I gave up on myself way back, however I would like my bikes to be the very best they are often. For that reason, and since winter’s time for tinkering, I’ve acquired numerous tasks deliberate for numerous bikes. One in every of them involved the A. Homer Hilsen, which as we speak turned the sufferer of my mechanical ineptitude:
Again in November I fitted the bike with drop bars, one thing I’d been interested by for fairly awhile, and I’m very 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 lots for a child, however a double setup is simply less complicated, 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 exchange it with the bash guard.
The derailleur on the Homer was a double, and I wasn’t positive it might deal with the triple setup. So I figured I’d check out this specimen:
Over the vacations, Paul from Basic Cycle despatched me some goodies for the Vengeance Bike (which would be the topic of one other upcoming venture), 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 utterly forgotten “Ensemble Enjoyable Bike:”
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 old school 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 pieces 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 way in which. So I eliminated the bolts:
Although there have been additionally chainring bolt spacers that fell out within the course of:
Because it seems it might have been simpler to simply pull the crank, however I acquired all of it again collectively anyway, and it seems to be fairly good:
My older son has lengthy grown out of this bike, and my youthful son hasn’t grown into it but, nevertheless it’ll be prepared for him as quickly as he does:
I’m additionally contemplating altering the bars and giving it just a little mini-Riv remedy earlier than that occurs, since I believe he’d actually prefer it with some cozy swept-back bars.
Or perhaps I’m simply projecting.
In any case, with the Eye Of The Tiger, Jr. bike out of the way in which, I turned my consideration again to the Homer. First I put in the chainrings, after which the derailleur:
The clamp was cosy–at first I nervous it was too cosy–which might be as a result of it’s French, and naturally the French have a special measurement for all the pieces. Certainly, the catalog says it’s matches each the French measurement and the conventional, 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 may type of simply barely match both measurement, supplied you don’t count on perfection and also you method 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 case you’ve ever perused the galleries on the Rivendell website you realize all of the cool folks have no less than 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. Thankfully, I’d lately discovered a model new chain in my components backyard:
I figured I’d first evaluate 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:
Thankfully I’ve acquired loads of spare hyperlinks and connectors, so I used to be capable of lengthen it appropriately:
All that is in fact attributable to the truth that Rivendells have very lengthy chainstays, so in case you’re endeavor the same venture be ready with loads of chain.
As soon as I’d gotten the chain on I made all the standard changes:
Then I headed out for a take a look at experience:
The derailleur shifted flawlessly, and the 48-tooth chainring was precisely what I wanted:
Whereas the previous setup was technically a double, in follow 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 using, and for gravely-type using a quasi-1x is nice, nevertheless it’s good to have the ability to shift into a giant ring on the highway, and to have some greater gears for the descents:
I additionally changed the 11-32 cassette with a lightly-used 11-34 I had readily available–not as a result of there was something improper 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 common using this bike’s low gear is the center ring/massive cog, so it’s good to have a pair additional tooth in again earlier than having to have interaction the bailout gear.
All in all I’m very happy, and whereas I’ve liked this bike from the start I believe it’s turning into the bike it actually needs to be:
All it wants now could be a crabon fork.
