I don't mind jumping on this. My main road bike is 1995 Waterford with Reynolds 753 steel. When I got the bike it was equipped with Chorus 8 sp. I upgraded to Centaur 10 sp. It performed about the same as the old Chours, which is to say very well thank you. I eventually swapped wheels to Zonda's. WOW. that really made a big difference. The other wheels were Centaur 32H hubs laced 3 cross on OP rims.

I am a firm believer in good wheels now. They make a much bigger difference than I thought. If you really want to bring an old bike up to modern standards invest in good wheels first.