Returning to the fold: It's all change

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Bennem

New Member
I am planning an easy return to cycling after many years of not riding. As a School Boy and Junior I raced so I used to know a reasonable amount about equipment but the world has moved on.

I sold my race bike many years ago, which I now regret however it did make sense at the time, but I have held onto my track bike, a Joe Waugh 531 frame, which was assembled from odds and sods and used as a winter bike at the time.

The track bike is a fixed wheel running with on a 52 front 18 rear which is a 76" gear (the School Boy racer's favourite gear). But I have some other fun wheels lying about such as the 13 rear sprocket Mavic GP4 rimmed wheel which I once rode out on with a chain that was slightly too tight and no brakes on the bike. Chain came off at about 35mph on a decent. Luckily after a while the chain lodged into the back wheel and I skidded to a halt rather than crashing into a hedge as I had decided.

Now my problems are pretty trivial but confusing me nonetheless. All my gear is old school so for example I have toe clips and straps on the bike. Unfortunately my old Sidi cycle shoes have actually broken. For whatever reason the resin sole has cracked on one shoe and the other has done the same in two places and a bit is missing. So I need some new shoes. The web is a the easiest place to buy things now but most shoes appear to be designed with clip in pedals in mind. Do you actually get shoes that work on old fashioned pedals and toe clips? Can you still buy the cleats for old fashioned pedals to fit to new shoes? Do the shoes come with these sorts of cleats in the box anyway? Do I need to change my pedals from the rather lovely Specialized ones I have to new clip in pedals?

Also I cannot remember the chain size on the bike. I am using a shortened standard or what was standard for 10 speed derailleurs (a 12 speed was pretty amazingly cool and new at the time). Can someone tell me what size this is so that I can maybe get some new rear fixed cogs?

Also do people use tubular tyres anymore? Tubs we called them. I have a nice Mavic GP4 rimmed wheel and am considering getting a new tub for it or maybe changing the rim for a tube and tyre.

Does anyone know if people buy old Campag gear as I have some 32 hole large flanged Record hubs that I am not going to use? I will probably sell these or swap them for some bits that I will now use.

Loads of more trivial questions to ask but this is enough to be getting on with I think.
 
Go for the new clipless arrangement on the shoes and pedals. It is such a positive system to use and IMO a lot safer than the old pedal straps.
 
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