so what is everyone's opinion on this for vintage frames?

if you've got a vintage frame and fork, do you build it up with parts you would've found on it when new? or do you 'modernize' it - spread it out to 130, and put a 9/10 speed on it, 'brifters', etc.?

how do determine what to do?

so what is everyone's opinion on this for vintage frames?

if you've got a vintage frame and fork, do you build it up with parts you would've found on it when new? or do you 'modernize' it - spread it out to 130, and put a 9/10 speed on it, 'brifters', etc.?

how do determine what to do?

It depends how much you ride the bike. If it's for special days, go period correct. If it's a daily rider, go current or a mix of old and new.

I like a combination of old and new. I have two bikes set up this way. My Gitane funnybike is a combination of 80's Dura Ace parts and 9 speed derailleurs and down tube shifters. I like the look of downtube shifters and aero brake levers but I like 8 or 9 speed index shifting.

It depends how much you ride the bike. If it's for special days, go period correct. If it's a daily rider, go current or a mix of old and new.

I like a combination of old and new. I have two bikes set up this way.

you've sort of answered my fourth question.

is it a combination of both? pantoed chainring and crank connected to a modern cassette? what combo of both are most compatible?

if you're starting with a frame and fork, anything you put on it is not 'original' so why keep it period correct?

you've sort of answered my fourth question.

is it a combination of both? pantoed chainring and crank connected to a modern cassette? what combo of both are most compatible?

if you're starting with a frame and fork, anything you put on it is not 'original' so why keep it period correct?

If you're using older panto'd rings, 8-speed would be your best bet, as 8 speed chains work with 5, 6, and 7, too. Of course, someone will likely immediately chime in with "I'm using 10-speed Campy with a 1976 Nuovo Record crank and rings, and it's fine". Try it and see, I guess.

As far as period correctness goes, most good bikes were sold as frame and fork up until the Japanese invasion of the mid-80's. Top quality complete bikes is a 90s phenomenon, for the most part. So building up a 1970s frame with 1970's parts is period correct, at least as far as I'm concerned. There were a lot of folks who bought the best frame they could afford, and them put a mishmash of Zeus, Ofmega, Suntour, Huret, Simplex, and Campy parts on them. What we would now consider a "Frankenbike" was par for the course prior to 1986 or so.

--Shannon "mix-n-match" Menkveld

I'm building up a NOS 1980 Raleigh Competition frame and fork. The retro style will be defined by the frame, fork, Brooks saddle, quill stem, handlebars, and Suntour barcons with the cool spring metal cable housings. Wheels will be Ultegra and silver Open pro, 8 speed cassette, Shimano 105 derailleurs. I haven't settled on a crankset but I'm reluctantly leaning toward Shimano 105 triple. I haven't settled on brakes/levers but I'm leaning toward aero levers and dual pivot sidepulls.

I'm building up a NOS 1980 Raleigh Competition frame and fork. The retro style will be defined by the frame, fork, Brooks saddle, quill stem, handlebars, and Suntour barcons with the cool spring metal cable housings. Wheels will be Ultegra and silver Open pro, 8 speed cassette, Shimano 105 derailleurs. I haven't settled on a crankset but I'm reluctantly leaning toward Shimano 105 triple. I haven't settled on brakes/levers but I'm leaning toward aero levers and dual pivot sidepulls.

You might consider using a nicely finished 1980's Japanese touring / mtb crank. Sugino, Suntour, and Shimano all had nicely finished, shiny aluminum, 110 / 74 bcd triples. The other, more expensive option, is to take your favaorite road double, and turn it into a triple using TA or WIllow triplizer rings. Most of my favorite cranks are doubles, so I'm glad this option exists. If you have the orignial Campy Gran Sport 3-arm crank, it's wall art. The chainrings are available, from Euro-Asia, but they'll cost you about $160 each.

Dual Pivot brakes are ugly, IMHO, especially on older bikes, with their thinner tubing. I'd got for a nice set of late 80's 105, DuraAce, Cyclone or Superbe Pro single-pivots, with sprung aero levers

--Shannon

If you're using older panto'd rings, 8-speed would be your best bet, as 8 speed chains work with 5, 6, and 7, too. Of course, someone will likely immediately chime in with "I'm using 10-speed Campy with a 1976 Nuovo Record crank and rings, and it's fine". Try it and see, I guess.

As far as period correctness goes, most good bikes were sold as frame and fork up until the Japanese invasion of the mid-80's. Top quality complete bikes is a 90s phenomenon, for the most part. So building up a 1970s frame with 1970's parts is period correct, at least as far as I'm concerned. There were a lot of folks who bought the best frame they could afford, and them put a mishmash of Zeus, Ofmega, Suntour, Huret, Simplex, and Campy parts on them. What we would now consider a "Frankenbike" was par for the course prior to 1986 or so.

this is good to know.

i'm also interested because i'm going to build up an older gios torino aerodynamic and was thinking of what to put on it. I'ld like to find some of the panto'ed parts that may have come with the frame but am thinking of putting some more modern components. we'll see.

Now I just need to make a decision on brakes and I'll be ready to pull it all together. It appears that I need more than 50 mm reach on the calipers, so I'll probably go with some decent quality NOS single pivot sidepulls. thanks for the advice.

Now I just need to make a decision on brakes and I'll be ready to pull it all together. It appears that I need more than 50 mm reach on the calipers, so I'll probably go with some decent quality NOS single pivot sidepulls. thanks for the advice.

It looks like your frame was made for Weinmann 605 sidepulls. If Weinmann named their sidepulls like they did their centerpulls, these would have 60.5 mm maximum reach. Raliegh aimed for mid-slot placement of the pads, to allow for some errors either way. How many pints the bloke holding the torch had at lunch will determine how close he got to the target. Old "standard reach" was 47-57 mm, and is now called "long-reach". Modern "standard" is old "short", 37-47 mm. If the bridge was bazed on the high side, you may run out of reach with some brakes.

for more indormation on these bikes than you could ever use in one lifetime, even if all you rode were vintage Raleighs, check out

retroralieghs.com

--Shannon