General Cycling Discussion - Question about compatibility

Hello everyone... I have a quick question:

I ride an oler Paramount OS2. I just bought some new(to me) STI levers off os ebay. Anyway, I have a hodgepodge of older parts on my rig. I am just getting back into it... used to race juniors back in the early 90's. Am I going to run into compatibility problems with these new shifters? That is aside from the obvious number of cogs... Thanks!

Tex

Yes. The spacing between the cogs is narrower on the new cassettes. You'll need to replace the gears and, maybe, the derailleurs.

...And WELCOME to the forums!

Thanks for the welcome... and I knew you were going to say that... Dangit! If only $$ grew on trees. Maybe I can find someone to trade some parts for a bike...

I have successfully used 8 speed shifters to shift 7 and 9 speed shifters to shift 8. I would assume that 9 would shift 7.

A derailleur limit screw adjustment was all that was reqired for the odd sized wheel. Since you are not changing wheels your shifters should work.

well, in fact I am trying to find some new wheels and I know that I will need a new derailer for sure... I am on a limited budget right now. My paramount is an oldie, but I love the way it rides. I wish I still had my team issued Viner (columbus SLX) fully decked out with campy c-record!!!! Oh well, back to the basics...:rolleyes:

Tex

8-speed spacing is the same as 7-speed spacing. And 9-speed spacing is narrower.

if you bought a 9-speed shifter, you can use a modern Shimano derailleur (past 199x ; any of them, except early Dura Ace, I think), and attach the gear cable on the other side of the derailleur. If you need a better explanation, I've heard there is an illustrated one on the http://www.shimano-europe.com website.

Regards,

If your levers and cogs are incompatible, you may be able to find a cogset with appropriate spacing. Otherwise, there is always downtube or barcon friction shifting, which I still prefer over any indexed system I have tried.

I'm with John. On a road bike I love friction shifting. On a mountain bike I like the precise index.