So Will It Work?

I’ve received a brand new Outdoors column, and it’s all concerning the pleasure of eliminating bikes:

After all I simply removed a bunch of bikes, so I wrote this largely to make myself really feel higher.

As for my remaining bikes, after I final rode the Cervino that is what occurred:

Like toe clips and straps, there’s little purpose to be utilizing tubular tires in 2024–however like toe clips and straps, that’s what’s on the Cervino, and driving the bike in all its period-correct inconvenient glory is a part of the enjoyable. So I’ve received some new (and extra flat-resistant) tubular tires on their approach, and as soon as they arrive I’ll undertake the method of ritually adhering them to the rim. It’s been a very long time since I’ve glued a tubular, and I used to be by no means significantly good at it, so it will likely be attention-grabbing if I can do it with out by some means getting them caught to the cat.

Within the meantime, few issues taunt me greater than an unrideable bicycle–particularly when it’s the one bicycle that lives with me inside my precise residence and I have a look at it on a regular basis, as is the case with the Cervino. Alas, the one different pair of 126mm-spaced wheels I’ve are on the Normcore Bike, and I couldn’t steal these, since, properly, they’re on the Normcore Bike, which is how my elder son will get to highschool on daily basis:

[Not with those pedals though.]

However then I spotted, “Wait, it’s a metal bike! Who the hell cares what the rear spacing is?” And since I’d simply switched wheels on the Milwaukee, I had the opposite pair simply sitting there in abeyance:

The body is spaced at 126mm and the rear wheel is 130mm, so 4 measly millimeters wouldn’t be a problem. (The Faggin can also be ostensibly a 126mm body, and I’ve by no means even had a 126mm-spaced wheel in there.) As for the variety of cogs, the Cervino’s rear wheel has a six-speed freewheel, and the brand new wheel has a nine-speed cassette–not essentially a problem because of the miracle of friction shifting, however as I do know from expertise, in apply some older derailleurs don’t at all times have sufficient vary for at the moment’s (or within the case of 9-speed, 1998’s) wider cassettes, and even when they do, generally these older derailleurs can contact the spokes if you’re in your lowest gear.

The one factor I knew completely wouldn’t work could be the chain, because you want a minimum of a 9-speed chain for those who’re going to make use of a 9-speed cassette. So on the very least I’d want to vary that. This might doubtlessly be a problem, since it might be affordable to assume that the narrower chain wouldn’t work on these previous chainrings and pulleys. Nonetheless, after I’d put a 10-speed chain on the in any other case 6-speed C-Document Vengeance Bike, it labored simply wonderful:

Truly, it labored greater than wonderful, because it noticeably improved the shifting.

Moreover, at one level I’d put that very same C-Document rear derailleur on the Faggin, which on the time had a 9-speed cassette, and that too labored with out difficulty:

Clearly the Tremendous Document stuff on the Cervino was a couple of years older than the C-Document stuff on the Vengeance Bike, however each had been designed to work with six-speed freewheels, and if I knew Campy I figured there was a fairly good likelihood that a lot of the variations between the 2 rear derailleurs got here right down to aesthetics. Moreover, if I used to be proper, as soon as I had a contemporary chain on there I may change backwards and forwards between the previous freewheel and a more recent cassette with abandon.

So I modified the chain on the Cervino for a 10-speed and swapped within the new wheels. They slotted into the dropouts with minimal effort, and getting the derailleur to shift throughout your entire cassette took nothing various turns of the low restrict screw. There was no obvious spoke contact difficulty with the derailleur, both, which I confirmed after I took it out for a trip:

In reality the bike felt unbelievable, and the general enchancment in shifting was dramatic:

Not solely that, however going from a low gear of 42×21 to 42X25 felt positively decadent:

Little question a contemporary slant parallelogram derailleur could be an excellent greater enchancment, however having performed with all kinds of combos in recent times I’ve come to be taught that a lot of what informs shift high quality is the chain and the cassette, and going from previous freewheels and chains to fashionable Hyperglide (or its equal) might be the most important shifting improve you can also make by a protracted shot:

Friction shifting isn’t for everyone, and built-in shifters are nice, however you’ve received to confess, a drivetrain that offers you over 40 years of wheel compatibility with nothing greater than a easy chain swap is fairly darn spectacular–and addictive for those who’re a tinkerer, or low cost, or each.

And never solely did I internet a decrease gear, however I additionally netted wider tires, and right here’s some 28mm clearance porn:

Unsurprisingly, they match with room to spare:

The tightest spot was within the crotch, however even there it was adequate, and I may purchase myself much more clearance by backing out on the dropout adjuster screws and shifting the wheel again:

I’d puzzled if switching from tubulars to clinchers would possibly diminish the Cervino’s pleasing trip high quality considerably, nevertheless it felt pretty much as good as ever and probably even higher–which actually isn’t shocking, since not solely are the clinchers wider, however I used to be additionally utilizing very non-fancy tubulars. (Braking additionally felt higher, in all probability attributable to these machined sidewalls I used to be not too long ago whining about.) I additionally thought the all-black wheels would possibly look funky on a traditional highway bike, nevertheless it’s received sufficient silver stuff on it that if something I’d say they complement it:

All of that is to say the wheels appear to be an enchancment throughout, a lot in order that I’m questioning if it was foolish to order new tubulars–although it might be much more foolish to not use the beautiful traditional wheels that got here with the Cervino, so I’ll nonetheless be seeing the gluing undertaking by, a lot to the cat’s chagrin.

However sure, when switching from tubulars to clinchers you’ll be able to definitely loosen your sphincter a minimum of a couple of PSI. This in flip impacts your wardrobe, and as a substitute of going Full Retrogrouch, I went Full Rivendell with my apparel. “However isn’t that the identical factor?,” you’re questioning. No, it isn’t. See, you’ll be able to go Full Rivendell and never appear to be a freak if you make a cease on the put up workplace, which is emphatically not the case if you go Full Retrogrouch. I imply, sure, the gloves are the identical: