Harry Quinn 653 Winter Training Build

Just got it up and running, will write about it later but first I'm off for a ride.

So that ride didn't get very far... I soon realised that there was a large ding in the front rim's braking surface which made breaking unbearable. The rear hub was also pretty far from smooth so I've decided to build up a new wheelset for it.

I'm going for reliable & cheap over pretty & light for these:

5800 32h hubs
Sapim Race Spokes 3x
Exal LX17 rims

5800 hubs means I'll be running a 5800 11-32 casette (and also a 5800 chain)- I'm hearing your warnings @edscoble but the cost savings are just too great for me to not give it a go. Just about finished the front...

Much silver, such plain.

The Shimano hubs are pretty bombproof and despite being heavy, will probably outlast you easily, reckon it's a good choice to go for.

You'll like it, I've ditched my 5800 chains for some SRAM one (perk of working in trade), for the main advantage of being able to use the quick link that allow me to clean the chain completely every once in a while.

(p.s. since the 5800 chain are directional, the SRAM 10 speed quick-link will work fairly well with it as a temporary link to get you home should the chain snapped).

Wheels finished.

I love the blue rim tape from the LBS. I just need to clean the bike and put on the old 25mm Gatorskins and get riding, but with coursework deadlines immanent I'm resisting doing it straight away.

I've got plans to ride the the Quinn home from Bristol to Reading for Christmas, with a Tara front rack and LM-1 mounts. I know it's not what Harry would have intended for the bike but I don't reckon it should do it any harm... should it?

It should be fine, it'll compromised the handling a fair bit.

Put the wheels and chain on and took it for a spin last night- all seems to be working smoothly. Tubus Tara came in the post today and I couldn't resist checking it all fitted- the raceblade front 'guard doesn't work with it, but I need to get some proper mud guards anyway so that's just an extra incentive.

Any recommendations for suitable mudguards? I don't want to pay pdw prices. @edscoble, you seem to be the man to ask about these things, or do I just need to read the thread. Cheers

SKS Longboard 35mm would be the best choice to keep your drivetrain and yourself dry.

They're very long, meaning you can get away without overshoes, and the rear is idea for club ride.

Yesterday was the first real test of the Quinn... and my wheelbuilding skills. I loaded it up and rode the 90 miles back from Bristol to Reading. I would have liked to test it out beforehand but the coursework had been pretty hectic- this did have a part in one of the panniers being dislodged by Bristol cobbles and being brushed perilously by the wheels of a bendy Bus. Anyway- this is what it looked like:

All went well on the ride, great weather and a tailwind the whole way helped, as did having a nice chat with a cyclist for a couple of miles near Chippenham. I was surprised how much I remembered the route from last time and I only needed to stop to consult my phone once or twice. I was carrying the front mudguard cable-tied onto the rear as I was needed to cut the slot deeper before I could attach it- a job for my girlfriend's dad's extensive garage:

The size of the saw I used to cut the stays was ridiculous.

Thanks for the tip- I hadn't realised the difference between all the SKS offerings but the longboards are lovely and long and will no doubt keep the drivetrain a bit cleaner.

P.s. Did the Bridgestone owner paint the bike to match the mudguards?! That's some pretty extreme mudguard appreciation if they did.

They also come in cream, which match the Bridgestone nicely.

The very best mudguard is the PDW Full Metal Fenders, but for the money and length, the SKS is hard to beat.

You'll enjoy not having to required overshoes to keep your feet dry.

Ed, if it is pissing down then over shoes are still going to be needed, even with decent mudguards. Your feet won't end up as wet as they would with no guards- but still.

That's my point really, any normal days with a bit of rain or continuous drizzle make it bearable enough to not worry about it.

I have a red 1971 Harry Quinn fastback... or had until last Thursday when my front wheel skipped out on me on cobbles and I crashed into a set of metal gates. Kind of squashed the front end of the frame a bit and my face is not looking too pretty. Only my 3rd post ever here. Just thought I'd share.

Any pics? ^

ooohh! glad no serius hurts. Hope you heal fast.
bikes made to be ridden.. stuff happens...
Can't guarantee, but guess at least half reading this have done similar.
i will raise a glass to your good health.

I will get some pics up soon as poss. The frame does not look broke until you look close behind the head tube. The face is a bit more obvious. Too annoyed/sore/upset to check if forks are still good. I am thinking about getting the frame rebuilt and I hope when you see photos you will agree it's worth it. Open to suggestions as to who might be good to send it to. Thanks for the comisserations adrev. I have ceased crying into my soup and am now busy with a bottle of Rioja!

BTW apols to Micheal G... don't mean to hijack your thread. Your bike looks awesome.

Rebirth

Yess. Silver guards would look great with this blue

So, an update:

I've been changing my mind about the build every half hour this week. It's made more complicated by the fact I'm going to L'eroica Brittania in a few weeks and presently have no 'regulation' bike.

I don't want to sacrafice the year-round function of this bike just for the novelty of a one-off ride, though.

My Athena 11 never ran perfectly on this, the FD seemed to constantly rub. Obviously the blame for this lies with me and not Tulio, but i think this bike should be more robust and dosen't honestly need 11. I also manged to break the RH shifter and spending £ on a replacement isn't appealing.

I have the shifters and FD of an old Daytona 9 group of mine, which would be nice to use but C9 and the S11 freehub of the wheels built for this bike don't go.

The secret, old man in a shed, underworld of shimergo has always had an appeal for me and It think this might be an optune situation to utilise it:

The excellent CTC article indicates my old style (I think?) Daytona 9 shifters coupled with an Athena 11 RD, coupled with a S8 casette on my S11 freehub with 1.8mm spacer will work... near enough.

This also brings the possibility of having a low cost temporary Eroica setup- simply using 8 speed DT shifters and non-aero brake levers, to be swapped out for daytona brifters afterwards.

I also have a C8 52-42 square taper crankset and matching BB, which would be aesthetically nice, especially for Eroica. I ahve an inkling I had issues with the cranks coming lose on the BB when I tried to use this on a fixed bike before though (I do have the right taper on the BB - honest). The thouroughly more modern option is the Athena 11 alloy crankset with ultratorque and 50-34. In order to get resonable gearing for winter rides with my weak spinny legs, I'd like to get a fairly low geared (big cog) casette- willing to sacrafice top-end to get there.

The main question is what the lowest gear I can get on an 8speed casette for my 52-42 with short cage Athena 11 RD. 12-30? 13-32? any advice would be much appreciated. Thinking about this, has anyone made a nice spreadsheet to calulate this (or at least give a guide?) If not, I might give it a go.

It won't be a purists Eroica bike- the Athena 11 RD and brakes particularly. But hopefully it would be judged to not be too offensive for use on the ride. Anyone with experience of the event, I'd be grateful for your opinion?

You could turn up at Eroica Britannia on a brand new carbon MTB and nobody would stop you riding.

Eroica in Britain isn't at all strict; cables can be tucked under bar tape etc and no one is going to scrutinise the year of your bike. However, 100% use downtube shifters!

I'll be there again that weekend so I'll try and spot you from your bike. Just a quick one having just read all of this thread - does a bike from 1993 have the same spacing as modern hubs? I want to do similar on an older frame, but always thought the dropouts were narrower than 130mm. Nice project :)

Thanks very much, good to hear from someone who's done it before, as there's only so much you can get for the feel of an event from the website.

Regarding the spacing, I don't recall having any issue with it on this bike, so I think you should be alright. I've used Sheldon's method on a cheap 501 frame before, but would probably be more apprehensive with higher grade steel.

Looking at his site, it appears 130mm came in with 8 speed, which was 1988 for Shimano and 1991 for Campagnolo.