Standard to Compact what needs to go ?

PaulHass

I have a standard 10 speed campag record groupset 53/39 and i want to change to a compact 50/34 as i am getting older and still like hills and want to make life generally easier my cassett is a 12-25

Can i buy newer 11 speed record compact and it will be compatable with the rest of my 10 speed chainset or do i have to change everything to 11 speed ?

or

if i buy a 10 speed compact will it compatable with the rest of my standard 10 speed chainset ?

as always thanks in advance

smidsy

10 speed compact will simply require you to move the front mech down the tube slightly (due to smaller chainrings).A possible issue if you have a braze on front.

11 speed is supposedly different pick up profile but as with most of these things it is likely to make little difference and still work. Not sure on that one.

Daithi

Hello Paul

You should be fine with a new 10 speed compact in your existing groupset. I've fitted one to an old 9 speed groupset & it works well. Just last week I upgraded the shifters & cassette to 10 speed to find it all still works ok even with the original 9 speed chain, well at least in a spin round the block.

I believe you would have been advised to change the front mech in the past but for a while now all Campag front mechs work with compact or non-compact chainsets. I had one of the older design front mechs working ok with the compact though, but a modern one fitted recently does work better.

I asked somewhere on here separately about using 11 speed chainsets with 10 speed groups & the feedback was that should be ok too, but not the other way round (i.e. trying to run a 10 speed chainset with 11 speed kit). There are fewer compatibility issues with chainsets it seems.

The only practical issue I've found with switching to compact is that I needed to shorten the chain due to the smaller inner ring which then meant the rear mech could be a little stretched if in the big ring & bigger cogs at the back (i.e. 21 & above). This would be less of an issue if you have a medium or long cage rear mech.

My advice is go for it, but stick with an ultra-torque chainset. If you search hard enough there are some reasonable deals on older discontinued alloy ultra-torque chainset that mean you can try it out without spending too much, as the 11 speed ultra torque chainsets are pricey.

PaulHass

Thanks for replies guys compact it is then

proto

It would seem that just about any combination of 10 and 11 sp will work, even 11sp shifters and 10sp rear mech, and 11 spees set up with 10 sp cranks would appear to not be a problem

Have a read of this:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... =3&t=55109

PaulHass

proto wrote:

It would seem that just about any combination of 10 and 11 sp will work, even 11sp shifters and 10sp rear mech, and 11 spees set up with 10 sp cranks would appear to not be a problem

Have a read of this:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... =3&t=55109

Thanks it gets even better just have to source my parts and spendsome cash now

hstiles

If you have a medium or long cage rear mech, the cheapest and easiest option would be to get a 13-29 cassette which would give you the same lowest gear as 50/34 with 12-25. You can get a Veloce cassette for <£40.

Stewpot407

I'm in the same boat as Paul so reading the info here is great news for me.

One question though... how do I know what size (Record) 10 sp rear mech I have?

Cheers

Stew