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I gave up on myself way back, however I need my bikes to be one of the best they are often. Because of this, and since winter’s a great time for tinkering, I’ve acquired varied tasks deliberate for varied bikes. One among them involved the A. Homer Hilsen, which at present grew to become the sufferer of my mechanical ineptitude:
Again in November I fitted the bike with drop bars, one thing I’d been fascinated about for fairly awhile, and I’m more than happy with the brand new configuration. The opposite change I’d been considering was changing the double-and-a-bash-guard setup to a correct triple to get some taller gears for the highway:
Alas, I didn’t have any spare chainrings of the suitable measurement, however lately it occurred to me that this bike had precisely what I wanted:
Furthermore, there’s no motive for a motorbike like this to have a 48-tooth chainring:
Not solely is the 38-tooth center a lot for a child, however a double setup is simply easier, they usually have a tough time utilizing all three anyway. (So do most grown-ups, which is why the triple has gone extinct.) So I figured I’d take it for the Homer and change it with the bash guard.
The derailleur on the Homer was a double, and I wasn’t certain it will deal with the triple setup. So I figured I’d check out this specimen:
Over the vacations, Paul from Traditional Cycle despatched me some goodies for the Vengeance Bike (which would be the topic of one other upcoming mission), and likewise included another classic miscellany, together with this derailleur. I’ve completely no prior expertise with Simplex, however my analysis signifies that this was in all probability a part of the coveted legendary fully forgotten “Ensemble Enjoyable Bike:”
You already know it’s enjoyable as a result of the letters are all askew:
So, having made a plan, I started working. First, I stripped the Homer of chainrings, entrance derailleur, and chain:
I instantly dominated out setting it up as an extremely low-geared 1x:
I additionally dominated out the so-hot-right-now wide-range double:
Nope, this was to be a great old style triple!
Subsequent, I eliminated my donor chainring:
There’s at all times some bizarre little “gotcha” while you’re doing ostensibly easy bike stuff, and on this case it was that once I was reassembling all the things I couldn’t maintain the backs of the chainring bolts in place as a result of the granny ring was ever-so-slightly in the best way. So I eliminated the bolts:
Although there have been additionally chainring bolt spacers that fell out within the course of:
Because it seems it will have been simpler to only pull the crank, however I acquired all of it again collectively anyway, and it seems fairly good:
My older son has lengthy grown out of this bike, and my youthful son hasn’t grown into it but, however it’ll be prepared for him as quickly as he does:
I’m additionally contemplating altering the bars and giving it a bit of mini-Riv therapy earlier than that occurs, since I believe he’d actually prefer it with some comfortable swept-back bars.
Or perhaps I’m simply projecting.
In any case, with the Eye Of The Tiger, Jr. bike out of the best way, I turned my consideration again to the Homer. First I put in the chainrings, after which the derailleur:
The clamp was comfortable–at first I fearful it was too comfortable–which might be as a result of it’s French, and naturally the French have a distinct measurement for all the things. Certainly, the catalog says it’s suits each the French measurement and the traditional, non-perverse measurement:
I take this to imply not that there are two completely different variations of the derailleur, however that there’s just one that can type of simply barely match both measurement, supplied you don’t anticipate perfection and also you strategy set up with a Gallic shrug.
As for the supplies and engineering, it’s not precisely a high-end part, and whereas it appears completely purposeful it does have the match and end of a Swingline stapler:
Nonetheless, it’s quirky, it’s black, it’s acquired cool-looking speedholes within the outer plate, and in the event you’ve ever perused the galleries on the Rivendell web site you already know all of the cool folks have at the very least one uncommon and/or ironic classic part on their bikes. I’m unsure this qualifies, however I’ll fake that it does.
I figured including a giant ring would additionally require an extended chain–and even when it didn’t I used to be nonetheless utilizing the unique chain that got here on the bike and it was in very tough form. Luckily, I’d lately discovered a model new chain in my elements backyard:
I figured I’d first examine the brand new chain to the previous one after which minimize the brand new chain only a bit longer:
And you’ll think about my shock when the model new uncut chain turned out to be shorter than the previous one:
Luckily I’ve acquired loads of spare hyperlinks and connectors, so I used to be capable of lengthen it appropriately:
All that is in fact as a result of the truth that Rivendells have very lengthy chainstays, so in the event you’re enterprise an analogous mission be ready with loads of chain.
As soon as I’d gotten the chain on I made all the same old changes:
Then I headed out for a check experience:
The derailleur shifted flawlessly, and the 48-tooth chainring was precisely what I wanted:
Whereas the previous setup was technically a double, in observe it was extra a 1x in that I’d spend 99% of my time in that 38-tooth ring. It’s true {that a} 38×11 high gear is excessive sufficient for many non-competitive driving, and for gravely-type driving a quasi-1x is nice, however it’s good to have the ability to shift into a giant ring on the highway, and to have some increased gears for the descents:
I additionally changed the 11-32 cassette with a lightly-used 11-34 I had available–not as a result of there was something incorrect with the 11-32, however as a result of I simply figured I would as properly:
For the reason that granny actually solely comes into play on the very steepest climbs, for basic driving this bike’s low gear is the center ring/giant cog, so it’s good to have a pair additional enamel in again earlier than having to have interaction the bailout gear.
All in all I’m more than happy, and whereas I’ve beloved this bike from the start I believe it’s changing into the bike it actually needs to be:
All it wants now’s a crabon fork.
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