Bicycle Mechanics - Upgrade Ideas for Trek

I currently have a Trek 1000 that I have been upgrading. Front fork, rims, saddle, seatpost, etc. I now want to know my best options for derailleurs. Currently, the rear and front are the stock Sora models. They are a good system, with some minor hiccups occasionally.

2 things:

What Shimano products will adapt directly, without any incidental modifications, to the triple crank, 8 speed system?

Is there any benefit to going to double crank, 9 speed? I don't find that I use the small chainring, even on steep climbs. This is an issue of cost vs. performance.

Realistic ideas please...

I asked a similar question a while back about upgrading sora to 105. here is the post:

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?threadid=30070&highlight=sora

basically, from what I understand, since sora is 8spd and all the higher shimano groups are 9spd, you will need to do some major changes (shifters, rear derail, chain, cassette) in order to change anything in the drivetrain. I have since concluded it really isnt worth the trouble and will wait until I wear out my parts before upgrading in that area. good luck

Originally posted by rmckeller

What Shimano products will adapt directly, without any incidental modifications, to the triple crank, 8 speed system?

Is there any benefit to going to double crank, 9 speed? I don't find that I use the small chainring, even on steep climbs. This is an issue of cost vs. performance.


All current Shimano rear levers (except Sora) are 9-speed. If you upgrade that lever, you'll have to replace your cassette and probably your chain. The good news is you can do that with no hub compatibility issues.

The Tiagra, 105, and Ultegra front levers all work with either a double or a triple.

So if you upgrade your levers, you will have to upgrade your cassette and possibly your chain, but you can leave the crankset and front derailleur if you want to.

Doubles tend to be less finicky in terms of adjustments, and of course they're lighter. If you change to a double crankset you will also need a new front derailleur and bottom bracket.

At this point, one starts to wonder whether the cost of all these upgrades will exceed the price of a new and better bike, especially if you add in the resale value of a stock Trek 1000.

RichC

You can probably upgrade just the derailleur itself without messing up your indexing. If you really want 9 speeds, then you will have to replace both the cassette and the right-side shift/brake lever assembly. If you already have an adequate gear range with decent spacing between ratios, why bother?