Hi,

I'm still really only a wannabe fixer. I just got a converted early 80's Motobecane Nomade. It has Brampton (England) hubs w/ flipflop rear laced/dished onto 27" no-name rims (seriously heavy!). Also has Moto-labeled brake calipers w/ Diacomp levers, no-name bars, Moto stem, Sakae? cranks/42t ring, no-name seatpost and beat-up-but-I-like-it Brookes saddle. It's heavy and the controls are not comfortable, so I want to make some improvements.........

Here are my questions:

1) First I will replace the 18t noname cog with a 16t and a lockring (doesn't have one now). DuraAce for both is the best way to go, right? I'm hoping around 70gear/inches will work around MD/DCA. Any opinions?

2) Next, I want bullhorns. But I think I will have to will flip and clip the exisitng bars to get them. The ones from Chuck's look too thick to get through my Motobecane stem and I don't want to have to sand down a modern stem to fit the headtube. Anyone know if there are skinny bullhorns out there anywhere?

3) 700cc wheel upgrade. 700cc fits fine (I tried) and the brakes even reach the rim. Can I (should I) build new 700cc wheels using the retro Brampton hubs. I know nothing about this company. I know I can get a wheelset with Suzue on e-Bay cheap, but it might be kinda cool to keep the vintage hubs. Any reason not to?? If I do have them built with original hubs, what rims would give an old school look?

Sorry for asking so much in the first go, but I'm totally psyched to get this thing on the road!!

Porrick.

Are your hubs fixed or normal freewheel hubs? If you didn't know, fixed hubs are deisgned differently. The cog screws on normal, but then there are set of reverse threads for the lockring. The purpose of that is that when you backpedal, it tightens the cog. If you don't use a dedicated fixed hub, when you backpedal you'll loosen the cog and it'll screw off.

That said, it's possible to use a regular hub with a BB lockring on it, but you need to use brakes. If you don't, like I said, when you backpedal you'll eventually loosen the cog. I used a regular hub for a couple of months and didn't have any issues, but I used my brakes to slow down.

Using a regular hub way is a good way to try out fixed riding, but if you're serious about it you should buy a dedicated fixed wheel.

Are your hubs fixed or normal freewheel hubs? .......

Timfire,

Both hubs are Brampton. The rear is a flipflop hub (fixed -with reverse threads for lockring on one side and threaded for a freewheel -no reverse threads-- on the other).
What I'm wondering is whether these hubs are decent enough that I can/should build new 700cc wheels around them or if I should just toss em and get a whole new fixed wheelset.

Porrick

I would keep the Brampton hubs and relace them to some Mavic Open Pros. I would stay away from the Suzue hubs if they were the low end ones (ie JRs or Basics). I was also thinking bout getting a pair of Suzue Jrs for dirt cheap but was convinced to get the Surly flip flop hub when money's available. I've heard of the low end Suzues stripping after only little use.

I'm currently using flipped and chopped drops on my ride and they're fine. Use what you have if you want to keep the Motobecane stem.

http://www.deepwater.uklinux.net/www.fixedwheel.org.uk/
most of the posters there are UK fixed riders, am sure you can get some good info on them at the forum...

nmnmnm