derailleurs

Hidden1229 said:

I have shifters on my frame, down below the handlebars. I was thinking of switching over to the brake lever/shifter combos. Are they any good? Is it possible to make a change like that? Also, I found one pair that said it was only compatible with "brand a" rear derailleurs. Does it really make a difference? 😕

Yes, yes, and yes.

Okay, are there any out there that don't require a certain brand derailleur? I bought the bike from a friend. I'm not sure how old it is but it's a cannondale, with blaze derailleurs.

Hidden1229 said:

Okay, are there any out there that don't require a certain brand derailleur? I bought the bike from a friend. I'm not sure how old it is but it's a cannondale, with blaze derailleurs.

The makers want you to buy the entire groupset. For people who like to mix and match, there are conversion units, that either change the spacing of the cogs or the movement in the cable. These are designed to allow Campag and Shimano to be used together, dunno about blaze.

Hidden1229 said:

Okay, are there any out there that don't require a certain brand derailleur? I bought the bike from a friend. I'm not sure how old it is but it's a cannondale, with blaze derailleurs.

Well, you start by throwing the Blaze [censored] away.Then if you want more than 7 speed, throw the rear wheel away too.....Hint, index stuff is desined to work as a system, and the suntour stuff is a dead end when it comes to sti/ego.

I figured when I couldn't find anything online regarding "Blaze" components I should probably think about replacing them. I have a 10 speed, not 7. What brand do you suggest that are inexspesive, but good quality for a beginner?

Hidden1229 said:

I figured when I couldn't find anything online regarding "Blaze" components I should probably think about replacing them. I have a 10 speed, not 7. What brand do you suggest that are inexspesive, but good quality for a beginner?

I would not waste my money.Go buy a bottom end bike with 7 or 8 speed sora STI on sale or clearance, and you will be way ahead.

I upgraded my old ten-speed, it's now a 27 speed. It was worth doing this because the frame is a good one, and I have had no problems fitting the new stuff.
If you want to start putting good kit on your old bike, the first question to ask is "is it worth it"? If the frame is a cheap one, then the answer would be no; buy a better bike that already has the type of groupset you want. Until you can afford to do that, keep riding the old bike without spending any more than necessary to keep it running.

Personally I think the frame I have is a good one. I don't know a lot about bikes, but it's light, fast enough for me, and seems to be pretty sturdy. I think it could perform better with better parts on it.

Hidden1229 said:

Personally I think the frame I have is a good one. I don't know a lot about bikes, but it's light, fast enough for me, and seems to be pretty sturdy. I think it could perform better with better parts on it.

5 speed blaze crapola did not come on good frames.

Hidden1229 said:

I have shifters on my frame, down below the handlebars. I was thinking of switching over to the brake lever/shifter combos. Are they any good? Is it possible to make a change like that? Also, I found one pair that said it was only compatible with "brand a" rear derailleurs. Does it really make a difference? 😕

if you don´t want indexed shifting then you could try a unit that mounts a downtube shifter to the bars just inside the brake levers ( see www.ctc.co.uk and search the shop for details ) but it´s not going to be a cheap option .

save your money and buy another bike - with all these idiots who just have to have 10 speed there are a lot of 9 speeds going cheap .

Hidden1229 said:

I have a 10 speed, not 7.

Someone should also point out that when we say "7 speed" or "9 speed" we're referring to the number of cogs (gears) on the rear cassette, not the total number of speeds the bike has. Old "ten speeds" have 5 cogs on the back and two chainrings on the front. We refer to that as "5 speed" here.

I just wanted you to be clear in that you're not getting fewer gears with a 7-speed or anything else suggested.