Proper assembly of your frame does not require special tools if the builder did everything perfectly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Very expensive special tools are required to properly mount the headset and bottom bracket, and very few bicycle shops have all the tools to properly assemble a quality frame. There is one alternative-order your frame with the headset and bottom bracket already installed. Unless the builder is careless, this eliminates the need to obtain the special tools required to face the head and bottom bracket. It also eliminates the need for you to worry about matching the threads and the width of the bottom bracket axle. The use of the Campagnolo tools to fit the headset and bottom bracket is covered in section 3.
Let's look at the specific steps in assembling the frame, presuming the headset and bottom bracket are properly installed.
The steps required to attach Campagnolo components are discussed since the vast majority of top-quality frames are built and designed to fit Campagnolo parts.
Checking Frame Alignment
Always check frame alignment before attaching brakes, derailleurs, or other components. If the frame is out of line or has been twisted in shipping, and you decide to return it, the builder will not want to receive it with scratches where you have attached the many fittings that are required on a 10-speed. For this test, you will need a length of string and an accurate ruler.
Place one end of the string on the rear fork tip (where the wheel axle will be positioned) and run the string to the front of the bicycle. Run the string over the head and to the remaining rear fork tip. Have someone hold the string, under tension, in this position while you measure the distance between the string and the seat tube. The string should be equidistant from each side of the tube. If it isn't, you have a problem that can be corrected in two ways. First, you can return the frame to your dealer or the builder.
Chances are, they will cold set (bend) the stays into alignment if the problem isn't too serious. If the frame is made out of Reynolds 753, you have to choose between accepting the frame the way it is or returning it to be rebuilt-753 cannot be cold set. If the frame is not 753 and the inaccuracy is minor, you can have an experienced bicycle shop cold set the misaligned stay without permanent damage to the frame if it is done properly. Unless you have had considerable experience bending lightweight framesets, don't attempt to correct the problem yourself. In cold setting framesets, you must have the experience to know exactly how far either to pull it out (or push it in) because the cold setting must be done in one motion to be most effective and to cause the least amount of permanent damage.
Assuming your frame passes the first test, use the same string and ruler for another check. This time the string should run between all four fork tips. That is, start at the rear tip, guide the string through the front fork tips and back to the remaining rear tip. Measurements taken from the seat tube to the string should be equidistant. If your frame passed the first check and flunked this test, the fork is probably twisted. Again, this is no job for you to tackle. Take the frame back. It is unlikely that your frame won't pass these two tests if you have purchased it from a first-class bicycle shop dealing with "name brand" frames or from a competent builder. It is possible, however, that the frame was damaged during shipping. Furthermore, these tests are useful to check for hidden damage to your frame after a crash.
Checking Fork End Alignment
This test is easily performed with special tools, but it is possible to check for problems without them. Any problem found, however, is easily corrected only with the right tools. (See section 3.) If you have access to the special tools, attach the right and left tool on the front fork. You should note that the front fork tips are ...
Figure 21-1: Exploded view of derailleur parts ready for assembly. Once
you have prepared the frame (filing the excess paint from the derailleur
braze-on bosses), then you are ready to assemble the derailleur control
levers. On the derailleur lever bosses (part #660), which have been brazed
on by the builder, you assemble the parts in the following order: control
lever plate (#611/2 on the left and #600/2 on the right), brazed boss
collar (part #661), control lever (#602 on the left and #601 on the right),
lever friction plate (part #174), cover plate (part #603), and friction-adjusting
wing nut (part #604/1). All these parts can also be purchased as a set-#1013/5
left (front changer) braze-on control and #1013/6 right (gear) braze-on
control.
If your frame has derailleur braze-on bosses and you want to use the Campagnolo
twin down tube lever, you will first have to detach the control lever plates
from the clip (part #610). In so doing, you will end up destroying the
clip, making it impossible to use in the future. If you do not want to
do this, the same results can be attained by purchasing the control lever
plates (parts #611/2 and #600/2) separately. In both of the above methods,
you will also have to purchase an additional washer as shown in this illustration.
... inserted inside the spacer that floats freely on the tool itself. If the fork tips are perfectly aligned, the edge of the tool will be 1 mm.
apart, all the way around the tooled surface. A large proportion of factory-built frames are not! There is no cause for alarm unless the inaccuracy is very large. Simply use the tool to bend the fork tips into proper alignment (make sure the tool is tight). The exact same test is performed on the rear tips, but the spacers are placed inside the fork tips. If the tools are 1 mm. apart, the rear tips are exactly 121 mm. apart.
If you do not have access to the tools, use a pair of wheels that include a set of known quality hubs. For instance, the quality control of the Campagnolo hubs is so consistent that unless someone has substituted the number of washers or damaged the hub, it will be as close to perfect as you need to worry about. Insert the hub into the fork in the normal fashion but do not tighten the quick-release lever. If the forks must be spread to insert the hub, they will have to be adjusted. Also, this is obviously true if you must squeeze the forks together to insert the hub.
Look very closely at the clearance between the fork tip and the locknuts on the axle. The fork tip should be exactly parallel to the flat surface of the locknuts-if they aren't, some adjustment will be required. The quick-release wheel should fit into the fork tips without any stretching or twisting at all.
Assuming everything is okay so far, you are ready to add the components to the frame. Since this is not intended to be a basic bicycle repair book, we will cover only problems that may be experienced if you are selecting and fitting your choice of components.
Attaching Derailleur Levers
If you do not have braze-on derailleur lever bosses, simply attach the twin down tube control lever. On frames that include the brazed-on derailleur lever boss, you will have some work to do before the levers can be mounted.
First, in most cases, you must remove the paint from the boss portion oniy. If you are not careful with the removal of the paint, you can very easily scratch the paint on the down tube. To mount the control lever, you need to install Campagnolo parts nos. 611/2 and 600/2 (left- and right-hand braze-on control lever plate). If your local bicycle shop does not carry the parts, you can use the parts that are already built into the twin control clip. To remove the parts, however, you will be required to destroy the clip.
Assemble the controls with the washers in the same sequence as shown in the illustration. No other problems should be encountered in mounting the remaining parts of the derailleurs.
Mounting Brakes
You should tell the builder which type of brake you intend to install. If you are buying a frame of f the rack, make sure that you match the brakes with the design of the frame. Most builders construct their frames for the popular 52-mm. brake.
Some builders of racing bicycles will build a frame to accept the 47-mm. brake. These brakes are not interchangeable even with the use of a drop bolt for the rear.
Many riders that are using the sidepull brake have experienced the problem of one brake shoe making contact with the wheel rim before the other. As they try to correct this problem, they quickly find that adjusting the center bolt has no effect. On the Campagnolo brake, the calipers can be centered by inserting the thin Campagnolo cone wrench (13 mm.) on the flats of the center bolt adjacent to the frame. The wrench is used to center the calipers and maintain the position of the nut as the center bolt is tightened.
For other sidepull brakes, which do not include the machined surfaces, an effective but crude method is used. Place a machinist's punch on the brake spring of the caliper that is farthest from the rim. Give the punch a tap with a hammer until the calipers are equidistant.
Figure 21-2: Be certain that the brakes you intend to use will fit the
frame size. While most builders construct frames to accept 52-mm. brakes,
some frames accept only the 47-mm size.
Inserting the Seatpost
It is impossible to say with certainty what the correct seatpost size is for your frame. It is important to size the post properly since a post that is slightly too big can be badly scratched and a post that is too small can sometimes slip or it can place unnecessary stresses on the seat lug. The following is a general guide to be used as a starting point in selecting the correct seatpost:
Possible Sizing
Frame with Frame without Country of double-butted double-butted manufacture tubing (in mm.) tubing (in mm.)
Italy 26.8,27.0,27.2 26.2
France 26.2,26.8 26.2,26.4
England 27.0,27.2 26.2,26.8
Handlebar and Stem Compatibility
Two problems are encountered with handlebar and stem compatibility. The first is the different specifications that do not allow interchanging brands of handlebars and stems, and second, the varying dimensions of fork column diameters that do not allow total compatibility of fork columns and stems.
Generally speaking, it is best to maintain the same brand of handlebar and stem. TTT bars and stem are interchangeable with Cinelli bars and stems; however, the Japanese Gran Compe and SR stems will not interchange with either the TTT or Cinelli handlebars.
When checking interchangeability between stems and head sets, the French are usually the exception. The Italian, English, and the Japanese stems are 22.2 mm. and fit the Campagnolo headset with Italian or English threads. The French stems are 21.85 mm. and unless used with French headsets, or a Campagnolo headset with French threads, do not permit an acceptably tight fit.
Bottom Bracket
If the bottom bracket of your frame is drilled, or cut out, you should ensure that the bearings are protected from dirt and water by a protective sleeve like Campagnolo part nos. 2110/1 and 2110.
Figure 21-3: The plastic protective sleeve is designed to fit inside the
bottom bracket on bicycles which have a cutout bottom bracket shell. The
sleeve will protect the precision bearings from dirt and water during normal
use.
Hub Interchangeability
Just as all hubs are not of equal quality, they are not all the same size. You should tell your builder what type of hubs you plan to use. Most builders presume the use of Campag nolo hubs and build the forks with a 101-mm. space and the rearstays with a 121-mm. space. Few hubs besides the Campagnolo offer all three threads (Italian, French, and English) for the freewheel. The top-quality Japanese hubs are usually 100 mm. front and 120 mm. rear, like Campagnolo. The lower-priced Japanese hubs are often 96 mm. front and 124 mm. rear. The French hubs are often 96 mm. front and 122 mm. rear. The frame should be built and aligned for the hubs to be used, otherwise the chain line will be inaccurate. Although the widths of the Japanese and the Campagnolo hubs are the same, they are not perfectly interchangeable. There will be a very slight difference in chain lines if the hubs are interchanged. In appendix V, we have included proper chain line specifications. To correct minor chain line deficiencies, you can use Campagnolo freewheel spacers (part no. 651) which come in three sizes: 1,1.5, and 2 mm.
Advise your builder in advance, if you plan to use a 6-speed freewheel-it requires a 126-mm. Rear-stay opening.