105 triple; under bar tape cable routing?
I have a 5603 groupset on my best bike; some of it is 10 years old but the left shifter and rear mech are newer 5703 / 5700, and the brakes are 5800. It all still works well.
I'm about to fit new bars, cables and tape, and I've been pondering whether to take the opportunity to tidy up the bars by switching to shifters which have concealed cables.
This can only be for aesthetics; the current exposed cables are perfectly functional, and are a doddle to replace.
So do I go for a set of Tiagra 4703 shifters and the new rear mech this would require, to stick with 10 speed and the triple chainset? Is todays Tiagra as good as or better than 105 was a decade ago?
Or do I go the whole hog and switch to a compact double and a bigger cassette? And if so, do I go for a bargain 5800 or 6800 groupset, or wait for R7000?
I have concerns about switching to a double because I'm not a very powerful rider and I'm now the wrong side of 60. With the triple I spend 95% of my time in the middle 39t ring and just zip up and down the 12-27 cassette. The 30t granny ring is genuinely useful on longer / steeper climbs or at the end of a long day, but the 50t chainring only gets a look in on longer downhills or if a stiff tailwind.
So I fear I'd always be tending to cross-chain, doing a lot more front shifting, and wishing I had an intermediate chainring.
I suppose a third alternative would be a CX double chainset, which is what I've done on my winter bike. The 46/36 rings are easy to live with, and if ever I reach the limits of 46x12 and spin out it means I'm going down hill so I just tuck in and enjoy a breather. Hmm. Does R7000 do a CX chainset??
ETA: no CX chainset in R7000 form, but there are plenty of other CX options from Shimano and SRAM. Would a R7000 FD play nicely with a CX chainset??
I'm about to fit new bars, cables and tape, and I've been pondering whether to take the opportunity to tidy up the bars by switching to shifters which have concealed cables.
This can only be for aesthetics; the current exposed cables are perfectly functional, and are a doddle to replace.
So do I go for a set of Tiagra 4703 shifters and the new rear mech this would require, to stick with 10 speed and the triple chainset? Is todays Tiagra as good as or better than 105 was a decade ago?
Or do I go the whole hog and switch to a compact double and a bigger cassette? And if so, do I go for a bargain 5800 or 6800 groupset, or wait for R7000?
I have concerns about switching to a double because I'm not a very powerful rider and I'm now the wrong side of 60. With the triple I spend 95% of my time in the middle 39t ring and just zip up and down the 12-27 cassette. The 30t granny ring is genuinely useful on longer / steeper climbs or at the end of a long day, but the 50t chainring only gets a look in on longer downhills or if a stiff tailwind.
So I fear I'd always be tending to cross-chain, doing a lot more front shifting, and wishing I had an intermediate chainring.
I suppose a third alternative would be a CX double chainset, which is what I've done on my winter bike. The 46/36 rings are easy to live with, and if ever I reach the limits of 46x12 and spin out it means I'm going down hill so I just tuck in and enjoy a breather. Hmm. Does R7000 do a CX chainset??
ETA: no CX chainset in R7000 form, but there are plenty of other CX options from Shimano and SRAM. Would a R7000 FD play nicely with a CX chainset??
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Comments
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The current Tiagra group is excellent - I switched from a 105/ultegra 9 speed triple group of similar vintage to what you're describing and haven't regretted it for a second.
In your situation though I'd probably look at an 11 speed group so that you can have greater range on your cassette without jumps between gears being too large. If you rarely use the 50t now then a 46-34 chainset would be a good idea - paired with an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette you'll have easier gears than you enjoy now available.
I'll also add, cross chaining is less of a problem running a double than a triple - the chainrings are closer to the middle position of the cassette and so the chain has less tendency to rub against the other rings (and the derailleur).0 -
OK, decision made. Bars / cables / tape going on as they are. Get another year out of the current gear, then R7000 with a CX chainset of some kind.
(Am I the only one who finds the current crop of Shimano 4 arm chainsets unattractive?)0 -
Funnily enough I'm still running 5 arm chainsets on all my bikes. Not a fan either.
Haven't had any issues running 11 speed gears on 10 speed chainrings.0 -
TimothyW wrote:
In your situation though I'd probably look at an 11 speed group so that you can have greater range on your cassette without jumps between gears being too large. If you rarely use the 50t now then a 46-34 chainset would be a good idea - paired with an 11-32 or 11-34 cassette you'll have easier gears than you enjoy now available.
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Changing form 10 to 11 speed does not close the gaps between gears. It only changes one gap. A Shimano 11/32t 11 speed cassette has a 13T sprocket between 12 and 14 where the 10 speed cassette does not. All the other sprockets are the same .
I am even older than you Keefe and I changed from triples to a compact chainset a couple of years ago. I ride in a hilly area and when climbing I found I needed to frequently do a double change when in low gears to avoid cross chaining .With a compact I can stay on the small ring till the climbing is over. I do less front changes less with a compact than I did with a triple. I find an 11 /32 cassette suits me fine with 50/34 chainset. I have tried an 11/34 cassette and that works but i am keeping that for when I get older.0 -
I'm under no illusion that an 11 speed cassette will give me smaller jumps between sprockets, indeed it will likely do the opposite because I have older 10 speed Shimano wheels, so I'll be restricted to using the CS-HG-700 cassette which is only available in 11-34 at the moment. (vs my current 10 speed 12-27)
If I have to replace the rear wheel as well it starts to look like a lot of money just to lose the cables...0
