tubs 622 x 20

nickdb

I have just been given an old Gazelle Champion Mondial from 78/79 and I want to change a couple of things.
Firstly,it is 2X five speed and I would like to change to seven if possible [it has 125 dropouts] with a 28 for the hills in France in summer as it will only be used in the summer months.
Is this easy to do and would it work if the Sugino 42 inside chainring is changed to 37 ?
I have looked at Sheldon Browns website of course but I'm still not clear.

Secondly, the Rigida wheels come with tubs marked 622x20.Would they still be useable after standing 15 years in an attic?The tread looks as new.What size could I now by as reserve as 20mm doesn't seem to be available any more?

Should I change the MKS pedals with toe clips for Look pedals or is that a no-no?Retro shoes are more expensive than new pedals.

Bar tape?
Velox ?
Any advice would be welcome.

Lookyhere

Here goes, the freewheel you ve got, screws onto the hub as you know, so i believe all you need to do is screw on a 7sp one, my Peugeot Pro is spaced at 126mm and takes a 7sp block, i m not sure about the hub needs swapping out or if only a re dish needs to be done but i dont think so - try it, 7sp freewheels are cheap as chips, if its of any help, a 7sp is 33mm in total depth.

i d bin the tyres, 20mm are super narrow and do you want to risk a blow out on a fast decent? go for 23mm

the chain wheel min size is dictated by the BCD of the crank set, Sheldon has a cheat sheet, so measure and it ll tell you, if its a std 52/42 like my shimano 600, then no.

unless your planning on an Eroica style event, it doesnt matter what finishing kit you put on.

nickdb

Thanks for the reply,I'd given up checking.
So,I could put tubulars 23mm on the Rigida rims without problems {about 19/20 mm] ?
I am changing the cassette on my Merckx bike so that I will have 28 x 39 and will see if that is okay to climb with in France after the winter.
If I change the freewheel on the Gazelle I would have 28 x42,or possibly 32 x42.
So,my options would be;
change freewheel to 7 speed with either 28 or 32.
change only the small chainring.On ebay I see minimum size of 38 for a standard size 130bcd Sugino for sale in Germany,then I would have 38 x [ the current Shimano Dura ace] 25.
Or, in the worst case both but then would there be problems with the rear Suntour derailleur which is definitely not long cage
Would the chain still work with 7 speed?Does a narrower 7 speed chain exist?

Lookyhere

yes they ll fit.

you can get a sram 7speed chain.

i d also check the bcd of your crankset, it might not be 130mm. 38t is the min if it is.

What about a different crank set from TA or Stronglight? as i dont think your Suntour mech will work with a 28t, my RD from that era wouldnt work, 25t is a max, it hasnt even got a b-screw to adjust, you ll have to try it though,

remember back in 1979 no one had heard of a 28t block, i used to think my 13-21t was a climbing gear lol!

nickdb

Okay,so, the tubs will fit.
The drivetrain is more complicated.
The bcd is indeed not 130 but 144 [ I checked the Sugino website].I didn't know that it existed,but its been a long time since I was last interested and I never had a Sugino chainset..
I don't see other options for the small ring other than the 42 that I have.
A new freewheel with a 28 or 32 would mean a new rear derailleur.
A Suntour cyclone with long cage is a posibility but has a stiff pricetag.
The total cost to make the bike useable in France occasionally seem to mount and in the end the legs have to do it.
I have to think about how much I want to change,but here in Holland you don't need more than 5 gears at the best of times.

nickdb

So the only question remaining is, will a Suntour vx rear derailleur work with a 28 sprocket on a 7 speed freewheel?
Siince I cannot change the iside ring on the Sugino Mighty to anything smaller than the 42.
A long cage derailleur [Suntour or Shimano 600 ] would be cheaper than a complete new chainset.
Anyone ?

cycleclinic

if they tyres look cracked or perished then bin them but if they are not perished then they will be fine to ride. 7 speed might not fit. 6 speed probably will. but there is only one way to find out.

The old long cage mechs were made for triples and up to a 26T rear sprockets. It might work but the top jockey will will be running very close to the sprocket and might be a bit noisey. A MTB mech will solve this problem as 28T rear sprocket was a MTB gearing back then.

The only way to know is to buy the bits and find out what works.

You need to remember back in the 80's everyone was harder and used taller gearing. You could just learn to climb hills in 42T:24T. A challange I know but back in the 80's that what people did.

mamba80

nickdb wrote:

So the only question remaining is, will a Suntour vx rear derailleur work with a 28 sprocket on a 7 speed freewheel?
Siince I cannot change the iside ring on the Sugino Mighty to anything smaller than the 42.
A long cage derailleur [Suntour or Shimano 600 ] would be cheaper than a complete new chainset.
Anyone ?

i would bin the 7sp idea and a 28t block and use the money saved to buy a crank set, SJS cycles in UK do a Stronglight chainset for about £70, perhaps a bit more expensive but it ll work and isnt such a faff and you can always sell the chain set again later.

then when your back in holland and dont need low gearing, its a simple swap back again.

nickdb

Thanks for the imput.
Today my LBS made me an interesting offer- to remove the freewheel and try the 28 block and if it doesn't work I pay nothing and if it does I pay the costs plus labour.
Obviously the freewheel and possibly a chain are more expensive than I would pay on the internet but of course it is the service plus ,what will I do with a Parktool two prong freewheel remover after using it once?
I plan to test the Merckx after the winter with the new cassette which gives me 39t x 28t by which time I will also be fitter although there is very little climbing in this part of Holland.
And,okay in the past the gearing was higher and more limited but I read that Contador rides with a comapct chainset
Maybe Climbing with toe clips won't work so well either I'm now thinking.
Changing the chainset is still an opton,especially if the freewheel doesn't work or the 39t x28t isn't low enough but then I'm really in trouble.
The bike will stay in France and will only be used there weather permitting.
I will eventually only be in Holland in winter and I will bring the other bike back.