Upgrading 7 Speed Shimano 105 to 9 Speed Ultegra

chicago-<< What components will I need to fully upgrade the
bike to 9 speed Ultegra specs? Is it even possible to
upgrade a 7 speed to 9 speed specs? >><BR><BR>

If the frameset is stell, you may have to have the rear end
spaced to 130mm, Then a new rear hub that can accpet 9s
cogs, right shifter and rear der...rear der cuz I recommend
Campagnolo Centaur or Veloce, Rear hub, shifter set, rear
der...10s as well.

I would stay away from ultegra,. it is going to go thru a
major change in 2005(late 2004 actually) and a lot of
ultegra is going to become obsolete, then scarce..Ultegra is
pretty scarce right now.

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Boulder, CO, 80302
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Joe said:

I own an early 1990s road bike with Shimano 105 (7 speed)
components. I'd like to upgrade some of the components
(lighter wheels, 9 speeds). What components will I need to
fully upgrade the bike to 9 speed Ultegra specs? Is it
even possible to upgrade a 7 speed to 9 speed specs?

Easy enough if the frame is steel. Get the rear end
stretched from 126mm to 130mm by a framebuilder or do it
yourself (the latter won't leave the dropouts perfectly
vertical, but you'd be pushed to notice).

You'll need a new rear wheel build with a 9 speed hub and a
9 speed cassette, and new shifters. The cheapest are Dura-
Ace downtube levers, which are really rather nice if you're
used to shifting this way. Or you can go the STI route like
all the boy racers.

I changed the crankset and BB but you shouldn't really need
to. The old front mech is just fine. I also changed the
rear mech because the old one was getting on in years, but
the 7 speed mech should be OK; the sideways movement for a
given amount of cable pull is the same for all recent
Shimano mechs.

Zog The Undeniable said:

You'll need a new rear wheel build with a 9 speed hub and a
9 speed cassette, and new shifters.

You only need a 8/9sp hub body. If you space your hub for
128 mm, you won't need a new axel or to widen the frame. If
you'd like, you can keep your 7sp hub body and put 8 of 9
cogs from a 9sp cassette on.

You'll need a 9sp chain. I'd recommend barends before
downtube shifters.