upgrade to STI

I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they had to
say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the downtube, or
any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that what they
all say

Currently I've got Suntour front and back deuraillers, RX100 double crank and shimano 6speed
cassette (haven't had a close look to see what series). I put velocity wheels, new handle bar/stem,
seat + post a while ago so am reluctant to get a brand new bike. The frame (soverign star) is a
little scratched, but is amazingly light and would look fine after a coat of paint. It's just a
little-run around, just to get me to uni and back each day, and the occasional long ride on the
weekends when I get time.

I was looking at getting a SORA groupset. I've heard rumours of a gear cable boss clamp thingy that
I could put on my downpipe but can't seem to find info on it. I guess all I need is a way of fixing
the gear cable housing to the frame near the top of the downpipe.

any info / websites / advice would be greatly appreciated.

damo

 

In article <[email protected]>, damo <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they had to
>say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the downtube, or
>any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that what they
>all say

This is certainly not true, but it may not be worth the money to upgrade it.

>Currently I've got Suntour front and back deuraillers, RX100 double crank and shimano 6speed
>cassette (haven't had a close look to see what series).

I think this would require enough parts replacement that the upgrade is probably not worth the money
unless the frame is very special to you.

> I put velocity wheels, new handle bar/stem, seat + post a while ago so am reluctant to get a
> brand new bike.

That makes me wonder what kind of rear hub you have. Did you rebuild an old 6-speed cassette hub
with new rims? Is it really an
8/9 speed hub with 6 cogs on it? It would make a big difference in the feasibility of your plan if
you have a modern hub.

> The frame (soverign star) is a little scratched, but is amazingly light and would look fine after
> a coat of paint. It's just a little-run around, just to get me to uni and back each day, and the
> occasional long ride on the weekends when I get time.
>
>I was looking at getting a SORA groupset.

You would be better off getting a Sora-equipped bike and if you really like your frame better, sell
the Sora bike's frame immediately. Low-end component groups are not generally seen at good prices in
the aftermarket compared to on new complete bikes.

> I've heard rumours of a gear cable boss clamp thingy that I could put on my downpipe but can't
> seem to find info on it.

Such things definitely exist. In fact you can often take the cable stops designed for the down-tube
braze-on style mounts and then mount them onto the clamp from an old set of clamp-on shifters.

 

A Random User writes:

> I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they had to
> say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the downtube, or
> any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that what they
> all say
>
> Currently I've got Suntour front and back deuraillers, RX100 double crank and shimano 6speed
> cassette (haven't had a close look to see what series). I put velocity wheels, new handle
> bar/stem, seat + post a while ago so am reluctant to get a brand new bike. The frame (soverign
> star) is a little scratched, but is amazingly light and would look fine after a coat of paint.
> It's just a little-run around, just to get me to uni and back each day, and the occasional long
> ride on the weekends when I get time.
>
> I was looking at getting a SORA groupset. I've heard rumours of a gear cable boss clamp thingy
> that I could put on my downpipe but can't seem to find info on it. I guess all I need is a way of
> fixing the gear cable housing to the frame near the top of the downpipe.

Clamp-on DT bosses are a kludge.

STI isn't going to improve your life, or your cycling performance. And it'll make your bike more of
a target for the thieves at school.

Stay with the DT shifters and be happy.

 

"damo" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they had to
> say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the downtube, or
> any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that what they
> all say
>
> Currently I've got Suntour front and back deuraillers, RX100 double crank and shimano 6speed
> cassette (haven't had a close look to see what series). I put velocity wheels, new handle
> bar/stem, seat + post a while ago so am reluctant to get a brand new bike. The frame (soverign
> star) is a little scratched, but is amazingly light and would look fine after a coat of paint.
> It's just a little-run around, just to get me to uni and back each day, and the occasional long
> ride on the weekends when I get time.
>
> I was looking at getting a SORA groupset. I've heard rumours of a gear cable boss clamp thingy
> that I could put on my downpipe but can't seem to find info on it. I guess all I need is a way of
> fixing the gear cable housing to the frame near the top of the downpipe.
>
> any info / websites / advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> damo

Hmm, a tough one. If you really want to go STI, your lbs should be able to order the proper parts
from one of their suppliers. Sounds like they don't really WANT to is the problem.

If you can afford it, keep the campus bike a campus bike and buy a used "racing" bike for your
weekend jaunts. Since the #1 place for bikes to get stolen is on college campuses, you don't want
your pride and joy to end up in someone else's garage. I built a Motobecane up out of spare parts
strictly to ride back and forth to school, just so my nice bikes wouldn't tempt anyone.

Going used may be the only way you can get something decent for not a lot of $$...

The mechanics at your lbs are probably the best bet for used parts locally. After that,
www.roadbikereview.com, www.bikereview.com, or rec.bicycles.marketplace are good places to keep an
eye out for stuff.

Mike

 

damien-<< I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they
had to say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the
downtube, or any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that
what they all say

We all don't say this-There are ways to clamp on a band or bosses to the downtube for the cable
stops for STI or ERGO. Just find a bike shop that knows something.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

damo <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm looking to upgrade my bike to STI, and went and took it to my lbs to see what they had to
> say. Apparently, due to the old frame, I don't have cable bosses near the top of the downtube, or
> any lugs to attach to. He was pretty much saying that I needed a new bike (isn't that what they
> all say

You have to check the rear dropout spacing. It's probably 126 mm. If your frame is steel, it can
be spread to the 130 mm required for modern systems. If the frame is Alu, I wouldn't bother
upgrading. In fact, depending on the fit and quality of the frame, it may not make sense to
upgrade a steel frame.

I upgraded my old steel bike, but it was of good quality, fit me perfectly, and I had a certain
emotional attachment to it. ;->

Art Harris

 

If you can't find this at a LBS, you could check out the beat-up bike selection at a local Salvation
Army or Goodwill store. I found a usable downtube clamp-on (with a bike attached) for about $20.

r.b.

[email protected] (damo) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>>
> I was looking at getting a SORA groupset. I've heard rumours of a gear cable boss clamp thingy
> that I could put on my downpipe but can't seem to find info on it. I guess all I need is a way of
> fixing the gear cable housing to the frame near the top of the downpipe.
>
> any info / websites / advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> damo

 

"rb" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> If you can't find this at a LBS, you could check out the
beat-up bike
> selection at a local Salvation Army or Goodwill store. I
found a
> usable downtube clamp-on (with a bike attached) for about
$20.
>
> r.b.
>
> [email protected] (damo) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >>
> > I was looking at getting a SORA groupset. I've heard
rumours of a
> > gear cable boss clamp thingy that I could put on my
downpipe but can't
> > seem to find info on it. I guess all I need is a way of
fixing the
> > gear cable housing to the frame near the top of the
downpipe.
> >
> > any info / websites / advice would be greatly
appreciated.
> >
> > damo

Or you might be able to find some friction downtube shifters which include the downtube clamp on
eBay.... There's a pair of Suntour - with clamp - right now -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271467360 &category=36140