Upgrading 7sp cassette to 8/9?

Oh, that's nice, I thought all the indexing would be off for 7 speed, that's put me in a good mood
now. The only reason I was looking at a new cassette was for the Ergo shifter ability, I can't put
up with downtube levers anymore, after riding my other bikes with Ergo levers.

Handlebar tape eh 😉

Thanks,

Tom

"Sheldon Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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Tom Williams said:

This is probably an oft asked question, but I'm looking at upgrading my

old

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'winter' bike's 7sp set to something a bit more modern, mainly so I can throw some Ergo levers
on there.

At the moment, I have a fairly generic (in that I can't remember what it

is)

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7speed block on the back, with a Mirage '97? rear mech. I understand

the

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rear mech will have to (obviously) be upgraded too. The chainset is a Mirage job of the same
year, probably '97, (52,42 if that helps at all)

and

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a Veloce front mech, again probably 1997. Brakes are Shimano RX100s if that's relevant.

Now, what do I have to change, am I looking at replacing the whole chainset/cassette/rear hub
etc? I understand I also need 130mm between

rear

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dropouts to fit these modern hubs in, some pointers on where to measure

ths

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from would be much appreciated. The frame is about 6-7 years old,

Reynolds

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CR(o)MO tubing.

If you want to do it on the cheap, look for a used pair of 8-speed brifters. Shouldn't be too hard
to find.

Campagnolo 8-speed spacing is the same as 7-speed, so 8-speed shifters will index perfectly with a
7-speed setup.

I don't believe you'll need to change anything else but the handlebar

tape.

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If 7-speeds isn't enough for your winter beater, skip 8 and go to 9-speeds. That will need a new
rear wheel, chain & cassette.

Sheldon "Cheaper Than You Think" Brown +--------------------------------------------+
| Never worry about theory as long as the | machinery does what it's supposed to do. | --Robert
| A. Heinlein |
+--------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
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Sheldon Brown said:

Campagnolo 8-speed spacing is the same as 7-speed

I've found a small inconsistency between the Campagnolo 8-speed spacing info on
www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#spacing and www.campagnolo.com/pdf/ruote98.pdf (page 18):

Sheldon, you say: sprocket = 1.8, spacer = 3.2mm, Campag say 1.85 and 3.2, so c-c would be
5.05 not 5.0.

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so 8-speed shifters will index perfectly with a 7-speed setup.

I'm sure it will index fine (as any error will be so small), but it would be nice to have the
correct info on your website - if you can change it (if it is wrong?).

Thanks again for a great website. I will email a copy of this post if no reply here.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Sheldon, you say: sprocket = 1.8, spacer = 3.2mm, Campag say 1.85 and
3.2, so c-c would be 5.05 not 5.0.

Correction: you say spacer = 3.1.

~PB

Tom-<< This is probably an oft asked question, but I'm looking at upgrading my old 'winter' bike's
7sp set to something a bit more modern, mainly so I can throw some Ergo levers on there. >><BR><BR>

<< At the moment, I have a fairly generic (in that I can't remember what it is) 7speed block on the
back, with a Mirage '97? rear mech. I understand the rear mech will have to (obviously) be upgraded
too >><BR><BR>

Nope, not if it not worn out..It will work fine with ERGO...any of them.

<< I understand I also need 130mm between rear dropouts to fit these modern hubs in, some pointers
on where to measure ths from would be much appreciated. The frame is about 6-7 years old, Reynolds
CR(o)MO tubing. >><BR><BR>

If 6-7 years old, made about 1995 or so, it should be 130mm..if not, easy to 'cold set'-

Get a Campagnolo 9/10s rear hub, build a wheel, get some ERGOs, match the cogset to the ERGO
speeds(9s or 10s) get a chain, go ride.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

I asserted:

Quoted message said:

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Campagnolo 8-speed spacing is the same as 7-speed so 8-speed shifters will index perfectly with a
7-speed setup.

Pete Biggs demurred:

Quoted message said:

I've found a small inconsistency between the Campagnolo 8-speed spacing info on
www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#spacing and www.campagnolo.com/pdf/ruote98.pdf (page 18):

Sheldon, you say: sprocket = 1.8, spacer = 3.2mm, Campag say 1.85 and 3.2, so c-c would be 5.05
not 5.0.

Then:

Quoted message said:

Correction: you say spacer = 3.1.

Actually, I say 1.9 for the sprocket, not 1.8.

I got these numbers from the Quality Bicycle Products catalogue.

I have here a brand new Campagnolo Ultra Drive 8-speed cassette and a decent dial caliper.

I actually measure the sprockets in the range of 1.86-1.88, and the spacers a bit thicker than 3.1.
Given the low precision of the parts involved, rounding to the nearest tenth seems reasonable to me.

Sheldon "The Plastic Spacers Will Vary Depending On How Tight The Lockring Gets" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, | they are not certain; and as far as they
| are certain, | they do not refer to reality. --Albert Einstein |
+--------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts
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