Double Chain Ring...yikes

[violette]

OK last post;;

The LBS dealer said I could change to a comp.

[ttaylor508]

I think it would be time for violette to go and talk to her LBS and see what THEY say. This has been mulled over plenty on this board. oops I almost misspelled that last word.

Violette- alpinerabbit is right, go talk with your LBS. I had a similar gear problem (except just the opposite as yours) when I sold my Giant OCR 1 which had a 52,42,30 and bought a Specialized Ruby Expert which had a 50,39,30. After several rides I realized I really missed my 52 chainring as I was gearing out and couldn't stay on DH's wheel...BIG PROBLEM. I spend most of my time in the big chainring (but appreciate my granny gears when I need them) so I really noticed the difference. We called the LBS and tried to simply change out the 50 for a 52. Unfortunately the chainring set was specifically designed for the Ruby and the 52 would not shift properly with the 39, 30 chainrings. My LBS solved the problem by contacting his Specialized rep who took the whole front chainring set back and replaced it with a new Ultegra front 52,39,30. Cost to me...nothing but a huge plate of fresh chocolate cookies. Good customer service is everything and it payed off to the LBS as we have since purchased a total of 6 bikes from him and sent him many new customers. Give your LBS a chance and let them suggest some solutions or simply see if they might trade the bike back in for something else. Even if you need to spend a few hundred dollars more on a different bike, you might be glad you did in the long run. Gearing is just as important as bike fit and if the gear set up doesn't work for you, you won't be happy. Just my 2 cents...

[violette]

Well about my LBS;

I've been talking/fighting with them all morning; this is what they said, among other things...

"We will change your crank to a compact crank for you, which includes labor for $220.00 + tax. You got a bargain on that bike with very good components."

I went to a few dealers and they coulnd't believe someone would sell me a bike with that size gears. Anyway, that's it for that LBS, they'll never have my business again. They could have at least given me a break on the labour, but they wouldn't hear of it!!

[ttaylor508]

I am sorry your LBS isn't willing to work with you on this one! Finding a good LBS is so important when making a big bike purchase. Before letting them put that compact on your bike, I would go test ride the compact on another bike first and make sure you will be happy with the feel of those gears. There is nothing worse than spending more $$$$ and still not being happy. There are some LBS that will take trade-in bikes. You might try calling a few shops and seeing what stock is left on the 2005 Specialized Roubaix triple's in your size. You never know, you might just find someone willing to take it as a trade-in.

[Ciao]

Violette, you've created a really great discussion. I'm really sorry that you're experiencing my very worst fears with my coming move from a mountain bike to a road bike! I'd move on as well to a shop that is going to treat you like an appreciated customer with the intent of keeping you long term.

I don't want to hijack your thread - but I do want to get similar input... would you mind if I tack on my own question?

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Here it is... (Folks, if what I'm doing is a thread no-no, give me a quick heads up and I'll move this elsewhere.)
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Thanks to everyone for the great information and links/resources. I'm going from a mountain bike 42/32/23 & 12/28 -- to a road bike. And I do use that granny gear frequently with no shame.

Here's what the bike shop says (I haven't sent him my current gearing yet):

About the gears. With a triple your top gear would be 117.0 gear inches, for your high gear and 32.4 inches for your lowest gear. This with a normal triple front 52/39/30, rear 12/25. With a compact front 50/34, 12/27 in production at this time, your high gear would be 112.5 gear inches, and the low would be 34 gear inches.

Shimano plans a 11/28 cassette for 09 that would give you a high of 122.7 gear inches, and a low of 32.8 gear inches. So in the end, the compact with a 12/27 now or soon a 11/28 casette would be the way to go.

I'm worried about the change - and can't seem to wrap my head around the numbers. Thanks for the link to Sheldon's calculator. I'm trying to figure out what the "granny" level on the compact would equate to with my current set up.

Am I doing this right?! If so to H*(( with the compact. All advice is appreciated.

[alpinerabbit]

Sure to he!! with the compact if you plan for a new bike purchase and have the choice, and plan to ride lots of hills. I decided on a compact for shifting precision, but whatever.

You do not have to wait for the 2009 cassette. Shimano goes up to 27. There are also SRAM and Marzocchi cassettes out there that go to 28 and are compatible with Shimano.

[indysteel]

How much does the compact crank that they're willing to install for you cost and what else, if anything, might they have to replace to make the compact work? Depending on the answers to that, $220 might be a pretty good deal--assuming the compact will give you the gears you need. I certainly wouldn't expect them to do it for free.

I know you're frustrated, but I have to say that I disagree somewhat with laying the blame for this situation solely at the feet of your shop. Ideally, they should have talked to you about gearing, but as certain responses to this thread have indicated, there are women out there who ride with a standard double just fine so your shop may have had no reason to question you on it. I'm sorry to sound unsupportive or unkind, but given that you're not a new rider, I think you should take at least some responsibility for having bought a bike that doesn't meet your needs and, as such, bear at least some of the cost for fixing the problem.

Now maybe your relationship with this shop is already beyond repair, but I would suggest taking a few steps back from the situation and a few deep breaths before you do anything more. First and foremost, really figure out what gearing you need. If you still have your old bike, take it for ride on the hills you frequent and see what gears you're using. Make the ride long enough that you climb some of those hills while fatigued. From there, get a firm understanding of what choices you have in order to meet your needs and how much it will cost to make the required changes. Negotiate from there and do what you can, i.e., by selling whatever parts you no longer need, to lower the cost.

I hope the situation resolves itself to your satisfaction soon.

[Ciao]

Sure to he!! with the compact if you plan for a new bike purchase and have the choice, and plan to ride lots of hills. I decided on a compact for shifting precision, but whatever.

You do not have to wait for the 2009 cassette. Shimano goes up to 27. There are also SRAM and Marzocchi cassettes out there that go to 28 and are compatible with Shimano.

Thanks - I honestly don't see that the '09 gains anything noticeable if I'm doing the charts right. I'll go look at your recommendations - the cassette with a 28 sounds like a good compromise. Just FYI I'm looking at getting the Scott Contessa CR1 - hmmm, which says it comes with a 12/25?! Going to have to check on that.

I hate to derail this thread any more, but have one last question: Will I gain that much with the change in bike weight that I can lose the lower gears? If the compact gave me down to around 26, then I'd say it's a non issue to lose the last one.

(sorry and thanks!)

[alpinerabbit]

but you're losing on the front when you choose a double.

the weight - 8 kg versus 12 for a MTB - is rather noticeable but the gearing will hurt more. Ok, 4-5 kg do hurt.

You live in Italy. You don't have to take a package deal. A store can swap out stuff for you.

[Ciao]

but you're losing on the front when you choose a double.

the weight - 8 kg versus 12 for a MTB - is rather noticeable but the gearing will hurt more. Ok, 4-5 kg do hurt.

You live in Italy. You don't have to take a package deal. A store can swap out stuff for you.

I'm thinking the 28 cassette gets me down to a 32.8.... oops, yeah, you're right.

My brother is coming to visit - so I'm trying to do this all remotely and have him bring it with him - which adds to the fear factor. (Have you seen that exchange rate?!)

[motochick]

It might not make much difference but you can also get (in addition to the 28 rear) a 33 front sprocket to replace the 34. They are about $45 tho.

Brenda

[Biker Jo]

Thanks to everyone for your advice/suggestions. I guess I'm just going to have to wait until the compact Cannondale comes in so I can try it.

[aicabsolut]

your link pointed to Roubaix elite. A very nice bike. Good components. 105 front deraillure and ultegra rear. 53/39 chainring and 12 x 25 cassette, 9 speed cassette.

You could swap out the 12 x 25 cassette with something easier. Only ones I could find were 11 x 32 or was it 34. If you do this though, you may have to change your rear deraillure. The ultegra rear deraillure may not be able to handle the wide gearing combination. That will add to the cost.

The Elite in 2005 was roughly equivalent to the 2006 (and later) Comp level. So it is still a good bike. The Pro had Dura-Ace. The Elite did come in a triple, but since it's old stock, it is probably hard to find.

As for the cassette, the Ultegra rear derailleur will not accommodate a cassette that large. Campy can go higher than Shimano, but then you'd have the change most of the group.

Ciao, you are correct in that the compact's easiest gear with a 27 cog will be roughly the same as that 18 cog on your current little ring.

I know that Shimano will soon trickle down the 11-27 and 11-28 to lower levels than the 09 DA that's already out. However, it's hard to tell if that will be backwards compatible with the current double derailleurs, because that cassette in DA requires the new derailleur, due to chain wrap. BUT you can get a SRAM 10sp cassette with a 28 cog right now that will work with shimano double derailleurs. No need to wait there really.