Repco Appreciation Society

[10speedsemiracer]

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I’m not a fan of the handlebars on my bike and am thinking about replacing them with drop bars. Although I’m having a bit of trouble finding 26mm drop bars.

You'll need 25.4mm drop bars, Nitto still make them as do others. A good Bike Co-Op will have some floating around, or you might get lucky on eBay or Gumtree.

26mm is relatively uncommon, and is usually found on old Italian bikes.

[ironhanglider]

After quite a bit of research, I too found that it is a 1992 Repco Superlite and was disappointed to not see the catalogue online. I think most of the components on mine are original except for the handlebars. I’m not a fan of the handlebars on my bike and am thinking about replacing them with drop bars. Although I’m having a bit of trouble finding 26mm drop bars.

26.0 bars should be common enough, particularly used. It's not like they are the old Italian standard of 26.4mm.

The first thing I'd be checking though is the front QR. From this image it looks like it is in the open position, as if it has been used like a wing nut.


Cheers,

Cameron

[HotSauce]

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(snip)
I’m not a fan of the handlebars on my bike and am thinking about replacing them with drop bars. Although I’m having a bit of trouble finding 26mm drop bars.

You'll need 25.4mm drop bars, Nitto still make them as do others. A good Bike Co-Op will have some floating around, or you might get lucky on eBay or Gumtree.

26mm is relatively uncommon, and is usually found on old Italian bikes.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be sure to check that out.

[HotSauce]

After quite a bit of research, I too found that it is a 1992 Repco Superlite and was disappointed to not see the catalogue online. I think most of the components on mine are original except for the handlebars. I’m not a fan of the handlebars on my bike and am thinking about replacing them with drop bars. Although I’m having a bit of trouble finding 26mm drop bars.

26.0 bars should be common enough, particularly used. It's not like they are the old Italian standard of 26.4mm.

The first thing I'd be checking though is the front QR. From this image it looks like it is in the open position, as if it has been used like a wing nut.


Cheers,

Cameron

Thanks for the info Cameron! I'll go and fix up the QR immediately. Didn't notice that

[jpw5]

Can someone help guide me with what specific tools are required to remove the bottom bracket from a Superlite/Olympic? Are bottom brackets basically all the same for all of the 80's/early 90's Repco's? I know I'll need a crank puller to remove the crank but not quite sure about the types of wrenches or other tools to get the job done.

Any help appreciated.

Cheers

[Roisin79]

Probably a pin wrench and a hook spanner...you could get away with not having the latter - use a chisel or screwdriver - but not the former

[Rob74]

Bit of fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p38W2AF-3qc
Vintage Steel vs Modern Carbon Road Bike Road Test

The vintage steel bike is my trusty 1989 Repco Victory Tri-A.
The carbon road bike is my 2014 Giant TCR Advanced SL0.

Rob

[10speedsemiracer]

Bit of fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p38W2AF-3qc
Vintage Steel vs Modern Carbon Road Bike Road Test

The vintage steel bike is my trusty 1989 Repco Victory Tri-A.
The carbon road bike is my 2014 Giant TCR Advanced SL0.

Rob

That was fun.

[nemo57]

Agreed: thanks for it, Rob.
Course, if you'd been on a Hillman the differences would not have been nearly as great ...

[Rob74]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sekai-Euros ... SwJeVdl-Bm

"Sekai Eurosport 2600 1987 Road Bike Frameset w/ Tange Infinity Fork 56cm
Measurements:
top tube center to center: 56cm
seat tube center of bb to center of tt: 56cm
head tube: 1” x 132mm
Frame Size 56 cm
Wheel Size 700C
MPN K7A5111
Brand Sakai
Brake Type Caliper - Side Pull
Frame Material Tange Infinity Steel
Color Multi-Color
Model Eurosport
Configuration Frame and Fork"


Did Repco = Sekai in the USA?

Rob

[drewgarth]

Vintage Repco Olympic – 14 refresh
Just in case someone is interested in doing similar

Background
After about 30 years loving, using, abusing, loaning, forgetting and finding again I’ve given my Repco Olympic 14 a new lease on life. Before I refreshed, she was a bit rattley and not the smoothest; mainly used for the odd ride to the shops or as a spare bike.

These days my commuting bike is a dual suspension mountain bike with commuter tires and a larger chain ring for the road. It’s pretty well set up and with 80psi in the tires actually pretty quick.

In the midst of COVID lockdown I found myself riding the same route over and over. To mix things up a bit I dug out the old Olympic 14 one morning. I pushed it hard and when I got home I was surprised to see that my time was actually SLOWER than the mountain bike.
The next morning, I paid more attention. As I rode down some hills my top speed was slower and it felt like I was riding with extra resistance. Something wasn’t right. After a bit more investigation, I concluded that the (original) wheel bearings were probably shot. They spun fine, though I realized that when I put a load on each wheel you could feel extra friction.

Upgrades

Wheels:
I primarily needed to replace the hubs, though the old rims were slightly buckled and scuffed so I decided that complete new wheels were the best option.
From reading this forum and Sheldon brown, the original 7 speed hub width was 126mm, but these days the standard road hub width for 8 to 11 speed hubs is 130mm. Further reading confirmed that the extra 4mm while a bit tighter wasn’t really an issue.
I opted for WH-RS300 front and rear.

Rear cassette
There was no point putting new wheels on and then using the old cassette…(in fact it may or may not have fit anyway). More research!
7 Speed cassettes are harder to find these days AND you need to find a spacer of the right thickness. More reading and you will see you also need to be careful that the spacer has notches to go over the pins that hold the cassette sprockets together. At this point I decided to do something a bit different.
I thought I would try an 8 speed cassette and with adjustment of the derailleur limit screws and cable tension opt to either lose the smallest or largest sprocket…effectively using 7 out of 8 gears, with the 8th acting as the spacer.
It turns out I was in for a great surprise. With the 8 speed cassette installed, when I adjusted the gears. Even with the shifter set to indexing I am able to use ALL 8 gears. After I shift to the lowest indexed gear, I can then push a little further and it shifts to the largest sprocket. What a win. For commuting I have also opted for a wider sprocket gear range.
I used CS-HG51 8 Speed Cassette

For installation of the cassette i got myself a chain whip tool and a Shimano Freewheel and Cassette lockring removal tool

Other items
For the chain I went for CN-HG71 6/7/8 Speed Chain 116l. I had to drop a few links back to the original (108 from memory)
New brake pads BR-6700 Cartridge Brake Shoe Set

Bottom Bracket
After riding with this setup, I was happy, though the driveline seemed a bit rough. I thought I had stuffed something up with the chain, or the way I set up the rear cluster. I then started thinking about the jockey wheels, and chain rings. After a process of elimination I concluded that a bit like the wheels it was probably the bottom bracket bearings. They seemed fine, though I suspected under pressure they weren’t.
Again more research.
Turns out it’s a 68mm threaded bottom bracket
It’s a square taper spindle for the cranks
Being a double chainring front it’s a 113mm overall spindle length
The compatible unit these days is BB-UN300 (68x113mm)

Tools wise, the old BB needs different tools to the new.

Firstly remove Cranks. (You need a crank wrench (or socket to remove locking nut), You need a Crank Puller to Pull each crank off

To remove the old BB i used a BB Lockring tool (Though as noted earlier you can get away with a screwdriver or similar to tap the lockring loose. I then used a pin wrench to remove the non drive side of the BB. On the drive side, the BB has two flats so i used a large shifter. Note that the drive side is a left hand thread.

The new BB went in easily. Though to tighten, you need yet another tool. It uses a 20 tooth bottom bracket tool on both sides.

How did it all turn out?
Well I have to say I am super happy. It is so quiet and smooth. It now picks up a couple of km/h on my average speed over a 50km circuit and down the same hill the top speed is about 5km/h faster. So it definitely fixed the issues!

It was probably overkill to spend this money on the bike. But it’s a great bike and I am thoroughly enjoying riding it again. In practice for casual fitness riding, I am as fast as any but the most dedicated cyclists on their carbon road weapons.
When I first got the bike my mates used to joke, REPCO = Recommended Every Part Comes Off.
After 30 years of reliable service, that’s now become pretty close to the truth, though it’s been well worth the upgrade for me and it now gives me 16 gears instead of the original 14.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nwyJreuQefbUMzuG6

[Danny Manning]

After a very regrettable sale of my old Olympic 12 bike, I have finally found the courage to get another Repco. I just bought. Monaco (white and yellow) which appears to my untrained eye to be reasonably original and in really good condition. Can anyone share some interesting info on the model for please?

[uart]

After a very regrettable sale of my old Olympic 12 bike, I have finally found the courage to get another Repco. I just bought. Monaco (white and yellow) which appears to my untrained eye to be reasonably original and in really good condition. Can anyone share some interesting info on the model for please?

It was only fairly lowly, sitting just above their Traveller and Sports models. However it was their highest equipped road bike with an all plain steel (high tensile) frame, everything above the Monaco had at least some chome molly in it. It sat just above their "SLX Sport" model, and just below the Superlite.

[Rhinosaur]

Here’s my recently acquired Victory Tri-a.
It’s remarkable how well they ride considering the age.
It’s been well used by the previous owner but there’s plenty of life in it.

Araya rims, Shimano SIS shifters, Dia Compe brakes, Nitto bars, Light Action rear derailleur.

[rkelsen]

Nice one!

[elantra]

Here’s my recently acquired Victory Tri-a.
It’s remarkable how well they ride considering the age.
It’s been well used by the previous owner but there’s plenty of life in it.

Araya rims, Shimano SIS shifters, Dia Compe brakes, Nitto bars, Light Action rear derailleur.

Looks to be in very good original condition.
I would guess that many components are original, curiously though the seatpost may not be original because it is black, and the various other aluminium components are all silver.

Interesting too that it has “aero” brake levers which suggests late 1980’s but appears to have no seattube bidon mounts which suggests early 1980’s.
I think that the “aero” brake levers are a big improvement on the older exposed cable ones. I think they really only started to appear in about 1986-1987.

The crankset is a decent quality 110mm BCD Sugino. Heaps better for JRA duties (just riding around) than the more common 130 BCD Cranksets.
The smaller diameter crankset arms accept smaller chainrings (eg 46/36). Much better for most places and most people, in my opinion anyway.

[rkelsen]

Bit of fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p38W2AF-3qc
Vintage Steel vs Modern Carbon Road Bike Road Test

The vintage steel bike is my trusty 1989 Repco Victory Tri-A.
The carbon road bike is my 2014 Giant TCR Advanced SL0.

Rob

Just saw this today. Love your work. Well done!

[elantra]

Bit of fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p38W2AF-3qc
Vintage Steel vs Modern Carbon Road Bike Road Test

The vintage steel bike is my trusty 1989 Repco Victory Tri-A.
The carbon road bike is my 2014 Giant TCR Advanced SL0.

Rob

Just saw this today. Love your work. Well done!

Absolutely delicious.
Technology marches forward, sometimes 3 steps forward and 2 steps backwards though.
The Repco was good value back in 1989. Probably (just) under a thousand $$$. In those days the Aussie-made custom frame bikes or the imported Italian bikes (of similar quality) were more expensive.

I had a mid-1980’s Nishiki and then a 1988 Repco. The Japanese componentry was very good, except for the supplied Japanese saddles, which were crap.

It’s taken another 30 years for the rest of the world to do saddles as well as the Italians can do ‘em.

[MiglooTeacher]

Hi all.

I have a Repco Monaco that I'm going to make a Single Speed. I have 2 questions:

1: I want to buy a new set of cranks. What do I need to search/buy? I'm after a size or dimension that will fit the original bb.

2: 700c or 27"? I'd rather 700c but from what I've read here this bike came with a 27" wheel.

TIA
Andrew

[J8Barr]

Picked up a Repco Nishiki Olympic 12 a few years back. It was a pretty bad shape after what looked to be a head-on crash with an immovable object. The rear triangle was way out of whack, the fork bent, some dents in the top tube, and bent chainrings and derailleur hanger. I straightened everything up, made sure none of the damage was structural, and then rebuilt it into a gravel bike. It had 27" wheels, so I swapped in a set of 700c wheels with 37c WTB tyres. Long reach brakes were needed to reach the rims, and I used a bunch of spare parts to complete the build. It rides great and I have put over 1200km on it so far exploring the gravel roads/trails around Adelaide.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iwvdSypGGUeNom9X8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oy5xxEx1RxgxNmFd8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9PETeFdTmyGzcenG9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zw2m7G3bvuY6Gb3h9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DfKaGq7MxpS4fJPRA

I can't seem to get the images to show embedded, I'm guessing that's because I'm a new member?

[find_bruce]

I can't seem to get the images to show embedded, I'm guessing that's because I'm a new member?

Welcome outside

It's not just you - google images are difficult to share,I suspect deliberately so

[MiglooTeacher]

Picked up a Repco Nishiki Olympic 12 a few years back. It was a pretty bad shape after what looked to be a head-on crash with an immovable object. The rear triangle was way out of whack, the fork bent, some dents in the top tube, and bent chainrings and derailleur hanger. I straightened everything up, made sure none of the damage was structural, and then rebuilt it into a gravel bike. It had 27" wheels, so I swapped in a set of 700c wheels with 37c WTB tyres. Long reach brakes were needed to reach the rims, and I used a bunch of spare parts to complete the build. It rides great and I have put over 1200km on it so far exploring the gravel roads/trails around Adelaide.

Nike build.

I am also from Adelaide, but now living in Canberra.

Did you have to change the bb to put the Rival group set on?

Re the pics... I haven't worked out how to upload them from my iPhone yet either.

[MiglooTeacher]

@J8Barr

I just realised you have quick release wheels. I can't seem to fit the qr 700 wheel I have in the front forks.

[J8Barr]

Thanks find_bruce for fixing the images. Much appreciated!

[J8Barr]

Nike build.

I am also from Adelaide, but now living in Canberra.

Did you have to change the bb to put the Rival group set on?

Re the pics... I haven't worked out how to upload them from my iPhone yet either.

Thanks. Yes I took out the cup and cone and swapped it for a SRAM GXP bottom bracket. I'm going to swap it out again for a shimano BB so that I can install a GRX crankset. The Rival is a full size crankset (53/39) so I'm lacking some lower gears on steep climbs. My rear derailleur can only handle up to a 32 cog. Interestingly it's one of those rapid rise ones, so the shifting is opposite to normal. It was $2 secondhand so couldn't pass it up. I actually quite like that I can really quickly bail to a lower gear.