10 Speed on an 80s Bike?

ahiggins_1

I've just bought an old Derek Wilkins bike dating to the 80s and intend to use this as a winter training bike. It has a 5 speed cassette on and want to achieve a bigger ratio.

I have a spare set of miche wheels which have a 10 speed cassette on, as the bike uses downtube shifters, is it just a matter of spacing the frame to take the newer wheels and adjusting the rear derailleur or is this not possible?

Sorry if this has come up before but I can't seem to find the right thread.

Thanks.

ahiggins_1

I'm not sure of the 5 speed ratios yet as I've not got the bike. I just wanted the option of more gears if I needed them, it's quite hilly where I live.

pinarellokid

new bikes have 130mm rear spacing. older bikes have 126mm

so only have to get an extra 2mm per stay to get 10spd to fit. you can squeeze it in or bent then out a little for a permanent fit. but either way there isnt a problem in doing this.

JayKosta

You would also need a 10-speed chain to work with the 10-speed cassette.
I don't know whether the 10-speed chain will work with the existing chainrings (they might be too thick).

Rear dropout spacing needs to be increased from 120mm to 130mm - that might be a problem. 5-speed spacing is 120mm, 6-speed is 126mm.
Also the deraileur hanger angle will probably need to be reset if the dropouts are spread.

With the current setup, you can probably use a 42-tooth small chainring, and can probably find a decent 5-speed freewheel of 14-28.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

rolf_f

You'll have the 4mm extra movement range to get out of the rear mech so probably worth seeing if it can manage that. Also need to check that the rear mech can cope with the gear range the Miche cassette runs. What range is the cassette anyway (and the existing freewheel) - just finding a wider range freewheel might be a lot simpler. Or check out Spa Cycles and see what they have crankset wise that would work on your bike. Should be able to run a modern compact ratio crankset though need also to beware then that you may need a new front mech. That shouldn't be difficult or expensive though. I can imagine running a 10 speed with dt shifters might be a bit annoying! Where is it you live?

Bwgan

I tried this earlier in the year, but there wasn't much salvageable so went t upgrade all the parts. The farme was bent by LBS, all they did was pull it apart by hand, I was worried about breaking a weld. The other problem I had was the breaks a had weren't long enough to reach. I abandoned the project when they found the forks weren't straight

ahiggins_1

I suppose it's probably best I wait and see what ratios are on the bike when I get it in a couple of days. I was just wondering if it was more hassle than worth.
I ride around Teesdale and head over climbs like the stang and tan hill, I suppose ratios are what count over the amount of gears.