Change cassette/rear derailleur or go sub-compact?

photo XTR Di2 triple with 48
photo XTR Di2 triple with 48/36/26 gears

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

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?

Yes 

I built my Tripster V2 last year for mountain climbing using XT di2 groupset, initally with 40/28 crank, a 11-32 or 11-40 cassette.  I modified to get 44/28 crank to give a little more flat down hill speed.  

Ive now changed my front Di2 XT 2 gear derailleur to a XTR Di2 3 gear.  These are fully compatible with my set up.  I then fitted an XT triple crank 48/36/26. It works beautifully either in syncro mode or manual mode.

Shimano spec is that XTR will only take 40t max crank, this is rubbish as 48 fits easily.  Ive hear of 50t triple cranks being fitted with careful setup.

Having a band clamp for the front di2 derailleur is recommended so to allow fine adjustment

Here is shimano compatibility chart and a photo of my new crank with XTR di2 derailleur 

CXR94Di2 wrote:

darrenleroy wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

get a compact triple, 50/36/24, solves all your problems and you can keep the 11-25

I’m not getting a triple. I mean, I’m not Peter Sagan cool, but I have some dignity. 

The word is vanity. 

What ever get you up the hills in the most comfortable way

Absolutely, many a time I’ve watched pros come to a standstill and almost falling off due to running out of gears. Tour of Britain a couple of years back and suprisingly it was raining in the Lake District, watched with great hilarity as an old codger with a walking stick outpace the chasing bunch up a wet steep bit., it was comedy gold

darrenleroy wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

get a compact triple, 50/36/24, solves all your problems and you can keep the 11-25

 

I’m not getting a triple. I mean, I’m not Peter Sagan cool, but I have some dignity. 

The word is vanity. 

What ever get you up the hills in the most comfortable way

I changed from a 50/34 to a

I changed from a 50/34 to a 48/32 with 11-28 for mountain riding. I thought close enough to a 50/34 11-28 without need to swap cassette and rear Ultegra short derailleur. It wasn’t enough and I ended up swapping in an 11-32 as well. What a huge difference. Had already ruined my legs at a cadence of 70 but now better able to spin at 75-80. No issues using short cage at all. 

The other riders were using a minimum of 50/34 and 11-32 or even 34

get a compact triple, 50/36

get a compact triple, 50/36/24, solves all your problems and you can keep the 11-25

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. 

It would be a rare derailleur that can’t cope with an 18 tooth difference in the back. If your derailleur is already stretched out on the 25, it may be that your chain is too short.

Going from Standard to sub compact will give the equivalent of a 27 on the back (1 more gear) and going to a full compact will give the equivalent of  a 29 on the back ( 2 more gears). TBH, going full compact at 34/50 would be a good result, but for an awful lot cheaper, a 12 – 29 cassette would achieve a better result (you’d lose 1 top gear, but it doesn’t sound like you’re bothered by that having suggested a 48 would be ok). Get another opinion from a different LBS before taking the plunge on a new chainset. You can probably find the capacity of a record derailleur on line.

alotronic wrote:

Cheapest way to get where you want is leave the 34/50 on the front and buy a £20 ‘road link’ which is a thing that sits on the end of your mech hanger and pushes the rear mech further down. You can then use a 36 or even 40 as biggest sprocket on the back via a MTB cassette – gives you the same range as a subcompact with a 12-28 or 12-32. I put one on my bike for some welsh hills last week for a 34 x 36 granny gear and it worked a treat.

This ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

I’m running  praxis works 46/32 chainrings on the front, and my Ultegra GS cage just about managed to run a SRAM 36t largest sprocket without a roadlink. With a roadlink copy installed, then no problem running a 36.

You can find these roadlink things on a well known auction site. The original roadlink things are overpriced for what they are, but cheaper than a new rear mech.