Need thoughts on re-gearing my '87 Bianchi Campione Del Mondo

[speedracing944]

I own a 1987 Bianchi Campione Del Mondo 12 speed which I need to change the gearing. I am getting killed on the uphills as the gearing is not low enough and then I run out of acceleration on the downhills.

On the uphills I am running a 42 tooth front sprocket and a 24 tooth cog. At about 7 mph I am chugging at about 50 RPM. Anything below that I loose steam pretty quick going up big hills for long periods of time. I seem to get passed by people just sitting and spinning up the hill. I just rode with my buddy yesterday and I noticed going uphill I am pedaling 1 time for each one of his 2.5 revolutions. Of course I noticed that because I was behind him!

What goes up must come down and this is where I like to make ground but I hit a wall once again. I run a 52 tooth sprocket up front with a 14 tooth cog in the back. Anything above 30 mph or 120 RPM It become difficult to keep spinning but I can sustain short bursts up to 40 MPH. I normally top out at about 47 MPH but I can forget about even trying to spin going that fast as I am afraid my shoes will become unclipped. I need more top end!

I rented a bike when I was in Salt Lake City where my buddy and I rode up and down Big Cottonwood. There would have been no way I could of even made it the first 3 miles up Big Cottonwood on my Bianchi but I faired alright on the newer 18 speed rental road bike. The downhill was a blast as I was able to sustain speeds of 60+ MPH all the way down the mountain. I had plenty of gearing which allowed my to accelerate hard out of the corners by mashing the pedals.

My comfortable cadence is about 70 RPM but ranges between 50 - 90 RPM before it becomes uncomfortable. I want to change my gearing to give a lower bottom end and a higher top end. Gear spacing isn't all that important as I frequently skip a gear while upshifting or down shifting.

I thought about a new bike but my wife is wanting my to stick to a $1000 budget which I think is too low.

What can I do for my current Bianchi to make it more ridable?

Crank Set:
Ofmega Crank
52 tooth
42 tooth
144mm BCD

Rear Cassette:
Regina Extra-EX
24
22
20
18
16
14











Speedy

[mepstein]

I ran a bike shop for 7 years and have ridden and raced for 30 years. Don't try to upgrade your bike. Bikes and components have changed enough that nothing you put on the bike will ever work right. By a new bike or a used bike not more than 2 or 3 years old with the proper gearing.

[genrex]

Speedy, I sold my 12-speed Univega recently. It had a 42/52 in front, and of course a 6-speed cassette in the rear, with the largest gear being a 28 which was really big obviously. To handle that rear size, I had a Huret Duopar rear derailleur. The shifting worked flawlessly.

I suggest that you stay with a 42/52 in the front, and change your cassette gearing in the rear, with a rear derailleur that can handle that. Perhaps you could do some calculations to estimate the gearing you would like? With the info on the gearing, then you can research the rear derailleurs to see what would work with that size gearing.

After that, if you still need more top end and more low end, then go with a 40/54 in the front, and go from there. Keep on spinnin'.

_

[Mark Henry]

Funny, the frame looks almost exactly the same as my Bianchi mountain bike of the same vintage.

[look 171]

go ten speed if you do lots of climbing and you can have a 12 small cog. If you run outta gear using a 12 cog, you are flying. Change out the small ring in the front and get a 39 (I think that's the smallest you can get for that crank). cheap, 25 bucks will do it. For the rear, you can get a large 27 teeth gear or slightly larger to climb trees. Back in 87, had a 6 speed and the largest cog out back was a 19 and 42 small ring up front. Youth, I was strong and dumb.

Lots of guys are riding those compact cranks. 50 / 34 for climbing trees. Or you can pick p a new bike pretty cheap here Fuji Altamira 3.0 Road Bike -- Performance Exclusive - Racing Bikes I know it blows your budget a bit, but those guys always have sales.

They are pretty good. You will like carbon if you have not ridden it.

[look 171]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usacycling.org%2Fforms%2Fmech anics%2FGearChart.pdf&ei=ZTMxUL-TL8iUigKdwIH4Bg&usg=AFQjCNHxHtw3a-aIRCEH1xEN30CH3BUZAQ

This will help you on the gearing. I spend a couple of hundred bucks in the back gearing and a small front ring, and be done with it then go and have fun and kill your friend on the hills.

[Bowling]

Beautiful old rig speedy.

[speedracing944]

I biked 88 miles yesterday, doing 2 loops of the Iron Man trail. My bike was the oldest on the course by about 20 years. She can still go like stink when I pour the coals to her.

I did an extensive search and it is nearly impossible to find a 144mm BCD sprocket less than 41 teeth.

I may swap out the rear cogs and go with a larger 54 - 55 tooth large front sprocket.

It would be great to convert to a 10 speed cassette but i think I would need to swap the rear derailer, shifter, chain and maybe the front sprockets as well. That would probably be a good $500 swap.

Looking on E-bay there is all sorts of sprocket eye candy including vintage cross drilled super light sprockets. I see how people can go nuts on old vintage bikes.

Speedy

[speedracing944]

Originally Posted by Bowling

Beautiful old rig speedy.

Thanks! I bought it 20 years ago when I was 16 and always dreamed of riding a century since. Finally after 20 years of dreaming, the century ride will become reality come September.

Speedy

[jim72911t]

Pretty bike, Speedy. I've always had a soft spot for those Celeste Bianchis. Plus, it looks like a bike, as opposed to some of the carbon fiber monstrosities out there today. Steel is real! That being said, I just did a quick search on one of our distributor's website. (I'm in the 'biz) It looks like you might be SOL unless you really want to upgrade everything.

First, 144mm bolt circle cranks are largely a track/fixie thing these days, so the smallest chainring I found was 42 teeth, and that was for a 1/8" chain, not the 3/32" that you'd need. Also, looking at where the bolts sit in relation to the teeth on the chainring, my guess is that you couldn't get down to a 39t on that bolt circle. (Part of being "in the biz" includes the design and manufacture of cranks and chainrings, so I have a pretty good hunch here )

Second, they didn't even list any six speed cassettes, let alone Campy ones. I'm assuming that your bike runs indexed shifting, so you'd be stuck with six speeds unless you wanted to (if you even have the option) run friction.

My original suggestion would have been to run a 39 tooth front ring, and a 12-26 or 11-26 rear cassette. Neither of these options appear available, at least not new.

I'd just leave it stock, and buy a newer used bike if you really feel the need for speed. A budget of $1000 really isn't that bad if you scour the used market. Besides, think about how pissed off the other riders get when they get passed by a guy on a 25 year old bike!

[jyl]

I would switch cassette or freewheels, as applicable, to get the largest sprocket your derailleur will handle (look up the specs, maybe a 28). 42 x 28 is reasonably low for a road bike. Work on your legs and it should be low enough for 90% of climbs. I ride a 42 x 24.

On the high end, if you can get a 12 small cog that is 117 gear inches which is plenty high, the pro peloton is only a bit higher most days. Work on cadence so you can do 120 rpm which is 42 mph. No-one else you're riding with has a higher gear, so if you are being left beind on the decents either they are better at high rpm or at being aero.

If you want to go further - every bike part ever made is available on eBay, usually for much less than they cost new.

If you want to outfit that bike with Campagnolo 10 speed integrated brake/shifters, you can do so for $400-ish (Veloce) or $700-ish (used Record). Ditto a road triple if you have to have a stump pulling low and a super high. Just need to have the bike shop re-space the rear dropouts to 130mm and rebuild the rear wheel. It is very doable.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by mepstein

I ran a bike shop for 7 years and have ridden and raced for 30 years. Don't try to upgrade your bike. Bikes and components have changed enough that nothing you put on the bike will ever work right. By a new bike or a used bike not more than 2 or 3 years old with the proper gearing.

Listen to this man.

That is a beautiful old bike.

[greglepore]

First, the spacing of the rear dropouts is likely 126mm-more modern stuff uses 130mm, so you'd have to cram it in-doable, but makes tire changes a pita-or have the frame cold set-so an upgrade to more modern equipment is not a non brainer.
42x24 is a 47 inch gear, I'd aim for 42x27 which is exactly equivalent (41 gear inches) to a modern 39x25, which while not low, is probably low enough. The 52 x14 is a little low on the high end, a 12 would be better, but that's quite a spread on 6 spd. I'd favor the low end

[jyl]

I do not understand that statement. (That nothing will work right, etc.)

A reasonably modern 10 speed square taper crank will fit that bottom bracket. Heck, an integrated crank/bottom bracket can even be fitted, but why waste your BB?

The frame is steel so it can be re-spaced to 130 mm rear dropout spacing, and the dropouts aligned, by any good bike shop. Cost $25-40. It will then accept any current 10 or 11 speed hubset. Laced to your rims, if you want. Costs $80-100 in labor to build a wheelset. The spokes may even be re-usable.

10 speed derailleurs will mount on that frame fine. And 10 speed brifters will mount on those bars.

Thus, if simply swapping a new (used) freewheel/cassette isnt enough, that bike can be fitted with a complete current-day drivetrain if the OP wants to. Which will function like as if it were hung on a brand new frame. I cannot understand why you guys are saying otherwise.

$1,000. What will that buy in a brand new bike? It will buy a mid level brand and model with (maybe) Shimano 105. Molded-in-China carbon fiber or, if steel, lumpy welds on no-name tubing. A sound, functional bike, but nothing that anyone will give a second look. Certainly nothing with the class of a vintage celeste Campione d'Italia. And then a beautiful bike gathers dust.

Go to a place like Bikeforums, ask in the Classics & Vintage section.

[speedracing944]

I went to a local bike shop yesterday and inquired about re-gearing my bike. The bike service guy dug around in his bins and located a Shimano 11-28 6 speed cog set. He spun my old Regina off and threw the Shimano on in a matter of seconds.

Where before on my 42:24 @ 50 RPM i was going 6.76 MPH I will now be traveling 5.8 MPH with the 42:28.

When in the 52:14 @ 90 RPM I was going 25.8 MPH I will now be going 32.9 MPH with the 52:11

I went ahead and instructed him to rebuild the rear hub as well so I will get the bike back this afternoon. The grand total will be $60.

I can't wait to try it out.

I did keep my old Regina cog set incase I know I will be biking on flat roads. It only takes a second to swap out.

speedy

[jyl]

You are running friction shifting, right? Then you can look on eBay for a Suntour "Winner" freewheel which has "Ultra" spacing, 7 speeds in the width of a standard 6 speed FW. I use one, 12-24, on my Peugeot (1982). Think it cost $45 on eBay. As you know, prices fluctuate a lot there, so just be patient.

[einreb]

Originally Posted by speedracing944

I went to a local bike shop yesterday and inquired about re-gearing my bike. The bike service guy dug around in his bins and located a Shimano 11-28 6 speed cog set. He spun my old Regina off and threw the Shimano on in a matter of seconds.

That's awesome, enjoy...

[cantdrv55]

Beautiful bike. I love those old Bianchis. I hope to build up my Celeste steel frame someday. It's just gathering dust hanging of the rafters. Enjoy the ride with your new gearing and report back!

[genrex]

What a great buy! The 11 - 28 sounds perfect.

The only question remaining is whether your rear derailleur can handle the 28. If it's hesitant upshifting and downshifting, then you might be able to adjust the derailleur? *fingers crossed*

_

[John Rogers]

Back in the 70s and 80s when I was bike racing I faced the same problem and mine was made worse as I had lots of sprinting power but could not climb a driveway! So I finally ended up with two bikes, one a stiff Bill Holland steel frame, geared very high for flat races such as criteriums and another which was a Vitus aluminum frame geared very low for the few road races I did such as the Willow Springs road race or the CA state championships which seemed to always be in Griffiths Park in LA to the telescope and back down! Never did worth a damm on the climbs but did win a few sprints!