Hi Richard,
 -=> Quoting Richard Glazer to John O'neill <=-
 RG> Hi John sorry for the late reply. The 11-24 cogs that you were
 RG> refering to are  for racing. Especially when combined with a 39-53
 RG> chainrings. 
 Right now I have 52-39 chain rings when I am not going into 
 the hills I swap a 42 in place of the 39.  In cogs I still 
 have a shimano 14-28 freewheel but even on the hills I almost
 never shift to my 28, and my next smaller is 24t.   Going 
 down hill the best I can use now is my 52/14 and that spins 
 out too early.  I'm sure that even a 53/13 would be a big 
 improvement over what I use now.
 
 RG> I suggest to look for a racing frame with angles that are
 RG> relaxed for long distances. this type  of frame absorbs lots of road
 RG> shock. 
 That is what I have now, my 102cm wheel base on Tange 900 
 cro-mo is very comfortable.  I will keep that bike as a
 spare and use it for longer rides if my next bike proves
 only good for races and short rides.  I will probably end
 up with about a 98cm wheel base frame made of Columbus 
 Brain tubing, but nothing is ordered yet.
 
 RG> As for components, I have campy. I would  say they are the best,
 RG> but at this time I have a little problem with the gear  shifter
 RG> mechanism for the front derailleur.  Nothing wrong with Shimano as
 RG> well. Shimano is easier to shift gear. I don't see any problem with
 RG> getting a cog up  to 26 with any of the groups except the top of the
 RG> line groupos , but even  then. Good luck.
 The bike shop here who will measure me for a Marinoni frame
 highly recomends Campy.  The road bike I have now has shimano
 600 index from the mid 80's, I have no complaints after 10 
 years of use.  You are not the only one that has told me that 
 they have had some trouble with campy Index shifters, but I 
 have been told the newer stuff has been improved.  One thing
 that draws me to campy is for equal money spent they give a
 much better finish than shimano.  I just got a 1997 Campagnolo
 catalog and just as I hoped they all go up to a 26t cog.  I 
 would not put that cog on often but It's good to know it is
 an option.   At this point I think I will go for Campy Veloce
 on most everything, Shimano pedals, TTT Forma/synthesis handle 
 bars/stem, American Classic seat post, Mavic CXP-12 rims  and
 Continental tires.  The only bad thing about the Veloce line
 is they use single pivot breaks, but the guy at the shop said 
 at my weight I would not need dual pivot.   At this point I
 still did not order anything, so If you think of anything
 I might add or change please let me know.
 Thank you
 John O'Neill
 
 
 
 
 
 
 RG> 
 RG> Richard
 RG> 
 RG> -!- Maximus/2 3.01
 RG>  ! Origin: Juxtaposition BBS. Montreal, Qc, Canada (1:167/133)
 
 
 
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