Nuovo Record RD max cog size?

[oliver1850]

A friend is planning to do Cino Heroica this year on his NR equipped Bianchi. He's wanting lower gearing than the present 42/53 with 12-23 freewheel. Since there is so little to be gained changing the small ring on a 144 mm crank, I suggested he borrow my Victory crank with 35/48 rings (thanks Pavel). He's thinking a 28 cog will give him a low enough gear, but 26 seems to be the rated max cog for NR. I'm wondering if max cog can be stretched and if so, how far? I know hanger length is a factor, but since the Bianchi is a "real" road bike I'd doubt there's any help in that department.

[ntb1001]

If I remember correctly. ..26 is the max. Super Record allowed up to a 28.

[wallymann]

i rock a 13-26 with SR, NR and C-rec rear mechs as a matter of course, the old stuff works fine w/ 9spd clusters too!

[Scuzzer]

I run a 28 cog on my nuovo equipped '73 Paramount. I had to slide the rear wheel back a bit in the dropouts but it works just fine for riding the high passes around here. The 42/26 I used as a younger Scuzzer no longer provided a low enough gear so despite the 26 max rating I gave it a try.

[oliver1850]

Good to know that it will handle a 28 in some applications. I have a 14-28 FW here so will give it a try.

[thunderworks]

You can run a 28 tooth. Use the shortest chain you can get away with, and be prepared to remove the dropout scews so you can pull the wheel farther back in the dropouts.

If your bike has vertical dropouts, it's harder to make a 28 tooth cog work.

[11.4]

Thunderworks nails the issues:

You want horizontal dropouts and move as far back as possible, and you want to adjust chain length. The point is to emulate a B-screw adjustment and get a longer effective chain take-up.

There were a few guys who took extended cages from another Campy rear derailleur -- maybe from the Gran Sport -- and mounted them on NR or SR derailleurs to get extra cog range. These were used by some of the European sprinters who otherwise weren't going to make it over some of the cols and needed help in the grupetto. If you can find one or can convince a good Campy mechanic like Pete Chisholm to find the pieces and make one work, you'd have the best solution. If I recall you had to tweak the tension spring a bit -- that derailleur didn't have a spring at the mounting bolt to help with the tension, so one spring tensioning the pulley cage is all you have to work with.

Of course, the real Eroica answer to this is to say hell, in our younger days we did this kind of thing in a 42/53 and a 13-18 straight block. That's the real way to tackle the course. (Of course, thank God you're doing it and not me!)

[oliver1850]

Good to know that a 28 will likely work. Bike has horizontal dropouts so that will help.

Rally RDs are not quite as expensive as I thought. I see several that have sold on ebay in the $125 range. I get the Italian parts for L'Eroica thing, but if it was me I would just put a SunTour RD on it and call it good.

[R3awak3n]

what about using this and converting derailleur to long cage and going up to 32 in the back.

http://store.somafab.com/sonuredecapl.html

Someone on my local forum did it and says works perfectly.

[Scuzzer]

be prepared to remove the dropout scews so you can pull the wheel farther back in the dropouts.

I only had to move my wheel back about a half inch so it moved from the very front to just forward of the midpoint of the campy dropouts. Obviously his situation may be different since he has a 13 tooth difference on his chainrings and I am still using a standard 52/42.

[Scuzzer]

what about using this and converting derailleur to long cage

My vintage gravel bike uses those Soma long plates on a SR derailleur and they work just fine. The derailleur looks goofy as hell though, especially in the large chainring and a larger cog. I'm using a 48/38/28 triple up front and a 13-28 freewheel with them with no problems.

[Ralph]

You can run a 28 tooth. Use the shortest chain you can get away with, and be prepared to remove the dropout scews so you can pull the wheel farther back in the dropouts.

If your bike has vertical dropouts, it's harder to make a 28 tooth cog work.


Yes......Back in the day.....when my Schwinn Paramount came with a 49/52 front and a 14-24 rear....I remember using, for one ride, using a 44/52 front with a 14-30 rear with a NR RD. To do that, I had to slide the rear wheel all the way back, maybe take a couple links out, don't remember. But it worked. The Super Records had a little more capacity.

Rear Deraullleur capacity as well as upper pulley clearance was issue. Rear derailleurs have come a long way since then, but those old NR RD's were sure durable. With vertical dropouts, can't do this....especially with a 30 tooth cog...unless you run chain so short the big to big combo's won't work (been know to do that also....but wouldn't let anyone else ride it).

I remember a guy who sold long cages just for the NR RD's (Spence Wolf maybe name).

[oldpotatoe]

A friend is planning to do Cino Heroica this year on his NR equipped Bianchi. He's wanting lower gearing than the present 42/53 with 12-23 freewheel. Since there is so little to be gained changing the small ring on a 144 mm crank, I suggested he borrow my Victory crank with 35/48 rings (thanks Pavel). He's thinking a 28 cog will give him a low enough gear, but 26 seems to be the rated max cog for NR. I'm wondering if max cog can be stretched and if so, how far? I know hanger length is a factor, but since the Bianchi is a "real" road bike I'd doubt there's any help in that department.

28 no problem. You can do it 2 ways. Horizontal dropouts, slide the wheel all the way back to rotate the top pulley away from the 28t when on small ring. OR, make the chain artificially short, doing the same thing, rotating the pulley away.. BUT Big-Big combos means something is gonna break.

[Tandem Rider]

I have done it by removing the dropout adjuster screws and sliding the wheel all the way back. I may have even gotten a 29 or 30 to work that way by using the SunTour cog board. Those were the days.
Like OP said though, gotta watch the big-big.

[witcombusa]

Yes......Back in the day.....when my Schwinn Paramount came with a 49/52 front and a 14-24 rear....I remember using, for one ride, using a 44/52 front with a 14-30 rear with a NR RD. To do that, I had to slide the rear wheel all the way back, maybe take a couple links out, don't remember. But it worked. The Super Records had a little more capacity.

Rear Deraullleur capacity as well as upper pulley clearance was issue. Rear derailleurs have come a long way since then, but those old NR RD's were sure durable. With vertical dropouts, can't do this....especially with a 30 tooth cog...unless you run chain so short the big to big combo's won't work (been know to do that also....but wouldn't let anyone else ride it).

I remember a guy who sold long cages just for the NR RD's (Spence Wolf maybe name).

The Campy Rally cage was/is a way to get this done. Here's a shot of it being used on a SR rear changer.

[oliver1850]

The Soma cage plates look like a great solution. I had been looking for Rally parts but they are expensive these days.

thanks

[Ken Robb]

I ran 14-28 7 speed Sunrace cogs on my NR group with no problem. I don't think I ever tried to ride it in a big-big combination.