Classic & Vintage - old bike, new stuff

Hello.

I have been searching the web a lot and i can't seem to find any info on something that has peaked my interest.

Please be gentle, hahaha, i'm a newbie at this!!!

I purchased a late 80's (i think) KHS triathlete 12 speed, many people here recommended that i post a pic here in the C&V forum, (it's my avatar picture) so that you can give me some info on it, also, some people here have been telling me that it might be the "John Howard" edition, but i don't think so because it doesn't have the signature decal or the shimano 600 group.

Here are some specs.

the downtube shifters, brakes, front and rear derailleurs are suntour alpha 5000.
the cranks are sugino vp130
it has 700x25c wheels
i think the rims are aluminium but i'm not sure, the hubs have a "SR" letters on them.
The drop bars read "champion" where the bar tape ends.

I got it down from 150 to 90 dlls at the local swapmeet, did i get a good deal???

are the components good even for the age???

I put new tubes and tires and i adjusted the brakes and derailleurs and the bike handles pretty good!!! it's fast, it shifts good, the FD is set to friction and the RD has index shifting, so far so good, no complains.

I am by no means a profesional rider, but i am getting pretty cought up in this sport!!!

What i'm interested in and can't find any info is, UPGRADING TO NEW(ISH) COMPONENTS!!!

Can i fit a newer tiagra group??? or shimano 105??? or any other modern (but not new as in 2011 released, those are freakin' expensive!!!) that can look and perform good on my bike???

BTW, i didn't mention SORA because a lot of people think that group sucks!!!

I was thinking that my bike would look sweet combining the old steel frame and geometry with new integrated brake/shifters and 9 speeds and all, i know that a 130mm modern wheel can fit with minor problems, but what about the rest???

Am i in over my head??? would this be to expensive to do???

Thanks in advance!!! :)

I'm not certain how to locate a larger photo of your avatar, so I don't know if I can tell which model it is. I rebuilt and sold one that sounds a lot like the one you describe. The frame itself was low to lower mid-range quality with stamped dropouts. My question to you is: if the current components are functioning well, why change them? It's likely that newer or contemporary components will far out-value the frame and fork. Aesthetically, (well my aesthetics anyway!) the mixture may be a bit jarring. But your frame does have 700c wheels, so your options for brakesets and lighter wheelsets are greater than if it was a 27 inch wheel set up.

Can you post some larger photos, including closeups of the drive side components?

Modern groups can be expensive, but there is no technical reason not to upgrade your bike. I have an older bike with modern 105... others here have updated their bikes with various levels of modern components.

Many people like to retain their old components in case they ever want to go back to stock. I have a place that is too cluttered to worry about keeping old components. ;)

Welcome to C&V.

Just read the STI thread, there are hundreds of bikes in the C & V club that have modern components. My 1987 Schwinn has 2003 DA STI on it, my 1992 Schwinn has 2003 Ultegra STI on it, etc. And I have converted many bikes for others.

Just realize unless you score a deal on components, converting a bike to a modern drive is expensive. My preferred route is to buy a donor bike, and swap everything: wheels, derailleurs, shifters, crankset, bb, brake calipers, etc. I then resell the derated donor bike. Keeps the out of pocket costs to a minimum.

Just read the STI thread, there are hundreds of bikes in the C & V club that have modern components. My 1987 Schwinn has 2003 DA STI on it, my 1992 Schwinn has 2003 Ultegra STI on it, etc. And I have converted many bikes for others.

Just realize unless you score a deal on components, converting a bike to a modern drive is expensive. My preferred route is to buy a donor bike, and swap everything: wheels, derailleurs, shifters, crankset, bb, brake calipers, etc. I then resell the derated donor bike. Keeps the out of pocket costs to a minimum.

+1. This is a great way to upgrade, and it's fun to play with different configurations.

Thanks for the welcome Little Darwin.

Azorch, i will try to post some pics up latter wen i'm home, the components it currently has are in good shape, the curiosity came up while searching ebay and found some groups of varying price range and i thought that it might be a good way to get my road bike with a decent group on the cheap, especially if i put the wrench time since i enjoy doing mechanical work on cars and stuff.

Also, i haven't seen a good bike shop brand road bike with 105's for less than 1000 dlls!!!