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08-11-03, 07:34 AM
I have a 2000 Cannondale F300 that was just falling apart, so I decided to repair it myself. I have been a long time mountain biker, but this was my first experience 'building'. I got some decent parts: Shimano XT rear derailleur, Shimano LX crankset, Shimano LX 9 speed cassette, Shimano LX shifiterset, and a new rear wheel. I also replaced the tires. I put about $400 into this bike, quite a bit of it was buying the unique "park tools" needed for bike repair. Well, I was actually shocked to find out how easy it went putting things together. I even learned how to tune my own bike!
So, the bike shifts great and I am happy with it. One part I didn't get was a new front derailleur, which is a very cheap part anyways. I had converted this bike from an 8 speed using SRAM 5.0 parts and it has a "Shimano A" front derailleur, which is probably the worst derailleur on Earth. So, it does work and shifts fine, but in some of the chainrings the derailleur cage is grinding against the chain and the noise annoys me. Would getting a new derailler designed for 9 speed solve my problem? I am pretty sure it is properly tuned, so I believe the problem is just in the physical limitations of the front derailleur.
I was also planning on buying a new brake system, because the brakes on the F300 are as cheap as they get, but I will probably upgrade to a CAAD4 or a CAAD5 frame next year and get new disc brakes, so it probably isn't worth spending $ on outdated technology.
So, the bike shifts great and I am happy with it. One part I didn't get was a new front derailleur, which is a very cheap part anyways. I had converted this bike from an 8 speed using SRAM 5.0 parts and it has a "Shimano A" front derailleur, which is probably the worst derailleur on Earth. So, it does work and shifts fine, but in some of the chainrings the derailleur cage is grinding against the chain and the noise annoys me. Would getting a new derailler designed for 9 speed solve my problem? I am pretty sure it is properly tuned, so I believe the problem is just in the physical limitations of the front derailleur.
I was also planning on buying a new brake system, because the brakes on the F300 are as cheap as they get, but I will probably upgrade to a CAAD4 or a CAAD5 frame next year and get new disc brakes, so it probably isn't worth spending $ on outdated technology.