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Help me build up my old road frame

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Wendy

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Yep. It's a mtb drivetrain basically. It's built for travelling (hence the S&S couplers), light touring. I also commute on it sometimes and do bigger road/gravel rides on it. Cockpit example and on-tour examples below (sorry for thread hijack @Wendy -- just love upright-ish bikes).
View attachment 99126
View attachment 99127
OH! this isn’t a thread hijack, this is what I envisioned! (Surly bikes are awesome, btw).
I *think* my BB is 130mm.....dumb question...can I measure the frame to see?
I am going to be getting help to assemble my bike, it’s not DIY. Probably will commission a Mennonite guy that runs a local shop. He’s pretty utilitarian and knowledgeable....Mennonites around here use bikes as a main form of transportation. (The local high end shop closed, despite being across the street from the velodrome).
I take it that’s the Jones Loop bar....good to see it from above.
 
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Wendy

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I would even go one step further and use flashy cable housing like Jagwire's Road Elite Link
or maybe even Vertebrae, depending on the wheelset trim.


Question to @Wendy: How stable was it on downhills back in CO? Were you ever using your knee against the top tube?

It was unbelievably stable. I remember riding down Fremont Pass, hands free. I was much younger and stupider back then. But the bike was rock solid. It handled better than my Merlin and better than the BMC I raced on for a season. Like @Phil said, it isn’t light, but it’s not a tank, either, and the handling is superb.

I’m riding a fat bike all over the place right now...the Serotta will feel light after that!
 
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Rudi Riet

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On that Serotta:

- rear dropout spacing is likely 130mm, possibly 126mm. No problem running any road hub on that.
- BB is likely BSA (English) threaded, so it'll take any external cup BB or a square-taper (old school) BB.

If I were to recommend a crank and BB setup, go with external Shimano over SRAM/Truvativ's GXP. The bearing load setup on Shimano is much better and longer lasting than the GXP setup. You can mix-and-match components to your heart's content, so you can probably find a Shimano crankset and BB setup that'll work fine (note that MTB cranksets will need spacers to get the right width for the crank spindle).

Otherwise, any 1x whatever should work fine, tho with 130mm spacing 1x9 or 1x10 are the most likely "good fits" for this beautiful Serotta frame. I'm more partial to Shimano than SRAM (and even more partial to Campagnolo than either of those), but there's good stuff out there from all the drivetrain manufacturers.

Have fun with this build!
 

cantunamunch

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Oh, and the quill stem - keep that if you keep the fork/headset, eh?


Like @Phil said, it isn’t light, but it’s not a tank, either, and the handling is superb.

I’m riding a fat bike all over the place right now...the Serotta will feel light after that!

It's not about the overall weight - it's about how it's going to feel when loaded up in the front vs. loaded up in the rear, especially on downhills.

Stable-when-unloaded road frames can do weird things when flat-barred and put to load carrying.

The most evil behaviour, IMO, is when the bike feels very stiff -like 1000W+ sprinter stiff - when upright on flats but then becomes unstable - and unrightable - when the steering goes over a little bump, particularly on downhills. There are other weird things that can happen, but that one is deadly.
 

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Great frame. I owned an EXACT twin, right down to frame size, which my son converted to a fixie, and still owns. It has an English thread BB, and I am sure that the rear dropout spacing is 130mm.

Fun project with many options. I would do a 1x, with whatever cockpit meets your needs and fits best. Enjoy it. And if you decide not to do it....PM me!

Red /yellow fade is THE color, IMO. Beautiful!
 
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On that Serotta:

- rear dropout spacing is likely 130mm, possibly 126mm. No problem running any road hub on that.
- BB is likely BSA (English) threaded, so it'll take any external cup BB or a square-taper (old school) BB.

If I were to recommend a crank and BB setup, go with external Shimano over SRAM/Truvativ's GXP. The bearing load setup on Shimano is much better and longer lasting than the GXP setup. You can mix-and-match components to your heart's content, so you can probably find a Shimano crankset and BB setup that'll work fine (note that MTB cranksets will need spacers to get the right width for the crank spindle).

Otherwise, any 1x whatever should work fine, tho with 130mm spacing 1x9 or 1x10 are the most likely "good fits" for this beautiful Serotta frame. I'm more partial to Shimano than SRAM (and even more partial to Campagnolo than either of those), but there's good stuff out there from all the drivetrain manufacturers.

Have fun with this build!

Thanks for the good info. The original components were Campagnolo Record. I much prefer it over Shimano, and never owned Shimano stuff, because the Campy road brake hoods and shifters were far more comfortable, and I could easily disassemble the cogs in the rear cassette for cleaning. In fact, I enjoyed that work.

(I am no bike mechanic. I was limited to the above, as well as quick cog and chainring switches on my track bike in between races at the velodrome).

For a rebuild, a Campy crank would be nice tribute to the bike’s past.

I will just have to figure out shifters...
 
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Oh, and the quill stem - keep that if you keep the fork/headset, eh?




It's not about the overall weight - it's about how it's going to feel when loaded up in the front vs. loaded up in the rear, especially on downhills.

Stable-when-unloaded road frames can do weird things when flat-barred and put to load carrying.

The most evil behaviour, IMO, is when the bike feels very stiff -like 1000W+ sprinter stiff - when upright on flats but then becomes unstable - and unrightable - when the steering goes over a little bump, particularly on downhills. There are other weird things that can happen, but that one is deadly.
Good points, but the bike‘s purpose will not be for loaded touring, but instead for errands.....picking up veggies at the local stand, riding to the drugstore for a prescription, that sort of thing. I will not have weighted panniers.
 
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It was unbelievably stable. I remember riding down Fremont Pass, hands free. I was much younger and stupider back then. But the bike was rock solid. It handled better than my Merlin and better than the BMC I raced on for a season. Like @Phil said, it isn’t light, but it’s not a tank, either, and the handling is superb.

I’m riding a fat bike all over the place right now...the Serotta will feel light after that!
ADD: My CO rides, when multi-day, were gear supported, so I wasn’t carrying that much.

I just discovered that the mechanic who built this bike originally for me now has his own shop (Sleeping Dog Cycles) not far from me. I can’t just drive down there given CV, but I will get in touch with him. It might be cool do have him to the rebuild for old times sake, with input from you all. :)
 
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There is a warmth to a lugged steel frame that is similar to a wood core ski or a album verses CD/Digital music
 

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I'm sure it was - I'm saying "I would find another quill stem to complete the look and not do one of those ridiculous quill to threadless adapters. "

While I generally agree aesthetically -- a traditional quill will limit handlebar choice to only things made w/ a 25.4 or 26mm clamp diameter and particular designs. Some bars require a removable faceplate to install, some require a 31.8mm clamp. I would choose my bars and figure out the best aesthetic/fit solution from there. Velo Orange has some options to keep a semi-retro look while running more modern bars: https://velo-orange.com/collections/stems
 

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Thanks for the good info. The original components were Campagnolo Record. I much prefer it over Shimano, and never owned Shimano stuff, because the Campy road brake hoods and shifters were far more comfortable, and I could easily disassemble the cogs in the rear cassette for cleaning. In fact, I enjoyed that work.

(I am no bike mechanic. I was limited to the above, as well as quick cog and chainring switches on my track bike in between races at the velodrome).

For a rebuild, a Campy crank would be nice tribute to the bike’s past.

I will just have to figure out shifters...

If you wind up with a mishmash of franken-gears, a Jtek shiftmate is your friend: http://www.jtekengineering.com/shiftmate/shiftmate-compatibility-charts-choices/

I have one on my beater bike to mate Shimano shifters to a Campy derailleur; it works perfectly.
 

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The Jones Loop bar looks perfect for what I’d need. Having multiple hand positions while not giving up an upright position is awesome.

I thought SRAM would offer the options for my needs...good to know I wasn’t off base with that. No, I don’t need 1x12. I considered a single speed (not fixed) gear; that would certainly increase the simplicity but reduce the versatility concerning terrain (and my creaky knees).

A basket is a must. I use a wicker basket on my fat bike for errands!
I am not a great fan of the Jones loop bar. (I am a Bikefitter), it often doesn’t work great.
on a road bike frame, you would need a very long stem to get your grips out to the proper distance.
For most people who want multiple hand positions on a road bike frame, a Surly Moloko is a better choice, or the Denham bar.

Or how about a (flared) drop bar?

How wide of a tire would fit? If it fits a larger tire, you can get mid or long reach brakes to clear that wider tire.

For gearing there are so many choices out there these days, depending on shifter type, desired range and budget.
 

Slim

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While I generally agree aesthetically -- a traditional quill will limit handlebar choice to only things made w/ a 25.4 or 26mm clamp diameter and particular designs. Some bars require a removable faceplate to install, some require a 31.8mm clamp. I would choose my bars and figure out the best aesthetic/fit solution from there. Velo Orange has some options to keep a semi-retro look while running more modern bars: https://velo-orange.com/collections/stems

Also check out Rene Herse for modern parts in a traditional style.

And, if you do switch, know that silver components are making a comeback this year, too can get stems and handlebars in silver again from Salsa, Zipp and probably others.
 

cantunamunch

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Or how about a (flared) drop bar?

That was the first thing I thought of - I don't like the Cowchipper shape so I was thinking more like a Soma Lauterwasser or Portola - a moustache bar is nothing other than a flared drop bar that's been flattened in a press.

On that note - anyone else see the drop bars in Gmail's logo :D ?
 
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I just talked to the guy who originally built up my Serotta. The frame is a collector’s item. :)
That *may* effect what I do.
He did say a moustache bar would be best with the bikes long top tube.
A bunch of stuff to think about.
 

Rudi Riet

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I just talked to the guy who originally built up my Serotta. The frame is a collector’s item. :)
That *may* effect what I do.
He did say a moustache bar would be best with the bikes long top tube.
A bunch of stuff to think about.

Who built it? Kelly Bedford?
 

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