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Hi,
my Sis has my old Cannondale roadie, it's the 3.0 frame, a real antique. I put huge cowhorn handlebars on it; she likes an upright riding position. We're planning on doing 40-50 mile days next year; so I need to make it a better ride. Gonna get her a new seat with ti rails. Just did a ebay thing and got a Derosa Planet fork for her; that means I also need to get her a 1" aheadset and a real short 1" stem.
But here comes the tricky part....I want to upgrade her shifting. Right now the bike has old Suntour components. You see some nice closeout prices this time of year, and that would make a nice Xmas present.
It looks like I'll need to get her a new rear wheel,cassette,rear der,front der, cranks, and shifters. 8 speed is fine. But there are, I imagine, a few details to pay attention to. One of them is that the bike was originally a double. It has a Sugino triple now, but I wonder if the Shimano cranks will alter the chain line. This is
something of a bargain project.
Here is some things I found at Jensen....

Description
Price
Quantity
Delete
Item Total

SR/SUNTOUR MD310 CRANKSET
170MM, 22/32/44, BK
$12




SHIMANO OCTALINK M440
CRANK OE
170MM, BK, 22/32/44, OE
$25




FORMULA HUB WEINMAN 519
WHEELS
36H, BK, F&R, 8 OR 9 SP
COMP
$45



SHIMANO DEORE REAR DER
LONG CAGE, OE
$19


SHIMANO DEORE SHIFTER SET
OE
9 SP, NO CABLES
$22
I threw the Suntour crank in there as a wildcard. I used to like Suntour better than Shimano,way back when.Prob best just to go with Shimano front to back. Any thoughts? (Oh yeah, thanks)

D*Alex

OK, first off-what is the dropout spacing? 126mm? 8-speed uses 130mm spacing, and C'Dales have an aluminum frame. You can not spread aluminum stays!

Why are you considering a MTB crankset for a road bike??

Why are you considering MTB derailleurs for a road bike?

Why are you trashing perfectly good Suntour stuff? I have some 12-13 year old Suntour index shifters and derailleurs-they work better than the Shimano stuff today!

FWIW, you are probably better off on converting it back into a double, and replacing as few components as possible. I would certainly think that trowing on a bunch of poorly suited MTB components on this road bike would be a big mistake. If you really need to put bullhorn bars on it, get some bar-end brake levers and a shorter stem. Leave the rest stock, or sell it and buy a MTB or hybrid.

pokey

I think you are simply kidding yourself.You simply don't seem to have a clue about alot of important issues. Index shifting requires knowledge of all the accompanying compatibility issues to begin with. Why the mtb cranks and the low gearing? If you go that way don't forget correct BB type and spindle length for the cranks. Stick with no more than 7 speeds and make sure all the index stuff is compaible. You need a triple front drailer to go with triple chainrings. Stick with downtube or barend shifters.Cheaper and alot fewer issues.Given the mention of the real short stem,does the bike even remotely fit her? You mention 8 speed and then list 9 speed shifters.Can't do that. I could go on,but maybe you get the picture?

D*Alex

...don't forget the issues of compatibility with flat-bar brake levers and roadbike calipers...........