Advice about a 1976 Falcon

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

Not sure of the model, but I just got a 1976 Falcon with some decent componentry: record hubs, dura-ace brakeset, campy crank.

but, there is some kind of odd-bark 9-speed rear derailleur on this bike, which has but a 6-speed freewheel! one of the jockey wheels is pert near kissing the granny gear when the derailleur is shifted to that position.

anyway, over all, seems like a decent ride. a bit of rust will get my first attention, but I'm also wondering how to know when bearings will need looked at (seem fine right now) and which model of rear derailleur I ought to be shopping for.

I'm not interested much in "modernizing" this bike...IMHO, bike components didn't really need much improvement after the mid-70s, and I've never been wild about index shifting or seeing just how many cogs can be crammed onto a rear wheel. for me, 6 or 7 is PLENTY.

thanks for any advice.

geardad

Not sure of the model, but I just got a 1976 Falcon with some decent componentry: record hubs, dura-ace brakeset, campy crank.

Falcon is a British marque with a long history that produced a full line of bikes at least through the 60s and 70s. Their top-shelf models were highly regarded, considered comparable to the better "stock" Italian brands like Bianchi, Frejus, and Bottecchia, a step up from brands like Atala and Peugeot. The photos at this link give a good idea of the kind of bike Falcon was capable of producing: http://velospace.org/node/8836

Falcon is also well known for their "Eddy Merckx" model, a fairly crude campus bike that was badged and often painted orange like the cannibal's Molteni DeRosas and Colnagos. Attach a photo and we might be able to get you a better idea of what you have.

several photos of this falcon can be seen online here...warning: the jpgs are fairly large in size:


Falcon Photos (http://www.thinkplan.org/falcon/falcon.html)

Any tips on dealing with what looks to be minor frame rust here and there would also be appreciated...

I'm more concerned with the physical integrity of the bike than preserving it's original look...

geardad

several photos of this falcon can be seen online here...warning: the jpgs are fairly large in size:


Falcon Photos (http://www.thinkplan.org/falcon/falcon.html)

Any tips on dealing with what looks to be minor frame rust here and there would also be appreciated...

I'm more concerned with the physical integrity of the bike than preserving it's original look...

geardad

Geeezz, first lengthen the rear der housing and install a new inner wire. Also look at chainlength and make the chain long enough to handle big-big combo and no more and the pulley won't hit the biggest cog. Otherwise it being a low end asian RD on this otherwise euro bike, it will work fine.

Not sure of the model, but I just got a 1976 Falcon with some decent componentry: record hubs, dura-ace brakeset, campy crank.

but, there is some kind of odd-bark 9-speed rear derailleur on this bike, which has but a 6-speed freewheel! one of the jockey wheels is pert near kissing the granny gear when the derailleur is shifted to that position.

anyway, over all, seems like a decent ride. a bit of rust will get my first attention, but I'm also wondering how to know when bearings will need looked at (seem fine right now) and which model of rear derailleur I ought to be shopping for.

I'm not interested much in "modernizing" this bike...IMHO, bike components didn't really need much improvement after the mid-70s, and I've never been wild about index shifting or seeing just how many cogs can be crammed onto a rear wheel. for me, 6 or 7 is PLENTY.
To increase the clearance between the jockey wheel & (last) cogs REMOVE the rear derailleur, adjust the B-screw (turn a 1/2 turn clockwise), re-install the rear derailleur ... check for clearance, repeat as you might deem to be necessary. YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY A NEW REAR DERAILLEUR.

The bearings should be re-greased once-a-year (more frequently if a lighter grease is used & you ride a lot of miles ON THE PARTICULAR BIKE) ... but, I know someone who hadn't regreased his "caged bearing" BB in over a half-dozen (!) years before he finally switched to a cartridge bearing BB (those can be serviced, but that's a really tedious process by comparison) a few years ago.

The particular Campagnolo crank (NOT original to the bike) probably has a sealed cartridge BB (and, presumably his hubs); so, it is really just a matter of re-greasing your hubs at some point in time (I would check them, now).

FWIW. No need to to modernize the bike further (that's NOT the original front derailleur, either) ... but, you should probably remove the "suicide" brake lever extensions.

BTW. I've never looked at any of Zinn's books, but based on what others have said, you should probably consider buying/reading one/both!

Geeezz, first lengthen the rear der housing and install a new inner wire. Also look at chainlength and make the chain long enough to handle big-big combo and no more and the pulley won't hit the biggest cog. Otherwise it being a low end asian RD on this otherwise euro bike, it will work fine.I would guess the original rear derailleur was probably a Simplex (possibly, Campy) & the original crank (possibly, cottered) had 52/42 chainrings DESPITE the vintage Dura Ace calipers (remnants of a mid-80s partial component update/upgrade, no doubt) ... and, whoever owned (worked on) the bike previously, didn't make the necessary changes which you (i.e., Peter) note needed to be done when the components were replaced in the last few years.

During the mid 1980's to the early 1990's, a bike shop in my area carried Falcon framesets. Falcons were very nice frames, brazed from Reynolds 531, 531 SL and high-end 753 tubing with Columbus or Campy dropouts and BB shells. I recall one even had the Cinelli "Air" BB shell - a thing of beauty. They were good, solid framesets but had very basic paint jobs, mostly single colour and no chrome. They didn't compare to the Italian framesets in the "flash" department. Many riders in my club at the time rode Falcons with a full 80's Mavic SSC groupset - I still fondly remember those bikes.


Falcon is a British marque with a long history that produced a full line of bikes at least through the 60s and 70s. Their top-shelf models were highly regarded, considered comparable to the better "stock" Italian brands like Bianchi, Frejus, and Bottecchia, a step up from brands like Atala and Peugeot. The photos at this link give a good idea of the kind of bike Falcon was capable of producing: http://velospace.org/node/8836

Falcon is also well known for their "Eddy Merckx" model, a fairly crude campus bike that was badged and often painted orange like the cannibal's Molteni DeRosas and Colnagos. Attach a photo and we might be able to get you a better idea of what you have.

[color=black]FWIW. No need to to modernize the bike further (that's NOT the original front derailleur, either) ... but, you should probably remove the "suicide" brake lever extensions.


heh..that actually was my first official act of maintenence on this bike; moving those goofy brake lever extensions...dumbest use of perfectly good metal ever.

also took off the rack..could be useful, but I won't need it on this bike.

I will get the hubs checked/lubed and make the RD adjustment...never heard of a B screw; is it going to be obvious which one? Prbly so if removal of the RD is needed to adjust it.

geardad

In your photo showing the close up of the Tiagra RD, the B-screw is the single screw that you can see sticking up between the derailleur body and the cable, in line with the chain. This screw actually adjusts the angle of the derailleur as it sits on the derailleur hanger. It contacts against a projection on the derailleur hanger and as you screw it in, it pulls the RD back and should take care of your RD cog problem.

a low end asian RD
Yeah, from the same backward country that brought us the world's most reliable cars, Sony, Nikon, the Mitsubishi "Zero" and the battleship "Yamato". No wonder it's a pile of crap.

I thought the '70s era tech was good enough too, but decided to upgrade due to the fact that many bikes from the era including mine came with a top tube which was too short. Once you sit on a bike that lets your torso stretch out properly you'll never want to go back.

Tiagra is supposed to be not too far from the top end stuff in quality but is heavier. It is Shimano's recreation-level group, a few steps up from walmart stuff. That seems to be the consensus. Of course, the concept of crisp shifting doesn't apply the same way to a friction shifted 6 speed.

In your photo showing the close up of the Tiagra RD, the B-screw is the single screw that you can see sticking up between the derailleur body and the cable, in line with the chain. This screw actually adjusts the angle of the derailleur as it sits on the derailleur hanger. It contacts against a projection on the derailleur hanger and as you screw it in, it pulls the RD back and should take care of your RD cog problem.


OK.. I found and adjusted the B-screw, but the adjustment did zilch.

looks like the screw is coming into the tang (?) on the frame not in a straight line; IOW, the frame surface it's supposed to hit is ok; it's the screw whose path is crooked.

thanks for all the input; it's greatly appreciated by me and these are things which I need to know and learn about.

geardad

Yeah, from the same backward country that brought us the world's most reliable cars, Sony, Nikon, the Mitsubishi "Zero" and the battleship "Yamato". No wonder it's a pile of crap. You shouldn't have included the Zero and the Yamoto in your examples of superior engineering accomplishments. The Zero offered no armor protection for the pilot and fuel tanks. In addition, the fuel tanks were not self sealing. They were highly outclassed by 1942 by new Navy and Army Air Corp aircraft with more powerful engines and good protection for the pilots and fuel tanks. By 1943 the Zeros were relegated to kamikaze roles.

The Yamato was the biggest waste of steel and manpower in WW2. She was commisioned one week after Pearl Harbor was attacked and her first action was in the Battle of Midway where the opposing battleships never saw each other, nor fired a shot during the entire battle. She spent much of 1943 in Truk and then was torpedoed by the USS Skate, requireing repairs that lasted into 1944. She took part in the botched battle of Leyte Gulf and assisted in the sinking a couple of US destroyers. By 1945 the Japanese had only enough fuel for the Yamato to make one last sortie, and this was an attempt to draw forces away from the Okinawa Landings. The Yamato was sunk on April 7th, 1945 in the East China Sea after a massive attack by carrier aircraft.

OK.. I found and adjusted the B-screw, but the adjustment did zilch.

looks like the screw is coming into the tang (?) on the frame not in a straight line; IOW, the frame surface it's supposed to hit is ok; it's the screw whose path is crooked.

thanks for all the input; it's greatly appreciated by me and these are things which I need to know and learn about.

geardad It sounds as if the screw is bent or you have a derailleur hanger problem. This may be something that your LBS should look at as proper derailleur hanger alignment is critical to proper shifting.

It sounds as if the screw is bent or you have a derailleur hanger problem. This may be something that your LBS should look at as proper derailleur hanger alignment is critical to proper shifting.


to me, it looks as tho the metal on the RD thru which this screw goes is weak or has some rust....the hangar looks fine...

maybe I need to jot a list of things I think are wrong and head to the LBS with this bike and have them take a look..

I'd kind of like to have a priority, like, if bearings are lousy, no sense fixing anything else, etc.. actually, bearings feel pretty smooth to me; it's just the spots of rust and the sub-par components that I feel command priority.

gd

Any tips on dealing with what looks to be minor frame rust here and there would also be appreciated...

Is that a Reynolds 531 decal on the seat tube? It looks as though you've got a prime example of a top-drawer mid-70s sport tourer. Any way you look at it, there's nothing wrong with this bike that a little TLC can't set right. But don't ride it until the quick release on the front wheel is set correctly--it looks like it's not cammed, just hand-tightened.

Strip it down and repack the bearings. Replace chain and freewheel. Slide the rear derailleur cable stop closer to the dropout so the housing makes a nice round loop, and make sure it won't slip. Wash and wax. Lose the brake extension levers. If necessary, replace stem and handlebar to your fit. Ebay has plenty of nice quill stems and alloy bars that will work well. True wheels and replace rubber, cables, housing, and brake pads as needed.

Two cool things about Reynolds 531 is that it is not so thin-walled that a little "patina" will weaken it, and it's a helluva lot more rust-resistant than Columbus. J.P. Wiegle markets a product that's sprayed in the inside of steel frames to prevent corrosion. You might want to use this for insurance. For external rust, clean up with steel wool and touch-up paint.

This bike doesn't need upgrading or restoration but I won't argue if that's what you decide to do. It's a neat rider that will catch eyes and start conversations. It's definitely cooler than the Raleigh International I used to ride back then.

You shouldn't have included the Zero and the Yamoto in your examples of superior engineering accomplishments. The Zero offered no armor protection for the pilot and fuel tanks. In addition, the fuel tanks were not self sealing. They were highly outclassed by 1942 by new Navy and Army Air Corp aircraft with more powerful engines and good protection for the pilots and fuel tanks. By 1943 the Zeros were relegated to kamikaze roles.

The Yamato was the biggest waste of steel and manpower in WW2. She was commisioned one week after Pearl Harbor was attacked and her first action was in the Battle of Midway where the opposing battleships never saw each other, nor fired a shot during the entire battle. She spent much of 1943 in Truk and then was torpedoed by the USS Skate, requireing repairs that lasted into 1944. She took part in the botched battle of Leyte Gulf and assisted in the sinking a couple of US destroyers. By 1945 the Japanese had only enough fuel for the Yamato to make one last sortie, and this was an attempt to draw forces away from the Okinawa Landings. The Yamato was sunk on April 7th, 1945 in the East China Sea after a massive attack by carrier aircraft.
The Zero was all over the Allied planes until the arrival of the Hellcat, a design newer by three wartime years (a huge design time interval given the fervent changes in technology occurring at the time). It didn't need armour and self-sealing tanks until then, as it wasn't commonly on the receiving end of punishment from Wildcats, Buffaloes or Kittyhawks. It even carved up the few Spitfires sent to the Far East.
Forgetting discussions about the obsolescence of all battleships at the time, the "Yamato" and her sister were the most powerful battleships ever constructed.

Is that a Reynolds 531 decal on the seat tube?..Strip it down and repack the bearings. Replace chain and freewheel. Slide the rear derailleur cable stop closer to the dropout so the housing makes a nice round loop, and make sure it won't slip. Wash and wax

531 is what that decal says, alright!

As for your other suggestions, like repacking the bearings, should I attempt this if I've never done the procedure before? I'd be concerned about doing it right, accurately spotting things needing replacing, re-assembling properly.

move RD closer to drop out? meaning, closer to the closed end or to the open end? the dropouts have those adjusting screws....


geardad

531 is what that decal says, alright!

As for your other suggestions, like repacking the bearings, should I attempt this if I've never done the procedure before? I'd be concerned about doing it right, accurately spotting things needing replacing, re-assembling properly.

move RD closer to drop out? meaning, closer to the closed end or to the open end? the dropouts have those adjusting screws....


geardad
Repacking bearings isn't rocket science. Using appropriate tools, dismantle the bearing, soak the parts in kerosene or your favorite non-flammable solvent, dry, replace damaged parts, repack and reassemble, and adjust by feel--there should be no play but the bearing shouldn't bind, either. Don't worry if you overtighten a bit, just loosen and try again. When it all feels good, batten down the lockrings and test again.

There are numerous inexpensive books on bike repair that can show you the whole process. This is the way I started on my first bike in 1971, because the local shops couldn't be trusted to do it right. Now I don't need a book. Hint--if one of your ball bearings looks like a raisin it should be replaced before it does serious damage to the rest of the bearing.

Regarding the rear derailleur--refer to the attached BMP. There is a plated cable stop screwed around the right chainstay. When you remove the derailleur for cleaning and remove the shift cable for replacement and clean the spring housing (soak it in solvent), remove the steel cable stop that is attached to the stay. Clean that and reattach it over the scratch on the stay just forward of the dropout so the spring housing makes a nice elliptical loop between it and the derailleur. If you can't get the cable stop tight enough to stay put, see if your local shop has a smaller replacement. Now dry the housing and reassemble with a new shift cable that has a light coating of grease where it passes through the housing. Most newer bikes have brazed on cable stops.

It's highly unlikely that anything's seriously wrong with the rear derailleur that can't be fixed with cleaning and adjustment. It's all alloy and stainless steel. A bent B-screw or B-screw flange isn't a show stopper and the angle of the derailleur body looks fine as is. If the cage hangs straight down and the wheels spin, it's OK. I've seen jockey wheels running closer to the big cog than that, but if after adjustment it still runs rough, just get a freewheel with a slightly smaller cog.

This bike is a find. It's not exotic or state-of-the-art, even for 1976, but it exemplifies the best work in the traditional style of British builders of the period. It's interesting that it uses the Carlton-style wrap-over seat stay.

This bike is a find. It's not exotic or state-of-the-art, even for 1976, but it exemplifies the best work in the traditional style of British builders of the period. It's interesting that it uses the Carlton-style wrap-over seat stay.


I feel *extremely* fortunate to have found it. I'm glad it's steel (GOOD steel, too) I'm glad it's old-school compared to today's exotic, and IMO, silly modern bikes.

and I'm glad that it is in SUCH good shape...a little attention to the rust, some careful attention to bearings, new brake cables, new freewheel and I will have myself ride which could most likely last me til the end of my days...which, thanks to cycling and good genes, stands to be some time from now!

Also, I'm continuing to be very grateful to your helpful suggestions... I feel that I can tackle the repacking of the hubs and the replacement of the freewheel (assuming I can FIND one new, or new-ish) prbly not the BB, but I know a great bike shop that will inspect/replace for a modest sum.

I guess I need to source and buy the supplies and parts I need to git at these repairs..

actually, the chain busted yesterday JUST as I crested a hill the wife and I are training on. I can assure you this chain, whatever its age, owed me nothing. it looked old in design and had serious rust on its links..


gd