[iLUVmySH]

i just purchased this bike and i don't really like the suntour xc components... the shifters are really hard to shift with, am i weird because i like the shimano's LX's better (had them on my trek, only thing i can compare with)....

the paramount comes with some rock shox that say magnesium on them, and are 6 way adjustable...

since this bike is like 10 years old, do i need to do anything with the shocks for maintenance?

i purchased some used parts (rock shox jett t2, shimano lx shifters - quick fire, stx RC front deraileurs, lx rear deraileurs, dia-comp 733 v-brakes w/ levers)

now since where the just purchased v-brakes mount differently compared to my suntours and the mount is integrated onto the front fork, i would have to change out the whole front fork...

my question:

can i use the shifters (8-speed) on my 7-speed rear casset?
would it be worth it to change out my rock shox magnesium shox w/ my suntour brake system to replace it with jett t2's w/ dia-comp 733 brakes?

thanks in advance for your advice

old bike, stolen @ davis on 07/01/04

new bike, bike seat stolen @ davis on 07/22/04

 

[JmZ]

Post this in the Vintage Section

i just purchased this bike and i don't really like the suntour xc components... the shifters are really hard to shift with, am i weird because i like the shimano's LX's better (had them on my trek, only thing i can compare with)....

the paramount comes with some rock shox that say magnesium on them, and are 6 way adjustable...

since this bike is like 10 years old, do i need to do anything with the shocks for maintenance?

i purchased some used parts (rock shox jett t2, shimano lx shifters - quick fire, stx RC front deraileurs, lx rear deraileurs, dia-comp 733 v-brakes w/ levers)

now since where the just purchased v-brakes mount differently compared to my suntours and the mount is integrated onto the front fork, i would have to change out the whole front fork...

my question:

can i use the shifters (8-speed) on my 7-speed rear casset?
would it be worth it to change out my rock shox magnesium shox w/ my suntour brake system to replace it with jett t2's w/ dia-comp 733 brakes?

thanks in advance for your advice

If the bike is pretty close to current standards:
Rear dropout spacing at 135mm
Headset Diameter at 1 1/8

You should be in pretty good shape. Most mountain wheels are still for 135mm, and most bikes are still 1 1/8.

The fork travel may 'adjust' the geometry of the bike a bit slowing the steering down, but that would be the only detriment. And even if the bike has 130mm rear spacing, that's what road hubs use, or if the fork is 1 inch, there are plenty of headsets available, and Marz still makes forks.

If my memory serves me correctly the Paramounts were nice bikes, I remember wanting one when I was back in college, but they were out of my price range.

JmZ

 

[iLUVmySH]

If the bike is pretty close to current standards:
Rear dropout spacing at 135mm
Headset Diameter at 1 1/8

You should be in pretty good shape. Most mountain wheels are still for 135mm, and most bikes are still 1 1/8.

The fork travel may 'adjust' the geometry of the bike a bit slowing the steering down, but that would be the only detriment. And even if the bike has 130mm rear spacing, that's what road hubs use, or if the fork is 1 inch, there are plenty of headsets available, and Marz still makes forks.

If my memory serves me correctly the Paramounts were nice bikes, I remember wanting one when I was back in college, but they were out of my price range.

JmZ

thanks for the reply.. but my main concern is are the components on my paramount (all suntour xc) up to par? what is wrong with my shifter, it feels like it has a lot of tension and it's hard to shift precisely. i really liked my quick fire shifter on my trek. will the new shimano lx shifter (8 clicks) work on my bike because my rear is only 7 gears...

maybe if i post pics up, it would help a bit. we-todd-did-racing.com is not responding right now

 

[max-a-mill]

looks sweet wouldn't change a thing if it works.

most noticable performance upgrade would probably be a new fork.

lots of old groughes still use and love friction shifters...

thats a nice frame! ride it.

 

[wooglin]

1--I bet your shifting woes would be fixed with new cable and housing.

2--V-brakes and cantis (cantis are on the Pmount in the pic) mount on the same studs. So you can switch brakes if you want.

3--7sp and 8sp spacing is identical so the new shifters will work with a 7sp cassette. Just be careful not to shift onto a cog that's not there!

4--I'd leave it as is, or just upgrade the fork. That's where the huge technology changes have occured. The rest of that stuff is fine.

 

[iLUVmySH]

thanks for the reply, i'll take it into consideration.... but the problem with the brakes, the mount on the center of the fork above the wheel, there's no hole for it on the paramount, so i can't mount the cable

 

[TobyNobody]

thanks for the reply, i'll take it into consideration.... but the problem with the brakes, the mount on the center of the fork above the wheel, there's no hole for it on the paramount, so i can't mount the cable

Nice bike. Keep it for as long as you can.

I'm confused by what you think the problem is... You said you bought some diacomp v's, right? Well, they will mount on your newer Jett fork without any problem - the v brakes don't need a cable stop on the fork - just a cable 'noodle' that guides the cable between the two arms - and its attached to the cable, not to the fork.

And if you are mounting v brakes on your old mag 20s or 21s or whatever, the cablestop on the fork can stay there- it won't get in the way or anything. Just change the brake arms and levers and go.

 

[iLUVmySH]

okay.. well i tried to install the diacomp v's and i failed... whenever i pressed on the lever, they don't give much tension... too much slack... so when i adjust them to be more stiff, the brakes would rub the rim and cause too much drag. so i guess i have decided to just keep my stock parts on...

what i really do not like is the friction shifter and how it's really hard to shift compared to the quick fire shifter. also, the front won't go into the lowest gears almost always. and when it does go into the lowest gear, the chain would rub against the front derailleur so i have to adjust the shifter lever so it doesn't rub... really annoying!

 

[tube_ee]

okay.. well i tried to install the diacomp v's and i failed... whenever i pressed on the lever, they don't give much tension... too much slack... so when i adjust them to be more stiff, the brakes would rub the rim and cause too much drag. so i guess i have decided to just keep my stock parts on...

what i really do not like is the friction shifter and how it's really hard to shift compared to the quick fire shifter. also, the front won't go into the lowest gears almost always. and when it does go into the lowest gear, the chain would rub against the front derailleur so i have to adjust the shifter lever so it doesn't rub... really annoying!

First, a historical note: XC Pro was Suntour's top MTB group. Early 90s MTBer's "in the know" often prefered it to Deore XT. (Shimano's top group). Those are fantastic parts, and should work well forever. The only sticky wicket might be replacement gears, if the bike was built with XC Pro cassette hubs. Suntour cassettes are very hard to find, although

http://www.yellowjersey.org

would be a good place to start. The derailleurs, cranks, and brakes are still some of the best parts ever made. Suntour derailleurs, in particular, have always been great. They invented the "slant parallelogram" derailleur, without which indexed shifting isn't possible. All modern derailleurs are slant-parallelogram.

Now to address your functional issues:

You need new cables, and you may want to take the shifters apart and clean them out. Thumbshifters are quite simple inside, and Suntour XC pros may be the nicest thumbshifters ever made. They shouldn't be hard to shift at all. Also, the rear is index or friction, there's a ring around the shifter body that allows you to switch between indexed and friction, (actually a fine-toothed ratchet, 'cuz it's a Suntour shifter).

As to the front derailleur rubbing when the chain is on the big cog, that's totally normal for any derailleur bike, and since your XC pro front shifter is pure friction, as all front shifters should be, all it takes is a small movement of the shifter to quiet things down again. If it was an indexed front shifter, ala RapidFire, you'd just have to live with it, as there's no way to trim the FD. Front indexing is dumb, you've just discovered why. The chain changes position continuously, as you shift the rear. Therefore, the front shifter should be able to adjust the position of it's derailleur continuously. Shimano is the only company that doesn't get this.

For your brakes, are you trying to use the v-brakes with the Suntour canti levers? That isn't going to work, v-brakes require special levers with a different mechanical advantage. Again, no great loss going back to the XC Pro cantilevers, they're fantastic brakes. Especially with modern cables and housing, and Kool-Stop salmon pads. You may want to review Sheldon Brown's articles on cantilever setup, at

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakes

Cantilever brakes don;t have to suck, but if you're going to use them, you need to know how to set them up. Most shop wrenches are clueless when it comes to cantilevers, unless they've been in the business a while.

Sweet bike, by the way!!

--Shannon