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A novice roadie mate of mine is borrowing a Spesh Roubaix Expert with full Ultegra SL for a 150 mile bike ride through big Wales. Chuffed to bits that it's such a light bike and that will help him a lot, but 50/34 compact gears are WAAAYYY too big for him. He needs a triple.
What's involved in swapping to a triple, without spending too much moola??
Buy low end triple crankset - will it go onto Ultegra SL bb? Will it work with the front mech?
Any help much appreciated. Or any other ideas.
Don't understand, a 50/34 won't be much different than 32/42/52 if he's struggling. You could put a wide ratio cassette on if he can't make it up the hills.
Just stick a 28 tooth cassette on or something and a longer chain, a 34 - 28 is about exactly the same as a 30 - 25 of a triple and closer cassette
I'm assuming he can borrow the bike for alot of training too? So that he can tweak it and get it set up for him. Just jumping on a borrowed bike for a 150 miles ride is asking for pain
Agree - no difference. Road triple isn't like mtb triple with a 22 grannie.
Bigger cassette on the back (might need different rear mech to accommodate?) and then just be very very frugal with the energy from the start. And keep eating.
Rear mech should be fine, set it up so big-big just works without exploding and small-small you might just get a bit of chain wrap, shouldn't be in those gears anyway really
Might you need a new shifter for the triple, if so, they are dead expensive and a right hassle to change.
Joe
Agree with comments about bunging a bigger casette on.
To put a triple on with a Ultegra set up, you are looking at long cage rear mech, poss triple front mech, but most importantly of all a new triple STI lever. The three positions aren't 3 on an ultegra double sti, it's a trim function. That is the beauty of 105, 105 STI's do double and triple (or the old ones did, not sure if the newer one does)
I looked into this with my jake the snake last year and it was going to be pretty costly to change - would have required new chainset, front mech and shifters (currently all 105). I ended up changing the 36 front ring to a 34 and the 25 cog to a 27, whcih all in made a fair difference
Shame Shimano don't seem to do a 29t cassette like the lovely Campag, I use one on the back of my Jake on my off road wheels and with a compact at the front its a nice low gear.
If a 34 is way too big for him, he's screwed for a 150 mile ride. Can't he just get some miles in?
If it really is way too big, he wants a mountain bike with slicks, and about 18 hours to do the ride 🙂
TBH if your mate is a real novice roadie as you said then the gearing is going to make pretty much no difference to his ability to get up big Welsh hills - he's still going to be walking them.
Is this 150 miles in a day? I'm just a bit sceptical about him making that if compact gearing is way to tall? Don't want to be negative, but…
Agree with what everyone says. Swapping to a triple is disproportionately expensive and won't really offer a much easier gear. Big cassette and hope for the best!
Can't you stick a mtb cassette on? or will this cause problems with the mech?
i use a 50/34 though i am never out of the 50 even on the steepest of climbs. If a 50 is too big for him then i suggest 150 miles would be nigh on impossible for him to do ( alive anyway). stick with the current set up, do some more training and you'll be amazed how versatile it is
[i]Can't you stick a mtb cassette on? or will this cause problems with the mech?[/i]
May well do, but if it does, just whack an MTB mech on - they're compatible with road shifters.
And if he still can't get up the hills with 34x32 he really is in trouble 🙂
I use the small ring quite a lot on my compact, but often because it lets me use the more tightly-spaced range of the cassette. The gear jumps are a bit bigger if you stay in the big ring and use the easy end of the cassette.
As for mtb cassette - Ultegra SL is 10speed is it not? Do the SRAM XX mtb cassettes fit?
Oh lord, I'd forgotten we're on to 10 speed now - that bumps up the expense of that option a tad 🙂
Nice advice all round. Bigger cassette looks like the way to go.
150 miles is over two days. And...
he's just had a vasectomy mid last week, and got kicked in the nuts by his daughter on Monday. Ride starts two weeks today. Oh yes!! Bring it.
I'm currently writing the script for Will Ferrell.
Seriously, it's all true.
butcher an old MTB cassette for its 32 ring, strip appart the 10s cassette, remove one of the loose rings, and put the big ring in wut the spacer from the 'missing' ring. You'll end up with a granny gear, but 2 big jumps in the cassette.
Agree though, if he cant spin up hills in 34 he dont stand a chance!
i use a 50/34 though i am never out of the 50 even on the steepest of climbs
Either you've no idea what a steep climb is, or you're trying to knacker your knees. Events I've done where 34/25 was rather on the big side even when I was very fit.
Bigger cassette looks like the way to go.
Though as mentioned, you won't get bigger than a 27 in a standard 10-speed cassette - if you want bigger then you're taking expensive [url= http://www.roadacecomponents.co.uk/shop/article_14.001/IRD-10sp-Elite-Wide-Range-Road-Cassette---Shimano.html?shop_param=cid%3D18%26aid%3D14.001%26 ]IRD cassettes[/url]
i use a 50/34 though i am never out of the 50 even on the steepest of climbs
You're my hero! Didn't Contador run a compact on the Angliru last year?
There's a big bicycle race round France starting soon, you may make the start if you hurry and teach those boys a thing or two...
PS: I think SRAM do a 28 tooth 10 speed cassette...
[i]i use a 50/34 though i am never out of the 50 even on the steepest of climbs[/i]
Can't set up your derailleur properly? Bless 🙂
He he. radoggair. That has tickled me a bit. So you'd rather cross-chain and ride only in one ring than use the double properly? Or do you live in Holland?
he didnt mention that that gear was on his 5spot.
*waves ...hello greig*
Bez - you are correct on that one, i'm le shiza when it comes to setting up things
As for other comments, i prefer to push big gears rather than spin, its what i'm used to so i stick to just keeping it in the big ring and grinding it out. Who cares anyway if i i'd rather 'cross-chain' etc, my bikes not broke yet so cant be that bad, and aracer, i'm obviously alot fitter than you've ever been. Those who know me know i can get up climbs some struggle to walk up!!
That french race doesn't look that hard anyway, sit in a pack for 80% of the race having a chat, eating donuts. Sounds easy 😉
'trail-rat' - your being silly now, we all know i run a 54 on the 5 spot 🙄
Glen p - my late papa was dutch so tech i've got some dutch blood in me
i'm obviously alot fitter than you've ever been. Those who know me know i can get up climbs some struggle to walk up!!
I thought willy waving was banned on here? 🙄
Only when it's unjustified
Well chapeau to you sir if you can get up 'anything' in your 50. Presumably you've removed your inner ring, front mech and left hand shifter to save weight? If it's just gathering dust!
In fairness I can get up the steepest climbs round here on my 42x16, which is the same as 50x19. Chewy, but doable. I wouldn't want it for [i]long[/i] steep climbs of Alpine proprtion, and if I'm on the geared bike I'll happily use the 39x27, but...
...but what? Don't leave us hanging! 🙂
...but plug.
Carbon or alu?
Well chapeau to you sir if you can get up 'anything' in your 50. Presumably you've removed your inner ring, front mech and left hand shifter to save weight? If it's just gathering dust!
Nope, kept that for extra weight and fill my tyres with lead. If i removed my left hand shifter iwould also have no rear brake, bit silly isn't it??
Also, i dont exactly live in the pyrenees
Do you live in Lincolnshire? If so, that would explain things!
Nah, you can get a Shimano lever, like you'd use on a singlespeed, much easier.
So when you say you can get up any steep hills, you mean steep to where you live, which isn't very steep at all?
Aaah well, it's all gravy, proper men use 53/39, with an 11-21 cassette.
From my brief experience dabbling with a road triple I would never go down that route again. There seems to come a point in the gearing where it does not get appreciably easier it is just that the misery goes on for longer.
I am not really sure that switching from a 12-25 to 12-27 when running a 50/34 seems to improve things substantially for me (and I am no means a strong rider) other than psychologically ... but that may be whole point
Getting away from all the willy waving
I did the dales cycleway on my crossbike and I'm not that fit so I knew I wouldn't be able to do it with a 50/34 and 25 on the back carrying all my camping gear.
I used a MTB cassette and an old LX mech with a J-TEK shift mate 2 to allow me to use the 10 speed shifters with the 9 speed cassette and after a little adjusting it worked a treat. You get them from SJS cycles on-line there about 30 quid.
aracer, i'm obviously alot fitter than you've ever been.
No, you obviously don't know what a hill is. I've done events round here with sustained 25% climbs - I'd love to see you try that in your 50!
Back on topic, good point about the shift-mate, had meant to suggest something similar. The bible on such things http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946#Shimano shows you can shift a 9-speed cassette with 10-speed shifters using the "old DA" cable routing trick (see just below that table - trick works with most if not all modern Shimano mechs, not just DA ones).
I am rarely out of the big ring on road.....but then mine is a 46 🙂
Posted to reveal the invisible post
No, you obviously don't know what a hill is. I've done events round here with sustained 25% climbs - I'd love to see you try that in your 50!
Live in Scotland, so yeah, do know what a hill is. Your train of thought is if i cant do it no one can which is unscientific at the least
Tried 39/53 and hated it. Too big a jump. All the TDF fanboy "have a go"-heroes loved it though.
Seems they use 34/50 these days though 😉
Your train of thought is if i cant do it no one can
So not only are you a super hero, you're also a mind reader?