# 1988 Cannondale SR800



## xrayjay (Feb 21, 2010)

Hope I"m posting in the right place here. As the title says, I have a 1988 Cannondale SR800 Black Lightning. I got into mountain biking right after I got it and ended up never really riding the bike. It's always been stored indoors so it's in great shape. 

Anyway, last fall I ended up riding in the Ride for the Cure. It was 68 miles so I didn't want to ride the mtn bike. I changed the tubes and tires, put on my clipless pedals from the mntn bike and rode it. No problems, wheels held up well, etc. 

I did get a few stares when shifting on the downtube. And I did notice that climbing was a little tougher with the 7 speed instead of the 9. Other than that I thought it was a pretty nice ride. 

Now I'm thinking about road riding again. Question - Is this bike worth fixing up and riding regularly? I think I should re-pack my wheels, but what else should I do to this bike? 

Any advide would be great. I'm really not road savvy any more and I"m sure my LBS would want me to buy a new $3500 bike. 

Thanks


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

If it's been sitting idle and the bearings haven't been overhauled in a few years it's worth giving the bike a once over. Fresh grease on everything and a set of brake pads front and rear should have it riding like the day it was new. There's no good reason why you shouldn't ride this bike every day... except that your MTB might feel neglected.

If you're tempted to get brifters (brake lever-shifters) eBay would be the place to start. A set of 8 speed STI (105, Ultegra, DA) levers will mount easily and with cable stops where your existing down tube shifters are you could be rolling in no time. Don't worry about 8 speed shifter + 7 speed gears. The spacing is the same. You could switch to a 9 speed cassette and chain with the appropriate 9 speed brifter and the correct freehub body. But that might bee too far ahead of what you need to do, which is getting the bearings overhauled, cables cleaned/lubed or replaced and new brake pads. 

If it ends up needing new chain and cassette, I'd look into changing to 9 speed at that time.

Or sell the bike to me if its a 58 or 60.


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

If you get the itch to look for shifters, here are some suggestions...


Cable Stops


7 speed RSX
or another RSX 7 speed

Ultegra 9 speed

Ultegra 8 speed


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## xrayjay (Feb 21, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback. I can re-pack my bearings and check the cables this week. The brakes seem fine, but probably not a bad idea to switch them out. 

Brifters would be great. Kinda' hate to loose the original shifting on the downtube, but the convenience factor outweighs the nostalgia. 

My Titus won't miss being ridden. We've had the wettest fall and winter in history so the trails are almost always closed. Which is what has sparked my interest in my old bike tin the first place. 

Thanks or taking the time to give me a response. Switching to a 9 speed would be great, but for now, just riding is good too.


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