1980s Shimano 105 cranks

[philk123]

I'm restoring a 1984 Batavus Criterium bike which has Shimano 105 (Golden Arrow?) groupset. It is fitted with Maillard cxc french threaded pedals.
The problems I am facing are:
1. I don't have the clips for the pedals. I have seen some on French ebay for about 20 quid or so. But even with these toe clips my shoes (shimano SPD type) probably wont fit very well. I would like to fit my spare SPD pedals but this would mean rethreading the cranks then I won't be able to refit the Maillards so the bike won't be original.
I thought about buying another crankset off ebay, but I'm concerned they won't be compatable with the axle, frame, bb etc. There seems to be so many different axle tapers, lengths, chain sizes etc.
2. I find MTB cranks seem to be "bent" outwards if you know what I mean, in that the pedals are thrown outwards away from the axle. I find this more comfortable than the straight road cranks as my legs, particularly the right one tends to point outwards, and when my foot is forced straight by toeclips and straps, and a straight crank it hurts my knee after a short while. I saw this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171487491779? ... EBIDX%3AIT
on ebay. will it be compatable? I have a 7 speed cassette on the back and a standard chain.
Can I place a washer between the pedals and the crank to space the pedal outboard a little bit?
I also like the idea of a smaller inner ring to help me up the hills around here.
All advice much appreciated.
Phil

 

[KermitGKona88]

Re:

but this would mean rethreading the cranks then I won't be able to refit the Maillards so the bike won't be original.

Why would it mean re-threading :?: :?: :?:

 

[philk123]

The Maillards are French threads - 14 x 1.25mm. Standard threads are 9/16" (14.23 x 20 TPI (1.27mm) ((apparently)). The pedals will loosely fit in a normal crank, but normal pedals bind up within 1-2 threads going into these cranks. Once I re-thread them I can't go back to the original pedals, which seems a shame as most of the other components are original. (or maybe it doesn't matter that much).

 

[KermitGKona88]

Re:

Questions to ask yourself

1) Are you going to be riding the bike :?:
2) Would you actually use the Maillards :?:
3) Are the SPD going to be more practical :?:
4) Are you going to ride L'eroica :?:

For myself while the CXCs are nice pedals there are plenty of other nice 9/16 pedals you could fit if you wanted to make the bike more authentic again and it would save having to find the toe-clips too

 

[philk123]

Re:

Thanks for the reply

1. After importing it from Holland where I FOUND it in a skip!!! and battling for a week with the seized seatpost (thank you Caustic Soda) I'd like to keep the bike for myself. The seat tube length is ok, but the bars are a bit of a stretch so I'm going to replace the 9.5cms stem with a 6cms stem.

2. Probably won't use Maillards but keep them as part of the original bike, together with the stem. I obviously had to get a new seatpost and a replacement set of wheels as the rear one was missing, and a saddle, so I guess what I am saying is the bike is never going to 100% original anyway, so the Maillards are not that important.

3. SPDs will be more practical and saves buying another pair of shoes.

4. Not sure what this means.

I love this bike! once it's sorted and I source the transfers I'll get it resprayed (the Caustic Soda damaged the paint). I'll post pictures when it's done.

 

[GasPipeWarrior]

Re: Re:

4. Not sure what this means.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/20622427[/vimeo]

 

[philk123]

Re:

I got the SPDs on with a bit of gentle persuasion after all!

Will definately be doing this:
http://www.eroicabritannia.co.uk/.
Phil

 

[26er]

Has Shimano really made cranks for "french" pedals?
And yes, it's ok to use shims/washers.