Classic & Vintage - AHHH I messed up what should I do!!?? (wheelset content)

So I'm in the process of upgrading my 1990 Miyata 1400A to 8-speed Dura Ace 74xx. The wheels that are currently on the bike are a set of Matrix ISO C-II rims laced to the original Shimano 105 hubs. I acquired the derailleurs within the last month and recently received the DA 8-speed cassette. Well what happens when I go to put the new cassette on? IT DOESN'T FIT, DUH! Ah how could I not have seen it coming? For anyone who doesn't follow, the older 105 hub was only made to accept up to 7-speed cassettes, which until today had not clicked in my brain. Oh, and on top of this, I just had the wheels re-dished/trued!

ARRGHHH.

So, as I see it, I'm left with a few options:

-Rebuild the rear wheel with a new hub that will accept 8-speed cassettes (cost of the hub aside, can anyone give an estimate of how much this would cost?)

-Upgrade to a new wheelset - I am pretty happy with the current wheelset, but wouldn't mind something a little nicer, especially given that the rear hub won't accept anything higher than 7-speed. (can anyone shed more light on the wheelset, pros/cons etc).

-If I do upgrade the wheelset, what would be the best upgrade? I was looking at Mavic Open Pro's laced to either modern Ultegra or Dura Ace hubs. How much of a difference would this upgrade make as far as weight and performance goes? Is it worth it?


ARGGH I'm so bummed out and frustrated. I was looking forward to going on a nice ride tomorrow.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Why don't you swap the old freehub body for a 8-10 speed body?
Cheapest and fastest solution.

8/9/10 is one size (130mm), 6 and 7 are 126mm. Some suggest not forcing a wider hub into an aluminum bike. Measure the width at the dropouts, and you decide. Do a search, lots of opinions on this topic (I am in the camp that would not force a wider hub into an aluminum frame). Its really up to you.

Why don't you swap the old freehub body for a 8-10 speed body?
Cheapest and fastest solution.

You will still have to (minorly) re-dish the wheel. It's what I would do, it gets you rolling without inuring the major cost of a new wheelset.

The bikes dropouts are spaced at I believe 128. When I first brought the bike to my LBS we threw in a modern 10 speed wheel and it fits fine, so spacing is not an issue.

I totally forgot you can switch out freehubs bodies, this adds a new element to the equation...

On a positive note, I found a spare rear wheel I have that does accept 8 speed cassettes. It's a Shimano 600 hub laced to a Campagnolo Omega 19 rim. Compared to the Matrix wheel, it feels about the same as far as weight goes, but is there one wheel that is definitely better than the other? Maybe I should just use the Campy rear wheel for now and then when I get the cash I can pick up a new wheelset. Thoughts?

Thanks

Good news on the spacing!

is there one wheel that is definitely better than the other?

The rims and hubs are comparable, the only other difference would be the spokes. If one uses Double Butted spokes and the other Straight Gauge I'd say go with one with butted spokes.

If you want a cheap 8-10s freehub to swap in, I can help you out with a 32h Shimano 105 9s hub. I think that would be the easiest/cheapest solution. If that doesn't float your boat, I have Shimano 600 too. PM if you are interested.

I dealt with a similar issue last year and I ended up swapping the axle and hub body from a different wheel. It worked just fine.