Quick update on Raleigh Sirocco

[mikeymustard]

I've been struggling to ride this since I put it together: the bar tape, though pretty was not very comfy, and I was struggling with the DT shifters - again, so I've done a bit of a modernisation job on it.
Before:

After:

Now sporting modern cork tape - so much nicer, and Microshift 7 speed brake shifters. The shifters are not the prettiest brake levers in the world I'd be the first to admit, and being black don't totally go with the rest of the colour scheme, but they'll do 'til some nicer ones turn up.
However the rideability of the machine has increased by quite a lot! Took it for a quick shakedown and cable stretch on Sunday and ended up doing 10 miles, I've not ridden it further than a mile before

 

[biggs682]

very nice

 

[paul-kent]

Great graphics
Are the wheels original spec?

 

[mikeymustard]

No, the front is a nice 600 hub with mavic rim built by Mercian, but the rear one is a cheapo job (the matching one to the front is currently having some work done)

 

[Tony Raynor]

That's really smart and the brifters look spot on.

 

[Illaveago]

It looks really nice. Have fun.

 

[ChrisEyles]

That's a lovely looking bike! That red bar tape is a perfect match for the frame. Shame you didn't get on with the friction shifters but the new ones look good to me.

 

[mikeymustard]

I can just about cope with dt shifters on my claud majestic, I think because I can get away with not changing so much and find I'm happily bumbling along in a lower gear, but this bike definitely wants me to go quicker all the time which requires lots of changes to keep the cadence up - or something! I've mentioned it before but I only discovered brake shifters a couple of years ago so it doesn't seem right that I'm having trouble, but I definitely don't feel safe

 

[ChrisEyles]

Fair enough! I run a very wide spaced five speed freewheel on my DT friction shifting bike, so I'm not constantly shifting gears, just have to change my cadence a little. On a close spaced racing cassette I can imagine it must be pretty nice to blast away with the brifters (and keep your hands nearer the brakes!).

 

[mikeymustard]

Yep that's definitely it! When I was young and fit I just used to grind along in top (which is probably why I used to break lots of chains til I discovered sedisport