Chainset advice needed for a newbie...........

Hi All,

This may seem a daft question to some but I'm struggling a little to work out what it is I need for my bike.

I have a 1999 Explosif and I want to change the cranks as they appear to be very tired. The bike came fitted with a 7 speed cassette on worn out rims with 7 speed XT or LX shifters.

I bought a pair of XC717 rims from ebay with XT hubs that are fitted with an 8 speed cassette. So here begins he dilemma..........................

Do I swap the cassette for the 7 speed and keep the shifters, try and get 8 speed stuff to work with the rear cassette that came with the wheels I bought or just get rid of it all and go to 9 speed as there seems to be more availability at reasonable prices????

I don't know what will work with what and the compatibility of the ranges and speeds etc. At the end of the day I want a nice riding trail bike that will also look great! I'd like the groupset to be XT at the minimum, although I have bought Avid Arch rival brakes as they were red

I hope someone can help me!!!

depends if you want the bike to be period correct.

also if you have other bikes, then choose one gear system and convert all bikes to use the same number of speeds.

My Other bike is a '96 Kona Koa that is a 7 speed on budget rims, brakes etc so the parts that come from the Explosif such as shifters, XT V brakes etc will be used to 'upgrade' it.

I'm not too sure what would be period correct for either bike to be honest. I've read a lot on here and looked on Bikepedia for the standard spec but I stil don't know which bits would swap out and still be right if that makes sense.

Back in '96 I had a Trek 9700 OCLV that I fitted Judy SL's too and thought it was amazing, then came the Konas, Specialized FSR and children so I stopped riding for a long time. The Kona bug has stayed with me hence that's what I have now.

If its a 99, it should be 9 speed.

Personally, I'd upgrade it to 9 speed so you can get descent cassette and chain etc.

It may be worth looking at the likes of Rose Bikes or anime Discount.de as you may be able to save a load more cash.