Originally Posted by
Arrowana
The big issue that I see, is that the bike most likely has a freewheel, not a cassette, so swapping the rear wheel would be necessary for upgrading to 8 speeds. If it is only going to sit on a trainer, you could probably get a Sunrace 8 speed freewheel, but I wouldn't recommend that for actual riding. They aren't released yet, but Shimano A070 shifters will be 7 speed. There are also discontinued 7 speed shifters that you can probably find too.
When riding the bike, try and imagine what it would be like with drop bars. I was able to guess that they would feel great on my Schwinn, so I did a conversion, and was right. Pretty amazing that the bike felt great with 4" riser bars, and also drop bars 5" lower than the saddle.
Clearly, this is why I post threads like this!
The specifications do indicate that the bike has a Shimano 7-speed freewheel out back. I'm not familiar with the differentiation here--does it mean that I won't be able to install the cassette at all, or does it mean I still can, but I'd end up with a 24-speed fixie?
Assuming that I can't install the cassette, would it still be possible to use the ST-2303 brifters with the current 7-speed freewheel, or is the spacing between cogs different so I'd have problems with rear derailleur alignment? I actually am not against having two wheels for this bike if the brifters can work with either gearset, since I'd keep one wheel for road use and one wheel for trainer use and not have to deal with tire swaps when seasons change.
Otherwise, does this mean I need to start looking for extra rear wheel parts?
-Ed