Bike Upgrade

paulvoncken said:

My question is:

Is this the right strategy? I was thinking of buying a (partly) Shimano 105 set, maybe some fulcrum wheels.

What do guys think is the best investment to improve the ride? Or am I talking nonsense since it's not possible to do this!

FWIW. I say: "Make it so."

But, instead of 105 shifters/etc., I would suggest that you consider a pair of 10-speed Campagnolo (non-QS!) Ergo shifters ...
[INDENT]The 10-speed Campagnolo shifters will index with 8-/9-speed Shimano components. And, I believe they can be made to index to 10-speed Shimano components, too. Some minor tweaking may be required.

Since 7-speed Shimano is essentially the same as 8-speed, the 10-speed Campagnolo shifters should be good for your bike, too.

That is, if you opt for Campagnolo shifters then you won't have to change your derailleurs.

The cost will be between $100(US) for a USED pair to $400+(US) for a NEW pair of the higher end shifters. You can get a pair of new-style Veloce for under $200 via eBay ... a pair of pre-2007 seem to go for $100+.
[/INDENT]You will need cable stops which replace the downtube shifters + cables + housing. New Campagnolo shifters are often sold with the fore mentioned.

WHEELS. I presume your wheels have "loose bearings" (vs. cartridge bearings). Instead of new wheels, consider buying a pair of appropriately sized of cone wrenches + a PARK spoke wrench ... then, repack the hub bearings and adjust the spoke tension.

BTW. IMO, the so-called "Conventional Wisdom" that a person shouldn't spend money buying parts for an inexpensive bike is wrong thinking BECAUSE if the 'new' parts are chosen carefully then the parts can migrate to another bike in the future.

alfeng said:

FWIW. I say: "Make it so."
BTW. IMO, the so-called "Conventional Wisdom" that a person shouldn't spend money buying parts for an inexpensive bike is wrong thinking BECAUSE if the 'new' parts are chosen carefully then the parts can migrate to another bike in the future.

Thanks for the reply! Good comment about Campagnolo shifters, after reading some background information they indeed are the better choice (will physically test them tomorrow).

You were mentioning the Veloce shifters, does it make any sense to consider the centaur series (like this one), or even the 11 speed athena/chorus (probably wont fit my 7(8) speed shimano) + 11 gears is quit a lot (useful?).

And coming back to the "choose carefully" what are the glitches in choosing the right products?

(all shifters after 2007 are Non QS?!)

Many Thanks, appreciate the help![/lang]

paulvoncken said:

Good comment about Campagnolo shifters, after reading some background information they indeed are the better choice (will physically test them tomorrow).

You were mentioning the Veloce shifters, does it make any sense to consider the centaur series (like this one), or even the 11 speed athena/chorus (probably wont fit my 7(8) speed shimano) + 11 gears is quit a lot (useful?).

And coming back to the "choose carefully" what are the glitches in choosing the right products?

(all shifters after 2007 are Non QS?!)

The difference between the Centaur & the Veloce shifters is cosmetic -- the internal mechanism is the same -- so there is no advantage to choosing the Centaur shifters.
[INDENT]New 2010 Campagnolo Veloce 10 Spd ErgoLevers POST FREE on eBay (end time 31-Jul-10 10:23:26 BST)
[/INDENT][INDENT]Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed UltraShift Ergopower Levers on eBay (end time 16-Jul-10 06:58:01 BST)

I do not know if these come with cable stops -- ask the seller.
[/INDENT]You do not want the 11-speed shifters because they are not as "universal" as the 10-speed shifters.

In 2007-09, Campagnolo applied the 'QS' designation to the Mirage, Veloce, and Centaur shifters -- those shifters were based on the elegant, but not as robust, Xenon mechanism. The LEFT 'QS' shifter has limited capability to be used with the wrong front derailleur.

The 'Ultra QS' (?) label was applied to the Chorus LEFT shifter in 2007-2008 ... presumably, to provide artificial/(faux) marketing continuity.

FWIW. As an example of how universal the normal Campagnolo LEFT shift mechanism is, I recently resurrected a c1979 Dura Ace front derailleur (6-speed?) and installed it on the pictured bike -- it requires 4-clicks to move the particular front derailleur between the chainrings instead of 3-clicks.

The pictured bike is also an example of how simply changing the shifters (and, derailleurs) makes a so-so bike mechanically comparable to a much more expensive bike.