Originally Posted by
milbournosphere
I'm not too keen on the downtube shifting; I think my upgrade will include brifters, should I be able to find a pair at a reasonable price.
Thanks for the info on the 11t vs 14t. I've got a 14t used with a Sugino 42/52 crankset now, and with my ride having many slightly downhill segments (lots of up/down on my commute ride), I find myself spinning out on those segments. I figure an 11t might help in those sections.
Since the threads are pretty standard, I think my plan of action will be to keep my existing rims/hubs, pick up a 7sp shimano freewheel and pick up a Shimano rx100 rder, fder, crankset (rebuild my current bracket) and pick up new brakes, as the springs on mine are pretty shot.
Looking around, the local craigslist is pretty sparse on donor bikes (with the exception of beat up mountain bikes), but ebay prospects don't look bad.
Hopefully I'm not doing anything too wrong with this approach?
The problem with buying a bike on eBay is the cost of the shipping. Unless of course you come across a bike that is local, you go can go pick up.
I found the 2004 Felt F90 that I parted out on Craigslist. For some reason many Felt Sellers/Owners seem to think that their used bikes are worth more than they sold for new. Recently, I spotted a Felt F90 on eBay that the Seller was selling in a package with some clothes, a helmet, and a u-lock. His opening price was $900, and the bike cost $600-$679 when it was new back in 2005-2006. The bike I bought had a cracked frame (at the headset) so it was done. I offered the Seller $80 up front (his ad was make offer), and he accept it without hesitation. I barely found $80 worth of parts in it (to my thinking), when I broke it down. I mean I got a pair of Alexrims AT450s that were worth $110 when new, a set of Sora 8-speed brifters (in great shape), a Claris FD (in good condition but low product level), a Tiagara 9-speed RD (in great shape, looks like the 105 RDs that I use), seatpost, threadless handlebar stem, handlebars, a set of low grade OEM Tekro Interupter Levers, and a FSA crankset with nice generic sealed cartridge bottom bracket. Not a screaming deal, but an okay deal, based on the parts I can reuse.
This is the kind of deal you should look for. A broken frame holding a collection of parts that you can use. There are lots of bikes for sale to choose from here in SoCal, but not many screaming or even okay deals to be had. You need to be patient if you're looking for a deal on a donor bike, and be ready to walk away if the deal is not going to yield the parts that you are looking for.
Front derailleurs on the 7 systems are friction, and since the spacing is the same, you don't have to replace the front derailleur until you are ready to (use existing FD with brifters or downtube shifters). I picked up an eBay deal with RX100 mini-group consisting of: FD, RD, and dual pivot brake calipers a couple of weeks ago from an eBay Seller for about $23 shipped. The calipers need cleaning/polishing, and there is a plastic trim piece missing from the cable adjusters, but they should clean up fine. The derailleurs look fine. I'm planning on putting these parts on the 1994 Trek 1400 that I'm restoring (originally came with RX100). The Felt wheels and threadless handlebars stem, Felt handlebars, and Sora shifters are going on this bike. The Felt F90 came with Tekro dual pivot brake calipers, but I prefer the RX100 brake calipers, and am going to sell the Tekros (or keeping them as spares).