1970's 10 speed given new life!

Laterider1958

Have spent the weekend servicing my old 1970's Protour 10 speed. I decided that the front tyre was o.k. still, so put on a new rear tyre. I wanted to do the job myself as I had never changed a tyre before. My husband was on hand to give me detailed instructions and to help out with replacing the chain. It was tricky to force everything back into place, as I had to spring the rear fork to get the wheel seated properly. Having a visitor arrive in the middle of the process didn't exactly help with concentration, so I will have to do it again another time to get the process right.

I haven't changed the gear levers for the digit types as yet (suggested by previous forum reply by gclarke) as it appears that it may have not been my fault that I couldn't ever get along with them. Apparently the pedal cog assembly is not square and there is a slight wobble on rotation, which causes the grating sound I always heard while riding. It must have been like it from new and I didn't realise it was a fault. I had assumed that it was me being incompetant!

I have changed the saddle for a more comfortable sprung job, and the racing handle bars for older style type we had in the shed. The bike is going to get a new chain (in case the sound is magnified by that being stretched) and then the 'machine' will be ready for outings.

gclark8

One I prepared earlier :

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Cheers,
George.

Laterider1958

Your bike looks great!. I'm not a 'blue' person usually, but that blue looks good. The handle bars are similar to the ones now on my 10 speed racer. Mine now sports a new chain and the grating sound has gone! The old chain had stretched at least 2 links in length (when compared to the new one). Its amazing the difference a new chain can make. I still have to master the gear levers though. I am going to persevere.

gclark8

No, go for a set of these, about $10:

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Cheers,
George.

Don Shipp

My bike dates from about that era and has been in constant use, evolving from a 10-speed into a 27-speed. Wheels have gone from 27" to 700c and most other bits have been replaced at least once; in fact only the gear levers are original.

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"Boudreaux pissed me off, what should I do?"
"Nothing, just shut up and take his advice."

gclark8

While browsing the French TA site I came across the original 5/10/15 speed Classic Cranksets and Pedals, just in cast someone wants one : http://www.specialites-ta.com/produits/trans_gb.htm#

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Cheers,
George.

SEAcarlessTTLE

Hmm, with a lot of chain stretch, it's likely that the teeth on your rear cogs and/or chainrings (front) are accordingly substantially worn, so be careful riding...the chain might slip on the gears, which is at best surprising and at worst quite dangerous (e.g., if you're standing on the pedals, pushing hard).

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html#wear

Laterider1958

Thanks for the advice. I'll watch out for any problems. Usually my cycling is on fairly flat ground. On the odd occasion I stand up to get a more powerful take-off (after stopping at intersections or to get ahead of traffic). The amount of chain stretch was amazing. At first we thought we had purchased the wrong chain, but after painstakingly counting each link we found we had the right one. If any teeth are worn it would only be on the one cog, as I rarely went out of the one gear due to my inability to judge the correct lever position. I hate hearing grating sounds, so I usually left it alone if it was quiet!

Laterider1958

Hi, just thought I'd give an update on 1970's retro bike. Rode it to work one day this week and found that the chain does indeed slip - just when you don't expect it to. I was riding warily after the forewarning in previous post. So when it happened I wasn't totally surprised. I rode very defensively, expecting the worst when applying pressure to the pedal. It's amazing how it bumps your confidence down quite a few notches, as you are waiting for it to happen. Anyway, I think I've worked out which cog is the culprit and will alter my riding habits to dodge that one and see if it is OK. If not, I will fit a new one.

(I must say the retro ride made me really appreciate my new bike with its front fork and seat stem shockies, not to mention the gel seat. I think I must have aimed for every ripple, hole and stone along the way!)

gclark8

New Chain=new cassette.

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Cheers,
George.

Dondare

A worn freewheel block or cluster will not only cause your chain to slip, it will hasten wear. Buy a new one now.