Newbie riding the Itailan Eroica: Help!

[Optombenno]

Be gentle with me! I am, as one might say a true amateur. Love riding and a dear pal has managed to persuade me to get on a steel steed for the Eroica in October 2022. Madness I realisem but there it is. Committment... and all that! Ill probably do all this for charity - a dementia charity some to mind as I have a few contacts...

So, I need a road bike that is capable to ride the "Strada Bianci"- unmade up, essentially gravel roads, of Tusdcay that is pre-1985. Now, living in Notingham, the heart of Raleigh, one might have though a decent Raleigh or one of their "better" division Worksop made bikes wodul do the trip.

Hive minds of the Forum... What would be your ideal Nottinghamshire made bike be for this event?

and... if there is one going for sale... talk to me!

Huge thanks everyone. All help is very much appreciated!

 

[hamster]

Great stuff!
If you get a (roughly) pre 1980 frame you can also benefit from switching the wheels to 700c from the original 27", which will allow more clearance for bigger tyres, making it much more comfortable.

 

[pigman]

and... if there is one going for sale... talk to me!

Frame size and budget will get far more options and feedback

 

[Optombenno]

Frame size and budget will get far more options and feedback

Good call! Im 5'9 and between 250-400 tops would be ball park figures as that leaves some room for minor restoration too...

 

[hamster]

Should be easy in that budget, depending on how fussy you are about originality. Build up with 7 speed Shimano 600, Suntour, Simplex and Stronglight bits and it's good to go. Campag stuff is collectable and goes (in my view) for silly money if you are simply looking to build a rider. A Stronglight 80 chainset is a good idea as it allows small chainrings. They will laugh at your Alpine double at the start, but you'll winch past them struggling on 42/23 on the first big climb.

 

[DSH]

I’ve done it a few times now and it is without fail the toughest, most terrible, greatest most enjoyable day on a bike.

For me the most important consideration is your gearing and the fundamental questions are: How fit are you? how regularly do you ride? how far do you usually ride? There are lots of very fit riders who get round on a low gear of 42-21. I’m at the other end of the spectrum, low of 26-26 last year and I will be looking at 26-32 this year.

Beyond the gearing, look to be fitting 28mm or wider tyres, ideally with a good degree of puncture protection as the day will be long enough without changing tubes two or three times in a day.

I’d agree with hamster on equipment choices, but would point out that Stronglight 80 cranksets also come as a triple

 

[non-fixie]

Good plan! There's a lot to like about the event, the town of Gaiole in Chianti and the Tuscan region. I gave it a first try in 2013 and have been back every two years since.

IME any old racing bike will do, and most vintage derailleurs will handle a 28T rear cog and take up 28T of chain slack. So my standard setup has typically been:

- 28-30mm tyres (Panaracer Pasela, Challenge Strada Bianca, Vittoria Corsa)
- 14-28T freewheel
- something like 50/36, 48/34 or 50/37 chain rings, depending on the cranks and their BCD.

This was my ride in 2017: