Bike with Suntour SL group- yay or nay?
03-05-12, 07:27 AM
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Bike with Suntour SL group- yay or nay?
On my search for a daily bike I have received a tempting offer to buy a road racer with a Suntour SL groupset (all components appear to be of this type). As far as I was able to find, Suntour went bust in mid-90s and SL was discontinued around then.
1. Where does SL stand in line up in comparison to Shimanos? (600? 105?)
2. How is Suntour SL reliability in general?
3. It's a 2nd hand bike and it is likely to break down sooner or later. Can I replace current parts with Shimanos / other Suntours? i.e. are the mounting points for rear derailleur, sprockets and etc similar or equivalent?
Reliability is the main decision aspect- I do not intend to race the bike, but I want to use it for daily commuting and occasional long trips (3-4 days long). Also, repairs can be painfully expensive in where I currently live.
1. Where does SL stand in line up in comparison to Shimanos? (600? 105?)
2. How is Suntour SL reliability in general?
3. It's a 2nd hand bike and it is likely to break down sooner or later. Can I replace current parts with Shimanos / other Suntours? i.e. are the mounting points for rear derailleur, sprockets and etc similar or equivalent?
Reliability is the main decision aspect- I do not intend to race the bike, but I want to use it for daily commuting and occasional long trips (3-4 days long). Also, repairs can be painfully expensive in where I currently live.
Last edited by puqq; 03-05-12 at 07:28 AM. Reason: typo
03-05-12, 07:35 AM
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Is it a Japanese bike, or at least one w/ mostly ISO threading? If not, replacement bearing cups will be more expensive and harder to find.
I am a big fan of most SunTour components, and SL was near the top of the line.
If the bearings have not been maintained, you are looking at extensive and possibly expensive repairs. If you are concerned about reliability and the cost of repairs, then the condition of the bike is paramount.
I am a big fan of most SunTour components, and SL was near the top of the line.
If the bearings have not been maintained, you are looking at extensive and possibly expensive repairs. If you are concerned about reliability and the cost of repairs, then the condition of the bike is paramount.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
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Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
Thanks
03-05-12, 08:25 AM
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Well this may not help much but the real Suntour went defunct in 1988 or so anything made after that the with Suntour brand is pretty much second rate rather SR Suntour or Suntour SL.
03-05-12, 08:30 AM
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On my search for a daily bike I have received a tempting offer to buy a road racer with a Suntour SL groupset (all components appear to be of this type). As far as I was able to find, Suntour went bust in mid-90s and SL was discontinued around then.
1. Where does SL stand in line up in comparison to Shimanos? (600? 105?) IIRC the SL was as John points out topnothc stuff so I would rate it as 600ish
2. How is Suntour SL reliability in general? Suntour in general is very reliable
3. It's a 2nd hand bike and it is likely to break down sooner or later. Can I replace current parts with Shimanos / other Suntours? i.e. are the mounting points for rear derailleur, sprockets and etc similar or equivalent? If the bike was well maintaned or atleast not badly abuse your likely to suffer more frustration with flat tires than any breakdowns. Lots of things on bikes are common or unoffically standard like the deraillerur mounting and bearing sizes. Your biggest issue would be if you need to replace the freewheel or cassette (I an not sure which this bike has) but they can be found in dusty corners of older shops and on ebay.
Reliability is the main decision aspect- I do not intend to race the bike, but I want to use it for daily commuting and occasional long trips (3-4 days long). Also, repairs can be painfully expensive in where I currently live.
1. Where does SL stand in line up in comparison to Shimanos? (600? 105?) IIRC the SL was as John points out topnothc stuff so I would rate it as 600ish
2. How is Suntour SL reliability in general? Suntour in general is very reliable
3. It's a 2nd hand bike and it is likely to break down sooner or later. Can I replace current parts with Shimanos / other Suntours? i.e. are the mounting points for rear derailleur, sprockets and etc similar or equivalent? If the bike was well maintaned or atleast not badly abuse your likely to suffer more frustration with flat tires than any breakdowns. Lots of things on bikes are common or unoffically standard like the deraillerur mounting and bearing sizes. Your biggest issue would be if you need to replace the freewheel or cassette (I an not sure which this bike has) but they can be found in dusty corners of older shops and on ebay.
Reliability is the main decision aspect- I do not intend to race the bike, but I want to use it for daily commuting and occasional long trips (3-4 days long). Also, repairs can be painfully expensive in where I currently live.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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03-08-12, 12:44 AM
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it definately started losing its userbase during the mid and late 80's though.for a variety of reasons, one of which being failure to adapt to the indexed market
03-08-12, 01:14 AM
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Keeping the bike in all its Suntour glory will be more of a challenge than a Shimano setup by sheer virtue of the fact that; there's probably 10 x more Shimano stuff on earth than there is Suntour, SR, or what have you. But gruppos like the SL were some of the best designed components in its day and extremely reliable. SL down tube shifters are unarguable classics. Don't see it as a minus at all, go for it!
03-11-12, 01:19 AM
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The SL group was near Suntours top of the line, comparable to Shimano 600.
There is very little information about this group, the Cassette seems to be difficult to find.
Two years ago I was lucky and got a complete group, new. The only part it did not came with is the crankset.
There is very little information about this group, the Cassette seems to be difficult to find.
Two years ago I was lucky and got a complete group, new. The only part it did not came with is the crankset.
03-11-12, 05:47 AM
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I would buy it.
Suntour made some fantastic components. Even if you cant find Suntour SL replacement parts that quickly, there are many other Suntour parts that will be compatable. Even Shimano will work depending on what you are replacing.
-and if you ever get stuck, just come here to problemsolve.
Suntour made some fantastic components. Even if you cant find Suntour SL replacement parts that quickly, there are many other Suntour parts that will be compatable. Even Shimano will work depending on what you are replacing.
-and if you ever get stuck, just come here to problemsolve.
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