1975 Albert Eisentraut A series touring frame as a Brevet bike?
Jim Bronson
I usually ride my 68cm Rivendell Custom as my main brevet bike.
However, this custom was acquired by me 2nd hand and is a little more
racy by Rivendell standards, It has short reach brakes, a longer TT,
shorter chainstays and more seat post showing than most Rivendells. I
do love this bike. However, after PBP I decided I needed something a
little different It will not accomodate fenders with the 28mm tires I
run, or at least I haven't found ones that would fit under the short
reach brakes with acceptable clearance.
I considered an Atlants, and the A. Homer Hilsen from Rivendell. I
was really more interested in the AHH. But they told me that the bike
was not stout enough for my 6'7", 260 lb heft. I also looked at the
Co-Motion Mazama which is purpose built for heavy riders and can be
had with 145 mm frame spacing for dishless rear wheel builds.
Additionally I looked at some titanium bikes, I've always wanted one.
I'd really like a Moots with the Rohloff option. But I am not made of
money.
So finally I looked at the frame sitting in the corner of my bedroom.
It's a nice decoration piece. About 9 months ago I acquired it, the
75 Eisentraut frame I mentioned in the subject line. I got to
thinking, could this bike make a decent brevet bike? It would
certainly have clearance for fenders, has holes for racks, and what
looks to be a somewhat relaxed geometry. It almost certainly is built
for 27" wheels, but that's probably fine. The hub spacing is probably
126 which would limit me to a 6 or 7 speed freewheel but I don't have
a problem with that.
Yesterday I picked up a Sugino GT crankset from a fellow RBW'er, an
old MTB 110/74 triple in nice shiny silver with 46-36-26 rings. We'll
see where I go with this. Who knows where I'll end up.
--
I ride my bike, to ride my bike.
zei...@optonline.com
I have a 68cm custom also. When I got it I weighed around 260lbs @
6'6". The bike weighs about 23lbs8oz, so it can't be too stout and
I've never has a problem. I have an Atlantis, 2 68cm Rams in
different configurations, a Q-beam 68cm, a Redwwod 68cm and a newly
built AHH. ALL are perfectly fine. Also one of my favorite "oldy-but-
goody" bike is a 64cm Moser which is all SL(not sure on the fork),
it's a bit whippy, but boy is it comfy. It's not like these bikes are
going to break or even bend. They're going to be OK, so get the one
you want. If you strike out I've got a Zinn I'm not riding much and
would part with it for a reasonable number.
As my old cycling coach used to say, "Just ride the damn thing".
Best Regards
Jim Bronson
27" wheels on a 135mm hub body. I found some very nice NOS 27" wheels
online at Harris Cycles for not too expensive (by modern standards).
If you don't re-dish them for 7 speed, then they would be pretty
strong also...I think? They are certainly 36H.
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/630.html
On Dec 5, 2007 3:21 PM, alex wetmore <al...@phred.org> wrote:
> On Wed, 5 Dec 2007, Jim Bronson wrote:
> > The hub spacing is probably 126 which would limit me to a 6 or 7
> > speed freewheel but I don't have a problem with that.
>
> It is not a big deal to spread most steel frames to wider spacing.
> I would have a good shop convert this bike to 135mm. That will
> give you very strong wheels (near dishless in 7sp).
>
> alex
Gino Zahnd
Jim Bronson
Really, I just want something with enough storage space for a 1200K
and that can accomodate fenders with 28mm tires, but doesn't handle
like a brick.
And it needs to be durable, which is what got me thinking about the
6/7 speed scenario not being a bad thing. I had a mechanical issue on
my 1000K with a stuck chain link, for example. I use 9 speed Campy
with a Wippermann chain on the current bike. Also, I have a bad habit
of crushing and cracking rear wheels which is why I mention the "zero
dish" thing. I'm also considering 40(!!!) or more spokes on my next
custom wheel.
From a handling standpoint, I tried putting a handlebar bag on my
current custom Riv and the wheel flop is pretty intolerable below
10mph. In fact I rode it that way on my 1000K from Portland to
Whitefish, MT and I almost wrecked at slow speeds a couple of times.
It's fine going 50mph as I was off the back side of Thompson Pass but
it is tricky getting going with that extra weight up front.
Yes, I know this reads like "You should buy an Atlantis" but I'd like
to build up this Eisentraut and see how it goes.
Horace
>
> So finally I looked at the frame sitting in the corner of my bedroom.
> It's a nice decoration piece. About 9 months ago I acquired it, the
> 75 Eisentraut frame I mentioned in the subject line. I got to
> thinking, could this bike make a decent brevet bike? It would
> certainly have clearance for fenders, has holes for racks, and what
> looks to be a somewhat relaxed geometry. It almost certainly is built
> for 27" wheels, but that's probably fine. The hub spacing is probably
> 126 which would limit me to a 6 or 7 speed freewheel but I don't have
> a problem with that.
1975? The dropout spacing is almost certainly 120, unless it's been
modified once already.
Steve Palincsar
Either way, if the question is, can you use this as a bike for brevets,
let's not forget somebody did PBP, the Big Kahuna of brevets, on a
2-speed Retro Direct this year. If you can make that work, you
certainly can make an Eisentraut touring frame work, if it fits.
--
Steve Palincsar
pali...@his.com
Alexandria, VA, USA
Jim Bronson
to be some decent sets out there in the $130 range, and then a Shimano
Megarange freewheel is about $25. 8 speed chains are about $10-$15
and well, you get the idea.
On Dec 5, 2007 3:56 PM, alex wetmore <al...@phred.org> wrote:
> On Wed, 5 Dec 2007, Jim Bronson wrote:
> > That does incur the question of having to build custom wheels though,
> > 27" wheels on a 135mm hub body. I found some very nice NOS 27" wheels
> > online at Harris Cycles for not too expensive (by modern standards).
> > If you don't re-dish them for 7 speed, then they would be pretty
> > strong also...I think? They are certainly 36H.
> >
> > http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/630.html
>
> If the bike uses caliper brakes I can't think of a good reason for
> building new 27" wheels. It isn't hard to find 135mm spaced 700C
> wheels, and using 700C gives you many more options for tires and
> rims. It is only 4mm in extra reach and since you don't own brakes
> yet you can find some that will make it work.
David Faller
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charlie
(two speed) and it is made of glued together aluminum tubing and has
inexpensive 36 spoke 27" wheels. I weigh 260 and its still going
strong. I wouldn't worry about it if you are a careful rider and you
ride it mostly on smooth roads. Just convert the thing to 700c wheels
using some centerpulls or long reach side pulls and get a high spoke
count rear wheel. You should try to use the widest tires possible and
that will go a long way to making the rest of the bike last. My bike
has 36 spoke wheels but I have a friend who has an old Motobecane with
48 spoke wheels and I think he weighs around 300+. Really you should
eventually buy Grants new Bombadil, after you fix up the Eisenstraut.
What about getting the downtube replaced with a heavier gauge tube?
On Dec 5, 6:31 pm, "David Faller" <dfal...@charter.net> wrote:
> I had an Eisentraut in the mid 70's. It was spaced at 126. Nearly everything was back then. No one even talked about spacing! I still have my original Phil hubs, which were purchased from Phil just after they started. 126.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Horace
> To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 3:14 PM
> Subject: [RBW] 1975 Albert Eisentraut A series touring frame as a Brevet bike?
>
>
> > So finally I looked at the frame sitting in the corner of my bedroom.
> > It's a nice decoration piece. About 9 months ago I acquired it, the
> > 75 Eisentraut frame I mentioned in the subject line. I got to
> > thinking, could this bike make a decent brevet bike? It would
> > certainly have clearance for fenders, has holes for racks, and what
> > looks to be a somewhat relaxed geometry. It almost certainly is built
> > for 27" wheels, but that's probably fine. The hub spacing is probably
> > 126 which would limit me to a 6 or 7 speed freewheel but I don't have
> > a problem with that.
>
> 1975? The dropout spacing is almost certainly 120, unless it's been
> modified once already.
>
Jim Bronson
wheels in the frame just now and it went right in with no prying or
anything of that nature. It's a Campy Record 10 speed hub...maybe I
should go Campy 8 speed :-)
--
Sean Whelan
It's clearly been respaced to 130 already. I slid one of my backup
wheels in the frame just now and it went right in with no prying or
anything of that nature. It's a Campy Record 10 speed hub...maybe I
should go Campy 8 speed :-)
On Dec 5, 2007 5:14 PM, Horace wrote:
Jim Bronson
speed hubs. The wheel I have sitting around is 9/10 Record. But you
can get a Miche 9 speed 13/28 for like $39 online that is Campy
splined.
I already have the Sliver pods lying around that I picked up at a
going out of business sale, so I just need some levers.