Daccordi Rebuild

[monty dog]

Regarding the rear stays, they look the same as Columbus Air which is basically a manipulated Columbus SL tubeset.

 

[doctor-bond]

Very nice - this is shaping up to be a beauty.

 

[Old Ned]

Looking good Mark!

 

[daccordimark]

To complete the rear mech I ordered a replacement grub screw from Nigel at Campyoldy along with a new lower pivot body as it was so cheap and the thread in the original was more knackered than I originally thought. While I was there I got some brake blocks and dropout adjusters too.

 

[Old Ned]

Going to be ready for Pendle Witches then?

 

[daccordimark]

After much debate I decided to go for blue handlebar tape and a black Rolls saddle. I've never had a Rolls before and fancied a little bit of bling as well as a change. I was a bit worried that my Turbo shaped behind would hate the Rolls.

This is the bike after it's first proper post-rebuild outing - two hours in last Sunday's glorious sunshine.

The wheels are temporary while I wait for some tasty Vittoria Corsa Evo SC tubs to arrive.

 

[daccordimark]

Going to be ready for Pendle Witches then?

Yep, looking good for Easter Sunday.

A few things came to light during the ride on Sunday.

Negatives:

1. The seat lug bolt snapped when I tightened it up after adjusting the seat height as we were chatting before Sunday's clubrun. I had to abandon the ride before it even started and catch the train home! I fitted a temporary replacement and did a solo ride in the end.

2. Despite what it says in the Campagnolo catalogues the Super Record rear mech won't handle a 28t sprocket. The 42/24 lowest gear was a bit tough on the 30 mile ride with some long 3 mile climbs thrown in. Nothing I can do about that though.

3. The famed "steel ride" wasn't much in evidence compared to my normal Alu framed bike. The front end absorbed big bumps better than the carbon forks on the modern bike but road buzz through the 'bars was more pronounced. The back end felt about the same but did seem to stick to the road a bit better.

4. "On the hoods" braking? Forget it! On the drops was just about OK.

5. Oh and talking of hoods they were so uncomfortable compared to the nice long, flat shape of the latest Campag Ergos.

6. Friction shifting with a Super Record mech on a wide block is not the best.

Positives:

1. Tubs are king. The best way I can put is that they are so good at what they do you just forget about your tyres. They corner perfectly, stick like limpets to the road and sound great.

2. Even though it's only SL I couldn't detect any more than a tiny amount of flex in the frame even honking up the hills out of the saddle. My normal Alu bike is rock hard but this is very close.

3. The bike corners brilliantly and the neutral handling gave even me some descending confidence. I'm rubbish downhill but getting better.

4. The Rolls saddle was very comfortable. Again, I just forgot it was there.

5. Front shifting really hasn't improved that much I reckon. The front mech never had a problem either up or down.

6. The chrome forks look great in the sun!

Despite my complaints I loved riding it and can't wait for more. The frame has been at the core of a few rebuilds but it feels good to get it back to very nearly original spec. The 90s Look style pedals have to stay as I'm not keen to splash out on Record Super Leggera pedals and some old school shoes. I changed to Looks almost as soon as they came out so I may not even have used the quill pedals on this bike anyway.

Roll on the Pendle Witches Vintage Velo!

Mark.

 

[Rich34]

That's come together really nicely, love it.

Any idea where the poor braking is coming from?

 

[Old Ned]

Going to be ready for Pendle Witches then?

Yep, looking good for Easter Sunday.

A few things came to light during the ride on Sunday.

Negatives:

1. The seat lug bolt snapped when I tightened it up after adjusting the seat height as we were chatting before Sunday's clubrun. I had to abandon the ride before it even started and catch the train home! I fitted a temporary replacement and did a solo ride in the end.

2. Despite what it says in the Campagnolo catalogues the Super Record rear mech won't handle a 28t sprocket. The 42/24 lowest gear was a bit tough on the 30 mile ride with some long 3 mile climbs thrown in. Nothing I can do about that though.

3. The famed "steel ride" wasn't much in evidence compared to my normal Alu framed bike. The front end absorbed big bumps better than the carbon forks on the modern bike but road buzz through the 'bars was more pronounced. The back end felt about the same but did seem to stick to the road a bit better.

4. "On the hoods" braking? Forget it! On the drops was just about OK.

5. Oh and talking of hoods they were so uncomfortable compared to the nice long, flat shape of the latest Campag Ergos.

6. Friction shifting with a Super Record mech on a wide block is not the best.

Positives:

1. Tubs are king. The best way I can put is that they are so good at what they do you just forget about your tyres. They corner perfectly, stick like limpets to the road and sound great.

2. Even though it's only SL I couldn't detect any more than a tiny amount of flex in the frame even honking up the hills out of the saddle. My normal Alu bike is rock hard but this is very close.

3. The bike corners brilliantly and the neutral handling gave even me some descending confidence. I'm rubbish downhill but getting better.

4. The Rolls saddle was very comfortable. Again, I just forgot it was there.

5. Front shifting really hasn't improved that much I reckon. The front mech never had a problem either up or down.

6. The chrome forks look great in the sun!

Despite my complaints I loved riding it and can't wait for more. The frame has been at the core of a few rebuilds but it feels good to get it back to very nearly original spec. The 90s Look style pedals have to stay as I'm not keen to splash out on Record Super Leggera pedals and some old school shoes. I changed to Looks almost as soon as they came out so I may not even have used the quill pedals on this bike anyway.

Roll on the Pendle Witches Vintage Velo!

Mark.

I've just finished my 'Flandria Homage' bike and also rode it at the weekend to bed it in (photos soon). The headset came a bit loose as it settled on the Saturday ride but a quick nip up sorted that. Otherwise, I reckon that all the points you've raised above are exactly the same as I would make. Especially about the brake lever hoods (mine are Campag with new repro hoods) which feel really small and thin after STI units! A bit dissappointing to hear what you say about 28t sprockets and an SR mech. I'll have to have a rethink about what I'm going to ride on the day. And I'm using Look as well - just being pragmatic.

BTW, we need to get entries off for the 2-up next week

 

[daccordimark]

That's come together really nicely, love it.

Any idea where the poor braking is coming from?

Definitely! This is compared to modern dual pivot Shimano R650 brakes with Campag Ergo levers by the way.

1. The shape of the old brake levers means you get a lot less leverage from the hoods position - especially with my relatively short fingers/hands.

2. The Campag brake blocks are a pretty hard compound.

3. The friction in the whole system is much higher. Not sure why this is given that the Daccordi doesn't have the outers taped under the 'bar tape. Even the front is hard work, so maybe I need to strip down the calipers and re-grease everything.

There's no flex from the calipers or anything and it's not dangerous as such, it was just a very noticeable difference.

Mark.