yet another "worth upgrading?" question

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rl51
I have 1999 Schwinn LeTour. I bought it about 3 years ago (on sale as last year's model) because I wasn't sure how much I was going to ride, and wanted the cheapest (brand new) roadbike I could get. It's a bit of a weird beast from the factory -- more of a light touring slant, I guess:

The frame is 7005 aluminum -- don't know much more about it. I don't know if the geometry is any different from a "typical" production road bike these days. This season I started riding a lot more, and it now has about 750 miles on it, plus a few hours on a trainer.

The drivetrain is a mix-and-match 7-speed. The front has a Nexave T301 crankset and derailer, 28-38-48 rings. The rear has an Altus (yes, that's right) 7-speed hub with 130mm spacing, and 13-28 cluster on it. The rear derailer is an 8-speed RSX, and the shifters are down-tube A410 RSX shifters (7-speed indexed rear and friction front).

I've already upgraded to clipless -- that was an easy decision since I can use the pedals on a different bike later. However, now I'm wishing for a higher top gear and maybe STI shifting.
The former is easy enough to do -- I have my eye on a 11-19 cluster on ebay, which will probably run $15-20, and bring me a higher top, while providing me with the same bottom I'm used to (by using the granny gear, which I don't touch right now).

Changing to STI is more complicated. Since Nexave is designed for MTB-style shifters, I either have to change the crankset/BB/derailer before getting STI shifters (which would give me normal-size road chainrings), or buy the compact-ring 7-speed RSX derailer (designed for a 46 ring, but I think it'll work fine with a 48). The shifters themselves are $70-90 on ebay when you can find 7-speed ones on there. The derailer I can get for $15-20 too.

However, then I'm looking at $150 or more (counting incidentals like cable/housing, downtube stops, labor I can't do myself, etc.), when the bike itself is probably worth no more than a couple hundred altogether. So, is it worth the upgrade? Or should I just ride it next season until things wear out, and then buy a new bike instead of replacing parts? I'm trying to figure out how much money this hobby is worth to me 🙂, but your comments about the worthiness of the frame/bike are appreciated.

Another option is to just upgrade to 8 or 9 speed. The frame spacing is right, but then I'm looking at replacing the ENTIRE drivetrain. That seems like an even less sensible thing to do.

Sorry about the long post 🙂. Thanks for any opinions.

You Don't need to mess with the crankset. or rear derailer cuz of it being nexave.Maybe the front,but maybe not if you only use two rings. Since you are not a do it yourselfer,I'd ride it till it's wore out and get another, but at 750 miles in 3 years,you might die of old age first.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
You Don't need to mess with the crankset. or rear derailer cuz of it being nexave.Maybe the front,but maybe not if you only use two rings. Since you are not a do it yourselfer,I'd ride it till it's wore out and get another, but at 750 miles in 3 years,you might die of old age first.

Where did I say that I'm not a DIY? And where did I say that the 750 miles were evenly spread out?
In fact I WILL do most of the work myself, and most of the 750 miles were all since this July, and there will be a lot more starting next spring (plus indoor trainer time this winter).
Also, I didn't say I was worried about the rear derailer. That one is RSX, and won't need to be changed no matter what.
The front der. WILL have to be changed, since it was designed for straight bar shifters, not drop-bar. The crankset doesn't have to be changed necessarily, you're right, but I said that above also.
I put in the effort to educate myself before I posted, and I'm confident that what I wrote is technically fairly accurate. I'm looking for opinions based on what people know about the bike frame, not what they perceive about the kind of rider I am.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound short, but I wanted to elaborate. More opinions are appreciated, thanks.

If I were you I'd use that old Schwinn for commuting, the trainer and runs around town and get myself a new bike for more serious riding. That Schwinn could hold-up a long time if you were just using it for short jaunts. I guess you just have to decide how dedicated you are to cycling and if it's worth it to you. Good luck!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rl51
Where did I say that I'm not a DIY?

You mentioned labor you could not do yourself.What's that mean or imply?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by meehs
If I were you I'd use that old Schwinn for commuting, the trainer and runs around town and get myself a new bike for more serious riding. That Schwinn could hold-up a long time if you were just using it for short jaunts. I guess you just have to decide how dedicated you are to cycling and if it's worth it to you. Good luck!

I think that's a pretty good sounding plan, particularly if you're attached enough to this bike to want to keep it, but are seeking some higher performance for fitness or club riding. And if that's the case, I don't think I'd do much more to the Schwinn than replace the parts that are worn beyond relibaility, saving funds for the new(er) ride.

It becomes a matter of budget, I suppose, no?