Upgrade option for late 80's Bianchi Forza
06-22-09, 08:43 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Riverdale, NY
Posts: 761
Bikes: 2002 Seven Axiom
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Upgrade option for late 80's Bianchi Forza
Hey folks,
Bought a great condition Bianchi Forza circa late 80's. I have been using it for a commuter/rain bike simply because it has a pair of 28mm Conti 2000 touring tires on it.
The bike is a 2x 7 with downtube shifters and Exage 500ex RD.
I had the rear wheel that came with it hub HG50, re-laced in November as I started to pop a few spokes and figured best to start fresh.
I hate the brakes, single pivots that came with it but have a pair of 105's double pivots waiting to be put on.
Of course this rides like a tank when compared to my other steel or aluminum bikes.
Okay that said the questions are:
Can I get a 8-9 speed wheel on the bike?
Do I need a new RD if I put a 8-9 speed on it?
Do I need new rear shifter? I can not tell how many clicks I may get, but will assume it's maxed at 7 but how would I know?
Thanks Rob
Bought a great condition Bianchi Forza circa late 80's. I have been using it for a commuter/rain bike simply because it has a pair of 28mm Conti 2000 touring tires on it.
The bike is a 2x 7 with downtube shifters and Exage 500ex RD.
I had the rear wheel that came with it hub HG50, re-laced in November as I started to pop a few spokes and figured best to start fresh.
I hate the brakes, single pivots that came with it but have a pair of 105's double pivots waiting to be put on.
Of course this rides like a tank when compared to my other steel or aluminum bikes.
Okay that said the questions are:
Can I get a 8-9 speed wheel on the bike?
Do I need a new RD if I put a 8-9 speed on it?
Do I need new rear shifter? I can not tell how many clicks I may get, but will assume it's maxed at 7 but how would I know?
Thanks Rob
06-22-09, 11:10 AM
#2
Senior Member
If your frame is steel, it will easily spread from 126mm to 130mm to accomodate a 8/9/10/11 speed wheel. No need to cold set either. I have found that some aluminum frames will spread the necessary 4mm as well with little effort and no permanent bending.
Assuming you do not choose a wide range MTB cassette, your current rear derailler should not have any issues shifting a cassette with more cogs. The derailler does not provide the indexing so it doesn't care how many steps it takes to make the full sweep of the cassette.
Your current downtube rear shifter will shift a higher speed cassette but only in friction mode. You can still buy downtube shifters for 8, 9, and 10 speeds though if you want to keep indexed shifting. Your other option is to scope out Ebay for someone selling some used brifters which can generally be had very cheaply, compared to new at least. You can also buy single shifters new from some sources though 8 speed parts are becoming quite rare.
Assuming you do not choose a wide range MTB cassette, your current rear derailler should not have any issues shifting a cassette with more cogs. The derailler does not provide the indexing so it doesn't care how many steps it takes to make the full sweep of the cassette.
Your current downtube rear shifter will shift a higher speed cassette but only in friction mode. You can still buy downtube shifters for 8, 9, and 10 speeds though if you want to keep indexed shifting. Your other option is to scope out Ebay for someone selling some used brifters which can generally be had very cheaply, compared to new at least. You can also buy single shifters new from some sources though 8 speed parts are becoming quite rare.
