Subject: Re: Swapping out a 53/39 for a compact on a new orbea Posted by: Al on August 10, 2006 at 06:55:33: In Reply to: Swapping out a 53/39 for a compact on a new orbea posted by shay on August 04, 2006 at 18:57:37:

Message: >Hi, >I'm seriously considering buying a new (2005) Orbea Mitis Dama. It is an awesome ride and fits me perfectly. The only problem is that I am certain I want smaller gearing than the 53/39 double chainring it comes with. (it has ten-speed Ultegra components, and comes with FSA crankset). I have not completely decided whether to go with a triple or a compact, but I am seriously leaning towards a compact. >My bike shop wants to charge me $215 to swap in a triple crankset, or $230 to swap in a compact double. I am not even sure which components need to change when these changes are made, except the crankset of course. >Can any of you clarify for me >1) what components must be replaced to turn a 53/39 double into a 50/34 compact? >2) what that should cost (ballpark) >3) whether this is something that would be cheaper to do on my own with the help of someone who knows a fair amount about bikes (who would do it for free) >Also, if you feel like, please answer the same questions about swapping the double for a triple. (and feel free to toss in your recommendationf or which approach is better. Basically I am just too weak and ride too many hills for a 53/39 to work for me, I'm often wishing for a lower gear.) >MANY THANKS!! The standard Shimano ROAD rear derailleur can handle a 30t cog without too much effort on MOST bicycle frames -- in some cases, it can handle a 32t cog -- so, you could simply have a 30t cog stacked onto your current cassete (an intermediate cog would have to be removed). Your chain may be too short for accidental big-big chainring-cog combinations, but you will hopefully not shift into either that or the small-small combination. Drive a hard bargain on the 2005 Orbea. The 2006 are already OLD STOCK which should be 20%-to-25% less than retail (odd sizes, even less). A 2005 should be 33%-to-40% off of retail, IMO. On MOST quality bikes, you need a special wrench for the bottom bracket (if it is being changed) and ONLY some Allen wrenches to remove/install the most cranksets. Sometimes, you need a crank puller (e.g., Campagnolo & lesser Shimano/etc.) if self-extracting bolts have not been installed.