Great Lakes - Mechanical question for Psimet...

because I respect your mechanical opinions.

I posted this on bicycle mechanics, where it truly belongs, but since I read more of your opinions, versus some stranger on bf, I thought I'd attach a link here too to get you to weigh in. Sorry I'm too far away to bring beer!

The question has to do with FSA Gossamer cranks and 10 speeds Shimano cassettes from 2007.

Link is here:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=452181

I understand the "the crank doesn't know if it's a 9 or a 10 speed" response, but I hoping for more weigh in on the tooth question.

Ahhh....thanks for both the confidence in my assessments and the link.

OK - what is posted there is basically correct. Cranks are interchangable between different generation drivetrains (8spd, 9spd, 10spd). ...BUT...there are differences between how well they shift.

You have a 9spd crank on your rig because Felt spec'd it to save money. There is nothing wrong with them spec'ing it with an otherwise 10spd drivetrain. No one did anything underhanded there.

What's more I am not a fan of FSA cranks - especially the Gossamer. CyLowe rides with a compact version he got for free from a fellow BF'er and it seems like it always has the occassional shifting issue.

In general you should be able to get the FSA to function appropriately. The shop that said the 9spd nature of the crank was the issue was incorrect. They shouldn't have said that.

The noise can be either from the crank/gear mesh, worn cassette or worn out chain. If it's a clicking from the BB then the BB may be shot. The crank may be having issues as well. Hard to say for sure. FWIW I highly recommend getting Shimano cranks in the 10 speed series simply from the standpoint of their high quality and great shift ramp design.

The shop is an excellent shop...perhaps that's why they said it was a "mismatched" crank, because they would never let that happen. Incidentally, I have an FSA Gossamer too - what you said might explain the occasional clunk/phantom shift that I get (rare, perhaps once per 200 miles). I was planning to upgrade to Shimano cranks, grrr, now this will put a wrench in things if the $$$ will go to other bike instead.

So, let's talk strategy - will the shop say there's nothing wrong (as you noted) and say if you want a new crank you're going to have to pay for it? Or might they say, yeah, Felt told us there was a year of "bad" cranks (relating to the tooth width issue), we'll swap something out.

Now, onto the Shimano crank. What is the overall quality diff b/n 105 and Ultegra? Mr. Wiswell is not super hard core (neither distance nor overall speed), but nevertheless still will put in 2,500-3,000 miles per year.

You can give the shop a shot and see what they say. Never hurts to ask. They will most likely just set up a discount on a new one ...which....with discount will be more expensive than what you can get online.

Try http://www.probikekit.com - Much cheaper and they really aren't hard to install. Let me know if you are thinking of going that way and I can walk you through what you need.

If the shop was willing to work something because they heard that "felt had a problem with some of these" most likely won't happen. You'd be amazed at how most shops must be informed of even major product recalls - let alone minor non-offical ones. Sometimes you wonder if they even have the internet.

As for 105/Ultegra differences....usually in a crank it is simply weight. Ultegra is a great price-point value for the $$. Going through pbk you can usually get stuff much under MSRP then Ultegra is a deal. If not there is absolutely nothing wrong with 10 spd 105. Great stuff.

Yeah, my compact Gossamer was a freebie and it's served well for almost three seasons, but I'm ready to make the upgrade to an Ultegra crank. Maybe if I'm really super good and nice, Santa Claus will bring me one.

Fat chance of that happening. I'm a meanie.

Yeah, my compact Gossamer was a freebie and it's served well for almost three seasons, but I'm ready to make the upgrade to an Ultegra crank. Maybe if I'm really super good and nice, Santa Claus will bring me one.

Fat chance of that happening. I'm a meanie.

If you're interested, I have a couple of Shimano Compact cranks complete with BB's that are sitting around collecting dust I wouldn't mind unloading for very few of your American dollars.