Viking Giro D'Italia

declan1

New upgrades!

Thanks to the new stem, bars and wheelset it now weighs 10.5KG - 1KG lighter than before! Also got a nice SRAM out-front mount for my Bryton. It works brilliantly!












Only the f/f and mechs remain. Everything else is changed!

Shimano 600 Ultegra cranks
105 Pedals
San Marco Rolls Titanium saddle
Giant P-SL1 Wheels and PR-3 Tyres
Shimano Tourney 7-speed STIs
Deda Zero 1 120mm Stem
Forza Cirrus compact bars

Weight - 10.5KG

Remarkable

What a difference! I think it has a sort of old school look about it now. Very nice.

declan1

Remarkable wrote:

What a difference! I think it has a sort of old school look about it now. Very nice.

Thanks! It feels like a completely different bike. Not surprising considering even the MA-2s are 1800g lighter than the original wheels!

alihisgreat

What's with the light behind the rear brake?!

declan1

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

What's with the light behind the rear brake?!

It's in front of the rear brake

I couldn't put it on the seatpost originally because of a saddle bag, so put it down there. You can still see it clearly above and below the caliper. Only problem is the stuff thrown up from the road has corroded the bolt in the mount, and I can't get it off again to put it on the seatpost

RideOnTime

Viking's make long boats.

majormantra

Any issue fitting those calipers? My gf has one of these and the stock brakes are shockingly bad. I wasn't sure if the the rear brake could be swapped for a modern recessed nut caliper.

declan1

Yup, standard brakes fit just fine with the recessed nut. The front is fine with a long drop (47-57mm) caliper, but the rear with the same caliper doesn't reach the rim properly. It's nearly touching the tyre. You'd probably be better off with these (at least for the rear): http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tektro-tektr ... prod24459/

Also if you haven't already get some better levers, either something like this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cane-creek-scr-5-brake-levers/ or some STIs. Again the original levers flex like hell and don't provide any braking force whatsoever.

majormantra

Thanks, that's really useful.

She's got the blue version that comes with 2300 STIs so the levers aren't too bad. I've also already changed the chainset for a compact as it came with a 52/42 and 12-23 which is just absurd. Now apart from the brakes it's a decent commuter, and she's got a lovely Canyon for 'best'.

declan1

I believe that's the Roma. I have no idea what the rear tyre clearance is like, but it's probably the same frame as mine just in a different colour.

I've found the front brake on mine (Shimano R-650) to provide awesome braking power (it's the long-drop version of Ultegra), and the rear brake (R-450) is ok, but no where near as powerful (but rear brake isn't as important!).

That gearing sounds painful! Especially considering that they weigh around 12KG and aren't exactly stiff!

majormantra

Yes, that's the one. Pretty sure the frames are the same.

I agree about the R650. I have those on my winter bike and they are some of the best brakes I've ever used - better than my Campags I think.

declan1

New upgrades! See original post for pics

blackstick

Love your saddle~ leather oldschool is always the comfiest

declan1

blackstick wrote:

Love your saddle~ leather oldschool is always the comfiest

Yup, it's ultra-comfy. I also think it suits the bike rather well!

ed_j

Like it, classic 90s look.

Admit it though, the spacer stack upsets you

declan1

Ed J wrote:

Like it, classic 90s look.

Admit it though, the spacer stack upsets you

It does indeed!

I want to slam the stem, which is more comfortable for my back, but it introduces a lot of pressure in an area where you don't want any pressure

ed_j

It'll just force you out of the saddle more! It's a macho win-win.

declan1

Ed J wrote:

It'll just force you out of the saddle more! It's a macho win-win.

Haha! I'm actually out of the saddle a lot anyway - any more and it would look silly :P

declan1

Some more pics:

ed_j

Chapeau.

Lovely view.

declan1

Another pic:

RideOnTime

Isn't this like Newtown. Eventually Newtown is Old town and pics at the end of the page are at the start.

declan1

RideOnTime wrote:

Isn't this like Newtown. Eventually Newtown is Old town and pics at the end of the page are at the start.

I'll change it :P

podelatis

Hello declan1, I know this post is kind of old but could you please tell me how much did the upgrades cost?
I am about to buy the same bike for 230 pounds (with postages) from ebay! Do you think it is still a good choice, or should I go for something better and more expensive to avoid the upgrades?

declan1

podelatis wrote:

Hello declan1, I know this post is kind of old but could you please tell me how much did the upgrades cost?
I am about to buy the same bike for 230 pounds (with postages) from ebay! Do you think it is still a good choice, or should I go for something better and more expensive to avoid the upgrades?

The Viking is now a turbo bike for me. In total I probably spent around £500 for all of the upgrades on it which is too much IMO. If you can afford a better bike then definitely save up for one - there are quite a few things on the Viking which you really need to upgrade just to make it safe!

majormantra

+1. Even if you upgrade all the parts as I have with my gf's Viking, you're still left with a seriously heavy frame.

For £230 I would buy a used bike. I've seen nice old steel bikes with downtube shifters and good components for less than that. I think I paid £160 for my Bianchi which weighs a bit over 9kg and rides very nicely, for example.

declan1

MajorMantra wrote:

+1. Even if you upgrade all the parts as I have with my gf's Viking, you're still left with a seriously heavy frame.

For £230 I would buy a used bike. I've seen nice old steel bikes with downtube shifters and good components for less than that. I think I paid £160 for my Bianchi which weighs a bit over 9kg and rides very nicely, for example.

I paid £130 for my lovely old 531 BSA bike - shame it was too small for me but was a lovely ride.