Originally Posted by Infodiva
...For the 720, one thing I know I'm going to want to do is update the drivetrain a bit (add some gearing options, mainly). I have no plans to swap out the barcons, though. How easy is it to go from 5 or 6 gears in the back to 7 or 8? I'm assuming I'll need to spread the rear dropouts to accommodate, etc.
You may be quite happy with the gearing already on the bike. In that era, gears were selected for REAL humans, not for Lance and five other guys. So, of the 18 gear choices on the 720, at least twelve will likely be very usable.
In contrast, I have seen some 2005 bikes with "20 speeds" that have maybe eight that are in the range the average person uses and that are not exact duplicates of each other. In 2005, bike gearing is about marketing, not about providing real riders with real gearing options.