86 SR500 finally finished (except for tape)
- Thread starter wild
- Start date
Looks good. We had a bit of a break from the humidity today but it was still in the upper 80s when I rode late this afternoon.
You will get used to the handling.
wild
Well-Known Member
My neighbor is a retired Marine a couple of years younger than I am, and he rides a Raleigh road bike. I let him take mine for a spin this afternoon. He came back and said, "you really have to keep on the handlebars, this bike is quick!" It made me feel a little better. I'll get it back out this evening.
Those frames have a short wheelbase but the rest of the geometry isn't unusual for a road bike.
wild
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm back on the MB for a while. Yesterday the rear derailleur started shifting up and down intermittently, and then the new chain broke. It looks like the wheels in the Shimano 600 rear are worn and wobble. I also broke the shift cable. (face palm). On closer inspection, it looks like the derailleur does not travel the full range of the seven sprocket free wheel. If the bike was an 86 as indicated by the component list and the serial number, it would have had a six speed cassette. This one has all of the Shimano components of an 88 SR700 with the seven speed cassette. No matter now. I'm going to convert it to flat bar. Do you know where I can get the down tube shifter to cable adapter to route the cable up top?
Lots of question marks. I've been riding for 40 some years and have never broken a chain or a cable.
You will have to elaborate about the wheels. Is the problem with the hubs or the spoke tension?
The 6400 RD should work fine for 6/7 speed for sure, and probably for 8 speed. If it's not allowing shifts to cogs on either end of the cassette, it's probably because the limit screws need adjusting.
I converted a later road frame to flat bar, thinking it might be nice for easy day rides. It's one of my least favorite builds. I have a lot of wrist pain when riding in that position with little option to change hand positions. That said, flat bar may work fine for you depending on the length of your rides. If you go that route, what type of shifters do you want to use? I'm not a big fan of Rapidfire, much prefer the thumbshifters. The cable adjusters for the down tube shifter bosses are easy to find, just another $15-20 item to add to the project.
You will have to elaborate about the wheels. Is the problem with the hubs or the spoke tension?
The 6400 RD should work fine for 6/7 speed for sure, and probably for 8 speed. If it's not allowing shifts to cogs on either end of the cassette, it's probably because the limit screws need adjusting.
I converted a later road frame to flat bar, thinking it might be nice for easy day rides. It's one of my least favorite builds. I have a lot of wrist pain when riding in that position with little option to change hand positions. That said, flat bar may work fine for you depending on the length of your rides. If you go that route, what type of shifters do you want to use? I'm not a big fan of Rapidfire, much prefer the thumbshifters. The cable adjusters for the down tube shifter bosses are easy to find, just another $15-20 item to add to the project.
wild
Well-Known Member
I honestly don't know why the chain broke, but something hung up. The derailleur is okay except for the worn wheels, and it was working the day before. I've gotten used to the Shimano 100GS shifters on the old MB, but probably will find a combo unit of brake and shifter that will work with the derailleurs on the bike. I'm also going to replace the front derailleur with a clamp on model because one of the mount holes is stripped. It should be a pretty simple conversion compared to rebuilding the bike.
I used 1" black foam pipe insulation for the hand grips on the MB. Nice and cushy! LOL
I used 1" black foam pipe insulation for the hand grips on the MB. Nice and cushy! LOL
wild
Well-Known Member
I've decided to convert this bike to a flat bar road bike largely because of my age and the leaning forward thing. I had hoped to have the finished bike pictures up, but the 3" rise handle bar from Spain has been held up in Orlando. I hope the guy didn't try to sneak anything over in them. I did find a set of Shimano SIS MB shifters for cheap and a very inexpensive set of Promax MB/RB brake levers. I also found a vintage Sakae 42-52 crank set with a chain guard that works pretty well. Hopefully, there will be some more pictures next week.
Sounds like everything should work. Did you check to be sure bar clamp diameter of the new bar is the same as your stem? Guessing you might need to snag a couple of MTB brake cables, but I don't know those levers.
wild
Well-Known Member
I haven't bought the cables or the down tube cable guides yet. The Shimano levers look like they just duplicate the movement of the old levers except on the bar. I went with simple click levers over the ones on my MB, although I like the way they operate. The old handlebar diameter is 25.4mm so I'm sticking with that. If the 3" rise is too much, I'll swap out for the straight bar on my beater bike.
SR400 -105
Member
This looks great. I have an 87 SR400 which I purchased in 1988. 105 groupset, 600 ultegra headset is the exception. The cranks I think are suntour (the whole bike should have been this as I now understand). In riding the bike many years as I aged I found it was more and more uncomfortable. What changed this for me was a modern saddle, a modern stem, better bars (wider for my shoulders) and modern brake levels that were not designed for cables coming out of them like the shimano of the day. The drop and shape of the bars provides much better flat surface that the modern brake hoods extend. I know it is not vintage this way but it is sooo much better in practical use. The longer the ride the more you appreciate the upgrades. Before you tape up it is just a suggestion if your goal is to ride it a lot.
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wild
Well-Known Member
That looks good. I'm having an issue with a bit of RA in the lower back that really bothers me when I lean over. My main ride is an older MB that I picked up for next to nothing a few months back so that my wife and I could ride together while I worked on a 1972 Schwinn Sport Tourer that eventually got traded for this Cannondale. Truthfully, the MB has ruined me for drop bars. I like sitting up and having the shifters near my thumbs which is why I'm converting the SR to flatbar. At 72, I'm not going to be racing like I did fifty years ago, so there is no need to get down on the handle bar and power up the old legs like I used to do when they worked well. LOL