Pretzeled my rr MTB wheel

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by neil0502
Took a nasty fall on (well, off) the MTB a few weeks ago. Rear rim is pretty twisted. My truing stand threatened to leave me if I even....

The bike's a relic, but . . . in the day . . . we dotted I's and crossed T's together:

Diamondback Response Comp
Marzocchi XC-300 front fork
7sp XT
Brand new 🙁 Rapid-Fire 7sp shifters F/R (Thanks, Sheldon!)

The bike is (er, was) mechanically solid. I want to keep it. Saving the pennies for the new road bike, not mtb.

It seems like my options are:

1) Buy a new 7sp rr wheel and cassette (old one's worn anyway), bury myself in the past, and just keep on talking about "how great it was when FDR ran things..." Doesn't seem too difficult to find 7sp built-up wheels. Sheldon's got 'em. $120/pr....;

2) Buy a new 8/9sp rr wheel and cassette, leave everything else on the bike alone, and ignore the 11/12t cog when I'm out there dirt-testing my pedals;

3) Upgrade the whole thing to 8/9sp via new wheel, new shifters (didn't really like the way I routed the 7sp's shifter and brake cables when I installed them anyway....)

I ride about 80% road (different bike). I'm looking to put the mtb back in service, but wouldn't want to spend more than about $250 tops . . . unless another hundred really got me something.

Any recommendations on this, or other, courses of action??

TIA,

Neil

I would pick 1... or a variant. You can build another rear XT, DX, LX 7 speed HG rear and use all the 7 speed stuff you already have. 7 speed uses 5.0 mm spacing, 8 uses 4.8, 9 uses 4.34.
My point is: if you change to 8/9 speed cassette hub, you can either stick a 4.5 mm spacer on it and continue to use your 7 speed system, or go the whole way to 9 speed... with hub, cassette, chain, and shifter.
7 speed wheels are more durable in one regard due to the better spoke support angle on the drive side. Chalo can vouch for this.
I can also share my experience of 25,000+ miles on XT equipped old school mountain bicycle. It is 7 speed with 135 mm OLD.

It sounds like you should address you cable routing situation no matter what you do.

Want to build your own 7 speed HG XT replacement wheel?
I can help with NOS parts... or can build you one, if you wish.
dave at ornee dot net

On Fri, 28 May 2004 14:45:05 GMT, neil0502

may have said:

Any recommendations on this, or other, courses of action??

Pick up a used wheel with a decent rim and the same
spoke count, and lace your (presumed better) hub to it,
or use it as-is.

Pick up a new rim only, and lace your existing hub to it.

Lacing a wheel is not rocket surgery.

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