New wheel / Cassette question

Leighgregory

Evening all,

Newbie first poster here so please bear with me if my question is too basic.

I'm thinking of upgrading the wheels on my Specialised Allex Elite. It currently has DT Swiss wheels with an Ultegra 6700 rear cassette (11-28).

If I buy a set of either Fulcrum racing 3's or Campagnolo Zonda's and another Ultegra 6700 (11-28) will I be able to swap wheels easily without having to set up the gears each time?

Also is it easy to fit a cassette to a wheel or would I need a special tool, assuming it would not be installed before its shipped.

Apologies for my lack of knowledge, I've tried asking the question to Wiggle but found it difficult to contact them.

Cheers

Leigh

ugo.santalucia

You should be able to swap wheels without fiddling with the gears, as well as you might have to slightly adjust the rear derailleur. Panic not, it is a screw that needs to be tightened or undone by half/full turn... that's it... it;s not rocket science.

To fit a cassette (and remove one) you need a chain whip, a big adjustable spanner and a shimano type cassette locking tool. You can buy locking tool with a lever, so that you don't need the spanner, but generally the yard more expensive

TheHound

What Ugo said.

Check YouTube for how to videos, it's a goldmine of information.

Gasperoni

Hi Leigh

I'm a beginner myself, but this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsInWeenV28&list=PLhX4qGpWXV9uoHvt8KU5HRilqta5AvrMx&index=8 might help

For some reason I thought a Campagnolo wheel and a Shimano cassette don't go together? Although I have no experience of this I thought they were mutually exclusive? Maybe someone can set me straight on that one?

Leighgregory

Hi guys,

Thanks for the quick responses, I've checked YouTube and am confident I can do it myself.

I've cool with minor adjustments on the rear derailleur but have never had to set limits etc...

Thanks again

peddlingmadness

Hi Gasperoni

I have campag shamuls with Shimano cassette, you usually get the choice of which freehub you require when ordering.

TheHound

Gasperoni wrote:

Hi Leigh

I'm a beginner myself, but this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsInWeenV28&list=PLhX4qGpWXV9uoHvt8KU5HRilqta5AvrMx&index=8 might help

For some reason I thought a Campagnolo wheel and a Shimano cassette don't go together? Although I have no experience of this I thought they were mutually exclusive? Maybe someone can set me straight on that one?

Campagnolo wheels can use shimano cassettes as long as they have a shimano freehub.

The freehub is what the cassette slots onto. Shimano and campagnolo have different shaped freehubs.

Leighgregory

Sorry all,

I do have another question I'd like to clarify if possible.

If i but an Ultegra 6700 (12-30) am I correct in thinking this will make the gears easier? If so does it make a big difference? And would I need to reset the rear derailleur or just make minor adjustments with the screw?

Apologies for all my newbie questions.

Cheers

TheHound

As far as I know you'd need a new derailleur. Standard shimano derailleurs can only take up to 28t cassette. But that should be all you need really if you have a compact chainset.

Leighgregory

Cool, thanks for the heads up :-)

Gasperoni

Thanks for the clarification on the hubs. I knew they were different and guess I'd (incorrectly) assumed they had proprietary hubs so consumers had to choose one manufacturer/type or the other.

Anonymous

After initially using a cassette tool with a big spanner (even though I have really nice spanners) I would recommend that you pay the extra for one with a built in handle and centre pin as its so much easier/better.

I have one of these now:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fwe ... h-ec053222

The head comes off and you can buy other heads to turn it into a different tool if you ever needed it.
Not sure it makes much sense to buy the matching chain whip though lol but they are really tactile/nice to use.
They do 3 for 2 on FWE stuff sometimes.

drummer_boy

One other thing to check for is whether you need a cassette spacer (basically a thin washer that fits between the freehub and the cassette) to align the cassette corectly.

These usually cost a couple of quid tops.

TheHound

If someone tried to charge me a couple quid for a spacer I'd *be displeased* :P

The spacer will normally be behind the cassette you already have or in with the new 1.

*edited as it upset Ugo*

DKay

TheHound wrote:

As far as I know you'd need a new derailleur. Standard shimano derailleurs can only take up to 28t cassette. But that should be all you need really if you have a compact chainset.

That's what Shimano would like you to believe, but a short cage rear mech will usually cope with a 30t cog with no issues. Some combinations of certain rear mech hangers and frames won't allow you enough clearance using the b-tension screw, but this is quite rare.

I used to run a 12-30t 6700 cassette with a short cage 6700 rear mech on my Cayo with no issues at all.

olake92

If you're still wondering, I've just run a 30t cog with a short cage for the whole winter. Loads of miles, no problems. Shimano sell the s/c as going up to 30t as far as I know.