Bicycle Mechanics - Replace Bikes or Further Upgrade?

I have a circa 1970s-80s Puch tourer with all upgraded parts several years old (105, Suntour triple) except the front wheel, which is an older Weinmann but has never needed truing. The rear Weinmann is newer & also has never needed truing. I'm looking at a long-overdue overhaul, or possibly replacing it with a used 9-spd. Advice?

Same with my '90 Peugeot Success with similar upgrade but with Mavic Reflex SUP wheelset. I just had this wheelset overhauled but the worn cup may not be replaceable so maybe i should have replaced the wheelset. The job cost almost as much as a decent (for me) new wheelset. I'm considering replacing this bike too altho the recent work inclines me to want to get back some of my investment on the road.

I hate to admit i have not had them overhauled for a few years due to personal issues that put bike maintenance in a low order of priorities.

What exactly do they do when they "overhaul" a wheel?

If the frames fit and are in good shape (no rust, major dents, etc), there's really no reason to get rid of them. Buying a new bike will cost you a lot more (assuming you're buying similar quality) without much of a gain. What, exactly, do you mean when you say "overhaul?" Are you talking about adjusting and regreasing, or replacing a bunch of components?

By overhaul i meant repacking all bearings (except pedals). The Peugeot has just had its wheel bearings repacked but whether the cup can be replaced is in question, the wrench says maybe all he can do is buy me some more time on that.

My question related to possibly buying a used 9 spd, not a new one.

If the frames fit and are in good shape (no rust, major dents, etc), there's really no reason to get rid of them. Buying a new bike will cost you a lot more (assuming you're buying similar quality) without much of a gain. What, exactly, do you mean when you say "overhaul?" Are you talking about adjusting and regreasing, or replacing a bunch of components?

I referred to a used 9 spd, not a new one.

By overhaul i mean repacking bearings. The Peugeot has just had the wheels done but due to the question of whether the worn cup can be replaced or not, the wrench says maybe he can only buy me some time there. For $40 more than the wheel job i could have got a decent (for me) new wheelset. But, it's all hindsight, no way to know in advance what the job cost will be, at least in some cases.

I don't know the condition of the Puch bearings so i don't know what that job would cost. (I don't know the condition of the Peugeot stem & crank either.) This may make it harder to decide what to do. I might be better off buying a new wheelset for the Puch than overhauling the old one...

BTW i can't do much maintenance myself due to stiffness in my hands.

If you want to go to a 9 spd, you will probably have to go to a different cassette, and its probably cheaper just to get a new rear wheel rather than getting a new hub and building a rear. And if you are getting a new rear, you can probably get a front and rear wheelset for less than $100 if you look around.

9 spd on a 7 frame - that means cold-setting the frame?

I was figuring to replace the 7 spd setup with a new 7 spd wheelset for the Puch if i didn't get a "new" used 9 spd bike, so i would not have to replace shifters etc. I suppose the Peugeot can soldier on as is for now until it needs a new wheelset.

It's not terribly expensive to get your frame reset for 130mm spacing. Then you could get an 8 or 9 speed system. It's possible to shift 8 with your existing friction shifters. Or, if you want, you could get some 8 or 9 speed bar-ends ($70-100) and index nicely, either way. Anyway, if the frame is still good going that way (reasonable wheelset $250, spacing the frame $60 or so, cassette, chain, shifters another $120) is still a lot less than a whole new bike.

If you want to skip respacing you could get a wheel made with a Phil freewheel rear hub. Now, that ain't cheap, but even at $150 or whatnot it's a lot less than a Phil Wood freehub rear hub, and you could put a nice IRD 7 speed freewheel on it and your setup would be almost exactly the same.

9 spd on a 7 frame - that means cold-setting the frame?

I used to think that myself, until I found out otherwise. I have an old Campy 8 speed wheel, 130mm spacing. It almost fell into the dropouts of my old Schwinn Prelude. That bike had a 126mm SunTour wheel in stock. In most cases, you can spread the dropouts enough by hand to put the wheel in.


Tim

Harris Cyclery has 27" wheelsets for 7-speed drivetrains for about a hundred bucks, if that helps you make your decision... The sealed bearing sets are about $130.