Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I'm due to change my drivetrain and I'm thinking of upgrading the crank while I'm doing it.

I'm looking at the ultegra crank, chain and cassette. So...

- I currently have a nine speed cassette and the one I'm looking at is 10 speed. Will this fit?

- I ride a mix of hills and flat and I'm changing from a compact cassette to a standard. Is the 11-28 set the best for hills and flat?

Cheers

I may stand corrected here, but I believe you need to change your shifters if you want to go to 10 speed. The throw of the shifters is different. You can get a 10 speed crankset and run that fine on 9 speed gear. I'm doing that myself ATM. Just get a 9 speed cassette, or stump up the cash and get 10 speed gear. Could be a good reason to get a new bike too.......

Can you just take the first or last gear off of the cassette to make it a nine speed or am I being totally ridiculous!

DANger-is wrote:Can you just take the first or last gear off of the cassette to make it a nine speed or am I being totally ridiculous!

You answered yourself.

Spacing will be out as mentioned before. You can get Ultegra in 12-27 and Tiagra 11-30 both in 9 speed.

Yup, you would need to change the shifters to get 10 speed. IMHO you would be spending a whole lot of $ for no real performance gain, unless your current set up is really worn out.

I've done about 4500km on the current setup, the local bike shop said it was time for a new chain and cassette and front cogs.

I can just replace the above but was thinking of upgrading the crank while I was there. Is this upgrade a waste of money?

If not, should I be looking at the ultegra 6500, is this the one for nine speed?

I'm a little green with this stuff

How old are the chain rings (front cogs)?

How old is the bike? 4500 for front cogs is a warranty issue unless you've been sandrunning EVERY DAY for those 4500kms. Honestly, that's ridiculous.

You'd really have to think about WHY you want to change the crankset. Is it going to be a different size (compact vs standard vs cyclocross) or just a lighter setup? You'll get virtually no performance gain, better off spending 200 bucks on protein powder

You might have to change the Bottom Bracket as well.

It's a Fuji 2009 bike, so pretty sure it's out of warranty!

It's currently got a compact on it and I'm thinking of changing over to a standard.

I've added some photos of the chain rings to see what you guys think about the chain set

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http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a63 ... mage-5.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I might only need a new chain but I'll see what you guys think

I agree with Xplora, it would be surprising if the the chainrings need replacing after 4500 km

If you're changing the crankset over to something completely different then go for it, but look around. Check the usual OS suspects and make sure you either get something with the same BB setup or get a new BB with it. As for the cassette, just go for the Ultegra or Tiagra 9sp. Bike24 usually has all options in stock, but most of the usual retailers have something in stock, it just depends on the gears you are wanting.

Also, just pointing out, that you essentially get the same gearing with a compact as you do with a standard, but you also get some easier gears to play with. Definitely look OS if you do want a new one though, you can usually get a whole new crankset for less than what new chainrings cost from local retailers. Such is the Shimano way unfortunately!

When you talk about the chain rings are you referring to the front and the rear cassette or just the front?

Is it fair to say then that I'm only due for a new chain?

My main reason for changing from the compact to the standard was because I thought it was all due for replacement and because I was under the impression that standard was a better setup.

I am occationally starting to run out of gears at the top end, can I change the cassette to something with a bigger range?

DANger-is wrote:
Is it fair to say then that I'm only due for a new chain?

I know everyone's different in how hard they mash the pedals, but wouldn't you be hoping for 5000km from each chain and new cassettes every three chains?

DANger-is wrote:I am occationally starting to run out of gears at the top end

Are you sure?

With a 50/12 at 100rpm you'd be doing 53kph.

rkelsen wrote:

DANger-is wrote:I am occationally starting to run out of gears at the top end

Are you sure?

With a 50/12 at 100rpm you'd be doing 53kph.

Yeah, it's only during down hill that I'm running out

I might change the chain first then and see how it go's. besides the thin chains will any shimano chain fit? For example, will the HG93 9 speed chain fit right?

It is often said to replace your chain at the same time as your cassette. This is because the a worn chain will accelerate the wear on a new cassette and vice versa.

Any 9 speed compatible chain will fit. There's plenty to choose from. Companies like Sram and Shimano as well as many other chain makers. I have seen it said that Shimano chains shift a bit better on Shimano gear. Having said that, I have a new Sram chain to try with my new 9sp Ultegra cassette. Getting both together doesn't worry me too much, as half of my riding is done on my track bike and I don't do long rides, this chain/cassette combo has lasted me 3 years.

If you have no qualms about using a Tiagra cassette, you can get a 25-11 or even 30-11 that will give you better high speed gearing without losing any lower gearing.

So will these two componants work well?

Shimano Ultegra 6500 9 Speed Cassette

Shimano HG93 9 Speed Chain


I don't know if you can tell but I'm a bit of a newbie at all this!

I'm currently running 11-23 on the cassette and a compact crank, is this the best combination for flats and hills or should I look at a different range for the cassette?

"Zinn and the art of road bike maintenance".

And gearing is a personal thing. I run a 11-28 with a compact on my daily, but I do 14% climbs on it and have dodgy knees. I know people who think 12-23 with standard cranks is the only real setup. Each to their own...


Sent from my iThingy...

Thanks for your help guys, parts ordered!