1986 Ironman Crash
 

Bars are wrecked, including left SLR hood. Still functions crudely, frame seems ok, time to upgrade!

It's all 105 Friction. I know the basics, such as housing, stops at DT shift point, new bars with brifter set, and 130mm rear wheel.

Do I need a new RD? This seems to be where the price point gets steep. I don't feel I 'need' 20 gears on this bike, if that includes 200 bucks more in price tag and maintanance, etc.

What would be the poorman's way of going about this?

why is an '86 Ironman 105 friction? I think it would be 6 or even 7spd index

if you are going to 8/9/10 speeds you will need a new RD or at the very least new narrower pulleys.

is your frame and fork straight?

the need for more gears is driven by the manufacturer's, need to have something New!, Improved!!!
at each fall bike dealer's trade show.

( 9 is now last century, so will be least costly.. )

left/front brifters have big throws for each chainring,
so how the FD translates that cable pull,
is the unseen, X factor, in this scheme..

I don't understand what your question is.

What are you doing with the bike? Putting on STI shifters? I agree with Bianchigirll, 1986 105 should be indexed. Maybe the tab is just in the friction position?

STI shifters are a must after climing and fiddling with DT levers. Crash was actually caused by sticking my fingers into the spokes attempting no look FD shifts at speed. I would also like to shorten the stem, it's a bit long i've noticed.

I'd like to keep as many parts as possible simply because everything works flawlessly and has been very well maintained by me for almost a year now, and by the previous owners also.

Sorry for the confusion. The bike is an 87 model, frame made in 86. Yes the components are index ready, I just like friction for DT's. : )

a front mudguard has many benefits , covers the front tire as a finger guard..

back when I used downtube shifters,
I had the micro-ratchet levers, a quick slap was the single gear shifting technique,
unless I needed to make a double shift,

I went over to Bar end levers..

Brifters you need the 'speed' count of cassette, and Brifter to be the same.
give it a try with existing F&R derailleurs , you may get away without changing them.

Not sure about Centurion, but a lot of bike makers didn't adopt indexing until 1987. 7 speed indexing certainly didn't exist yet.

The absolute cheapest way to go would be bar-end shifters. If you can't find 7-speed ones, 8 speed may work ok for you. Otherwise you can use whatever ones you want in friction mode. So you'd only need to buy the shifters, cables, housing, and some cable stops for the frame.

If you want STI shifters with 9 or 10 speeds you need all of the above plus a new chain, cassette, rear wheel, and possibly new derailers. It will get pricy.

Hmm, all very interesting.

I think I'm going to pretty much replace the drivetrain with a used groupset for a 10 spd system and go the expensive route, as I'm not comfortable pushing these dated wheels to explosive limits. At least a 9 speed makes sense, as I can buy some pretty nice stuff that will still be able to grow with me, as 1 year on this dated system is about all I can take!

Pretty exciting considering I didn't even think this was POSSIBLE last week. I was going to give in and actually buy a new ride.

Just found a Fuji 52 in the town over for 500 OBO with 105's. Maybe I will go to the dark side considering I've bought the expensive things already, like shoes! :notamused:

Thanks for the info, I'll let you know what happens. I think I can tackle this now thanks to you guys. Time to go hunting for some parts or a whole new ride!

Has anyone ever bought a bike from bikesdirect.com, then gutted it for the components? So far seems like the best way to go about it, as a RD by itself can run 80 to 250 USED.

Those "dated" 36x3 or 32x3 wheels are way stronger and more repairable than any fancy looking low-spoke wheel. Unless you're racing the fancy stuff won't benefit you at all. And if you are racing you probably wouldn't be doing it on a 1986 Ironman.

I feel like fietsbob :50:

I do agree, however some cracks around the spoke nipples were brought to my attention, and I'm pretty squeemish to what a failed rim under speed looks like, let alone 100 miles from home.

I would love to keep the wheelset, the Mavic MA40's feel super light despite their age, and I like the high spoke count wheels. Not looking to invest in something that is weaker by design for minimal weight gains.

I can see that the inside of the cassette along the hub has splines *2mm straight depressed lines*, does this mean I could simply press on an 8 or 9 spd cassette and pass on the new rear wheel?

Where do I find this wheel repairing, frame welding wizards in the Texas Louisiana Area? My LBS's have been more than willing to refuse to work on my bike, or help me with identifying parts and pointers for what I want done.

If it's a 7-speed Freehub body (which it probably is) you can't just put an 8/9/10 speed cassette on there. But you can put 8 gears of a 9 speed cassette on. This will allow you to use 9-speed brifters and just lock out the extra click.

Alternatively (this would be my preferred solution) you can swap on an 8/9/10S Freehub body and run whatever cassette you want. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#transplant At this point your wheel should be spaced out to 130mm, so you'll have to bend your frame out a little to accommodate the new wheel.