Double-to-triple upgrade, any last minute advice?

In article <[email hidden]>,

rickn rickn said:

My fat [censored], old legs, and hilly neighborhood have lead me to the
decision to upgrade to a triple-front crankset.
The components have been ordered and the upgrade project will begin any-
day-now.
Any last minute words-of-wisdom (before I disassemble the bike) would be
appreciated.
Here are the facts:
The bike is a late '90's (?) Bianchi Veloce currently equipped with
Campy Veloce components throughout and includes 8-speed cassette and
double chainring front.

So far I have purchased the following:
Racing T 30-40-50 triple crankset
Centaur 9-speed triple front derailleur
Centaur 9-speed rear derailleur (long cage)
longer chain

Should work great.

Quoted message said:

The bike has very few miles on it so I am going to try the new chain
with the old 8-speed cassette and hope that they get along with each
other.

Ride carefully and stay seated when you test it. You need to test
on every cog.

Quoted message said:

Specific concerns include:
Someone who seems to know a LOT more about this than I has suggested
that the existing BB is likely the right one and that I may not need to
change it. BUT: Is this a component that I should change / upgrade while
I am at it? Any recommended upgrades?

There is probably no reason to replace the BB unless it's worn out.
The 111mm AC-H is correct for nearly all bikes with double or triple
Mirage/Veloce/Centaur style crank (same as Racing T) except for a
few that require the 115.5 - those few will mostly be fat tube
aluminum frames.

Quoted message said:

A recent My fat [censored], old legs, and hilly neiborhood have lead me to the
decision to upgrade to a triple-front cranksetstring mentions "chain
alignment" as an important issue with this upgrade. Is this where the BB
length comes into play? Once the new crank is seated / torqued onto the
BB spindle it would seem that the chain alignment is fixed at that
point.

That is correct, although you can influence the results slightly
with thin spacers under the BB fixed cup or under the cassette.

Quoted message said:

Or does chain alignment refer to the derailleur setup?

No

Quoted message said:

Obviously
I am confused . . .
A few words of advise regarding chain alignment would also be
appreciated.

It should all just work with no special tricks - you have the right
bottom bracket for the crank, and that's the main thing that you need
to get right.

Quoted message said:

Have I missed anything major?

Looks OK to me. I often replace derailleur cables and housing in
a major upgrade like this, just so everything works like new. Sometimes
just a nice new stainless rear derailleur wire is enough if everything
is in good shape.

--Paul

rickn rickn said:

So far I have purchased the following:
Racing T 30-40-50 triple crankset
Centaur 9-speed triple front derailleur
Centaur 9-speed rear derailleur (long cage)
longer chain

Just install the stuff you have on the bicycle and ride away.

[email hidden] (Paul Southworth) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Yes, a chain catcher gadget.

rickn-<< a LOT more about this than I has suggested
that the existing BB is likely the right one and that I may not need to
change it. BUT: Is this a component that I should change / upgrade while
I am at it? >><BR><BR>

Nope, if it is 111mm and your seat tube is 28.6 or 31.8mm, you don't need a new
BB. If it's smooth, leave it alone.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"