I suppose some day I'll build a new bike (new to me, anyway) and all the parts will fit, I'll have all the supplies I need at hand and I won't make any silly goof ups that require redoing stuff several times. After all I'm well into the second dozen of bike builds as well as uncounted maintenance projects, so any day now I'll start getting it right---
Tom Hayes is to blame for my latest tribulations. He deliberately put a nice used MKM frame on eBay and described it honestly as needing new paint, thereby scaring off every fair weather vintage bike fan. Or maybe it was the 62cm size---. Anyway, I got the frame for an embarrassingly low price, and turned around and sent it to Franklin Frames for a respray. In the meantime, I sorted through the parts boxes and put together a reasonable assortment of stuff to use, ordered a few other bits, prudently kept out a few alternates "just in case", and the rest went off to Trexlertown as swap bait, or was shipped home. 1st mistake, because if something doesn't fit, I just sold off most of my alternate parts.
The frame got here Thursday ( an nice light blue, with black lug lining) and I rushed off to my LBS (NJ style) where Clarence at Brielle Cyclery installed the headset (Stronglight A-9) and BB (Phil 122mm). Friday night started the building. Cranks are TA Pro 5Vis, 175mm 52x45x28 (thanks to Martin Copeland), rear derailleur Crane GS (Jill DiMauro, Proteus), Dura Ace Front (Chris Van Scoynk), Dura Ace sidepulls, Suntour Stem, Nitto Rando Bars, mystery seat post, B17 saddle (Rivendell), wheels are mid 80's Dura Ace hubs (no oil clips) laced to Mavic G40 36 hole rims (built by moi) shod with Pasela 32mm Tourguards, and the infamous Dura Ace friction bar cons I've been asking about the last week or so. MKS platform pedals with steel clips.
Quit building Friday night with just the chain to string and derailleurs to adjust. SAT morn had some chores to run, so it was 10:00 before I got back to it. 1st problem: the BB is a little short on the drive side. Oh yeah, didn't TA's have 5mm of extra offset on the right? Clarence had thoughtfully shifted the Phil BB as far right as possible, but the inner chainring bolts are still perilously close to the chainstay. Break out an old trick, reverse the inner chainring bolts because the allen heads on the triple bolts protrude less than the nuts. Of course you have to disassemble the whole #$*&^ crank to get to the bolt under the crank arm, so I settle for removing the washer under that nut, which gives me about the same clearance.
Second problem. It seems very old Tressoplast tape gets very gummy with age. Normally not a problem, except this is white tape and the glue has yellowed, giving the bars a splotchy, jaundiced look. Oh well, white tape will be replaced soon anyway. I decided to run the bar con cables under the tape all the way to the stem, my first time trying this. A bit tough routing the housings, and the tape comes up a bit short, but since I wrap from the bottom up, my string whip finish covers the gaps.
Third: the Dura Ace front won't throw the chain inboard enough to shift onto the granny ring. H'm, I've got a Titleist lying around, we'll try that. It shifts, but reluctantly. I see a new BB in my future.
Throw everything together, test the position, and It's off for a test ride. Darn, it's cold! This is bad for the clip & strap pedals, as SPD pedals & shoes are compatible with shoe covers. Change one, pedal swap.
Second problem. The rando bars are feeling just a bit narrow. Just a bit---. Maybe I can get used to them. I really want to like them. Actually I really don't want to swap bars after doing all the bar con work etc. But as the ride goes on, my elbow starts to ache a bit, the classic system for me of too narrow bars. Rats! Change 2.
Back home, we route in the depleted parts boxes post Trexlertown and find a nice set of Cinelli CDM 42cm bars. Now I know I kept out a stem--- ha, here's the bag. Oh no! This isn't the 1a I meant to keep, but a 1R! The right size, but I can see my bars slipping at the first ride. I dig into the archives, because I remember Chuck S posting tips on these. Hmm, replace bolt with steel unit, and grease everything for higher tension. Off to the hardware store. Hmm, a 7mm bolt, but all my store has are 6 and 8 in allen headed screws. Well, I can use a hex head with some washers. Oh no! The thread pitch is different on the available bolts. Okay, we'll just have to rely on the grease. $#^@.
Back to work now, and I undo my beautiful wrap job, pulling off the cables, bar cons and levers. The brake cables are a loss, because the dura ace brakes kink them hard when clamped, and they won't slide back into the housings. On go the Cinelli cockpit fittings (very sharp looking, any way). Oh no! (This is becoming my mantra.) The Dura Ace lever clamps won't slide onto the Cinelli bars. 30 minutes of trying later (including slacking the bolts all the way, attempting to spread the clamps and even removing the lever bodies totally) and I go to plan B: a set of black Modolo brakes. I have to strip the hoods off another set of Modolo levers to get a matching set, but at least the lever clamps fit. Oh no! The hoods are both rights. I had two sets of spare hoods, but they were shipped home post Trexlertown. Oh well, who will know? (Except all of you, of course). Oddly enough, the donor levers are both double cable units. Anyone need a pair of non aero Modolo tandem levers without hoods?
A tedious amount of time later things are finally back together. (Oh no! I need to replace the bar con housings because the new bars need longer housings to run under the tape to the stem. I could run the housings out in the air in the normal way, but by now I'm doing stuff the hard way just out of spite) I ease my back and stand up. Wow, It's midnight. Off to bed kiddies, and I'll report tomorrow on bar slippage. I'll also try to take some pics. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better.
Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
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