Cannondale F900 SL upgrade advice

Scudders

Hi just joined this forum as im after some advice; im not exactly a seasoned biker but I do enjoy fixing things up. Ive really fallen for my new project MTB. I only need the bike for local commuting, and occasional trails- offroading and the like!, nothing too serious. Ive just bought a used 9-speed Cannondale F900 SL with stock parts, the headshock is leaking oil and ive found a good youtube for that. My question is regarding a replacement cassette and replacement chainring(s).

Im looking at Shimano XT M770 cassette, would this be a good choice for this bike ?
The crank seems in good condition, its the original Cannondale EX3; however the middle chainring is very worn; could I replace the rings on this chainset with Shimano XT M770's ?? I only really need to replace the middle ring, or do I need replace the entire crankset if i cant find original rings ? Any other advice to improve this bike ?

Thanks all, great forum

JBA

Any 9-speed cassette will be ok as long as it is Shimano fitting.
Similarly you can fit any chain ring you want as long as it is designed to fit the chain set.

Scudders

Thanks for the reply, would you know of any decent chainrings to fit the old C'Dale EX3 set ? Im hoping that the EX3 crankset is not so old that I cannot find any replacement rings for it.

reaperactual

Sorry, older bikes aren't my thing. I'm assuming the bottom bracket will be a standard 68mm threaded shell and probably a cartridge bb, (Shimano Octalink v1 or similar) which you should be able to find a suitable crankset for.

Would recommend replacing the bb with a square taper and new crankset if you want the original or retro look which are readily available, come in lots of chainring sizes to match original and cheap.

Or you could go with a modern Hollowtech II external bottom bracket and new two piece, triple crankset?

Scudders

reaperactual said:

Sorry, older bikes aren't my thing. I'm assuming the bottom bracket will be a standard 68mm threaded shell and probably a cartridge bb, (Shimano Octalink v1 or similar) which you should be able to find a suitable crankset for.

Would recommend replacing the bb with a square taper and new crankset if you want the original or retro look which are readily available, come in lots of chainring sizes to match original and cheap.

Or you could go with a modern Hollowtech II external bottom bracket and new two piece, triple crankset?

Thanks for the reply, I was up till the early hours finding out about the BB sizes/cranksets ect; its a minefield for a novice like myself. The specs show that my BB is a Shimano splined, 109.5mm spindle. Can anyone please please recommend a BB (if I need to change it as it feels alright) and a new crankset, so I can do the job myself. I want to keep the retro look and 9 speeds !! Im not looking for super expensive parts but mid range will do for me.

Another thing im not sure about is if I change the crankset, will i also need to change the derailleurs and cassette ??

Thanks for the advice its golddust

reaperactual

Step 1. Look for a YouTube tutorial on removing crank arms and crank removal tool needed.

Step 2. Identify your bottom bracket spline.



Step 2. Search for suitable 9 speed triple crankset with chainring sizes the same or close enough to original sizes. If these are hard to find or rare then you can think about replacing the bb and for a square taper then search for suitable cranksets to fit this bottom bracket.

Square taper bb's and cranksets should be easier to source than the v1 and v2 older types.

Providing you replace cassette and crankset with similar cog and chainring sizes your front and rear derailleurs should be fine.

New square taper bb, cassette, square taper crankset and possibly a chain would only set you back around £100 which includes the price of the tools needed if you shop around.

reaperactual

Step 1- Search You Tube tutorials on removing crank arms and crank removal tool needed.

Step 2- Identify bb spindle type:-




Step 3- search for suitable triple crankset for the bb interface. If these are hard to find or are rare then think about changing to a square taper bb and suitable triple crankset.

Step 4- providing you find crankset with similar sized chainrings and cassettes with same cog sizes your front and rear derailleur will work ok.

For new square taper bb, triple crankset, cassette and possibly chain you are looking at around £100 which includes the price of the tools needed to do the job if you shop around.

david37

what reaper said but you can do it for less. Check out bike 24
or bikester, condor halfords and chain reaction. for midrange 9speed Shimano kit. its good value.

Re the tools, if you can, buy quality not cheap.

Scudders

reaperactual said:

Step 1- Search You Tube tutorials on removing crank arms and crank removal tool needed.

Step 2- Identify bb spindle type:-




Step 3- search for suitable triple crankset for the bb interface. If these are hard to find or are rare then think about changing to a square taper bb and suitable triple crankset.

Step 4- providing you find crankset with similar sized chainrings and cassettes with same cog sizes your front and rear derailleur will work ok.

For new square taper bb, triple crankset, cassette and possibly chain you are looking at around £100 which includes the price of the tools needed to do the job if you shop around.

Thats a great help thanks; just in time too ! Ive just removed the old Coda EX3 crankset and the BB is the Shimano Octalink V2 (BC1 37 .68) I guess a replacement BB needs a shell width of 68mm to fit in the frame, not sure what the 37 means thou.
Anyway due to your help (v. pleased about that I will buy you a virtual drink), im now on the search for a triple crankset with 44, 32, 22 t, and a square tapered BB to go with it, This is gonna be fun. Any recommendations ?

reaperactual

Had a quick look for cranksets. Plenty of choice except for stock at the moment. Seem to be sold out everywhere. Suppose look for another 68 x 109.5 Octalink bb and crankset to fit or square taper bb 68 x 109.5 (+/-1mm) spindle length.

Shimano square taper BB-UN26 is the cheapest 5years + service life, BB-UN73 is the best 10 years+ service life, so I've heard.

Good luck finding what you need. Thanks for the drink jimspike200, just dropping virtual ice cubes into virtual JD and coke! 🥃👍

Scudders

reaperactual said:

Had a quick look for cranksets. Plenty of choice except for stock at the moment. Seem to be sold out everywhere. Suppose look for another 68 x 109.5 Octalink bb and crankset to fit or square taper bb 68 x 109.5 (+/-1mm) spindle length.

Shimano square taper BB-UN26 is the cheapest 5years + service life, BB-UN73 is the best 10 years+ service life, so I've heard.

Good luck finding what you need. Thanks for the drink jimspike200, just dropping virtual ice cubes into virtual JD and coke! 🥃👍

Cheers hope you enjoyed it . Ive taken out the BB now in preparation, its a 68mm wide shell, Eng thread, and has 113 written on it between two arrows, I guess thats the spindle length right ! Another couple of questions if I may:-

Is spindle length decided by which crank is fitted, or is spindle length proportional to the shell width ?
I been looking at a few "Deore" cranksets on ebay with the same tooth count as original. Im concerned thou that if I buy an old (or very old) deore crankset, I might not be able to buy replacement rings for it. Should I be concerned ? or are Deore rings readily available for the older cranks ??

Thanks your a diamond

reaperactual

Stick with same spindle length. Spindle length is not proportional to shell width, more to do with frame design, chainline, clearance between the chainrings and chain stays and even to some extent crank arm clearance. Not critical within reason but 113mm is pretty common.

Looking at these types of crankset I never worried about replacing individual rings as there usually made of steel, last a long time and for the price I just bought a whole new crankset when needed.

Deore is a great choice, good solid performance, the workhorse of the Shimano range and first in the hierarchy to be mtb specific.

Couldn't tell you about current or future availability for these older products as 1x drivetrains are the way manufacturers are going forward.👍👍

Scudders

reaperactual said:

Stick with same spindle length. Spindle length is not proportional to shell width, more to do with frame design, chainline, clearance between the chainrings and chain stays and even to some extent crank arm clearance. Not critical within reason but 113mm is pretty common.

Looking at these types of crankset I never worried about replacing individual rings as there usually made of steel, last a long time and for the price I just bought a whole new crankset when needed.

Deore is a great choice, good solid performance, the workhorse of the Shimano range and first in the hierarchy to be mtb specific.

Couldn't tell you about current or future availability for these older products as 1x drivetrains are the way manufacturers are going forward.👍👍

Okay thanks for your help, its really helped my out
Regards

reaperactual

😎👍