For those of you still struggling with the special Campy wrench alluded to in the message below, accessory maker Topeak makes a very spiffy 8 / 10 mm "micro-ratchet" wrench that makes adjusting those micro-adjusting seatposts really easy. The ratchet in this wrench is actually a roller clutch, so you can turn the bolt with a very few degrees of swing.
This is one of the few tools out there that beats the crap out of it's equivalent from Snap-On.
markp Normally Bainbridge Island but enjoying the sunset on Coronado Island today.
>I am still working on getting my significant other's bike
\r?\n>comfortable for her. We are working with hidden padding under the
\r?\n>bike tape in a small critical part of the drops, a modern
\r?\n>Specialized seat with the "nerve tunnel" and now the microadjust
\r?\n>seat post. Everything I do seem to improve things for her, including
\r?\n>finding a Cinelli stem that seems to measure 11.5 cm.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>The question is, now that we have found that only a microadjust seat
\r?\n>post will achieve the perfect seat tilt, we will keep an eye out for
\r?\n>a more classic version. Those of you that follow our family bike
\r?\n>dramas know that her race bike is not quite a classic by year, but a
\r?\n>Giordana lugged steel, made by Tomessini and equipped with dt
\r?\n>Shimano indexed 7 speed ( the most functional race set-up ever made
\r?\n>IMHO). I purchased a new cheap microadjust that I cleaned up with a
\r?\n>dremel grinder and polishing wheel. The final result is very
\r?\n>functional, easy to use, but somewhat Frankensteinish, with the two
\r?\n>bolts coming out like twin monster electrodes (you know the style).
\r?\n>
\r?\n>I never had the good fortune to own a Campy microadjust (either the
\r?\n>super classic campy that requires a special wrench to get at the
\r?\n>bolt under the seat, or the 80's version that was supposedly a big
\r?\n>improvement). How did that second version work, and what would I
\r?\n>have to be willing to pay for it in a 27.2 size? I can't picture how
\r?\n>the newer Campy would function by looking a E. Sloane's picture of
\r?\n>it.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>My second question is did Raleigh possibly order 531-C tubing in a
\r?\n>27.0 seat tube size? My 80's Raleigh seems to have a shade more than
\r?\n>usual resistance to a 27.2 post even when greased. The collar has
\r?\n>definitely never suffered from overtightening, nor is there excess
\r?\n>flashing on the lug that might cause a bit of binding. 27.2 seat
\r?\n>posts still slide in and out with a firm twisting hand, but it
\r?\n>doesn't go like butter. Would 27.0 be a better fit, or should I not
\r?\n>even try, if 27.2 is still very workable? Are different seat lugs
\r?\n>slightly differently sized historically?
\r?\n>
\r?\n>I clean the frame with simple green or just a moist cloth. Aluminum
\r?\n>parts, I clean with WD-40 or just Kerosene, which I guess is the
\r?\n>same thing. Detergent motor oil works well too, and I prefer it. If
\r?\n>something is very dirty, I use Gojo hand cleaner or even brake
\r?\n>cleaner! I just started cleaning the chain with Finish Lines'
\r?\n>plastic gizmo and Ecotech biodegradable cleaner in the device. The
\r?\n>result seems to be just as clean as it can be, but the problem with
\r?\n>chains is not dissolving dirt but getting the silica based sandy
\r?\n>grit out of the inner parts. Once you dissolve the oil the brushes
\r?\n>seem to agitate it out. I finish with Finish Line's "dry?" chain
\r?\n>lube with Teflon. Now the Regina chain is sweet and soft across the
\r?\n>Regina freewheel (like fine metals singing in the wind).
\r?\n>
\r?\n>Garth Libre, happily training in high 70's South Florida, Surfside.
\r?\n>Tonight's ride had me keeping up a steady 30 mph for 0.75 of a mile
\r?\n>in 52-15, which qualifies me as a rather fast women rider. Too bad I
\r?\n>am a man. Hasta luego, amigos mios.