Right, indexing and gears and things...
Re the indexing, I wondered the same, it’s the one area I try justify NOS in the hope of crisp shifts. But never sure if it’s best to invest that in the cassette & matching chain, derailleur or shifters or does it have to be all of them ?
I always thought it’s mostly shifters and cassette, assuming cable inners & outers are all new.
M900 throughout. Except for the front chainrings and the chain. Oh, and the cables!
Maybe getting those would improve everything a little?
It's not like it's bad, it's better than anything I dealt with back in the day. But, BITD, I didn't have and couldn't afford M900 XTR bits!
And yeah, now they're 30 years old, but after all the time, money and work, it feels like I should fiddle around a little more, dig a little deeper, and even invest a little more if I need to to get things as good as they could possible be.
Generally not the shifter. It has an easy job.
Click and stop at next ratchet point
Rear mech can be the arse if the spring are gone or it wobbles a lot or warn jockies...
Cassettes are temperamental . They get hooks at the sides which can be a pain, but it will be skipping you see there normally.
But mostly it'll be cables and mech. Or mech hanger...
Or just needs a good kicking.
With the old setup, learn the art of tuning the shifter barrel while riding.
Jockies seem ok, and condition of rear mech is decent. That said, I'm sure it could do with a thorough/proper service.
Cassette also seems okay, but maybe I should investigate a little further or keep an eye for another?
Cables... Right now it's been setup with what the LBS had in stock (which, as we all know, right now doesn't mean much) because I really wanted to get this thing in rideable shape and take it from there. That said, I do have some M900 cabling on the way, and a kind offer of some more from
@Matttymm. So maybe that could improve things? I sort of assume brand new cabling from any company and of any spec is most likely better than something thirty years old and previous well-used. Although maybe I'm wrong there?
Now the rear mech hanger is an interesting point... Mine is fine, although seen better days. BUT the two little screws are pretty worn and don't exactly tighten as well as you might hope. I was hoping the LBS would have some lying around they could switch them out for, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. So right now I'm hunting for replacement bolts. I wonder if that will help things too?
Kicking it would deffo be my go-to BITD! But for obvious reasons I'm a little less inclined to give it a wack now!
Adjusting the shifter barrel while riding? Well, at least I have a new helmet on the way...