Campagnolo on a trekking bike?

[Jonathan V.D. S]

For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears. One of the options is a
campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for a bike that needs to carry a
lot of luggage - uphill, that is. This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear
sprockets need to be more in the mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what I'd
really like is as wide a range as possible, like, say,
25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.

On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets. Does this mean that, for example,
a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on the larger rear sprockets and the smaller front
sprockets?

If I would use rear sprockets (and a compatible rear hub) from a different brand, what brands could
I consider? Would a shimano MTB casette work, with shimano compatible hub and chain? Or do
campagnolo-compatible sprockets (with numbers of teeth outside the regular campagnolo range) exist,
so I could build my own cassette with a lighter gear? Personally, I don't know why a rear derailer
would be unable to move the chain from a different brand, but I'm not sure at all.

And what crankset could be used? I'd want a triple crankset with a small gear in the smallest MTB
range and the largest sprocket coming close to the largest gears on regular road bikes for non-pro
cyclists - I guess something between 45 and 50 teeth. Again: can a campagnolo front derailer shift
the chain between such sprockets? And what crankset (what brand) would be suitable, also considering
compatibility with the chain?

Also I'd like to know how durable the campagnolo road material is. Are the hubs suitable for a wheel
that carries a big load? Are there 'heavy duty' hubs I might want to consider? Weight is not really
an issue; I'm looking for sturdy and durable material (that goes for all parts). Are campagnolo
derailers durable and how well do they handle dirt? Some cyclocross bikes are outfitted with
campagnolo parts - are these special (if so, are they for sale?) or is the normal material good
enough to use on a cyclocross bike?

I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What durable cantilever brakes are
compatible with their brake levers?

Thanks to anyone who takes time to answer my questions. I'm not unconditionally committed to
campagnolo parts, but would just like to know what's possible in that department.

Jonathan.

 

[lisated]

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis" <[email protected]> wrote:

> For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears. One of the options is a
> campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for a bike that needs to carry a
> lot of luggage - uphill, that is. This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear
> sprockets need to be more in the mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what
> I'd really like is as wide a range as possible, like, say,
> 25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.
>
> On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets. Does this mean that, for
> example, a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on the larger rear sprockets and the smaller
> front sprockets?

Yes, the gears you want will exceed the capacity of the Campy derailers available. Campy no longer
makes MTB equipment, which means that the largest rear sprocket you can use is about 28T. This can
still give you low gears if you use a small enough front chainring.

> If I would use rear sprockets (and a compatible rear hub) from a different brand, what brands
> could I consider? Would a shimano MTB casette work, with shimano compatible hub and chain?

Yes.
> Or do campagnolo-compatible sprockets (with numbers of teeth outside the regular campagnolo
> range) exist, so I could build my own cassette with a lighter gear?

No.

> Personally, I don't know why a rear derailer would be unable to move the chain from a different
> brand, but I'm not sure at all.

Brand of chain doesn't matter, but if you use 9-speed rear cogs you must use a 9-speed chain.

> And what crankset could be used? I'd want a triple crankset with a small gear in the smallest MTB
> range and the largest sprocket coming close to the largest gears on regular road bikes for non-pro
> cyclists - I guess something between 45 and 50 teeth. Again: can a campagnolo front derailer shift
> the chain between such sprockets? And what crankset (what brand) would be suitable, also
> considering compatibility with the chain?

You can use any brand of cranks that can give you the gearing you want to have. It makes no
difference to the rear derailer. Brand of chain doesn't matter either.

> Also I'd like to know how durable the campagnolo road material is. Are the hubs suitable for a
> wheel that carries a big load? Are there 'heavy duty' hubs I might want to consider? Weight is not
> really an issue; I'm looking for sturdy and durable material (that goes for all parts). Are
> campagnolo derailers durable and how well do they handle dirt? Some cyclocross bikes are outfitted
> with campagnolo parts - are these special (if so, are they for sale?) or is the normal material
> good enough to use on a cyclocross bike?
>
> I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What durable cantilever brakes are
> compatible with their brake levers?

Campagnolo makes only caliper brakes. Their levers will not work with cantilever brakes because of
differing mechanical advantage, or amount of cable pull. Devices such as the Travel agent can get
around that, but it's less than ideal.
>
> Thanks to anyone who takes time to answer my questions. I'm not unconditionally committed to
> campagnolo parts, but would just like to know what's possible in that department.

You can tour on Campy stuff; it's just that there is no off-the-shelf solution and you will have to
make some compromises. No Campy brakes are suitable with fatter tires. Obtaining low enough gears
may be difficult or impossible. Unless you are determined to have Campy, you will find it much
easier to use MTB equipment from Shimano and/or SRAM. Do you want style or function?

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

 

[Pete Biggs]

Jonathan v.d. Sluis wrote:
> For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears. One of the options is a
> campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for a bike that needs to carry a
> lot of luggage - uphill, that is. This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear
> sprockets need to be more in the mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what
> I'd really like is as wide a range as possible, like, say, 25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets,
> and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.
>
> On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets.

Close though. Campag have 13-28 9-speed cassettes, and 13-29 9sp.

Campag triple middle ring minimum size is 39 (inner is 24), but you could use any crankset and front
derailleur you like with Campag shifters as front shifter is not indexed (and all pull enough cable
for triples).

> Does this mean that, for example, a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on the larger rear
> sprockets and the smaller front sprockets?

Campag rear mechs are not good with very large sprockets, but there are tricks you can do to get
Shimano derailleurs working with some Campag shifters. (Others will advise, or I could email you a
large .pdf document with all the tech details on the whole subject if you want)

> If I would use rear sprockets (and a compatible rear hub) from a different brand, what brands
> could I consider? Would a shimano MTB casette work, with shimano compatible hub and chain?

Yes with 9-speed - if either accept the slight difference in spacing or re-space cassette (with a
spacer kit).

> Or do campagnolo-compatible sprockets (with numbers of teeth outside the regular campagnolo
> range) exist

Unfortunately not. But Marchisio make sprockets up to 28t with various adaptors and spacers to make
them work with just about any setup. These are handy (and lightweight, but expensive) for building
custom cassettes.

> , so I could build my own cassette with a lighter gear? Personally, I don't know why a rear
> derailer would be unable to move the chain from a different brand, but I'm not sure at all.
>
> And what crankset could be used? I'd want a triple crankset with a small gear in the smallest MTB
> range and the largest sprocket coming close to the largest gears on regular road bikes for non-pro
> cyclists
> - I guess something between 45 and 50 teeth. Again: can a campagnolo front derailer shift the
> chain between such sprockets? And what crankset (what brand) would be suitable, also considering
> compatibility with the chain?

Any crankset. Chain compatibility won't be a problem, and can use SRAM instead of Shimano or Campag
if you like.

> Also I'd like to know how durable the campagnolo road material is. Are the hubs suitable for a
> wheel that carries a big load?

They are dished slightly more, so not quite as strong as Shimano in theory. But there are very few
reports of failures.

> Are there 'heavy duty' hubs I might want to consider? Weight is not really an issue; I'm looking
> for sturdy and durable material (that goes for all parts).

Any good Shimano or Campag hub should be durable enough, but you might want to consider one of the
"MTB" hubs with the external "boots" for added dirt & weather protection.

> Are campagnolo derailers durable and how well do they handle dirt?

They are durable, dirt is no big deal. They all use bushings in the jockey wheels - which can be
replaced by Tacx sealed-bearing types if prefered.

Frankly, although I'm a Campag fan, for you I would only recommend considering Campagnolo stuff if
you particularly fancy the Ergo levers (which feel and work quite differently to any other shifters;
and also can be rebuilt). Otherwise, might as well Shimano.

~PB

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Jonathan v.d. Sluis wrote:
> For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears. One of the options is a
> campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for a bike that needs to carry a
> lot of luggage - uphill, that is. This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear
> sprockets need to be more in the mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what
> I'd really like is as wide a range as possible, like, say,
> 25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.

The term "trekking bike" is not English, but if I understand it correctly, it refers to what is
known in English as a "hybrid bike" though typically equipped with fenders/mudguards, lighting and
luggage racks that are not standard equipment on hybrids.

Campagnolo equipment is not suitable for this application, because they don't make any shifters that
work with upright handlebars, only drop bars.

Sheldon "'Trek' Is Afrikaans For A Long, Laborious Journey On Foot Or By Oxcart--Dumb Name For A
Bike!" Brown +------------------------------------------------------------+
| What are politicians going to tell people when the | Constitution is gone and we still have a
| drug problem? | -- William Simpson, A.C.L.U. |
+------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, Jonathan v.d. Sluis
<[email protected]> wrote:
>For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears. One of the options is a
>campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for a bike that needs to carry a
>lot of luggage - uphill, that is. This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear
>sprockets need to be more in the mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what
>I'd really like is as wide a range as possible, like, say,
>25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.
>
>On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets. Does this mean that, for
>example, a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on the larger rear sprockets and the smaller
>front sprockets?

No, but it does mean that you may want to run a Shimano-compatible 9-speed cassette in order to get
better gearing choices. On my "dirt" bike I use a Hugi hub with a Shimano cassette, and then Campy
Veloce derailleur and Campy 9-speed ergo shifters. This works very well. The Veloce derailleur can
easily do 30t in that configuration. It will not match the huge capacity of the Shimano "mega" ATB
rear derailleurs but 30t is fine. I think you'll be looking at a non-Campy crank and BB if you want
the front gearing mentioned above.

--Paul

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <lisated-112FE4.133901150220[email protected]>, <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Jonathan v.d. Sluis" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What durable cantilever brakes are
>> compatible with their brake levers?
>
>Campagnolo makes only caliper brakes. Their levers will not work with cantilever brakes because of
>differing mechanical advantage, or amount of cable pull. Devices such as the Travel agent can get
>around that, but it's less than ideal.

I think you mean not compatible with v-brakes, not cantilevers. Cable pull for a cantilever is not a
problem for Campy brake levers. For example, Avid Shorty:

http://www.avidbike.com/1_rimbrakes/rim1_3_0_shorty.html

No problem with road levers. It's the v-brakes (eg, Avid Single Digit) that require some kind of
cable cam.

--Paul

 

[lisated]

Paul Southworth wrote:

> <[email protected]> wrote:
> > "Jonathan v.d. Sluis" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What durable cantilever brakes
> >> are compatible with their brake levers?
> >
> >Campagnolo makes only caliper brakes. Their levers will not work with cantilever brakes because
> >of differing mechanical advantage, or amount of cable pull. Devices such as the Travel agent can
> >get around that, but it's less than ideal.
>
> I think you mean not compatible with v-brakes, not cantilevers. Cable pull for a cantilever is not
> a problem for Campy brake levers. For example, Avid Shorty:
>
> http://www.avidbike.com/1_rimbrakes/rim1_3_0_shorty.html
>
> No problem with road levers. It's the v-brakes (eg, Avid Single Digit) that require some kind of
> cable cam.

Oops. You are correct. Thanks, Paul.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

 

[A Muzi]

> "Jonathan v.d. Sluis" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > For my trekking bike I am considering several different setups of gears.
One
> > of the options is a campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical
that
> > would be for a bike that needs to carry a lot of luggage - uphill, that
is.
> > This means that the number of teeth on both the front and rear sprockets need to be more in the
> > mountain bike range rather than the racing bike range. But what I'd really like is as wide a
> > range as possible, like,
say,
> > 25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of
13-30+
> > on the rear cassette.
> >
> > On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets. Does
this
> > mean that, for example, a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on
the
> > larger rear sprockets and the smaller front sprockets?

<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Yes, the gears you want will exceed the capacity of the Campy derailers available. Campy no longer
> makes MTB equipment, which means that the largest rear sprocket you can use is about 28T. This can
> still give you low gears if you use a small enough front chainring.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > If I would use rear sprockets (and a compatible rear hub) from a different
> > brand, what brands could I consider? Would a shimano MTB casette work,
with
> > shimano compatible hub and chain?

"Ted Bennett"> Yes.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > Or do campagnolo-compatible sprockets
> > (with numbers of teeth outside the regular campagnolo range) exist, so I could build my own
> > cassette with a lighter gear?

"Ted Bennett"> No.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > Personally, I don't know
> > why a rear derailer would be unable to move the chain from a different brand, but I'm not sure
> > at all.

"Ted Bennett"> Brand of chain doesn't matter, but if you use 9-speed rear cogs you must
> use a 9-speed chain.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > And what crankset could be used? I'd want a triple crankset with a small
> > gear in the smallest MTB range and the largest sprocket coming close to
the
> > largest gears on regular road bikes for non-pro cyclists - I guess
something
> > between 45 and 50 teeth. Again: can a campagnolo front derailer shift
the
> > chain between such sprockets? And what crankset (what brand) would be suitable, also considering
> > compatibility with the chain?

"Ted Bennett"> You can use any brand of cranks that can give you the gearing you want
> to have. It makes no difference to the rear derailer. Brand of chain doesn't matter either.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > Also I'd like to know how durable the campagnolo road material is. Are the
> > hubs suitable for a wheel that carries a big load? Are there 'heavy
duty'
> > hubs I might want to consider? Weight is not really an issue; I'm
looking
> > for sturdy and durable material (that goes for all parts). Are
campagnolo
> > derailers durable and how well do they handle dirt? Some cyclocross
bikes
> > are outfitted with campagnolo parts - are these special (if so, are they
for
> > sale?) or is the normal material good enough to use on a cyclocross
bike?
> >
> > I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What
durable
> > cantilever brakes are compatible with their brake levers?

"Ted Bennett"> Campagnolo makes only caliper brakes. Their levers will not work with
> cantilever brakes because of differing mechanical advantage, or amount of cable pull. Devices such
> as the Travel agent can get around that, but it's less than ideal.

"Jonathan v.d. Sluis"> > Thanks to anyone who takes time to answer my questions. I'm not
> > unconditionally committed to campagnolo parts, but would just like to
know
> > what's possible in that department.

"Ted Bennett"> You can tour on Campy stuff; it's just that there is no off-the-shelf
> solution and you will have to make some compromises. No Campy brakes are suitable with fatter
> tires. Obtaining low enough gears may be difficult or impossible. Unless you are determined to
> have Campy, you will find it much easier to use MTB equipment from Shimano and/or SRAM. Do you
> want style or function?

Ted, although you correctly point out that Campagnolo non longer addresses super-low gearing,
Campagnolo and other road levers work fine with cantilever brakes. No special measures are needed.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

<snip>
> You can tour on Campy stuff; it's just that there is no off-the-shelf solution and you will have
> to make some compromises. No Campy brakes are suitable with fatter tires. Obtaining low enough
> gears may be difficult or impossible. Unless you are determined to have Campy, you will find it
> much easier to use MTB equipment from Shimano and/or SRAM. Do you want style or function?

The best of both, I guess. I've always used Shimano, but now I'm thinking of building a different
kind of bike. That's really the main reason.

What kind of brakes would a campagnolo-outfitted cyclocross bike use?

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]...
> Campagnolo equipment is not suitable for this application, because they don't make any shifters
> that work with upright handlebars, only drop bars.

That's OK, the kind of bike I'm referring to traditionally has drop bars. World traveller Frank van
Rijn always uses drop bars. Other handlebars have been used since the 1990s or so. Whatever
handlebar is used, the bikes are also called Grand Randonneurs. In my vocabulary, hybrid usually
means a bike that has some elements of an MTB and some elements of a normal bike for commutering or
whatever. In the Netherlands, we have hybrids with 'naafversnellingen' (litt.: 'hub gears', three or
five gears that don't work with a derailer), but these are not suitable for long distances. Many
bikes are not really suitable for travelling long distances, although last year in Trier I met a man
who would buy a new bike any time the old one broke down. He bought them second-hand for a few
euros., and was heading for Kiel.

>
> Sheldon "'Trek' Is Afrikaans For A Long, Laborious Journey On Foot Or By Oxcart--Dumb Name For A
> Bike!" Brown

The dictionary also gives: 'To make a long difficult journey'. I have several routes I want to
follow, for example from Maastricht to the pyrenees, which will be relatively easy compared to Van
Rijn's trials, but hard enough for me!

As such a route would be mostly over asphalt with a bike with drop bars. So campagnolo seems a
possibility, although perhaps I should have mentioned that a shimano setup with a mix of MTB and
road bike components is still my default option.

Jonathan.

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Pete Biggs <pLime{remove_fruit}@biggs.tc> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]... <snip>
> Close though. Campag have 13-28 9-speed cassettes, and 13-29 9sp.
>
> Campag triple middle ring minimum size is 39 (inner is 24), but you could use any crankset and
> front derailleur you like with Campag shifters as front shifter is not indexed (and all pull
> enough cable for triples).

24/29 already seems quite light to me. If I understand you (and Paul Southworth below) correctly,
installing a different brand crankset with a lower minimum number of teeth should not give a
problem with the front derailer, right? This would mean I could accomplish a very light gear
without using a special casette.

<snip>
> > Also I'd like to know how durable the campagnolo road material is. Are the hubs suitable for a
> > wheel that carries a big load?
>
> They are dished slightly more, so not quite as strong as Shimano in theory. But there are very few
> reports of failures.

Generally speaking, what material is the least likely to fail?

>
> > Are there 'heavy duty' hubs I might want to consider? Weight is not really an issue; I'm looking
> > for sturdy and durable material (that goes for all parts).
>
> Any good Shimano or Campag hub should be durable enough, but you might want to consider one of the
> "MTB" hubs with the external "boots" for added dirt & weather protection.

Sounds good, but does it mean I could only install a shimano or SRAM cassette with
different spacing?

>
> > Are campagnolo derailers durable and how well do they handle dirt?
>
> They are durable, dirt is no big deal. They all use bushings in the jockey wheels - which can be
> replaced by Tacx sealed-bearing types if prefered.
>
> Frankly, although I'm a Campag fan, for you I would only recommend considering Campagnolo stuff if
> you particularly fancy the Ergo levers (which feel and work quite differently to any other
> shifters; and also can be rebuilt). Otherwise, might as well Shimano.

I can only choose between campagnolo and shimano brake levers and shifters for road bikes, since I
want a racing-type handlebar. Between these two, I'm not sure what the best choice would be, but
apparently this choice has some consequences for the rest of the bike.

Thanks for your time, Jonathan.

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Paul Southworth <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
aGz3a.32482$A%[email protected]...
> No, but it does mean that you may want to run a Shimano-compatible 9-speed cassette in order to
> get better gearing choices. On my "dirt" bike I use a Hugi hub with a Shimano cassette, and then
> Campy Veloce derailleur and Campy 9-speed ergo shifters. This works very well. The Veloce
> derailleur can easily do 30t in that configuration.

Did you make special adaptations to the spacing of the cassette or does it work well without
modifications?

> It will not match the huge capacity of the Shimano "mega" ATB rear derailleurs but 30t is fine. I
> think you'll be looking at a non-Campy crank and BB if you want the front gearing mentioned above.

Yes, and apparently such a configuration could give me the choice of gears I will need.

Thank you, Jonathan.

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

jonathandavid-<< One of the options is a campagnolo groupset, but I'm not sure how practical that
would be for a bike that needs to carry a lot of luggage - uphill, that is. << But what I'd really
like is as wide a range as possible, like, say,
25/30/45+ teeth on the front sprockets, and something like a range of 13-30+ on the rear cassette.

Get a Campagnolo system with a TA Zephyer crank(triple, 110/74mm BCD), a shimano rear hub and then a
Sram or shimano 13-30 casette- Medium cage Campagnolo rder-it will work great-

<< On campagnolo's website I saw that they don't have such sprockets.

They have a 13-28/ 9s and a 13-29/10s-

<< Does this mean that, for example, a campagnolo centaur derailer would not work on the larger rear
sprockets and the smaller front sprockets?

Nope-a medium or long cage Centaur will work great with the combo you suggest. As will the
left/front shifter with a triple Campagnolo (or any ) fder and the 'MTB' crank.

<< I could not find cantilever brakes on the campagnolo website. What durable cantilever brakes are
compatible with their brake levers?

Tektro, Paul and Avid make some nice ones that work great with road (ERGO) levers-

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(26)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

listed-<< Yes, the gears you want will exceed the capacity of the Campy derailers available. <<
Campy no longer makes MTB equipment, which means that the largest rear sprocket you can use is
about 28T.

Not true, I have used a 11-32 with Racing T rders and the 9/10s long cage are rated at 29t
maximum(for their 13-29)...pushing these 'limits' is no big deal.

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

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

Pete-<< Campag rear mechs are not good with very large sprockets,

They work fine using Racing T, long and medium cage Campagnolo rders-for 30/32 and even 34 cogs(lomg
cage rder and a double crank)....don't see why people don't believe this...

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

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Qui si parla Campagnolo <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]...
> Get a Campagnolo system with a TA Zephyer crank(triple, 110/74mm BCD), a shimano rear hub and then
> a Sram or shimano 13-30 casette- Medium cage Campagnolo rder-it will work great-

Thanks, that looks like just what I need. What kind of hub could be used with the Mavic T 520 rim
with 40 holes (and a shimano or sram cassette)?

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Jonathan v.d. Sluis wrote:

> That's OK, the kind of bike I'm referring to traditionally has drop bar=
s.
> World traveller Frank van Rijn always uses drop bars. Other handlebars =
have
> been used since the 1990s or so. Whatever handlebar is used, the bikes =
are
> also called Grand Randonneurs.=20

In common English usage, this type of bike is generally called a=20 "touring bike" or sometimes a
"loaded-touring bike" if it is intended to =

carry camping equipment.

> In my vocabulary, hybrid usually means a bike that has some elements of an MTB and some elements
> of a normal bike for=

> commutering or whatever.=20

Certainly "hybrid" does mean, generally a mixture or crossbreed.

In current English-language use, the term "hybrid" is most often used to =

describe a bike with MTB gearing and general riding position, but with=20 lighter wheels than a
typical mountain bike, typically 700 x 35 or 38

> In the Netherlands, we have hybrids with 'naafversnellingen' (litt.: 'hub gears', three or five
> gears that don't=
work
> with a derailer), but these are not suitable for long distances. Many b=
ikes
> are not really suitable for travelling long distances,

That's debatable. I generally consider any bike that's sufficiently=20 durable and has adequate
load-carrying ability to be suitable for long=20 distance travel. People have been happily touring
all over the world=20 since the 1890s or earlier, many on bikes that seem pretty primitive by=20
modern standards. Sometimes people have to walk up the steep hills, but =

this isn't the end of the world.

The one sort of bike that is _not_ suitable for this is the specialized=20 racing machine which is
generally too delicate and uncomfortable for=20 touring with baggage.

Sheldon "If You Want To Go, You Can Do It" Brown
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tour on popular routes like the Oregon Coast you will see | just about anything with two wheels
| out there, with any | amount of luggage strapped on in any conceivable way. | Everyone seems to
| be having a good time doing it. | However, certain choices will reduce breakdowns, and | make the
| trip less a project of transporting equipment, | and more one of enjoying the scenery and
| cultures. | --Eric Salath=E9 |
+------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Jonathan V.D. S]

Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> schreef in berichtnieuws
[email protected]... << In common English usage, this type of bike is generally
called a "touring bike" or sometimes a "loaded-touring bike" if it is intended to carry camping
equipment. >>

A rose is a rose by any name.

Are drop bars no longer in fashion for American touring bikes?

<< That's debatable. I generally consider any bike that's sufficiently durable and has adequate
load-carrying ability to be suitable for long distance travel. >>

Sure, the bikes are often suitable - as I indicated in my example. Ofcourse, one needs extremely
reliable material to go to Vietnam from Amsterdam, but a journey across France does not
intrinsically require an expensive bike. But it's the people that ride them that are the problem.
There are many hills that I cannot do without a wide choice of gears. And, ofcourse, there are many
parts that have proven to be vulnerable in my experience. I'm going to take extra care to choose the
right rims and luggage-carriers, aside from the more obvious like tyres and spokes.

<< People have been happily touring all over the world since the 1890s or earlier, many on bikes
that seem pretty primitive by modern standards. Sometimes people have to walk up the steep hills,
but this isn't the end of the world. >>

People are happily touring all over the world on bikes that seem pretty primitive by modern
standards even as we speak. When we left Trier, however, the guy from Kiel had to go further along
the Mosel, while we could go north, taking a more difficult route.

I don't like walking and generally rather stop-ride-stop.

Jonathan.

 

[Paul Kopit]

And the newer 3x10 long cage derailleurs, i.e. 2002 Record, 2003 Cenataur have 39t capacity.

Problem comes with front derailleur. If you have a 52/42/26, the derailleur is high enough so that
the chain drags on the bottom of the front derailleur in combinations like 26/21 or even 26/24.

On 16 Feb 2003 14:13:36 GMT, [email protected] (Qui si parla Campagnolo) wrote:

>Not true, I have used a 11-32 with Racing T rders and the 9/10s long cage are rated at 29t
>maximum(for their 13-29)...pushing these 'limits' is no big deal.

 

[Scic]

>From: [email protected]

>Get a Campagnolo system with a TA Zephyer crank(triple, 110/74mm BCD)...

Is this a "better" crank than the Sugino XD (Super Shift Rings) 26/36/46 - bcd
74/110?

Sig Chicago