adlai

I bought an old road bike from the 90's with Shimano 105 groupset.

Advice on refurbishing it? Everything on the bike is sticky.

I'm debating keeping the shifters or replacing them. Rear derailleur as well.

I will probably keep the crankset.

branko_76 

If it were mine, I would rebuild what is there. The only thing I would change is one of the rims so they both match.

Ironfish653

Formula 409 does a good job at getting crud off the paint and polished parts.
WD-40 or similar to get the gunk out of the DR and shifter mechs, then lube with your preferred product.

You need new bar tape like, yesterday. That stuff just looks gross.

Nothing wrong with the RD, just scratches. 5500 is good stuff.
The shifter, OTOH, looks knackered. If it works fine and you can live with it, then ride on. Otherwise, any 9-sp road shifter will work. Probably not worth finding all the parts to rebuild an ST-5500, they’ve been out of production for a long time.

Maelochs

I believe shifters from that era are rebuildable, but I am not sure if anyone still does that. There used to be adds on EBay. First thing to do is change all the cables .... and then blast a bunch of WD-40 into the shifter while cycling through the gears. This can dissolve and blow out old, sticky, gummy grease full of dust, which can jam the shifters.

I think you have 5700-era gear, there. Check this page (chosen at random, just as an example): https://neloscycles.com/Shifters-Shi...Speed-Shifters

if the frame is good you could put any modern group set on there ... but first see if you cannot soak the existing shifters clean. And just new cables could make a world of difference.

adlai

Wd 40 to clean, then what? Regrease it with anything?

Maelochs

I have never bothered regreasing shifters. I suppose one could put a single drop of Three-in-One or some other light oil directly on the two ends of the main pivot.

adlai

Good eye. .

But considering I only paid $100 for the bike, finding a matching mavic cxp21 rim is harder than it should be
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Thomas15

RJ the Bike Guy on youtube has a quad-zillion vids on fixing bikes including one on brifters like the ones you have. The 105 set is good I would clean/lube/adjust and live happy. As others have said replace the cables and bar tape and probably the tires and tubes. Adjust and ride.

adlai

What is the max cassette size that the 105 derailleur can handle?

veganbikes

Once you get the old grease out of shifters I would do a very light light lubricant and very small amounts. Sometimes if you can figure out a way to get some heat inside without damaging the outside or any plastic or rubber bits you might get the grease loose enough to not need to be removed.

I would make sure to remove everything that is threaded or is bolted into or onto the bike and make sure it is cleaned and greased. Do it before you start riding the bike because knowing you have a stuck seatpost or bottom bracket or something is best to know right away because you may have a better chance of remove it before it gets even worse or to strip what you can now and get rid of the bike.

In terms of Rear derailleur if that is a short cage RD-5500 which is what it looks close to that would be a max 27t cog and max chain wrap at 29t. You might have some luck extending that a scosh with a Wolf Tooth Road Link (I did it on my old 7400 Rear Derailleur and it actually works ok)

For info on vintage parts VeloBase.com is my go to for a lot of this stuff but Shimano has a lot of tech docs for older stuff still on their site: https://si.shimano.com/

adlai

Thanks.

Yeah, I've taken everything off the bike. I'm soaking it all in soapy water right now. I've tried wiping it but I'm mainly getting the outsides.

I am seriously considering selling the shifters but keeping the derailleurs and brakes.

veganbikes

Good good, clean and grease, clean and grease.
I wouldn't sell the shifters, shifters can be expensive and honestly old ones that are functional but not in great shape aren't worth a ton so if you can keep them functional that might be the better move.

adlai

I've had my eye on shifters from Sensah. Like $70.

The right shifter is missing the metal tip part. It does work but feels a little loose.

Dish soap is the best for this task.

Camilo

Dish soap and a tooth brush will work wonders. Dry and lube.

I have a hard time counting the sprockets - is it 8 or 9 speed?

As far as shifters.... is Sensah only 11 speed? Microshift is another good alternative. You can find Microshift in 8,9,10 or 11. They are totally compatable with Shimano cassettes and derailleurs, so you could easily match up with what you have in back and minimize the stuff you buy..

adlai

Sensah has 8 and 9 speed too.

I've looked at Microshift. I don't like the design, fundamentally.

Yeah, right shifter is missing the name plate and overall just feels loose. Still works.

I could sell the shifters and replace them with new sensah and be even.

Camilo

That's pr obably what I'd do too. I hadn't seen the Sensah before. They do look nice.

PS like the frame! Show picture of the whole bike

adlai

Take a look at this wheel.

It has an asymmetrical spoke pattern.

The people I bought it from were these hippies who were really nice but stupid.

Camilo

Not grease. Use oil for lubrication for things like derailleur and other pivots, pulley wheels, cables, etc. . I just use my chain oil. There might be other or better alternatives, but that's what I have on hand and use.

Camilo

My eyes aren't all that great, but are they radial spoked on the non-drive side and crossed on the drive side? If so, it's not uncommon. I can't tell you the reason for it because I'm not a wheel builder.

adlai

Actually it occurred to me to get some CLP like for cleaning guns.

adlai

Yes. It is pretty odd.

The hippies probably didn't build the wheel, because that would be too much for them. I mean, there were so many basic maintenance things that they just didn't do.

Camilo

My point is that if the wheel is radial spoked on the non drive side and cross on the drive side, it's not odd at all.

Oh and by the way, I know a lot of very smart people who don't do a thing on their bike, even taking it to the shop to change a tire. Don't mistake ignorance or lack of interest for stupidity, that's a losing game.

veganbikes

Sensah is not a brand I have heard of and looking it up leads only to Jeff Bezos and AliExpress two websites that are not the manufacturer and certainly not a bike shop or any place of quality. I did find an article on Disreali Gears but not much info could be found by him. It may be ex-SRAM contractees but then the likelihood of Shimano compatibility these days from them would be odd if that is the case.

If you want to spend your money on it and try it, go for it, it is your money but I would keep what you have unless non-functional.

Best stuff for removing old grease is heat, agitation and maybe some sort of useful solvent (like citrus degreaser) The problem with soap is it can get clogged up sometimes.

adlai

Oh yeah, and pedals, any recommendations for classic 90’s era pedals? Just regular platform, not clipons

Maelochs

Different spoke patterns in the rear wheel have a purpose. The drive side has to be dished---the spokes are angled much differently---to accommodate the width of the cassette. This puts a lot more stress on the drive-side spokes, and often, wheel-builders use a different lacing pattern to reflect that.