Eroica eligible bike with hill climbing gears

[Cotterpein]

Good afternoon Gurus. I am aiming to build an Eroica compatible bike for the Italian ride and similar events. I find my modern Ti bike with compact 50-34 chainset and 11-32 cassette works well for me and my Stan pike running 90s Athena is also adequate, but higher geared. The bike won't be entered for any prizes so the groupset just has to be acceptable to the scrutineers, not exactly matched to the pre 87 period. What acceptable period Campag components could be be used for such a build to give a low gear range suited to an old guy on steepish hills?

 

[964Cup]

C-Record (or Chorus/Croce d'Aune etc) with a 38 front and a 28 rear (14-28 freewheels are readily available in 7-speed). I ran C-Record with a 52/39 and 14-28 on my Alan for the Eroica Gaiole last year. You can't cross-chain big-big with those ratios, or readily use small-small, but then you wouldn't do that anyway, would you?

Or if you really need a lower gear, use an Spa Cycles chainset - they're vintage look, square taper, but you can get 52/36, 50/34 and 48/34. https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s109p31 ... chainrings

If you need to go below a 34x28 then I suppose you could use a Campag Rally rear mech and a 14-32 freewheel (either a cheap, new Shimano one or a proper Regina - but those run about £120 on eBay). The scrutineers won't care as adaptation of gear range is specifically provided for in the rules - you just need toeclips, non-aero brake cables and downtube (or bar-end / stem-mounted) shifters.

 

[hamster]

Alternatively a Campag Triomphe / Victory chainset (116mm pcd, Miche rings still available new), or TA or Stronglight 49D which have the chainrings bolting to the crank in a tiny circle.

 

[TheElectronKid]

Re:

As hamster as said if you want to go Campag, a Triomphe/Victory chainset from the 80's will accept a 35 tooth inner chainring.
Bizarre really because Campag resisted producing a modern compact chainset for ages after everyone else.

 

[dirttorpedo]

My Ellis briggs is equipped with a long cage Shimano 400 rear mech and has a pretty large granny on it - 32 teeth I think. I found a sugino mighty 110 bcd vintage crankset for my wife and run a 50/36 up front. If you combined those two set ups you would have a very nice hill climbing combo. I think my ellis briggs is running a 52/42 up front. I haven't tried it out on any big hills but I suspect it will climb pretty well. I did Eroica California with a 52 / 38 on the front and a 13-28 in the back and it wasn't too bad.

 

[Spokesmann]

I used a Carlton Corsa at this year's Britannia event in June. Used a 48/38/28 triple up front with a 34 on the back. Changers were both more modern Shimano items, operated by downtube shifters...

 

[Spokesmann]

 

[allenh]

My mudplugging ride to work Claude Butler Majestic is great for climbing hills and is mostly all Campag.

It was put together from bits I had in the parts box so its got a Campag Veloce medium cage rear mech, double front mech that seems to cope well, triple chainset with 53, 42, 32 rings and a Shimano 11,32 cassette and Shimano downtube friction shifters.

With the 35mm knobbly tyres it goes up hill, down hill and through the woods really well and is of course Eroica eligible so I don't think finding parts to do what you want will be that difficult.

 

[Cotterpein]

Re:

Thanks for the advice and pics. I am going to digest and think what I really need. To summarise it seems with a standard rear mech and front double I can have a 38/28 combo or 35/28 with a Triomphe/Victory crankset. With SPA and Rally long cage 34/32. Other wise go for a triple.

 

[hamster]

If you take an MTB triple chainset and omit the inner you could easily get a 34T (110pcd) or even 29T (94pcd) middle chainring. Sort the chainline out with a shorter bottom bracket and it will be fine.