Originally Posted by
wstephenson
I've just acquired a considerably worn 1991 750 in that year's Black with White on Yellow and Silver colourway. It is basically stock except for saddle, tyres, brake blocks and rust. What's the opinion on the stock Suntour XCE drivetrain? 7 speed, screw-on freewheel, OG Rapidfire-like shifter pods which are extremely mushy and slow to shift right now, but do shift. Is it worth servicing and saving? There are mixed messages out there as to how well a set of Shimano shifters would work with the Suntour XCE derailleurs. Has anyone else tried this?
While I haven’t tried this specific combo, I do this kind of thing all the time. The spacing on that freewheel and crankset should be standard and I think the indexing in newer shifters should work fine if the derailleurs are in good shape. It’s an easy and low-risk thing to try if you are near a community bike shop and can get a used set of newer shifters dirt cheap. Even new trigger shifters are inexpensive now. I suggest you give the MicroSHIFT offerings a look, too.