Dura Ace "Upgrade" on Purple Haze

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Okay, I admit it. I'm sorta addicted to ebay-ing and for the past month been scouring the web for deals on Dura Ace 7800 parts. The drivetrain in particular. Was not so keen on the DA7900 even though there were quite a few good deals on them over the net. The DA7900 looks a tad futuristic (I like it actually) but it won't look right on this 1991 frame IMO. Also, I was not too keen on the ability to only shift 2 gears down compared to 3 gears on the older DA7800. I already have a DA7800 shifter in place which I am very comfortable with especially with the smoothness and short throw required to shift so I figure if I could get some deals on the FD, Crank and RD, why not?

The FD (FD-7800) is brand new and Crank (FC-7800) was supposedly mounted on an LBS showbike and have seen very little use. I love the cranks. They look great and just oozes quality and workmanship. The finish is really good. An to protect them from my notorious crank-rubbing feet, I bought a set of Crankskins. The skins were pretty tricky to put on though!

Installation was a breeze. I finally got to try them out with a ride with Ben last Saturday. Well, I can't tell the difference in the cranks compared to my previous Ultegra SL ones (which incidentally already had DA7800 chainrings on) but the FD rocks! Shifting is instantaneous and assured compared to the SL FD.

Still waiting for my RD to arrive though....been 2+ weeks! Here are some pics on the bike. Survived Saturday ride in the rain.

I pretty much bring tubes and pumps with me on every ride on this bike. Don't make much difference to the weight anyway!


I moved my shifters higher up the handlebar, seems to me more confortable this way. However the saddle seems to be giving me numbing sensation these days...


The crank and FD

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