Hi all,
I've recently bought a 1986 Bianchi Sport SX that I'm outfitting as a
commuter. Does anyone know the capacity of a SunTour LePree rear
derailleur? I've read about some with a funky 3rd jockey wheel but mine
only has two.
Basically I want to know how large a gear I can run in the back. My
current lowest gear is a 42x27.
Alternatively, I'm considering using the 9 sp deore rear derailleur and
cassette from my MTB and a set of Mavic Cosmos wheels I recently bought
and putting those on the Bianchi. I've read a bit about frame
spreading and converting to 700c wheels from 27 inch but I have two
questions:
1) Will my rear SunTour friction shifter (not indexed) will have
enough range of motion to shift the 9 sp deraileur?
2) Will my Sakae double crank have a problem with the narrower chain
required for 9 sp?
Thanks for the help!
FWIW...I commuted for the first time on this Bianchi on Friday. My
route coming home is about 14 miles and 1500 ft climbing. I noticed I
spent approximately the same amount of energy (calories burned) as I
normally would riding my carbon fiber fancy ride and I was only a
couple of minutes slower. There are definately some comforts I missed
(mostly wished I had STI) but I think I may start paying more attention
to folks like Rivendell who talk about the craziness of race equipment
for the general public.