Refresco

Here is my dilemma: I have a beautiful fuji tiara 12 speed, probably a intermediate racing bike when it came out back in '88. Been riding a lot, and want to upgrade the gearing. Don't want to spend a ton of money so I was thinking about going with a Microshift White 10 spd group. What do I have to do to make this happen? Thanks for any info you might have

btw, this is my ride, I have the cherryweb: https://classicfuji.com/Tiara_1988_Page.htm

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

You'll need a lot.

Biggest thing is probably New wheels to accept a 10 speed cassette.
You'll more than likely need to spread the frame to fit the modern rear hub.
You might want to go with a modern 10 speed crank as well. That will require a new Bottom Bracket.
you'll need some kind of cable stops on your downtube.

Its gonna be hard not to spend a ton of money

Puget Pounder

You can probably get by with the shifters, new rear wheel, 10s cassette, and chain. The front derailleur cage may be too wide for a 10 speed setup, but some people get good success with this. The width between the chainrings of your old crank may be too wide.

I'd recommend finding 8 or 9 speed stuff as you can find that stuff for relatively cheap. 10 speed stuff is expensive, less durable, and probably a diminished return.

Or... find a cheap modern donor bike.

Refresco

The exact opposite I wanted to hear haha, thanks though. Could I get away with just an 8 speed? https://www.microshift.biz/pviewitem2...rea=45&cat=168

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Sure you could but It wouldn't change anything as far as what you'd need to do. You'll still need the shifters, rear wheel, rear derailleur, cassette and chain as Puget Pounder suggested at a bare minimum.

Its a cool bike....if it fits you and you love it, it might not be a bad upgrade. Honestly though if you really do love that bike and want to upgrade it you might want to go with something nicer than Microshift.

T-Mar

Well, if you're riding a lot and the bicycle is a 1988 model, it probably won't be too long before you'll have to replace the freewheel/cassette, chain and chainrings because they are too worn and won't mesh properly with new parts. That's the most economical time for this sort of upgrade. If possible, I'd wait until then.

mtnbke

11 and 10 cogs in back are sillyness.

Any cassette hub can run more modern "goes to 11" cassettes. Just lose one cog and use Sheldon's 8 of 9 on 7, or 9 of 10 on 7 if you feel you have to have modern 10 speed:

https://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#up7

However, I'd just go 8 speed (stronger chain, cogs, rings) or 9 speed. It is funny how many people extol the virtues of riding fixed while also getting rid of their "old" 8 and 9 speed set-up to "upgrade" to 10 speed. The two perspectives don't reconcile.

Refresco

Ok, here's what I think: Going to replace the freewheel with an 8spd (Was surprised they still make these new), then go with the microshift 8 speed group. I know microshift is not that great but I think it's just as good as tiagra or sora, which is what I would put on it anyway. I'll get the rear fork (what is that called?) spaced to a 130mm or 132.5mm. What do you guys think?

Refresco

Also, what tool will I need to take off the Freewheel? It's a 6spd MF z012 Shimano. There are a lot of freewheel remover tools and I'm not quite sure which one to use.

Puget Pounder

Give it a rest.

Puget Pounder

8 speed freewheel is not a good idea. The extra length on the freewheel puts stress on the axle, which may end up breaking. That's why you will see a majority of 8 speed setups with modern cassetes rather than freewheels. The cheapest thing to do if you MUST have STI is using your 8 speed shifters with a 7 speed freewheel. Spacing is close enough that you won't notice a difference.

Refresco

aw, I was so excited about the 8 speed free wheel. What axles could support this? I'm probably asking a very stupid question, but what are the chances of this happening?

Refresco

How challenging would it be to get a cassette on that wheel?

RobbieTunes

Pounder is right for the simplest and cheapest upgrade.

You either want speeds, or you want range. Range you can get with a 5-sp rear, that's 10 total.

7-sp STI's are out there, tend to be very expensive, unless you run across a set of Sora's.
8-sp STI's are more numerous, work with 7-sp freewheels, and generally cheaper.

Upgrade your freewheel to 7-sp, get 8-sp STI's. You may need an 8-sp RD, maybe not.
Or find a donor bike for $200-$300 and swap everything over, including wheels.

Refresco

If I wanted to use these pieces of crap: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microshift-8...#ht_2715wt_832 ...... What would I have to do to have them work with the 7 spd freewheel? Very helpful, thanks again guys

ctmullins 

Refresco, I can see that you're new here. May I respectfully suggest that you take some time to do some research? There are so many very knowledgeable people on these forums, and I'm quite sure that they've already answered all of your questions many times by now. Use the Search function. Read, read, and read some more. Then, when you're sure that your questions are, indeed, new, then post them.

Try reading through this thread for starters: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=retro+roadies

Good luck.

Puget Pounder

really just knowing how to install them and tuning your brakes/derailleurs. You should be able to use the derailleur you have on there, but if shifting is a little off, you may want something a bit newer.

Refresco

My apologies, yes I am quite new at the sight, and no, I do not have the time to read through 200 pages of a forum that probably doesn't have the correct information in it. Of course, you having a whopping 28 more posts than myself, I must respect your opinion.

Refresco

Thanks pudget, I'll have to look all this over. I do like the old components but the DT are not very fun. Thanks a lot guys!

Barchettaman

Chill out, he made a respectful suggestion. No need for a sarky response there.

Look at Kelly Take-Offs or Paul Thumbies to get your DT shifters up near the brakes. Bar end shifters get a lot of love on here.









Best of luck with your conversion.

mtnbke

I think you should use Kelly Take-offs and use Ultegra downtube 8 speed indexing shifters on them. You can then shift from the hoods and have full 8 speed Ultegra for less than $150 for shifters/Take-Offs/Derailleurs. Eight speed is stronger and lasts longer (again...thicker cogs/rings and wider chain).

However, it is your bike. Build what you like. I'd rather have good stuff than new mediocre stuff, plus I like older bits anway. The Modolo Morphos also comes to mind.

DubT

About a year ago I converted an older Santana tandem from 7 speed to 8 speed. I had a wheel that used an 8'speed freewheel, so that was not an issue. I was able to spread the rear triangle out some and the new wheel fit fine. I have ridden 8 speed free wheels on a tandem for thousands of miles so unless you are 300+ pounds I would not worry about the axle/wheel. I used a new Ultegra rear dérailleur and 8 speed bar end shifters, it worked great. I have since sold the bike and upgraded to a new tandem with 10 speeds that work great and are not silly.

Wayne

ColonelJLloyd 

Don't take offense. ctmullins was spot on with his advice and was courteous in delivering it.

You have the time to work on the bike and attempt upgrades, but not the time to read about how to do so? That doesn't jibe does it?

Here's how you do it.

Refresco

That wasn't information on how to do it, that was lot's of (ok, they were cool) pictures of old bikes with STI's. ( not your link, the one about the retro roadies)

ColonelJLloyd 

Oh, you're looking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to uprade your specific bike to your specific requirements for free?

I thought you might like to learn how to fish and feed yourself. My mistake.