Eddy Merckx
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I love my Corsa 01 so much I got a second one.
I didn't know they did Corsa Extras in TSX. I thought it was the Century that was the TSX frame.
In the black plastic universe bikes seem to exist in these days, its nice to see some folks enjoying a lugged steel bike.
I didn't know they did Corsa Extras in TSX. I thought it was the Century that was the TSX frame.
In the black plastic universe bikes seem to exist in these days, its nice to see some folks enjoying a lugged steel bike.
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3,876 Posts
The Century came out in ‘89 as was marketed as a more comfortable bike for longer distance racing. More relaxed seat tube angle. Mine is the first version in Reynolds 653 and after that they were made in Columbus TSX. I have a bunch of bikes but I think if I ever get a custom frame I’m going to use the geometry of my Century as a starting point. Mine is really beat up but it’s a wonderful riding bike. I think, but don’t know for sure that the Professional was the standard race frame until the Corsa and Corsa Extra came out.
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313 Posts
I finally got in a decent ride today. The weather has been ugly in NW USA since I got the bike. I'm liking the way it rides. Not twitchy but quick handling. Not super supple smooth and not bone jarring rough but just right. Can't complain about DuraAce. I did a rookie mistake by not tightening up the rear quick release enough. It slipped and the tire rubbed the left chain stay. It took a while to figure out why I was working so darn hard.
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5,818 Posts
Handling is all and only about geo. QR is something every rider knows instinctively. You will get there. So much slop as to impact ride performance is rare. Take some time with that. Not getting this right can be dangerous.
This is a great looking frame but it is a boat anchor. I’m guessing this build is at least 21 pounds. Maybe more. Weight isn’t everything, well wait, yes weight is everything...
Good luck and be careful!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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16,165 Posts
As a general rule, when you tighten down the QR, it should make an imprint on your hand. If it doesn't, it's too loose!
Especially the weight of the rider! You're better of dropping 5 lbs off of YOU than buying a 5 lb lighter bike.
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313 Posts
Thanks for your guys concern but before this gets too far I should share that I have been riding for decades and believe it or not I do know how to use a quick release. New bike (for me) rookie mistakes happen. Weight is not everything. Agree with PBL450. If I was concerned about a few pounds, my ass would be the first place to look. I have some light carbon but my steel bikes are usually the ones that get chosen for anything less than a hilly century.
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1,747 Posts
My rule is the QR should start to engage/hit resistance when the lever 90 degrees from its ending position.
Now if you're working in a crit pit and someone flats, you should jam the crap out of the QR and leave a huge imprint on your hand. If not the wheel could break loose. Unfortunately, I know that from experience (working in a pit, not racing
)If you’re near Eugene these guys are hosting a Retro Ride on May 28. It’ll be kind of a pub crawl.
Several of the steel bikes I own have horizontal drop outs. You really need to clamp the QR down tight on the rear wheel to avoid the wheel slipping and the tire rubbing on the chain stay. Get some older Campy or Shimano QR levers. They have internal cams and can be clamped down hard without breaking.
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27,547 Posts
Those top of the line steel bikes handled so well on the flats. Like you say, not too stiff, not to flexy. They'd absorb shocks but not give up the connection to the road. Consequently, they also climb very well, despite the weight. And as you point out, it's mostly plopped on the saddle. 21 pounds is light. It'll weigh nothing when you're up off the saddle.
The lighter bikes I've ridden always seem to steal more energy on climbs. They can't handle the weight moving around on top. Designers keep trying to eliminate that. So they made frames really stiff with fat tubes, put on big diameter press-fit BBs so they don't come loose, and compensated for the harsh ride with elastomer shocks atop the seat tubes and lots of gears in back, and now we got dropper seat posts. Notice they're going back to threaded BBs, pencil thin seat stays, and skinny mainframes?
GCN did a test comparing old steel to modern carbon and discovered only a couple of watts difference on the same climb. Some of that difference would surely be attributed to gearing, climbing in 42-21 vs 39-28. A slight weight handicap would add up on a competitive group ride, but riding solo, great handling would make up for the difference, seems to me.
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27,547 Posts
That's right! Campy or Shimano skewers always solved slipping in horizontal dropouts in back. Also slightly misaligned dropouts wouldn't hold the skewer flat.
The point of horizontal dropouts was you could align the rear wheel to track the front, and adjust the wheel base a cm or two, presumably for handling or to fit different size tires. Nobody did that, of course, so I guess trusting vertical dropouts was a positive step up!
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27,547 Posts
Me, too! I wonder if horizontal dropouts originated on single speed bikes, where you'd have to pull the rear wheel back to taek out slack in the chain. So when derailleurs came about, they reversed the dropouts and kept the adjustability. The industry attracts lots of Gyro Gearloses. If the wheel in vertical dropouts doesn't track, it's probably went out of dish.
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9,176 Posts
I've heard/read that Campagnolo horizontal dropouts are a carryover from their early Cambia Corsa derailleur geared dropouts, which allowed the axle to roll forward and back to slacken the chain and allow shifting under movement.
A Campagnolo masterpiece: the Cambio Corsa – B.G. legendary Bikes (bglegendarybikes.com)
A Campagnolo masterpiece: the Cambio Corsa – B.G. legendary Bikes (bglegendarybikes.com)
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