tdister

A while back I got a near mint '92 C'dale H800 for a song. It is too small for me, but I need to sort it so I can decide what direction I want to go with it.

This is a Hybrid, but, excluding the 700c wheels, it is a rigid MTB...I thought I might get better help here.

It is a mix bag of parts. Deore XT canti brakes with Dia-compe levers, Deore XT der's front and rear with a shimano 7 speed cassette/freewheel/whatever. Grip shift of some sort.

The bike actually shifts perfect, but the shifters (cables?) pop and crunch when turning the handlebars. I want some triggers of some sort (unless someone knows a super simple fix for this. maybe). They both do it, and I would be surprised if this bike even has 100 miles on it. The rims are black painted and you really have to study them for signs of any brake wear. Excluding some minor scrapes and dust, this thing made a time warp to present day.

I have seen I can maybe use 7 or 8 spd triggers from shimano or Sram, Am I correct to assume I can't use the Dia compe levers it currently has with trigger shifters of a different brand? Do I need to take the canti style brakes into consideration when choosing levers that are compatible with my new shifters?

I tried to research this, but am getting lost on these last points and am going to a swap meet tomorrow...thanks much if you can help at all.

https://s233.photobucket.com/albums/e...cture004-1.jpg

MattP.

Unless your brake levers are attached to the shifters in some way (doubt it since they are grip shift), you can only replace the shifters.

You can replace both the shift levers/brake levers w/ an integrated Shimano set. My shop sells the set for $39.99, 7spd, comes with new cables and housing, and the brake levers can be switched to use ether cantis or v-brakes.

tdister

The shifters and levers are seperate, just wasn't sure how a trigger shifter set-up would mate with the current lever. The integrated system seems best though.

Is that a decent set-up, what you are selling?

One way I might go with this is to try to find a decent cycloX frame my size and swap everything over. I would need a different shifter/brake lever set-up in that case...

Thanks for the help. Quick too!

BearSquirrel

The "integrated" systems are the WORST!!! They do not allow you to put the triggers and lever in the optimum position. Mainly, you should be braking with just the index finger if possible and the index and middle finger if necessary. Good brakes do not require a handful.

The difficulty here is that most 7 speed stuff will not be high quality. SRAM has MRX grip shifts that will do the job and put the brake lever outboard where it SHOULD be! This will probably be the highest level component for 7 speed that you can get.

If you're stuck on triggers, 7 and 8 speed have about the same spacing. You can run an 8 speed trigger and just ignore lock the lowest gear out by adjusting the derailleur limit screws.

You are right that your canti brakes have to be taken into account. If you got a new integrated shifter it will likely have the leverage ratio for V-Brakes. You don't have these. So you'd have to switch as you would find braking VERY difficult as canti's relied on more leverage from the lever.

cs1

That's a really nice bike with some high quality components on it. If the XT rear is an M737 it can be used as either and 8 or 9 sp. The only problem is the cassette hub body on the rear hub. If you have a 7 sp hub you can swap to an 8/9 sp version for about $20.00 and a 10mm allen wrench.

Personally, I'd just keep it as a 7 sp, they work great. If the frame is too small, sell it on ebay and buy a Surly and swap all the parts over. I like to use Shimano Deore thumb shifters which are ebay all day for around $30 - $35 in very good shape. If you want to get rid of the old Dia-Compe 4 finger brake levers send me a PM and I will help.

Good luck on the project. You have the potential to build up a really nice ride.

Tim

MattP.

One finger braking is ideal on good v-brakes, mechanical discs, and hydros, but I have a hard time using only one finger on a cant setup.

Yes, integrated systems can't be adjusted as well, but if you're looking to get by fairly economical, it's what I would recommend.

tdister

Rear is an M732 with Wolber M59 rims.

I picked up a set of Shimano shifters today, they have no other ID on them. I am going to attack it after dinner and hope it works well enough. Hard to go very wrong for $5. Not integrated, hopefully everything plays together nicely.

I sanded off the top layer of the pads when I got it because of age, this thing actually stops pretty nicely.

A Surly frame, that would be nice, but I will need to save up for that. I am more of a wait and find a smoking deal kinda guy now days. Have my Trek, 95% finished beater road bike and just got the goodies to complete my Marin Muirwoods today too, not exactly hurting for another bike to spend $$ on.

Maybe if I can find someone to buy my World Voyageur...