Change cassette/rear derailleur or go sub-compact?

Has anyone else mixed and

Has anyone else mixed and matched chainrings?

I recently moved and my commute doesn’t require a 34 front with 32 rear combo (my old commute did due to super steep hills!).

I switched to 50/34 with 11-28 but found the jump between the 34 and 50 was too great (47%) so I could never find the right gear.

I’ve since opted for a 50/36 with 11-32 so I now have a slightly greater range of gears but with really close front chainrings, which means there’s no large jump to get in the big ring.

herrkaa wrote:

I have a Chorus with a short cage and I’ve been running a 12-29 Miche cassette for years without any issues. Are you quite sure that your Record won’t cope?

Bit late to the party but this is very close to my set-up (short cage Chorus on a 28t (available singly from acycles)) and no problems.

Just back from the Pyrenees myself and wish I’d invested in a 30t. I’m sure the mech would have coped fine (whereas – on a 28t – I only just about did).

Can you not use a road link

Can you not use a road link/wolf link derailleur extender

See this thread, a chap is using ‘Roadlink’ with campag

http://road.cc/content/forum/221757-campagnolo-potenza-compatability

maviczap wrote:

maviczap wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

No issues with rubbing, first the Di2 front derailleur self trims as you move across the cassette gearing. Second, I ensured that the spacers on the bottom bracket, were spot on to give the correct alignment. I think I sanded down one spacer removing 1mm of thickness

Having read your posts properly,  I saw you’re using an xtr front mech, which is very useful to know, I did wonder if it was possible.

Not sure if I can do this on my carbon Battaglin, which has a fixed mech hanger in the front, but my Ti bike does use a band on mech, so ilI’ be trying your mod out for sure.

As you correctly said, it’s all about getting up the climbs comfortably, rather than worry about how your bike looks or what people say.

I remember seeing someone back in 2009  ono the Tourmalet with a dinner plate rear cassette, which must have been a mountain bike cassette, as no one did big sprocket cassettes for road bikes then, he looked comfortable, so I thought why not.

Check out the compatibility chart I posted. You can use XT with XTR front or rear derailleur.

What you can’t do is mix road Di2 derailleurs with MTB derailleurs.

I think XTR in Di2 is the only triple front derailleur available currently.

CXR94Di2 wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

No issues with rubbing, first the Di2 front derailleur self trims as you move across the cassette gearing. Second, I ensured that the spacers on the bottom bracket, were spot on to give the correct alignment. I think I sanded down one spacer removing 1mm of thickness

Having read your posts properly,  I saw you’re using an xtr front mech, which is very useful to know, I did wonder if it was possible.

Not sure if I can do this on my carbon Battaglin, which has a fixed mech hanger in the front, but my Ti bike does use a band on mech, so ilI’ be trying your mod out for sure.

As you correctly said, it’s all about getting up the climbs comfortably, rather than worry about how your bike looks or what people say.

I remember seeing someone back in 2009  ono the Tourmalet with a dinner plate rear cassette, which must have been a mountain bike cassette, as no one did big sprocket cassettes for road bikes then, he looked comfortable, so I thought why not.

darrenleroy wrote:

herrkaa wrote:

I have a Chorus with a short cage and I’ve been running a 12-29 Miche cassette for years without any issues. Are you quite sure that your Record won’t cope?

 

I’m not 100 per cent sure but my LBS has said it won’t. It’s quite a jump from 25 to 29. My rear derailleur is already pretty stretched out in the 25 cog.

I’m thinking I will have to replace the rear derailleur and cassette. Bummer. I might just go the whole hog and change up for an 11 speed Potenza. I hate wasting equipment that works perfectly but I suppose I could try and flog it on eBay. 

If you are using Campag 10 speed (which I guess you are), and a 53/39 then the 11-25 gives you the following gear range:

127.1″-41.2″

Compared to:

115.1″ to 31.7″ using the 48/30

Using a 13-29t 10 speed cassette on a standard 53/39 gives you 

107.5″ – 35.5

Using a 50/34 combination with the 13-29t cassette will give you

101.5″ – 30.9″ – so lower than the sub-compact with a slight loss at the top end

So I’d suggest first trying a new chain and cassette (13-29), then maybe fitting smaller chainrings.

There’s quite a lot of gear duplification, but this seems normal for compact doubles.

Unless you are completely spinning out the 53 on the flat, I’d suggest trying the larger casette first (a Veloce cassette and KMC chain are going to cost you less than £50).

The smart way to use a double is with an ultrawide cassette and a very narrow double – it’s possible to find gear combinations that allow the  front chainring to fill the gap between ratios in the rear cassette with no duplications at all. 

CXR94Di2 wrote:

maviczap wrote:

Back on topic.

My first trip to the Pyrenees I used 9 speed triple 50/39/30 with 28 biggest. I was able to spin up the climbs, as a rider from flat East Anglia, I was able to climb better than my mates from Wales who were on compact. To be fair they were carrying more body weight than my 67kg

Next few years were on 10speed 50/34 with a 30, which I managed, but couldn’t spin up like the triple.

Upgraded to 11speed and the last 2 trips, I used a 50/33 with 32, but probably due to a lack of miles ,getting older and weighing 70kg I did struggle on my last trip.

I’m back in the Pyrenees next weekend, and ilI’ be using 46/32 and a 34, with more miles and weighing 67kg, so let’s hope I can spin up, rather than grind up.

I’d quite happily use a triple but I’m using Di2, anyone using Di2 with a triple, and I don’t mean using 2 two of the three?

I have in my parts locker, a Tiagra triple and 105 triple shifter, which will be deployed once age overtakes ability, which won’t be long

 

The gearing you found easy for the Pyrenees was down to your weight.  Ive ridden with a variety of riders of different weights.  Light riders, sub 75kg, can get away with compact 50/34 11-28/32 setups when climbing mountains.  When heavyweight riders try mountains they need alot easier gearing, I go upto 40t cass and now a 26t chainring to be able to spin for hours.  Ive seen 90+kg riders die a horrible slow grind death using a standard compact setup.  I weigh 94kg+bike+kit so easily nudging 110kg whilst climbing. 

Ive just come back from the Alps and was able to maintain a decent cadence of 80rpm for the like s of the Glandon, Galibier and Croix de fer, These are climbs of 25+km long average 7+%

 

Note 

light riders will climb faster than heavy riders on long climbs.  Either let them go or leave 10 mins earlier to meet near the top.

I and another chap left 15 mins earlier for the Croix de fer, we were caught up within a km of the top some 30km long climb

Yep, I get that and take my hat off to you, as you’re nearly 30kg more than me. I’ve done all those climbs, bar Galibier the long way up the telegraph. Croix der Fer was a big test, just because of the length of the climb.

Thanks for the photo, I might experiment with my Tiagra triple. Any issues with chain rub on the front mech?