Changing wheels

[Fat B'stard]

Hi
I was given a 20 year old Ciocc and have started trying to get it roadworthing to last me in the short term until i can afford a new(er) bike. It has tubeless rims / tyres set up - Camagnolo Epsilon i think - and i'm want to change them to standard tyres with tubes and the respective wheels, is this possible and if so what would be the recommendation

Thanks

FB

 

[PpPete]

Campag Epsilon are wheels for tubular (not tubeless) if my initial Googling is correct. So the answer would be no, you cannot use regular ("clincher") tyres.

 

[Fat B'stard]

Hi Pete, I realise that but i want to change both the wheels to use standard tubed tyres

 

[PpPete]

Rather depends how much you want to keep true to the period. At 20 years old I guess it's likely to be a threaded freewheel rather than cassette? And how wide are your rear drop-outs? 700c wheels or 27" ? Budget? There are so many variables its difficult to know what to suggest.

 

[Fat B'stard]

Ok thanks, i'll spend some more time looking over the bike and try to determine its dimensions, i have no idea what the model or age is, and I can only tell you that its a CIOCC with a garish pink / yellow paint job with chrome forks and rear wheel stays. All the companents are campagnolo except the front mech which is mavic. I can't even identify the rear mech as there's no model name or number anywhere to be found

 

[biggs682]

sounds nice bike , why not keep tubs and rim set up ?

 

[Fat B'stard]

hi i'll sort some pics out tomorrow and post them if i can work out how its done

 

[Cheradenine]

20 years is not that old, 1992 we are starting to talk 130mm spacing and cassette hubs on a quality ride, It's certainly many years away from 27" wheels and screw on blocks.

 

[Fat B'stard]

Someone must like you! Ciocc (pronounced 'church') is as cool a marque as they come, though you haven't mentioned what tubing it's made from. Why not stick a picture up so we can have an oggle - as it might be more valuable than you think and worth keeping or doing up. I'd ditch the tubulars and 'sprints' (that's what rims for tubular tyres are known as), as they're really only used for high level racing and are more often than not an expensive hassle. Another idea would be to get an idea from a decent bike shop how much it would cost to replace the rims with decent 700c clinchers. If they re-use the spokes, then I'd guess 2 x [£45(rim) + £20(labour)] = £130. Compare that with what sort of wheels you could pick up for that price. You'll get something basic if you buy new, but second hand you'd be looking at £80-£90 for a pair of Mavic MA2s or similar, on good quality freewheel (non-cassette) hubs. (You also should get a few quid for your wheels on eBay or through a vintage bike site if you can be arsed.) Like most things in life, it's a matter of how much money you want to throw at the problem.

after reading t'internet I think its the SLX chromalloy tubing . Has campo F/R brakes, an unnamed rear campo mech and chain ring with mavic front mech. Campo Epsilon wheels.
The frame needs shotblastings and paint/lacquering and new wheels. Im not sure whether to rebuild it or buy something newer

 

[raindog]

Sounds interesting - look forward to seeing the pics.

The one in brockers' link is very classy.

 

[Fat B'stard]

Upload your pics to an image hosting site like Tinypic and then put the link in here. There's probably a sticky on this forum if you need more details.

Edit: Ooh SLX. V nice! Here's one in good nick

Hi Brocker

That looks beautiful. I wonder if its worth doing mine up a a project. Here's the state its in, I would start by stripping it and finding a local company to shotblast it and respray. Then get the wheels cleaned up. It needs new pedals and then some TLC. I will look at the costs and make a decision over the next couple of weeks.

 

[raindog]

Very nice - that's definitely worth doing, and keep the sprints/tubs with it imo.

 

[fossyant]

Very nice - I have a 20 year old SLX. You are looking towards £200 for a quality paint job, more if the chrome needs sorting.

 

[PpPete]

I wouldnt give that to a local company to shotblast & respray....and I've had several frames done by my local outfit, and very happy with them too.
Some of them shy away from chrome BTW unless it's a really poor quality coating they can take off easily.

A classy frame like that really should go to someone like Argos, won't be cheap though.

If you want to use as is for a while and just change the wheels the rear drop out spacing is a key piece of information. Measure like this, inside face to inside face. Likely to be 120mm or 126mm or as Cheradenine says possibly 130mm.

 

[Fat B'stard]

I wouldnt give that to a local company to shotblast & respray....and I've had several frames done by my local outfit, and very happy with them too.
Some of them shy away from chrome BTW unless it's a really poor quality coating they can take off easily.

A classy frame like that really should go to someone like Argos, won't be cheap though.

If you want to use as is for a while and just change the wheels the rear drop out spacing is a key piece of information. Measure like this, inside face to inside face. Likely to be 120mm or 126mm or as Cheradenine says possibly 130mm.

I've measured the inside faces of the rear dropouts and they are 130mm. My MTB front wheels slots in perfectly (obviously its too small). It has a 7 speed rear cassette. I want to start riding regularly so I have 2 options spend £6-700 on a entry level new bike something like the Boardman from halfords or the Specialized Allez sport or spend the money doing this one up, however it's 20 years old and i'm not sure how much regular riding it's got left in it.