TL;DR: Upgrading parts on my vintage bike. Any recommendations?
Hello everyone!
My old bike frame broke and i’ve been looking for a vintage bike for a while.
Finally I found a Motobecane Super Mirage for a very reasonable price. I live in Copenhagen so this is my daily driver.
I’ve thought about getting the bike summer ready and take it for a spin outside of the city. The brake levers are a bit uncomfortable to rest on, so i’ve considered making a few upgrades. Considered cross brakes instead of the suicide brakes?
What sort of upgrades/changes have you guys made to your vintages? Any sort of parts you’d recommend? I’ll make all the changes myself 🙂
by APackofMuffins
2 Comments
A set of brake levers with hoods will certainly help make the bike more comfortable. I’d also take a look at the angle of modern brifters in relation to drop bars, those puppies on yours are sitting low! It also seems like you are missing a suicide lever already, switching to modern interrupters are a better solution since they give you more power to the brake. To be clear, nothing really wrong with suicide levers, just be aware of their limitations on braking force vs the actual brake levers.
Also, switching those shifters to bar ends is not a terrible idea either!
It starts with thinking some new bar tape or cable housing would be nice…but ends in re-tapping BBs, headset presses and spending way too much online getting that hard to find part.
Just ride it as is and enjoy