Is this a possible gearing setup?

napahighcycling
napahighcycling Posts: 23
edited April 2012 in Workshop
I have a full ultegra 6600g setup (ultegra sl), and I have a 50/34 crankset with a 14/25 junior cassette.
I find that it's very difficult to cruise at lowerspeeds or against strong headwinds because the little front chainring is so lowly geared (I end up cross chaining, and don't like to mash the 50 by 25 or 23).
I would like to get a standard, but I really enjoy the 34-25 low end, and I do a fair bit of climbing, and hit grades of about 17% every once and a while, which are difficult, but I can handle it.
I would like to know if I can switch to a standard setup with a 52/38 crankset and a cassette with a 28 largest cog (hopefully a 14/28, but that's just a matter of finding a company that makes one), but I'm not even sure I can with my components, and, I would like to keep the 38-28 gear, because it is pretty much identical to the 34-25 (but I won't have such and awkward little chainring in front).
Can I do this? Is there a better option?

Comments

  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    edited April 2012
    Your statements seem confused.

    If you are struggling against winds and crusing at low speeds you do not want to increase the chianrings at the front - doing this will make it harder to pedal, not easier.

    If you want to be able to pedal easier you need bigger cogs at the back, not the front.

    Keep the compact on the front and get a rear cassette that gives you bigger than the current 25 you have. e.g 12-29
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    Ye - you don't need a new standard chainset though, just get new rings for your current compact, significantly cheaper and more flexible. It's very unlikely that you're strong enough to worry about chain ring flex (no-one but heavy mashing sprinters are) but if you are solid "aero" chainrings are more than strong enough.

    smidsy I took his typical cruising speeds have him continually changing between the 50 and 34, so switching to a 38 front would help that as he could stay on the 38 rather than having to swap. I didn't take it to be actually struggling to ride, just the speed/cadence meant he was lost between front rings. 16 is a wide jump.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    You may have a point there Jim - every time I read it I come up with a different understanding of what he needs ;-)

    Perhaps the choice of "Struggling" mislead me.
    Yellow is the new Black.
  • napahighcycling
    napahighcycling Posts: 23
    Jibberjim is right, sorry that I wasn't too clear.
    I do jump between the rings a little too often around those speeds, and because of the junior cassette I crosschain too frequently.
    Will my groupset be able to handle a 52/38 by 14-28? Or is there an easier way to eliminate this problem?
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    napahighcycling wrote:
    Jibberjim is right, sorry that I wasn't too clear.
    I do jump between the rings a little too often around those speeds, and because of the junior cassette I crosschain too frequently.
    Will my groupset be able to handle a 52/38 by 14-28? Or is there an easier way to eliminate this problem?

    yes, you just need new rings - A 52 e.g. http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... b0s149p293 and a 38 http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... b0s149p292 That will cost you less than 30 quid. You will probably need a new chain too.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • napahighcycling
    napahighcycling Posts: 23
    Thanks.
    I currently have a 25 for the low end, and I'll try the 38/25 for awhile and see how it feels, but if it's too tough of gearing for me on the steeper stuff is it possible to run a 27 or 28 largest cog? (is the maximum teeth capacity high enough?)
    And if so, do you know of a place I can find a 14-27 or 14-28 cassette? I see that the only real junior cassette seems to be 14-25 that I can find.

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