Motorad

I'm still deciding on which drivetrain to initially set up for my road bike. Based on 400+ miles on a touring style bike (Saluki) with a 12/27 Nine-Speed cassette ... and 46-36-24 chainrings ... I'm warming up to the notion of a triple ring drivetrain for the Ten-Speed 12/27 roadie. We don't have hills to speak of in Southeast Michigan ... but ... after mile 40, the granny gear has come in handy when bonking up short but steep overpasses. And there was one little hill on the Kensington metropark MUP ... near Orchard picnic area ... that I could not make with the middle 36-T chainring.

90 percent of my riding on the 35 pound Saluki has been on the middle 36T-ring. Dropping down to the 24T-ring when bonking up the steep overpasses, I was in the two middle cogs and spinning at about 6 MPH. The 35 pound-bike on level ground is not too bad, but you feel the weight when going uphill.

The roadie will probably be less than 20 pounds. Based on my riding style with the heavier Saluki, I can warm up to the idea of the roadie having a triple crank that is in the 30-40-50 tooth range. If wanting to stick to the Dura Ace triple-gruppo, the only choice would be the DA-triple's "FC-7803" crankset: 30-39-52.

If Shimano were to upgrade their DA triple-gruppo, would this be done at the start of the fiscal year (October-ish) ... or at the start of the calendar year? I ask, to wonder if I should wait before considering when to buy a DA-triple gruppo.

Out of curiousity, regarding the model number "FC-7803" ... what does the "FC" signify ... and what does the "7803" signify. How would I know if a DA-triple on the market is a 2007-model or a 2008-model? Would the next upgrade be listed as an "FC-7903"? And lastly, has there been scuttlebutt of a pending revision to Shimano's DA-triple crankset ... that is going to be made available soon?