7 to 8 Speed

"ChronoFish" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:ScKPc.644$73.115@lakeread04...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Right - I'm WAY behind the technology curve. But it all
comes down to money and priorities.....

I currently have a 1996/1997 Cannondale R300 that has been
slowly "upgraded" and transformed into a tri bike over time.

The rims on the wheels are grooved and should probably be
replaced at the end of the season if not sooner. While
doing so I would like to move up to an 8-speed cassette.

Why 8? The thought is that it would give me one more gear
choice while allowing me to keep my current drive train. Is
this the correct assumption?

The current setup of a older 105 rear derailleur with
bar-end shifters mounted on aerobars in friction setting
(rather than STI) works quite well I am very happy with it.
However the 11-21 cluster is a bit of a challenge (for me)
on steeper hills.

I was hoping to focus more of my money on the wheels -
something like a pair of Aerospokes with an 8-speed (11-26
or something similar) without having to upgrade the
rear-derailleur, chain, and therefore crankset (in other
words the entire drivetrain).

Is there any reason why I couldn't do this?

Thanks!
-CF

No reason that I can think of as long as you keep your shifters in friction
mode. By upgrading to an 8-speed rear wheel you can later upgrade to a
9-speed if desired. If for any reason you want to stay with 7-speed, there
is a spacer available that will allow a 7-speed cassette to be used on an
8-speed wheel.

"ChronoFish" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ScKPc.644$73.115@lakeread04>...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Right - I'm WAY behind the technology curve. But it all
comes down to money and priorities.....

I currently have a 1996/1997 Cannondale R300 that has been
slowly "upgraded" and transformed into a tri bike over time.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I was hoping to focus more of my money on the wheels -
something like a pair of Aerospokes with an 8-speed (11-26
or something similar) without having to upgrade the
rear-derailleur, chain, and therefore crankset (in other
words the entire drivetrain).

Is there any reason why I couldn't do this?

Not in particular. You should probably replace the chain when you
replace the cassette, just as a matter of course. Double-check the
spacing of your rear triangle- if it's 126mm, you may have trouble
fitting the Aerospoke rear wheel. See
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sp-ss.html#spacing .

Jeff

ChronoFish said:

I currently have a 1996/1997 Cannondale R300 that has been
slowly "upgraded" and transformed into a tri bike over time.

The rims on the wheels are grooved and should probably be
replaced at the end of the season if not sooner. While
doing so I would like to move up to an 8-speed cassette.

Why 8? The thought is that it would give me one more gear
choice while allowing me to keep my current drive train. Is
this the correct assumption?

Yes, but the same is true of 9. 8-speed is a bit of a dead end, and I
would advise against it.

Quoted message said:

The current setup of a older 105 rear derailleur with
bar-end shifters mounted on aerobars in friction setting
(rather than STI) works quite well I am very happy with it.
However the 11-21 cluster is a bit of a challenge (for me)
on steeper hills.

I was hoping to focus more of my money on the wheels -
something like a pair of Aerospokes with an 8-speed (11-26
or something similar) without having to upgrade the
rear-derailleur, chain, and therefore crankset (in other
words the entire drivetrain).

You don't need to change that much stuff.

To convert to 9-speed friction, all you need is the new rear wheel with
a 9-speed cassette and suitable chain. (You should always replace the
chain when you install a new cassette.)

If you want go to with indexing, you'll also need to replace the shifters.

The 9-speed Dura-Ace bar-end shifters had been in very short supply, but
we just received a large shipment of them.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/shifters.html#dura

You don't need to replace derailers or chainrings, the ones you have
will work fine.

Sheldon "Upgrades" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, |
| or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. |
| --Abraham Lincoln |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

If you want go to with indexing, you'll also need to replace the shifters.

Pardon my ignorance but what's indexing?

TIA,
Brad

I have an extra Shimano 600 rear derailleur (8 speed) if you need one.
It's in good condition with low mileage. $20 shipped.

"ChronoFish" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ScKPc.644$73.115@lakeread04>...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Right - I'm WAY behind the technology curve. But it all
comes down to money and priorities.....

I currently have a 1996/1997 Cannondale R300 that has been
slowly "upgraded" and transformed into a tri bike over time.

The rims on the wheels are grooved and should probably be
replaced at the end of the season if not sooner. While
doing so I would like to move up to an 8-speed cassette.

Why 8? The thought is that it would give me one more gear
choice while allowing me to keep my current drive train. Is
this the correct assumption?

The current setup of a older 105 rear derailleur with
bar-end shifters mounted on aerobars in friction setting
(rather than STI) works quite well I am very happy with it.
However the 11-21 cluster is a bit of a challenge (for me)
on steeper hills.

I was hoping to focus more of my money on the wheels -
something like a pair of Aerospokes with an 8-speed (11-26
or something similar) without having to upgrade the
rear-derailleur, chain, and therefore crankset (in other
words the entire drivetrain).

Is there any reason why I couldn't do this?

Thanks!
-CF