I really like Mighty Tour Cranks too but beware: early models (about half) have an exceptionally wide distance between the chainrings. They are best used only with full width chains or modified as you can literally drop a thin chain in the gap..
I really believe in having low gears available. This especially comes into play for long distance multi-day touring. Knee trouble can spring up and lead to abandonment if you can't rest the knee in a granny. Also a long time into town or camp after a 100 mile day can be a lot more fun at your own pace.
I often like to set up triples on double spindles to get lower Q factors and better chainlines. That means the little chainwheels is only intended to work with two or three freewheel cogs.
Now that the gearing is wider- What about classic derailleurs for touring bikes? I always used to use Suntour- Cyclone GT, VXGT or VGT-Luxe. But they are not really that classic, especially on a high zoot bike. I am trying a later version Campagnolo Rally (NR type pantograph) on my Witcomb USA but it is really bad in my opinion. Yes it can wrap the chain but otherwise the shifting is clunky. Is the earlier Rally so much better? What about the Duopar? It always looked fragile to me but I have never used one. For front derailleurs I have been using the Campy 980s but they are a bit sketchy in the cage length. I think I will try a Huret I have which I presume is the companion to the Duopar.
Joe
At 07:02 AM 7/4/01 -0700, Diane Feldman wrote:
>A suggestion for those wanting to gear "classic" lightweight bikes down,
>especially Campy NR/SR bikes--Sugino Mighty Tour cranks. They have a
>similar spindle hole shape to that era's Campagnolo, have a 110mm bolt
>circle so they will fit as small as a 34 tooth ring, are light, look the
>era, and have a narrow tread. Their front derailleur clearance is slightly
>better than Campagnolo or French cranks--they'll work with a Shimano 105
>front derailleur, for instance. They can be had cheaply; I've come into two
>low-mileage sets for an outlay of less than $30.00. They were such a common
>OEM crank for a number of years that lots of sets lurk on $25 garage sale
>bikes!
>
>David Feldman
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mark Poore" <rauler47@hotmail.com>
>To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 6:51 AM
>Subject: Re: [CR]Tennessee mountains and classic race bikes?
>
>
>> Living in the mountains where a typical ride will consist of at least 5-6
>> miles of climbing and that isn't including the hills, just the mountain
>> climbs I have had to gear down. About a month ago I was on my Rauler with
>a
>> 42x23 and felt a twinge of pain in my knee so I turned around and headed
>> back down the mountain. The next day I took out the Merican with it's
>triple
>> and a low of 30x23 and did some climbing. The knee was still somewhat
>sore,
>> but I came through OK. That day I ordered the gearing I needed to make the
>> bike climb with less pain to the rider. It now has a 39x26 and it has made
>> all the difference in the world. The tighter cog will be saved for the
>flat
>> lands. Now I don't think I would take it out on a 100 miler with 9
>mountain
>> climbs or anything like that, but for a couple of climbs it will and my
>> knees will do just fine. At times I do have to remind myself that I am no
>> longer as young, strong and as fast as I used to be. There was a time when
>I
>> would do Skyland Drive with a 47x21 and it was all right, but not anymore.
>> When I get a little older I will probably have to gear down even farther.
>> The main thing is to keep on riding and sometimes that means making
>> concessions do to age and the like. Can one use the small cog as a granny
>> and the inner chain ring for a big cog? Just a thought.
>>
>> Did 42 miles yesterday with 9 miles of mountain climbing in preparation
>for
>> the Mountain Mama Challenge. A friend and I will be doing the last 50
>miles
>> of this century tomorrow. She did the 50 miler last year and what to see
>if
>> she is up to the full 100 and the 5 additional mountains it has to offer.
>>
>> Larry Osborne are you coming?
>>
>> Mark, the older I get the faster I was, Poore