New Guy in Alabama

[Jak Conrad]

Hello!

While losing weight, I built up an old M500 with stout wheels and parts I had laying around. It worked pretty well, and is a very sprightly feeling bike, but the frame is just a bit too small for me. I have it adjusted so that I have a decent fit, though sorta "slammed"... very sporty stance.

Now I'm chilling at home, and feeling tinkery, so I dropped the hammer on a road frame auction. The seller claimed it was a '90s model, but so far, it appears (from sifting through the old catalogs here) that it's a 1987 SR400 frame.
It'll be a cheap build, too, as I have most of the parts I need laying around, and some still mounted on an old Bridgestone 200... an even lower end model At least the Dale will be a lot lighter. Some seem to be caught up with the idea that these are torture to ride, but I have tens of thousands of miles on a Kona Jake the Snake, most of which were on 23c Axial Pro tires. THAT was a stiff ride.

Anyway... Hello!

 

[black lightning 1987]

Welcome Jak. I have a 1987 SR600 that I've put about 8,000 miles on. It's plenty stiff but I think the harsh ride reputation is overstated. I'm pretty sure you can fit some brands of 28 mm tires on them if you want a bit nicer ride. I used to run Specialized 26 mm tires on mine but I'm not sure if anyone still makes that size.

 

[Jak Conrad]

I have a set of Vittoria 28c that were going to go on the B'stone, but with the "new" Cannondale frame (NOS, not even a scratch), I'm gonna see how well they fit. If not, I'll step it down a size and just accept that it'll be stiff and light... compared to my other bikes anyway.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Remember to check clearance with the brake calipers as well as the frame.

I have a bare (except for headset) 1987 road frameset here. I should weigh it out of curiosity. None of those models were very light by today's standards, 21-22 pounds according to the catalog. Even most of the 2.8 series bikes of the early to mid 90s didn't weigh less than 21 pounds, but they did have STI by then which added close to a pound over downtube shifters. The 1993 R2000 weighed 19.9 according to the catalog.

 

[Jak Conrad]

This will either be downtube only, or I might run a bar end for the rear. I agree it won't compete with more modern frames, but the Bridgestone 200 is made of gas pipe, so it'll sure be lighter than that.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Bar end shifters are a nice compromise, work great and are more reliable than STI. GripShift is probably the lightest option. I recall Bicycle Guide building a weight weenie bike about 25 years ago. They used GripShift. The road models are kind of hard to find now. I have a pair on a Trek 5500. They take some getting used to but work fine.

 

[Jak Conrad]

Yeah, I think I'll stick with a bar end, or if I'm feeling really retro, downtube. I've been used to brifters and bar ends, though I have used DT levers from time to time. I like the simplicity.

Also, I still have a pair of 105 9-speed brifters I've been somewhat successful in de-gunking. I may give 'em a little more attention, and maybe they can find a new home on this Dale.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I had one pair of STI (can't recall what model) with a rear shifter that wouldn't work until I put it under very hot running water. I'd tried various oil based flushes with no luck, but the hot water cured it.

The direct cable routing, simplicity and light weight remain selling points for downtube shifters. I'm not up on current stuff but Shimano made DT shifters in the 10 speed era. Campagnolo made 10 speed bar end shifters which could be made to work on the DT.

 

[Jak Conrad]

I had one pair of STI (can't recall what model) with a rear shifter that wouldn't work until I put it under very hot running water. I'd tried various oil based flushes with no luck, but the hot water cured it.

The direct cable routing, simplicity and light weight remain selling points for downtube shifters. I'm not up on current stuff but Shimano made DT shifters in the 10 speed era. Campagnolo made 10 speed bar end shifters which could be made to work on the DT.

I'll give that a shot. Won't break my heart if I can't get it perfect, but the progress I made with a simple flush would indicate that I might be able to get it going again. We'll see. It's the brifter set I've put 10s of thousands of miles on my Kona JtS with, so it'd be nice to have 'em still clickin'.