Stevens X8C trekking bike. It was top of the shelf model for that year, coming with a 63mm travel Suntour front fork, completed XT groupset and somehow light aluminum frame, for a whoopie 11-ish kgs.

   

And

   

I initially thought about it only for the brakes (and possibly for the wheels), but then it was too much of a nice frame to try and sell it. 

I am currently waiting for a good and new set of Avid BB5 road calipers to set it up with a road handlebar (I am thinking to reuse the SPecy carbon handlebar coming off my Morati)  - thought I'd need a very short stem.

I have a feeling that the bike can handle bigger tyres than the 33 CX Schwalbe I have on it. 

I already swapped the crankset - originally coming in a 26-36-48 (ahh, so 90ies) with a 28-42. But I know that I could probably go up to 44. 

On the rear I am try to use a 105 SS derailleur with its 9s 11-32 cassette. 

Let's wait for the calipers and we'll see which way to go. 

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Springy Van Nicholas

I am not using my VN since ages, probably more than a year - not that I don't like it actually. 

So, a month ago I decided to take it apart, clean and lube it. While cleaning the stuff up, I noted that the crankset - old Ultegra from late 90's, was unacceptably scratched and the axle too worn. 

And this is how it started, ending up like:  

I had this Truvativ cranckset since ages. I think I used for a very short period (like: one single ride) on mostly all my frames. With a little help from Amazon, I bought a 42 narrow wide chainring, and this is how it started. The old chain was worn to what I think was the limit (.50mm), I used it a lot when riding in Dublin and is very understandable that it's time is over. 

Thankfully  the cassette is still very good, so I kept the SLX 11-36 10 speed. Paul Components still sits on my bar to help pushing a Dura Ace bar end shifter. 

 I wanted to have something... different actually. That's why I went for a flat bar, but not that flat after all. I used a very long (130mm) stem with a Ritchey WCS riser upside down. This gives to the bike a lower position than a standard bar, in between that and a drop:  

and

 

I know, I could have done it with hydraulic disc brakes, and this is actually where I want to go, but I am not yet that comfortable in bleeding the system. You see that the frame has closed eyelets, so I need to empty the brake system (if not new), and then bleed it again. I don't feel myself ready for this step!

To complete this setup I used KCNC bar ends (old NOS set I had with me since years) and Avid Black Ops levers. Again, these levers I bought probably around 2012 were sitting in my shed never mounted. I getting a bit... upset of having something and not using it, that's also another reason I went for mechanical brakes. 

I finished the bar with a yellow bar tape. I know, it's recycled, probably used 3 or more times, but then again you see how very good was Boardman bar tape! 

I also decided to swap the original fork (Kinesis carbon fork, disc only) with an old MTB titanium one. Axle to crown should be around 415mm, not really the original length, but it makes the geometry a bit more relaxed and probably closer to modern gravel bike. 

I tried this bike twice and I am having very good impression of the overall setup. This frame is very springy and comfortable, even though I have a very heavy and stiff wheelset.

I am wondering whether I should buy a newer and lighter wheelset... 

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P650b 1.0

Now, that's done... for now. 

I did not actually spend much time but rather I used the parts I had in my shed. I really wanted to try and see if a monster cross could even be an option (I don't really like sloping TT with drop - not even flares). 

So, first step was to recycle the 46cm handlebar I once used on my old Kona (remember, this one: http://avvsavv.blogspot.com/2018/04/kona-hei-hei-drop-bar.html). For the moment it don't need any changes, I would probably buy a set of Sram S500 levers if the setup is good enough for this bike, or -worst case scenario, will try and buy a right SRAM brifter (they are so expensive). I know that yellow does not match with Ritchey flag but this is the living proof that I was too lazy to change anything here. I used exactly as it was lying around! 

Wheels were the ones I used on my Van Nicholas with skinny Schwalbe Kojak a couple of years ago, with brand new Rapid Rob. I spent a bit of time on the brakes. I don't have hydraulic road levers, so I used some mechanical calipers I had with me. 

However P650b cable route comes from the upper stays and requires a banjo that can be turned upward... which is not available on mechanical calipers. 

I tried a not_so_neat floppy v-brake noodle and it actually worked well. I agree that is not the best option but is probably the cheapest (God forgive for that statement!). Again, transmission was a matter of recycling. Crankset is SRAM labelled, the old double I used everywhere but with a neat 38T eagle single chainring, cassette is a 11-46 Sunrace and the rear derailleur... Well, I started with a short cage Shimano 5700 105 level and it was actually almost capable to handle these jumps with the use of a small adapter (10 euro on Amazon - we'll see how much it will last) and additional adjustments. 

However I opted for a nicer Apex 1 which I found for what I think should be the right price (not yet showed in this picture). 

The bike is pretty nice and comfortable but I only rode it on tarmac and gravel for around 20 km. Hopefully the weather will be better the next few weeks to let me get around more frequently. Pictures below.

And

 

Ok, una e' fatta per adesso. 

 Non ci ho messo poi tanto a completare questo montaggio, d'altronde avevo gia' tutti i componenti in "casetta". Eppoi sin da quando ho comprato questo telaio, avevo in mente soltanto: monstercross - lo so, neanche io amo un tubo orizzontale sloping insieme at un manubrio stradale - neanche a parlarne di flares). Il primo passo e' stato riciclare il manubrio da 46 che avevo provato una volta sulla Kona (non scordiamocelo: http://avvsavv.blogspot.com/2018/04/kona-hei-hei-drop-bar.html). Per adesso non c'e' bisogno di nient'altro ma penso che semmai dovessi, inizierei a prendere una coppia di leve Sram S500 o addirittura una leva destra integrata di SRAM (SRAM e' cosi' costosa...). Lo so, il giallo non ci sta per niente con il tricolore Ritchey, ma questa e' la prova provata che non volevo davvero toccare niente... Il manubrio era bello e pronto! 

Le ruote sono sempre le solite che usavo sulla Van Nicholas con le sottili Schwalbe Kojak, ma adesso ci sono due Rapid Rob nuovi. Ho dovuto perdere piu' tempo per sistemare i freni. Non ho comandi stradali idraulici, quindi ho usato delle pinze meccaniche Shimano. Il problema e' che il cavo passa sui foderi superiori ed l'aggancio della pinza richiede un banjo orientabile... che non c'e' sulle pinze meccaniche. Ho meso un tubetto v-brake piegabile, non certo la soluzione piu' bella a vedersi ma in effetti funziona bene. Concordo sulla discutibilita' di questa scelta, ma non volevo proprio spenderci altri soldi. ANche la trasmissione e' un continuo riciclo. Ho ripreso la vecchia guarnitura SRAM che un tempo era doppia e ci ho messo sopra una singola SRAM Eagle da 38 denti. La cassetta e' una onesta Sunrace da 11-46 che funziona con un deragliatore Shimano 105 a gabbia corta. Il deragliatore, con quell'adattatore rosso comprato su Amazon e qualche altro piccolo aggiustamento potrebbe benissimo tener testa ai salti tra i pignoni ma alla fine ho trovato un deragliatore SRAM Apex 1 a buon prezzo e l'ho comprato (non e' in foto). 

La bici e' molto confortevole ma devo ammettere che l'ho pedalata su asfalto e terra battuta per circa 20km. Non appena il tempo sar' migliore, faro' qualche giro piu' lungo.

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Two special guests for 2021

 And yet we are, after so long since my last post.

This Christmas I got again into the thing, and decided to pull the trigger on a frameset, just for fun - and use all of these (mostly old) spares laying around my new shed.

I must admit that I actually bought two frames, just because the one below was somehow cheap on Amazon.

So, I ended up with two nice steel frameset to dress up:

I took my time to prepare these frames with some fogging oil (something I never did). This should help the tubes to stay healthier for more time.

I think that the P650b is now sorted - bar some minor adjustments should I decide to keep as it is. The Swisscross is still a work in progress, hopefully it will take no more than another week.

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Eccoci qui, dopo una lunga pausa dal mio ultimo post.

Per Natale ho trovato un bel telaio che ho comprato, tanto per montarci sopra i vecchi componenti che avevo sparsi qua e la'.

In effetti di telai ne ho comprati due, solo perche' uno e' venuto via con pochi euro su Amazon.

Quindi adesso i telai da montare son due!

Per la prima volta, ho impiegato il tempo per preparare i tubi, prima di montarli, spruzzandoli con abbondante olio. QUesto trattamento iniziale dovrebbe mantenerli in salute per molto tempo.

Penso che la P650b sia quasi pronta, a parte qualche piccolo aggiustamento. La Swisscross e' ancora sotto i ferri, spero di finirla presto.

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Frame geometry

While looking for (new) pictures of any Amazon Cross around the web, I came across Van nicholas official website and had a look oat the geometry of my frame.
Head tube is 72° and the seat tube is 73,5°, which is (I think) somehow normal but, going back to an old Morati catalogue, I found out that my HC 1.3 has 71°-73° that is incredibly closer to the current CX setup of my Amazon.
With a fork 1cm shorter (Crisp...), it can reach the same steep head tube angle.

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A couple of (not so recent) pictures

I'm lazy and I know it. I shot this pictures last month and they are still sitting onto my Flick account, waiting for me to write this (almost useless, I agree) post.

So, here it is, in it's almost latest setup (I took out the Restrap bag and the rear light).



I switched the front stem with a 120mm one (Brand X, good and cheap from CRC)


With these Tektro generic brakes, there are no probs with 28mm tyres (but I won't be able to use any full size mudguards...)



and



This is somehow a good idea, tried to place the rear light (with the help of a tiny P-clip) on the rear axle (using the fender bolt hole)



The biggest change here was going 1x. I took out both chainrings, front mech and its suport to use a narrow-wide 44 chainring (bought on eBay) along with a 10s 11-36 cassette.
Tightening the B screw, 105 rear mech can cope with the big cog. I may need a slightly shorter cassette but is not an issue, never had a chain drop since then.

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