eogie

Please help me brainstorm! I'm playing with the idea of converting my 1990s Giordana from an 8 spd to a 10 spd. I live in Nashville, TN and feel limited. I purchased this bike off of craigslist for 300.00. It has Dura Ace STI shifters, hubs, and rear derailleur. The rest is Shimano 600. I'm thinking that I could sell these parts to help me afford a new group. Now, I'm not exactly sure what this upgrade entails. Would this require me to replace everything? I'd also like to keep the new group accurate to the time period.

I'm not sure if it's worth it. I kind of like the fact that it kicks my ass when I'm doing it for a workout, but not so much for just getting from point A to point B.

I'm looking for some people to help me brainstorm. I absolutely love everything else about this bike.

Any opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Eric

ericm979

10sp won't be "accurate to the time period". But only a weenie would notice and no one will care.

You will need new: cassette, chain, front derailleur, shifters. You can use the old rear derailleur if it is in good shape.

AEO

https://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=D6050
knock yourself out.

eogie

Why would I need a new front derailer and not one in the rear? The crank I currently have is a double. And I wouldn't be able to find any 10 spd Dura Ace components from the 90's? Sorry, I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to this. I love the components I have now and don't think modern equipment would compliment the frame very well.

Thanks for the help.

BananaTugger

The 8 speed and 10 speed front derailleurs use a different geometry and wouldn't work if you tried them with shifters that use a different cable pull ratio than the derailleur was designed for.

eogie

Thank you, I like knowing exactly why. So I don't need a new crankset, correct? I'll only need "cassette, chain, front derailleur and shifters".

My rear hub says "8SIS" yet I can still use a 10 spd cassette?

I for some reason thought that this would be a much bigger deal.

BananaTugger

Yep.

eogie

Awesome!

So, I just need any 10spd double derailleur?

Thanks again!

cyccommute 

Sorry but this is incorrect. The spacing from 8 to 10 speed cranks haven't changed. A new front derailer would be unnecessary, although the cheapest part of the conversion.

eogie

Why do Campy shifters look so much sexier than Dura-Ace?

JoelS

I'm not sure, but you might need to have the rear triangle opened up a little to accommodate the wider 10spd hub.

eogie

So I DO need to get a new hub? The reason I keep second guessing everyone's statement is because I was told by a mechanic that I would have to replace nearly everything to convert to 10 spd....and the fact that I'm getting different answers.

BananaTugger

o rly?

cyccommute 

Changing from 8 to 10 speeds would only give you marginal benefits for a whole lot of money. All it does is give you a 14 and 16 tooth gear around the 15 tooth cog (12-25 cassette)...not much difference. You are looking at ~$400 for very little return. Shifters are going to be the most expensive part of the conversion but they are going to be expensive enough.

Before you go changing anything, go do some gear calculations here to see if it's worth putting more into the bike then you paid for it.

oneradtec

I've got an old early 90's steel frame....it's an Italian Ciocc, lugged steel, Columbus tubes, chrome fork and chrome rear triangle. It's currently got 8 spd Dura Ace, probably the original group put on by the first owner. Anyway, I was thinking a new groupset and new wheels for this baby. Fits and rides like a dream

cyccommute 

Yes, really. If you are saying that he can still use his 8 speed crank (which he can), then what has changed? Even if he had to change rings to accommodate the narrower chain, he could still use the same crank since the spacing between the gears are unchanged.

From Sheldon Brown

Many front derailers are designated for some number of speeds in back. This is actually primarily a marketing distinction, not a functional one. Pretty much any front derailer will work with any modern chain system.
It is true that the cages have gotten slightly narrower to match the narrower chains used on systems with more rear sprockets, but this is rarely a problem in practice.

Voodoo76

I converted a mid 90's steel Davidson. You can use existing crank but I changed it for the stiffer BB design. Bought Ultegra, mix of used (shifters) and new (front derailleur) off ebay for about $350. Sold the mint 8-Speed DA shifters and rear derailleur for about half that back. The only thing carry over is the 8spd brakes. Works perfect, pretty minimal investment.

You can use 8 old chain rings, I put a pair of new DA's I'de had sitting around that were 8spd vintage.

Richard_Rides

I have an 8 speed bike made in 1996 and I took the wheel off my 2005 10 speed and tried to put it between the dropouts of the 8 speed bike and the 10 speed hub was too wide.... I would need to spread out the rear triangle to make it fit.

cyccommute 

Here's just about everything you need to know about 7-8-9-10 speed stuff without having to worry about someone selling you something. No, you don't need to spread the rear triangle on an 8 speed. It's a 130mm hub (measure to be sure) and, if it will take an 8 speed cassette, it will take a 10.

Shimano will tell you that you need to replace it all but they are in the business of selling parts. The more they sell the more they make. But, realistically, there are many compatible parts. Derailers - front or rear - don't care what kind of shifter is tied to them (mountain and road are different in the front only). Shifters only care about the number of shifts you need to make on the front (2 or 3) and rear (7 to 10). Cranks haven't changed between 7 and 10 (with some small differences that aren't that important).

To make this kind of change, assuming that the current parts are working well and not worn out, you'll need a cassette, shifters and a chain*...and a pile of money

*You may need cables, cable housing, handlebar tape and, possibly but not probably, new chainwheels if the chain doesn't mesh with the 8 speed chainwheels.

travkat

Having worked in a shop and wrenched on a bike or two I would say that it is totally not worth upgrading an 8 spd bike to 10spd. The primary reason being that the spacing of the rear triangle is not big enough for the width of the 10spd cassette. Couple that with all of the new parts you have to buy you could probably purchase another bike to ride with brand new SRAM rival or Shimano Ultegra and keep the cool old school bike original.

but either way good luck and ride hard!

travkat

you might be able to fit the cassette. But again the cost of all the parts starts to get up there.

cyccommute 

8 speed road hubs have been 130mm since they were introduced. 10 speed road hubs are still 130mm. If the bike had 7 speed hubs, it might be 126mm but even then, it's easy to spread the rear triangle that 4 mm by hand without setting the frame.

eogie

I've replaced brake cables, housing, tape, bars and tires. The rest of the bike is in excellent condition, besides some scratches and chipped paint. I'm thinking that I can complete this conversion without shelling out too much money. Thanks for everyone's help. This conversation has definitely shed some light on the subject!

Thanks!

Eric

eogie

One more question that I couldn't find an answer to. When did Shimano first introduce the 10 spd system? I'm trying to find the most accurate to my bike. I wasn't able to find out on Sheldon's site.

Thank you!

dperreno

I believe the Shimano 10 speed stuff became available around 2003? I was building up a bike at the time they were just introducing it. Now, of course, it seems that finding a minty 9-speed set of DA shifters to replace my Ultegras is more expensive than just buying some new 10-speed ones!