Upgrading components on a 531 frame.

[Manonabike]

I've read a few people here that have successfully upgraded an old 531 frame and I would love to do the same, however, I have no idea of the cost.

How much would cost to upgrade a 531 frame to say 9 speed bike?

Any tips on best places to buy the parts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MajorMantra]

If you scrape around on ebay and forum classifieds you might not spend too much - a lot depends on what level of kit you want. Look here for some inspiration and bear in mind that you may have to pull your rear dropouts apart to take a 9 speed wheel.

Matthew

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

The cost will obviously be dependent on the end product you want and what you have to start off with.

In UK I find www.sjscycles.co.uk has quite a few retro parts that other places don't sell. Obviously ebay is a great resource, including sellers outside UK, e.g. companies which presumably service old bikes in e.g. Asian markets - you can reach those if you tweak the Advanced Search settings.

A good place to start to figure out what actually needs to be done is to read through some of Sheldon's pages, such as:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
for rear wheel spacing

http://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html
for some sizing issues

http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html#reach
for potential brake mounting

etc.

Upgrading and building retros seems to be a bit of a booming hobby.... It is not half as bad as sailing, which as they say is like standing in a cold shower tearing up £50 notes!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

If you scrape around on ebay and forum classifieds you might not spend too much - a lot depends on what level of kit you want. Look here for some inspiration and bear in mind that you may have to pull your rear dropouts apart to take a 9 speed wheel.

Matthew

i had a 9 speed wheel (albeit with an 8 speed cassette) in my '80s 531 frame with no problem at all.

 

[MajorMantra]

i had a 9 speed wheel (albeit with an 8 speed cassette) in my '80s 531 frame with no problem at all.

I didn't say it was a problem, but it's something to be aware of as Sheldon discusses. With some setups it's straightforward simply to shove the wheel in but sometimes people prefer to pull the rear end apart permanently.

Matthew

 

[PpPete]

I've read a few people here that have successfully upgraded an old 531 frame and I would love to do the same, however, I have no idea of the cost.

How much would cost to upgrade a 531 frame to say 9 speed bike?

I've done this a couple of times. Older frame will be freewheel rather than cassette, so count in cost of new wheels (and tyres & tubes) as well as cassette, front & rear derailleurs, new chainset & BB, new chain, possibly STI shifters....then you'll be going so fast you may want new brakes... then you'll be having so much fun and spending more time on bike so you'll want a Brooks saddle. Then maybe you'll want new handlebars, and decide that a new headshet & stem needed to got with that. Oh and don't forget the cost of the tools you'll need. And by the time you've "finished" some of the eBay "bargains" that you figured would save you money on the total cost have given up the ghost and you'll replace them with new.

It really is cheaper to buy a new bike - but not half as much fun.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

It really is cheaper to buy a new bike - but not half as much fun.

Can't agree more!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

It really is cheaper to buy a new bike - but not half as much fun.

Can't agree more!

so true

 

[swee'pea99]

I've done this a few times. It's easy peasy and dirt cheap if you get all your bits off ebay (carefully - with patience and homework). Oh, and as someone says above, keep an eye on sjscycles - they do have useful bits and bobs.

Unless you have some major reason to want 9, I'd go for 7. Why? Because 7 is enough, because for 7 all you need is a new freewheel - a tenner off ebay, give or take - rather than a whole new wheel, and because a 7-speed setup is much more robust and durable than a 9.

The one significant skill you will need that's not probably in your current 'toolkit' is redishing a wheel. Google it for instructions. And believe me it's not half as tricky as it sounds.

Do check out bicycletutor.com - lots of good vids on there. Park Tools and Sheldon Brown for backup.

Good luck! Have fun.

 

[Manonabike]

Wow, quite a few points to clarify.... I hope I don't miss many

What bike do I have and why I want to upgrade it?

I have a Raleigh Vitese 90/91 7speed and in pretty good condition as it has been stored most of it life but I have been using it regularly for the last two years or so.

Why do I want to upgrade it? Well, I have got so much pleasure out of riding this bike that I just don't want to get rid of it and I don't have enough room for another bike, so I've decided to upgrade it

The bike is as you see it there but it now has a 30 T cassette, spd pedals and a team pro brooks saddle, the rest is all original.

Do I need 9 speed? the answer to that is "not really", as long as I have a big cassette. BUT it is now very hard to find the 30 T cassette or sprockets to replace and this problem is bound to get worst so I thought "I will upgrade and avoid future headaches trying to find parts."

What are my main priorities? STI shifters and a big cassette or maybe a not so big cassette and smaller chairing.

Tools? I have a bike tools box that I have never used and it seems to have most of the tools I will need. The biggest job I have ever done was to replace the cassette .

Mechanical Knowledge? Very little, but I love a challenge and since I have fun everytime I clean / maintain my bikes I thought "great opportunity to learn while I rebuild myself a new bike"

Budget? The figure I have in mind is £300 but I'm sure I will be told here that is too optimistic


Would I prefer buying a new bike? In all honesty, I have read how enthusiastic and proud of their achievements people post here and I just want some of that maybe I'll buy a new bike some day as for now I only have room for my wife's bike, my daughter's bike of two of mine!


Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

 

[Manonabike]

Would £120 a fair price for a pair of used Shimano Dura Ace 9 speed STI shifters? What would be a good price?

The hub on my bike is 17 or 18 years old and it was originally fitted with a 7 speed cassette, will this hub take a 9 speed cassette or do I need new wheels? How much would a set of wheels that takes a 9 speed cassette cost? New or used.

What would be a good price for a used Shimano Dura Ace chainset?

Thanks for your help

 

[gbb]

Hi Manonabike..
I did this a while ago, the bikes now on its second winter and so so much nicer to ride when upgraded...more gear options. (i upgraded mine to 8 speed)
Take a lookee...
http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=9017
There's not much technical info in that post, i did post somewhere else with specs and costs. I'll see if i can dig it out.

Wheels were Shimano R500 Tiagras, about £68 pair at the time (they're considerably more now)
I was lucky that i had a dirt cheap pair of Sora STIs, most of the rest came off ebay etc.
There wasnt anything that difficult about it (although tools are my trade) and i'd definately recommend anyone willing to try...should.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

To go beyond 7 speed you have to have a different rear hub. You can see the reason, and other implication/impact if any on the rest of your components (chain, cables, possibly rear derailleur, possibly chainset), depending on the end point you want, in:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html

The rear drop out spacing will have to increase from your current 126mm to 130mm. Spreading the rear stays apart by merely 4mm is unlikely to be a problem for a steel frame.

I am not familiar with the their price and obviously dependent on their condition but a used pair of Dura Ace brifters for £120 sounds a little steep given a new pair of 10 speed can be bought for £200 in:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Shimano-D...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR?hash=item1c0e2af8b1

 

[Manonabike]

Nice bike!!!!

Yeah, I read about expanding the dropouts..... I'll have a go at that

Would a 10 speed shifter work with a 9 speed cassette?

The 10 speed shifter on ebay is by far the cheapest I've seen and that makes me think.... is that too good?

So, I will get some wheels, I was hoping that I could use my current wheels B)

I will get a nice pair of shifters and a chainset - any recommendations?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I don't believe a 10 speed shifter will work with a 9 speed cassette. It is because the 9 and 10 speed cassettes take up essentially the same width end to end and therefore have different pitch.

An amazing treatise on the subject of mixing and matching drive components, which is quite critical for us lot acquiring/applying bits potentially from different decades, versions and manufacturers, is at:

http://www.ctc.org.uk/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=3946

I have not checked other shops but Ribble is selling a 10 speed mech for about £240 without a decent discount (I think they always offer a "discount", the current 15% is kind of low...). If you wait a bit for the Xmas/New Year sale and/or check with other shops you might even end up paying £200 from a proper shop.

Rear mechs, front mechs or chainsets are not generally considered performance critical (in that even cheaper ones work well), nor number of speeds (above 5 in my view ) as someone has already mentioned earlier. Wheels are, because of rotational mass at speed, and can be very bling if that is what you want too. I personally believe it is worth doing research and spending money on the the lightest yet adequately strong wheels, especially when you have to get a different rear hub/cassette to meet your goal anyway.