Bicycle Mechanics - Replace 9 sp freewheel to 10 speed?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
rjon57
09-10-12, 09:02 PM
I ride a 2002 Lemond Zurich with an Ultegra 53/39, 175mm Crank Arms, and a 12-25 freewheel. The rear wheel is a Bontrager Racelite. The RD is an Ultegra GS. I am 53 and and although I try to ride and train as much as possible the hills in NJ/PA seem to be getting steeper. I would like to increase my high gear to a 28 but all the 9 sp cassettes I see only go to 27. Can I put a 10 sp cassette with a 28 on the bike without much problem given my RD? Also, what would be the smallest chain ring I could use to replace the 39?

Thanks.

FBinNY
09-10-12, 09:06 PM
Not a simple change. Forgetting whether you need a longer chain which is manageable, consider that 10s spacing is different than 9s spacing, so you'd need to replace the right shifter and that's not cheap. A 28t only gets you a bit less than 4% lower than you could get with a 27t, so it's hard to justify a major overhaul.
ThermionicScott
09-10-12, 09:10 PM
Shimano has a non-Ultegra 11-28T 9-speed cassette. But like Frank said, the trivial difference won't be worth it. Just get stronger. :thumb: