Advice about a 1976 Falcon

geardad

Not sure of the model, but I just got a 1976 Falcon with some decent componentry: record hubs, dura-ace brakeset, campy crank.

but, there is some kind of odd-bark 9-speed rear derailleur on this bike, which has but a 6-speed freewheel! one of the jockey wheels is pert near kissing the granny gear when the derailleur is shifted to that position.

anyway, over all, seems like a decent ride. a bit of rust will get my first attention, but I'm also wondering how to know when bearings will need looked at (seem fine right now) and which model of rear derailleur I ought to be shopping for.

I'm not interested much in "modernizing" this bike...IMHO, bike components didn't really need much improvement after the mid-70s, and I've never been wild about index shifting or seeing just how many cogs can be crammed onto a rear wheel. for me, 6 or 7 is PLENTY.

thanks for any advice.

geardad

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oldbobcat

Falcon is a British marque with a long history that produced a full line of bikes at least through the 60s and 70s. Their top-shelf models were highly regarded, considered comparable to the better "stock" Italian brands like Bianchi, Frejus, and Bottecchia, a step up from brands like Atala and Peugeot. The photos at this link give a good idea of the kind of bike Falcon was capable of producing: http://velospace.org/node/8836

Falcon is also well known for their "Eddy Merckx" model, a fairly crude campus bike that was badged and often painted orange like the cannibal's Molteni DeRosas and Colnagos. Attach a photo and we might be able to get you a better idea of what you have.

geardad

several photos of this falcon can be seen online here...warning: the jpgs are fairly large in size:


Falcon Photos

Any tips on dealing with what looks to be minor frame rust here and there would also be appreciated...

I'm more concerned with the physical integrity of the bike than preserving it's original look...

geardad

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Peter@vecchios

Geeezz, first lengthen the rear der housing and install a new inner wire. Also look at chainlength and make the chain long enough to handle big-big combo and no more and the pulley won't hit the biggest cog. Otherwise it being a low end asian RD on this otherwise euro bike, it will work fine.

alfeng

To increase the clearance between the jockey wheel & (last) cogs REMOVE the rear derailleur, adjust the B-screw (turn a 1/2 turn clockwise), re-install the rear derailleur ... check for clearance, repeat as you might deem to be necessary. YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY A NEW REAR DERAILLEUR.

The bearings should be re-greased once-a-year (more frequently if a lighter grease is used & you ride a lot of miles ON THE PARTICULAR BIKE) ... but, I know someone who hadn't regreased his "caged bearing" BB in over a half-dozen (!) years before he finally switched to a cartridge bearing BB (those can be serviced, but that's a really tedious process by comparison) a few years ago.

The particular Campagnolo crank (NOT original to the bike) probably has a sealed cartridge BB (and, presumably his hubs); so, it is really just a matter of re-greasing your hubs at some point in time (I would check them, now).

FWIW. No need to to modernize the bike further (that's NOT the original front derailleur, either) ... but, you should probably remove the "suicide" brake lever extensions.

BTW. I've never looked at any of Zinn's books, but based on what others have said, you should probably consider buying/reading one/both!

alfeng

I would guess the original rear derailleur was probably a Simplex (possibly, Campy) & the original crank (possibly, cottered) had 52/42 chainrings DESPITE the vintage Dura Ace calipers (remnants of a mid-80s partial component update/upgrade, no doubt) ... and, whoever owned (worked on) the bike previously, didn't make the necessary changes which you (i.e., Peter) note needed to be done when the components were replaced in the last few years.

Tech72

During the mid 1980's to the early 1990's, a bike shop in my area carried Falcon framesets. Falcons were very nice frames, brazed from Reynolds 531, 531 SL and high-end 753 tubing with Columbus or Campy dropouts and BB shells. I recall one even had the Cinelli "Air" BB shell - a thing of beauty. They were good, solid framesets but had very basic paint jobs, mostly single colour and no chrome. They didn't compare to the Italian framesets in the "flash" department. Many riders in my club at the time rode Falcons with a full 80's Mavic SSC groupset - I still fondly remember those bikes.

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geardad

heh..that actually was my first official act of maintenence on this bike; moving those goofy brake lever extensions...dumbest use of perfectly good metal ever.

also took off the rack..could be useful, but I won't need it on this bike.

I will get the hubs checked/lubed and make the RD adjustment...never heard of a B screw; is it going to be obvious which one? Prbly so if removal of the RD is needed to adjust it.

geardad

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kdelong

In your photo showing the close up of the Tiagra RD, the B-screw is the single screw that you can see sticking up between the derailleur body and the cable, in line with the chain. This screw actually adjusts the angle of the derailleur as it sits on the derailleur hanger. It contacts against a projection on the derailleur hanger and as you screw it in, it pulls the RD back and should take care of your RD cog problem.

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artemidorus

Yeah, from the same backward country that brought us the world's most reliable cars, Sony, Nikon, the Mitsubishi "Zero" and the battleship "Yamato". No wonder it's a pile of crap.

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garage sale GT

I thought the '70s era tech was good enough too, but decided to upgrade due to the fact that many bikes from the era including mine came with a top tube which was too short. Once you sit on a bike that lets your torso stretch out properly you'll never want to go back.

Tiagra is supposed to be not too far from the top end stuff in quality but is heavier. It is Shimano's recreation-level group, a few steps up from walmart stuff. That seems to be the consensus. Of course, the concept of crisp shifting doesn't apply the same way to a friction shifted 6 speed.

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geardad

OK.. I found and adjusted the B-screw, but the adjustment did zilch.

looks like the screw is coming into the tang (?) on the frame not in a straight line; IOW, the frame surface it's supposed to hit is ok; it's the screw whose path is crooked.

thanks for all the input; it's greatly appreciated by me and these are things which I need to know and learn about.

geardad

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kdelong

You shouldn't have included the Zero and the Yamoto in your examples of superior engineering accomplishments. The Zero offered no armor protection for the pilot and fuel tanks. In addition, the fuel tanks were not self sealing. They were highly outclassed by 1942 by new Navy and Army Air Corp aircraft with more powerful engines and good protection for the pilots and fuel tanks. By 1943 the Zeros were relegated to kamikaze roles.

The Yamato was the biggest waste of steel and manpower in WW2. She was commisioned one week after Pearl Harbor was attacked and her first action was in the Battle of Midway where the opposing battleships never saw each other, nor fired a shot during the entire battle. She spent much of 1943 in Truk and then was torpedoed by the USS Skate, requireing repairs that lasted into 1944. She took part in the botched battle of Leyte Gulf and assisted in the sinking a couple of US destroyers. By 1945 the Japanese had only enough fuel for the Yamato to make one last sortie, and this was an attempt to draw forces away from the Okinawa Landings. The Yamato was sunk on April 7th, 1945 in the East China Sea after a massive attack by carrier aircraft.

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kdelong

It sounds as if the screw is bent or you have a derailleur hanger problem. This may be something that your LBS should look at as proper derailleur hanger alignment is critical to proper shifting.

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