Upgrading/replacing parts
 

I have had a Trek 4300 (non-disc) for about two years. Recently I had the bike stripped. The guy left me the frame, but took both wheels, the seatpost/saddle and almost everything off of the handlebars. He left me one shifter/brake lever, but cut all of the cables connected to it. So now, I am trying to upgrade/replace some of these parts. I went to my local bike shop, and asked them for advice as to what parts to buy, but all they would tell me is that it would be cheaper to just buy a new bike. I would like to prove them wrong. I don't want to spend a ton of money. If I could keep it under $300, that would be great. But at the same time, I don't want to buy crappy stuff.

The main difficulty I am having is with wheels. I still have derailleurs and rim brakes, so I need to get wheels that are compatible with these. My old setup used an 8 speed shifter. But I have to buy two new shifters anyways because they only come in pairs. I have been doing some reading, and I have noticed that most people use 9 speed shifters these days. With the derailleurs that I have, would it be possible for me to switch to a 9 speed, without buying a bunch of new parts? Would I have get a new chain? Sorry for all the dumb questions. I don't know much about bikes, I just want to save money by figuring it out for myself, rather than paying the people at the bike shop. What it comes down to, is that I am trying to decide between getting a 9 speed cassette, or an 8 speed cassette. Also, would it make any difference whether I get an 11/32 vs. an 11/34? would one work better with my current setup? I have no idea what my old cassette was.

Last question. Does anybody have any good recommendations for some decent mtb wheels (26")? I like to hit up the mountain trails near my school, and they are pretty rocky, and rooty. So I need something that can handle some bumps, without warping. I'd like to keep the wheels under $150. I've been looking at the Sun-Ringle Rhyno Lite wheelset, which seems to have pretty good reviews. Any advice? http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...7#ReviewHeader

Once again, I'm sure these are super simple, and stupid questions to you guys. Sorry for being an amateur. I would appreciate any advice you can give.

Personally I'd go for 8 speed, 11/32. 9 has no major advantage over 8 or even 7 unless you succumb to N+1 syndrome. 11/32 will be a bit more closely spaced than 11/34, so you'll lose a small amount of low-end gearing, but it should be more than enough regardless. Should you want to go for 9-speed, your old derailleurs should work fine, though you'll need 9-speed shifters.

On wheels, just about any properly built, high spoke count wheels should be fine. Go for at least 32 spokes, or preferably 36, in a 3-cross pattern.

Since you have to get new shifters, it would be an ideal time to upgrade to 9 speed.
If you shop around on the web, prices aren't that much more than 8 speed for cassettes & shifters..
9 speed cassettes offer many more gearing options than 8.
9 speed chain will cost about $10-15 more than 8.

Looking at the 2000-2011 4300's, it appears they all came with 22-24 tooth granny rings.
I'd think a 27-28T max large cog would be sufficient unless you climb walls.
IF you never used the smallest cog before, than you don't need an 11 tooth smallest cog.
Something like a 12-27 would give you closer spaced gears.

Sorry for your loss; I have over a dozen bikes and never let any of them out of my sight.

You can certainly buy the parts you need for $300 less the wheels.Whether you switch from 8 to 9 speeds depends a little on which shifter is left. If it's the right you may want to stay with 8 speeds. I have the disc version of the wheelset your looking at and it's really solid; just grease the bearings. BTW either 8 or 9 speeds will work with the hubs.

IMO pretty much the only way to do that is to buy an old bike.

Or faff about chasing after individual second-hand parts. Although the presence of a good co-op can change that equation...

I have had good experience with Rhino wheels. Those should be fine. If you don't know what you had before in terms of cassette, don't fret about it. Whatever you get will work fine.

Going 9 speed would be doable; however the 8 speed front derailer is slightly wider than a 9 speed would be. This MIGHT lead to more dropped chains and trickier shifts. It also might work fine. If it were me, I would probably get a 9 speed front D, since they can be had pretty cheap and it would give me peace of mind.

BL