How do the Grand Bois compare to the Challenge in your experience?
The ride quality is pretty much equal, I'd say, in my use cases. But I like the look of the Grand Bois better. The 28mm Vittoria Corsa G2 Graphene blabla, BTW, is also a very nice tire which has served me well on a few Eroica rides. I'd also put those on my Gazelle without hesitation.
While I'm at it I might as well add some more notes from these test vacations (how's that for an excuse to take a week off from work?
)
Cranks
That faux René Herse Andel chainset is really nice. I paid £125 for it, and I think it's well worth the money. If you can find a set, that is. Took me quite a while and a heads-up from a friend on another forum. Mine currently resides on my Halfords Sport.
The Gipiemme triple has a look that Shimano (with all due respect) can't match. Got them in VGC at a car boot sale for €80, including the matching BB. I moved them to my Gazelle, as you will have noticed, because of the black accents.
I liked them enough to have bought another complete bike recently, just because of its Gipiemme triple. This one:
Pedals
The Lyotard Model 23 "Marcel Berthet" pedals are pretty awesome. Their design dates back to a century ago, but as they were made well into the eighties, finding a nice pair is not too difficult. They are easy to service, take standard toe clips and work well with trainers. Which is just what I need on a "vacation bike".
The Maillard CXC pedals are also quite nice, but they use proprietary toe clips. Those are adjustable, but only so much. You'll have to get them with the clips, and anything bigger than a size 8 1/2 will be a challenge to fit, methinks. But for the €5 I paid for the pair I am not complaining.
Shifters
I've Shimergo-ed 5 and 6-speed before, with the old Campag 8 and 9-speed shifters, and that works well. I now know that matching Campag 11-speed shifters with a Shimano 9-speed back end also works quite nicely. However, I don't like the look of the modern Campag lever shape on classic bars. Will try again with more modern bars.
Another thing of note is that the Shimano levers need a bit more (horizontal) space, as they swing out a bit further when shifting than their Campagnolo counterparts. Something to be aware of when using a front bag and randonneur bars. Those are often quite narrow at the top.
Mudguards
The plastic SKS Bluemels Basic 'guards are great. They work well, are unobtrusive and very affordable at ~ £20 a set. I like them and use them a lot.
The Honjos are much more expensive at > £100 a set and a PITA to set up correctly, but once done they look great, IMO. True bike jewelry!
Derailleurs
I'd almost forget, but the Shimano Deore derailleurs from the nineties are as good as it gets, derailleur-wise. I buy them whenever I can at a reasonable price.
Saddles
The Idéale 90 is achingly beautiful, but not (yet) my ideal shape. The Brooks B17 titanium in de first picture is by some distance the most comfortable saddle I own. It is very soft, probably because a previous owner apparently soaked it in oil. I am not sure how long it will survive in that condition. Currently enjoying it on my Union, which is bound to appear later in this thread.
Decaleurs
Put off by the high market prices for these things, I decided to try and make something myself. I made the one pictured from an €8 Minoura SwingGrip and fifty cents worth of aluminium tubing. Perhaps not the prettiest, but it works well and - most importantly - it lets me mount almost any bag using their standard straps. The "swing bit" takes care of bag size variations, something most other decaleurs won't do.
Brakes
Long story short: when it comes to cantilever brakes the 1940's MAFAC Criteriums still rule. Both the Tektro CR520's and the TRP Eurox' weren't an improvement, cool and modern as they may look.
Bar tape
One thing I haven't changed during these rebuilds is the bar tape. Cheap( €8 ) 'vegan leather' from Red Cycling Products. Nice to hold and easy to re-wrap multiple times (which I did). It is not stretchy, which means you can wrap it top-down as well, if - like me - you don't like sticky tape on your bike.