robertj298 

I have an 87 and an 89. I seem to go against the grain in preferring
The 89s Suntour components.

seedsbelize 

Mine is 88. Obviously the best. I got it as a frame set and outfitted it with Suntour.

rccardr 

Clearly the 86 is the superior model.

wrk101

Never been a fan of 105, so its either the Master version with tricolor 600, or the Suntour versions.

Classtime 

For the Expert, it must be 87. Because-- Miami Vice.

Hudson308 

I suppose we could ask Dave Scott...

T-Mar

From a component perspective I'd go with the 1988, due to the 7 speed version of Shimano New 105. But for a frame, I prefer 1988 with the blue and white marble finish. So, mix 'n match.

easyupbug 

For frames, definitely not 1989: https://www.bikeforums.net/20942389-post6646.html

fleslider 

To me it depends...
relaxed frames: 1985-1986 (if your a SIS fan then 1986)
tight geometry: 1989
Craziest attention grabbing color scheme: 1987 Expert in Magenta/Yellow
Best groupset: 1988/1989 Master (600 Ultegra 7 speed)

1989 Experts are a interesting one. I have a Black one. and the Accushift is either a love or hate relationship with it. It is a different indexing than SIS, but i like it.

robertj298 

I didn't like my 89 when I first got it. The shifting was loud like kerchunk kurchunk..Someone recommended a new freewheel and chain and that made a world of difference.
Now all I hear is the click of the shifter and I think it shifts better than my 87 that has 105s

fleslider 

Yes that is the common complaint the klunk of the indexing. With a little maintenance and a new chain it was shifting great. but SIS is really smooth,

Could be your 105 shifters are worn some?

canklecat

Yeah, Accushift on the '89 Expert could be klunky with the original Suntour chain and freewheel. I tried to make it work with Suntour Alpha 13-24 and 13-26 freewheels, but no-go. KMC chains made it a little better -- the original Suntour chain was awful.

After a lot of experimenting and cussing I found a great combo: SunRace chromed freewheels, either the 13-25 MFR30 or 13-28 MFM30; and KMC Z72 chains. The SunRace freewheel teeth are better shaped for crisp shifting and the chromed finish helps it run quieter. Stays cleaner too.

KMC has changed the model names of their lineup so I don't know what the current model is, but I bought a few new Z72 chains when they were available so I'm set for a couple of years.

Now shifting is snick-snick instead of kerchunk.

The Suntour 13-24 and 13-26 Alpha freewheels are in the parts bin waiting for an as-yet unnamed old school bike setup with proper friction shifters. I do like the appearance of those old school freewheels. But not the function with indexed shifting.

***

The only remaining issue was the friction-only front shifter and derailleur setup. It was kinda finicky. I got some ghost shifting when standing to stomp the pedals in the big ring, which was infuriating when it would suddenly downshift during a climb. It took a lot of minor adjustments to resolve that and I can't say whether there was any single solution. The front derailleur is very picky about alignment and height above the big ring. The inside of the FD cage is shaped to help nudge the chain efficiently, but demands a lot of careful alignment tweaks to minimize chain rub.

Part of the problem may have been some new cables and housings I got a couple of years ago. They were cheap, no-name, and the cables stretched quite a bit and cable housings compressed too much, before both finally settled in and stabilized. I'm still using them but next time I won't cheap out on cables and housings. I'll stick with Jagwire or Shimano. Even Shimano's cheapest cable housings that come with their RevoShift grip shifters, or the cheap SunRace SLM10 thumbies, are better than the no-name cables and housings I bought a couple of years ago.

I've had to accept very minor chain rub in the small chainring/biggest cog and big chainring/smallest cog in exchange for minimizing chain drops -- which always occurred at the worst possible times: on climbs in traffic.

It was so infuriating for awhile back in 2017 I replaced the Suntour front derailleur and shifter with Shimano. But I was determined to make the GPX group work so I kept tweaking things until it suited me. But that wasn't an Accushift issue since the left/front was friction only. Part of the problem appears to be that Suntour used plastic washers. Makes it difficult to finesse friction shifting. With brass and/or steel washers and various lubes you can finesse friction shifting a bit better.

I've replaced chainrings and freewheels many times to find the right combo of gear steps that suit me, while minimizing the need to be in the smallest or largest freewheel cogs. I'm mostly in the middle 5 cogs, which is more efficient anyway, and reduces any chance of chain drops at bad times. On the few occasions when I need the biggest or largest cogs in combination with a front derailleur shift I nudge the lever verrrrrry carefully. Usually works, even with Biopace 52/42 chainrings instead of the original Suntour or replacement Vuelta round rings I used from 2017-2019.

rjhammett

'87 'Miami Vice'

TXsailor

My fastest one is my Purple Haze 88 with all Dura-Ace 10 speed including the down tube shifters. My most versatile is my 89 Expert with a 52/38/30 triple crank a 10 speed Ultegra 11-28 cassette and the same shifters. I rode RAGBRAI on it and climbed every hill. My Miami Vice has yet to be rode ( by me) so I don't know how I like it. I think the 89 handles the best. Maybe because its a 54 cm and fits better than the 56 cm 88. The 89 rides hands free for miles but still handles like my Corvette. The ride quality on both is very smooth.

texaspandj

If the choice is Only between the '87 and '89 Experts, then the '87. The original first generation 105 group is hard to beat in reliability, durability and adaptability. Plus, Miami Vice.
But if we're talking overall Ironman it's the pre Expert/Master '86 Classic.

RobbieTunes

OP asked about Experts....

'87 was really the iconic year, with Wolbers and 'Vice scheme, New 105. It set a bar in value at that price point, with performance on par with Italians costing 3-4-5 times as much, and better components. (1987 Buyers Guide).

'88 has, IMO, the squiggles graphics and clean straight fades, so for styling, hard to beat if you like 80's. The move to Araya CTL-370's was significant.

'89 had the funky smoked fade and the straightforward black aggressive model that many feel was tweaked to be fast and twitchy. It also had the funky thunky GPX.

If I were to race in OEM trim, '89.
The most significant at the time, '87.
To look at, a yellow fade '88.

I've had a couple, and that's where I am right now.
Check back in a few minutes.

sdn40

2008 - Candle apple red with gold accents. Sharply adorned with cutting edge ARC Reactor Mark III technology. Nothing was faster or more agile. To this day, nothing can touch it. Made my Cannondale Criterium feel like a tractor.
Don't even bother with the 2010 or 2013 models. The original is always the best. Newer models always pale in comparison. They lack the soul that was present when getting to know the original.

SpeedofLite 

I nibbled.
I almost bit.
Nice try.
Crafty.

canklecat

The one I'm riding is the best.

I have only one.

For now.

top506

Of the two I've owned, I preferred the '89 to the '88. And that's with not liking GPX that much.

Top

gugie 

Dave rode a custom Eisentraut. It got repainted every year to look like an Ironman.

mstateglfr 

Quality right here.

RobbieTunes

I went to a Halloween metric, dressed as the 2008 model.

OldsCOOL

That’s a stretch.

texaspandj

Nope, it was a Zunow, custom made in Japan outfitted with Dura Ace.
Also, he got 2 new bikes a year.