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Seems every time I drop by here there's a thread going about chain ring sizes, and now it's my turn I can't find one that's directly relevant...
I'm a novice when it comes to gear ratios, and my head starts imploding just trying to work out whether I need bigger cogs at the front or the back to make me pedal faster or slower. It's all just second nature - I click the shifters and it all works out, which is fine until you decide it's time for a replacement.
I currently have the standard issue Shimano SLX triple crankset (M552 24/32/42) and 10-speed HG81 11x36 cassette that the bike came with. That was a good few years ago or so, and I reckon it's time to replace them along with the chain.
I could keep it simple and go like-for-like, but it looks like things have moved on recently and I'm wondering about 2 x 11 (I'm pretty sure I'm not fit enough for 1 x 11).
How do I work out whether or not I'm likely to run out of gears, particularly on the way up? I'm not so bothered about downhill or on the flat as I'm happy to freewheel after a certain point anyway.
Will I need new shifters?
The cost soon starts adding up. Annoyingly Shimano don't seem to do a drivetrain package, just the full groupset and I have no intention of replacing the brakes... or am I missing something?
Thanks in advance...
http://www.gear-calculator.com
How do I work out whether or not I'm likely to run out of gears, particularly on the way up?
32t front and 11-36 cassette is pretty typical 1x10 setup, so just stick it in the middle ring and go for a ride without changing the front. See where you run out of gears.
On the front the bigger number of teeth means a harder gear, the opposite is true on the rear.
If you want to compare you can use Sheldon's Gear Calculator-
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
If you use gear inches this tells you how many inches you travel for one turn of the pedals. More inches means a harder gear.
To switch to 11 speed you will need a new shifter. Since you're running 10 speed you can keep your rear mech - it doesn't officially work but the reality is that it works fine.
If I stick with the current 3 x 10 presumably I can just replace the front rings, and keep the cranks?
And is it good practice to change the rear derailleur or jockey wheels at the same time?
If I stick with the current 3 x 10 presumably I can just replace the front rings, and keep the cranks?
If you go single ring you can keep the cranks, just take off the current rings and stick a 1x ring on the middle. Not sure about chainline if you go 2x.
And is it good practice to change the rear derailleur or jockey wheels at the same time?
Just change the jockey wheels if they look very worn or not spinning freely (after a good clean and lube.)
Why are you thinking of changing it all? If it works fine, leave it until it doesn't. In any case it is unlikely all three front rings will be worn out, or even the rear mech. Easy option would be to fit a new chain; if it still works, leave alone. Then work through rear cassette, jockey wheels and middle ring in that order.
CRC do drivetrain bundles, various different ones, 10 or 11 speed. Have a look under Components>Groupsets. You can do your own sums to see if they're good value or not 🙂