Originally Posted by
willyn
I was given a 1990 Cannondale SH400. It has the original front and rear derailer’s. SunTour XCM w/ Accushift 7speed shifters. The owner told me that there was less than twenty five miles on it. When I first took it out I was having problems with the shifter but it may have been just stiff because it started working great. The only problem is when I went to take the chain off to clean and lube, I couldn’t find the master link but did find several of the side of some links fractured. From what I’ve read on here a replacement chain would be KMC 8.93. Before I get a new chain, should I just change out my derailleurs, shifters, and cassette to something better that I can still get parts for? Or is the bike worth that? I’ve seen some posts on hear and elsewhere call it a “cheap hybrid”. If so, is that because of the components? I’m keeping this bike to use so, original parts are not important.
It wasn't a cheap hybrid, it was a pretty good one, Made in USA, by gum.
You likely don't need to replace any of the shifting parts, but rather clean and lube them. This could be as easy as hosing them down with WD40 while shifting your way up and down the gears to get them all loosened up and then wiping them clean. Or you could disassemble the whole bike and clean and lube everything with something more substantial. Proper grease in the wheel hubs and bottom bracket, headset. It's possible the bike could stand new cables, new cable housing, new tires, tubes; those replaceable parts that we call consumables. But I've got several old bikes that are 100% original except tires, so I know it's not necessarily mandatory to replace everything.
Sounds like a new chain is called for, typical cost for that is between $10-20, so that's pretty painless. Any 8-speed chain would be fine on that bike.