[Sir Rotta]

Hello. I'm new here and not very knowledgeable about all of the components lingo.

I have a Serotta Colorado CR that I bought back in 1994 and I love it. I didn't ride it for about a decade for reasons I won't go into now, but I'm riding it again and it's smooth and fast! I went to a local bike shop recently and mentioned to the owner that I was thinking about going to a carbon fiber road bike next year. He said that if he were me, because of the bike that I have, he said that he would just make some major upgrades to my Serotta and not even think about going to carbon fiber. He said that he would help me pick out and install some really good components on it to greatly better the performance. I don't mind spending a couple grand on the right components if I could see a significant increase in performance.

One of the things i want to do is change wheels and go from and 8 cog cassette to a 10 cog. I understand that I would need to replace my STI shifters because they only shift up to 8, but I thought that if I bought a new rim and cassette and shifters that it wouldn't be a problem, but the store owner said that still would not be possible and he gave me some reason that didn't quite make sense to me., something about there wouldn't be enough room back there... I don't know. I was running late for work and didn't get a chance to go into detail. He'll be on vacation for a week and I was wondering would any of you guys would know what he was talking about.

Does anyone know why this would not be possible and also, what are some must-do upgrades that i can do to make the performance better and faster?

Again, I'm kinda new to all this... so be gentle. : )

 

[davez26]

The rear end dropouts are not spaced for 10 speed.
You will need to do some searches for 'spacing' I believe, and check the Sheldon Brown website for more.
See, the dropouts are spaced 120? mm apart while 10 spd is 130. By the book, you need to enter the world of 'cold setting' and that debate. Or, just shove the wheel in there.
On my 1989 Centurion, I bought wheels and a chain, shifted in friction mode after adjusting hi and lo. No issues.

 

[Mike T.]

the dropouts are spaced 120? mm apart while 10 spd is 130.

You sure they're 120? There's a very good chance they are 126 and if so, a cold set, or even no set, will be ok. My early '90s Masi was 126 and now it's sporting a 130mm hub.

 

[cxwrench]

The rear end dropouts are not spaced for 10 speed.
You will need to do some searches for 'spacing' I believe, and check the Sheldon Brown website for more.
See, the dropouts are spaced 120? mm apart while 10 spd is 130. By the book, you need to enter the world of 'cold setting' and that debate. Or, just shove the wheel in there.
On my 1989 Centurion, I bought wheels and a chain, shifted in friction mode after adjusting hi and lo. No issues.

what are you talking about? if the OP's bike has 8spd w/ sti shifters, if the bike came like that, it's certainly 130mm. even if the bike was upgraded at some point and it's older than '94, it's 126mm and has a 130mm hub in it now. it should be absolutely no problem to upgrade this frame to 10speed.
rear end spacing on geared bikes hasn't been 120mm for ages. track bikes, yes. road bikes? not even close.
your '89 centurion isn't 120mm, i'd bet money on it.

 

[PJ352]

Does anyone know why this would not be possible and also, what are some must-do upgrades that i can do to make the performance better and faster?

Again, I'm kinda new to all this... so be gentle. : )

Ride your bike more. That'll make your performance better and faster. :wink5:

But no, I see no reason why you can't upgrade your bike to 10 speed.

BTW, I have a '90 Colorado ll with 126mm rear spacing, so odds are excellent your Colorado is at least that, if not 130mm.

Maybe if you posted some specifics about your bikes current components (make/ model) and wheelset, someone can give you more specific info on upgrade options.

 

[davez26]

what are you talking about?
rear end spacing on geared bikes hasn't been 120mm for ages. track bikes, yes. road bikes? not even close.
your '89 centurion isn't 120mm, i'd bet money on it.

Sorry, I intended 120?, to indicate '120something, as I didn't have the figure at hand. It's probably 126 as you indicate. I was trying to get the thought across that many threads hotly debate the 'need' for cold setting if the shop had indicated the rear to be too narrow.

 

[cxwrench]

Sorry, I intended 120?, to indicate '120something, as I didn't have the figure at hand. It's probably 126 as you indicate. I was trying to get the thought across that many threads hotly debate the 'need' for cold setting if the shop had indicated the rear to be too narrow.

gotcha. if it's a 4mm difference on a steel frame there is absolutely no need to cold set. but as i said, if the bike came new w/ 8speed it's already 130mm.

 

[ronf100]

That's interesting. My '92 Colorado II rear dropouts are 130 (purchased new from a Serotta dealer) and I am using 11s Campy Chorus. Can you check your spacing again with a caliper?

 

[davez26]

Touche! CX, I missed the obvious, 8 SPD=130mm. :thumbup:
So...I can't see why this rig can't be 2x10, should be good.

 

[PJ352]

That's interesting. My '92 Colorado II rear dropouts are 130 (purchased new from a Serotta dealer) and I am using 11s Campy Chorus. Can you check your spacing again with a caliper?

Rather than looking at the paperwork (which says 126mm), I physically checked this time. Spacing is 130mm's.

Due to crashes/ rust, the bike sits on my trainer, so doesn't get a lot of maintenance. Through the years, I simply forgot what the spacing was.

 

[ultimobici]

If you're running 8 speed shimano now the only limitation I can think of regarding the rear wheel/spacing is that the cassette body is intended for 12t or larger for the first sprocket. That said, with a thin spacer behind the cassette, an 11t cassette will work provided there's enough clearance to the right of the sprocket. Other than that it is just STI, mech, cassette & chain.

Good luck.

 

[skitorski]

I don't mind spending a couple grand on the right components if I could see a significant increase in performance.

Er, STI 8-sp ?????

$2,000 would buy a lot of components other than STI 8-sp No ??

NO necessario increase in performance.

 

[cxwrench]

If you're running 8 speed shimano now the only limitation I can think of regarding the rear wheel/spacing is that the cassette body is intended for 12t or larger for the first sprocket. That said, with a thin spacer behind the cassette, an 11t cassette will work provided there's enough clearance to the right of the sprocket. Other than that it is just STI, mech, cassette & chain.


Good luck.

what? ALL Shimano freehubs are the same diameter/spline pattern. an 11 would fit the same as a 12 or any other size cog.

 

[ultimobici]

Not quite. 8 speed freehub splines run to the very end of the body, whereas 9 speed & later followed the same pattern as the mountain bike ones. So to make the 11t work the cassette needs to have a thin washer behind them.

 

[Camilo]

I'll chime in along with the others who recommend that OP double check with what the shop meant when they said there wasn't enough room. I exchange 8, 19 and 10 speed cassettes on the same wheels all the time - just did it yesterday in fact. 8 speed axles are the same width (130mm) as 9 or 10 speed.

Maybe he thought you were interested in 11 speed?

If everything is working perfectly with the old 8 speed shifters, I cant think of any performance reason to switch to 10. Currently I ride a 10 speed cassette on one bike and a similar range 8 speed cassette on another and I really, truly don't notice any functional difference. Yes, the jumps between the gears is a little bigger with the 8 speed (less sprockets for the same low-high range), but it really doesn't cause me to actually notice it.

On the other hand, some upgrades are worth it, if not for actual speed, for comfort, lighter weight, "quicker" feeling bike, etc. I put seatpost, saddle, stem and handlebars into the comfort category if you can't get perfect fit or comfort with what you currently have. I put good, lightweight wheels in the "quickness" and "fun" category. All can fit into the "lighter" category if you're interested in shedding weight for whatever reason floats your boat. All can also go into the "aesthetics" category - another valid value in my opinion.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with 10 speed, and if you like the ergonomics of the 10 speed shifters better than your current ones (which can indeed be a factor,, I have always had a love-hate relationship with my Shimano 9 speed shifters, but like 10 speed shifters a lot better), go for it.

 

[Sir Rotta]

thanks for all of the replies guys.

i don't have callipers to measure it but i'm hoping that you guys are right that i should be able to switch from 8 to 10. I've been looking at the Mavic Ksyrium Elites and the SLs. I want the SLs but besides the slight weight decrease, I don't see any reason to spend an extra $300.00 to be 56 grams lighter between both wheels, so it looks like I'll go for the Ksyrium Elites.

Someone asked why go from 8 to 10 and I would say that I'm a big shifter. I go thru a lot of gears while riding, so I was hoping the more gears I have, the easier it would be for me. I like to keep a cadence of about 75, 80 and I shift a lot more than most riders.

I also want to at least upgrade the cranks and bottom bracket, front and rear derailleurs. He mentioned that some upgrade their fork 1" carbon, headset, stem, and carbon handlebars but he said these are questionable upgrades to some. What do you guys think?

 

[JCavilia]

I also want to at least upgrade the cranks and bottom bracket, front and rear derailleurs. He mentioned that some upgrade their fork 1" carbon, headset, stem, and carbon handlebars but he said these are questionable upgrades to some. What do you guys think?

I think all of those "upgrades" are questionable, if you're expecting some big difference in performance. If the parts aren't worn out and are still working, I wouldn't replace any of that stuff.

Personally.

 

[PJ352]

He mentioned that some upgrade their fork 1" carbon, headset, stem, and carbon handlebars but he said these are questionable upgrades to some. What do you guys think?

If you're still running the OE (Serotta steel) fork and it's in decent shape, I suggest keeping it. IME the ride quality is very good, and some earlier models had a fair amount of rake (mine was 47mm's), so it might be tough to find a match. But, no reason to, IMO.

Re: CF stems and bars, save your money. Some weigh as much as alloy and (JMO) aren't as durable.

Headsets either function or they don't. Can't see a reason to 'upgrade' there, either. Unless he means convert from threaded to threadless, but before doing so, question the need/ payoff.

 

[Sir Rotta]

these are some excellent replies. I'm learning more and more!

Thanks!

 

[Oxtox]

I have a Serotta Colorado CR that I bought back in 1994 and I love it.

you admit you 'love' the bike, so that tells me that there's really nothing that needs changing...you're just buying into some marketing bs that wants you believe that 10 spd will be 'faster' than 8 spd. it won't...

I have two bikes...one with DA 8 and another with Ultegra 10...multiple laps over the same course with each bike shows no appreciable difference in elapsed times.

if you MUST spend money, buy a nice lightweight wheelset, maybe a saddle if you have any comfort issues...pimp the ride with bar tape, cable housings, and saddle colors.

then just ride the crap out of it.