So this fall I was given a mid eighties Campagnol equipped Guerciotti. It was my friends old race bike, and he has been bombing it around the roads, for prettymuch a while. It has some obserd gears, 53-11. I dont know when I got the idea, but I am flying out to San Fransisco on Friday to go to a zen center, then after a few months of training, then head out and about. It has 2 rings up front, I think I am going to try for 22-46 up front, 12-34 out back. I plan on going light as possible, rear bags only, making a stove from a pepsi can titanium pot, not much else besides tent and bag ect. I have yet to decide on panniers. I was intrigued by the angletech ones, as I might be able to fit most of my gear in them, in addition to a rack top bag, and a hand made leather frame pack for tools and spares. Is it possible to keep the bags dry with a bag cover? Oh yeah, I am also bringing a mandolin. Do you have any suggestions for a rack top bag?
The only things I need help with (god willing) is the wheels and gears. Is it easy to replace the gears my self? I have the book Zin and the Art of Roadbike Matintenance. Would you suggest any diffrent gears? I plan on riding up as many mountains as I can, I think.
For the wheels, I saw some nice Rigida 1622 vintage rims. They will put them together for $25, another 25 for the spokes, and what ever for the hubs. I know little to nothing about this, especialy the hubs, as they told me that what hub you get depends on the gearing. They added a word of caution, saying that my bike probly would fit, at most, a 28 mm tire, and that was the minimum recomendation for the rim. Do you know if these would work, or of a better (thinner?) rim for my setup. Also, has anybody sucessfull slipped fenders in there as well? I know I am rambling, but I would love any input you folks have. Please dont hate me for posting this in the cyclingforums.net spot too. Thank you for your time, Ty