Spring has sprung as they say. Though winter saw some miles on the bike, they were far too few, so now that it's warming up it's time to get out on the road to get the cycling season really going in earnest. But before setting out this weekend I thought I'd spruce up the Velo Routier with a new colorway for the cockpit. I had originally intended to swap out the stem and handlebars too, but I bought a Nitto Technomic which was just too long for my short headset (I ride a 51cm frame). The Rivendell guys would probably approve, but I find super-long stems on road bikes a bit clownish.
So until I get a new stem, I've stuck with the original Nitto "Young" stem and Nitto B114 "Olympiad" handlebar I swapped from my 1986 Fuji Allegro, simply adding new brake levers in brown with matching Cinelli in "corky" bar tape. As I was re-wrapping the bars I elected to add a bit of gel along the top of the bar, particularly at the bend, where my hands tend to spend the most time.
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| Velo Routier in brown! |
I like the brown brake hoods better than the black ones I had before. Both are made by Origin 8, but the brown version, "Classique" has more of a Campagnolo shape I much prefer with the added aesthetic bonus of drilled levers. $34 for the pair. In retrospect, I can't believe how much money I've spent over the years on integrated indexed "brifters" and associated parts. Yes, I get why racers want them, but for the rest of us? Friction shifting is more reliable, repairable and yes, affordable.
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| Cycles Toussaint Velo Routier Version 2.0 |
I should say that I spent a bit of the ride fighting the horizontal dropouts. So that kind of spoiled what would otherwise have been a delightful, spring ride. For some reason (probably because I'm such an immensely powerful cyclist) the skewer repeatedly kept slipping, letting the wheel go askew and the tire rub against the chain stay. I assure you I had the quick-release as tight as I could make it. I could barely get it open to re-position the wheel. I'm not really sure about the optimum position of the axle in the dropouts and I have them close to the front. I will probably pull them back a bit, but I'm tightening the quick-release as tight as I can and it still keeps letting go. I'll figure it out, but it's kind of a pain.
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| Horizontal dropouts. |
Cycles Toussaint says of Version 2 of the Velo Routier, "instead of vertical, the Velo Routier 2.0 will have adjustable horizontal rear drop outs which will allow for internal hub and fixed-gear builds." I guess it's possible that someone has done this. Certainly one of the owners has done it. But I can't find many examples online. I'm sympathetic to the challenges of getting such a bike produced, but I wish they would have put the horizontal dropouts on the "fixie" version without the braze-ons and just left the road version with the much more sensible vertical dropouts as on Version 1.
How are the brakes working out with the Tektro straddle cable hangers? I am trying to finish up assembling my Velo Routier now and I'm having trouble with the rear brake, which it seems both you and commentor Philip both had similar problems with. The left arm (the one on top) seems to have much lower spring tension, so well I pull the cable the left pad touches the rim while the right pad is still a good 3/4" away! I actually think this might be a frame design or manufacturing error, where the flat for the spring plate is ever-so-slightly too far counter-clockwise, and so the spring doesn't have as much tension when the brake arm is installed. Obviously, fixing the frame won't be cheap or easy, so I'll need to work around this. Did the Tektro hanger do the trick? What about the front brake? Mine seems OK, but it is "clicky". But I'm hoping in actual usage, the difference in cable pull between released and full on is not significant enough to cause the arms to click on each other. There's not a lot of room behind the front brake, what with the fender bracket, the rack bracket, and the bolt head.
ReplyDeleteI managed to totally mangle the bushings on the rear brake left arm while trying to get it off to inspect the spring plates, so now I need to find a replacement for that. My local community bike workshop sells old Dia Compe centerpulls, so I'm hoping I might be able to scavenge the part cheaply that well.
Can't wait to be done with these little hurdles and be riding this thing. I should have started much earlier - I feel like I'm missing the whole riding season!
Without the Tektro cable hangers (or something similar), I don't know how these brakes could possibly work. I don't know if it's different spring tension or something to do with the frame as you suggest, but I just could not get the arms to "center" using the OEM Dia Compe straddle hanger. Philip noted that the straddle cable is just too short to center properly which certainly seems to be true, though pictures of older Weinmann and Dia Compe center pulls seem to show the same design, so... Old Mafac and the new Rene Herse brakes use longer straddle cables, which I think might help some.
ReplyDeleteIt may be that the 750s just aren't meant to be "direct mounted". On mine it seemed that the little pin on the back of the front brake arm was filed off. It is designed to fit into a slot in the rear break arm when the brakes are installed with a back plate and single "bridge" bolt. So maybe it's that the whole set-up is kind of a kludge.
Still, Cycles Toussaint sold the bike with the Dia Compes. They ought to work! With the Tektro hanger, they do.
I use them both front and back, though I don't think the front needed them as much; it's the back that gave me fits.
Now get this build finished and get out there! Despite all the headaches, the Velo Routier is a great bike. I may even like it more having had to solve a lot of these little problems. This is My bike. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
I ordered the Tektro hangers, so as soon as I get this brake situation sorted, all I have left to do is run cables and it will be ready! Your blog has a great help in this build process (especially knowing that you are still happy with the bike 1000+ miles later!), so thanks again for writing these posts.
ReplyDeleteI'm really thinking that there's either a flaw in the design or in the jig for brazing the posts on the seat stays, because it definitely seems like all three of us have had the same exact problem with the rear brake. It's frustrating but if the Tektro hangers will compensate for it then I will call it good enough and be happy! I bought some Kool-Stop shoes and pads as well, so hopefully that help get the most out of the brakes as possible.
Interesting about the pin being filed off the front arm. I was wondering if there was meant to be something that slides in that slot on the back arm, myself. It's a very clean removal, though, if the pin was filed off.
It's a shame that the Compass/Herse brakes have different spacing than Dia Compe and won't work on this bike. (I believe they are based on Mafac Raids, which put the pivot points in a different place.) That would probably be the ultimate upgrade (at the ultimate price, though), as I trust Jan & Co to know their stuff!
I'm glad you've found the blog useful. And yes, I still like the bike very much. I'm extremely glad I bought it. I've learned a lot during the build and got what I think is a really good bike for a really low price. Definitely a satisfied customer.
ReplyDeleteI too upgraded the brake pads to Kool-Stops (the ones with both black and pink sections) too and I have to say, the bike's braking is just about as good as any I have had (including Ultegra brakes on a super light racing bike).
As for upgrading to Mafacs, yes, Jan obviously loves the "Raid" model, but I think a NOS set of "Racers" might work, space-wise. https://ruedatropical.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/mafac-dia-compe-paul-centerpull-brake-specs/
And they seem to be pretty widely available on eBay, if you are inclined to go that way. I have a set on an old French bike I inherited from a friend but I haven't verified that they work. Of course the old Mafacs aren't really very attractive, but they look like they'd have even better mechanical advantage than the 750s, with their "side-on" profile. And of course they're French! Even so, if your suspicion about the braze-ons is right, they wouldn't work any better than the Dia Compes.
In the meantime it seems I have entered front derailleur adjustment hell. Any tricks to how you finally got this working? There's not much of a line between "won't shift to the big ring" and "rubs on the crank".
ReplyDeleteAh, I had nearly forgotten what a hassle that was. There is zero room between the derailleur and the crank arm. I think the 118mm bottom bracket is just too short. Phillip Cowan remarked on that too. (http://mondoblahblah.blogspot.com/2018/04/all-together-now.html?showComment=1525041261731#c2677371088194672144)
ReplyDeleteI just tinkered with it forever until I got it to more or less work. My situation now is that, when shifting up to the big ring, I have to do it while the drive-side crank arm is on the down-stroke so it is out of the way of the derailleur while shifting. The end of each shift then involves trimming the derailleur back a hair before the crank arm comes back to the 9 o'clock position, so it doesn't rub against the crank arm. It's become a fairly natural thing for me, and because I stay mainly on the big ring, shifting down to the small ring only when really climbing, I don't have to do it too often.
Obviously, the best thing would be to get a bottom bracket with a slightly longer spindle length to push the crank arm out just a bit farther. That's probably what I'll do eventually. But now that you remind me, the one C. Toussaint ships with the bike should work without a lot of trouble and it's frustrating that it doesn't.
Actually, now that I think about it, even a longer spindle wouldn't help. Not sure what to do other than just fiddle until it gets to an acceptable place.
DeleteRight, I was thinking about the spindle at first too, but that would just move the entire crank and chainring assembly out together, and wouldn't address the clearance between the ring and crank, which should be sufficient (unless the arm gets bent). I think it is just a question of making sure the angle of the cage is correct, and that the high limit is adjusted correctly to prevent rubbing while still allowing the shift to happen. I think part of the problem is that it's really a big distance for the chain to climb.
DeleteI'll just have to keep working on it once I get the bike up and running.