andrei_r

EDIT: To avoid misinformation, all of the below applies up to 9 speed only, so not really related to the quoted situation. I don't have first hand experience with 10 and 11 speed.

There's no incompatibility between mountain and road when it comes to the RD. One can use an STI, flat-bar road or a mtn shifter for a mtn or road RD (talking about Shimano here). The incompatibility appears at the front end. To be able to use a road FD (different cable pull than a mtn FD), optimized for larger chainrings, one would need an STI road shifter or a special flat-bar shifter such as the SL-R440 ones. You should only worry about it if you have a 50T+ large chainring. I believe that some mtn FDs are rated for 48T max, so you can use any mtn shifter in that case.

simplybao

You can mix and match 10 speed Shimano road shifters with 9 speed derailleurs. I'm running a 9 spd XTR rear and it shifts very well. About 400 miles on the setup and so far so good. But 10 spd Shimano mTB shifters will not work with road derailleurs.
edit: I am running Ultegra 10 spd. flat bar shifters.

andrei_r

It's a little bit of the bike itself (weight, riding position, rigidity), and a lot what you do with it... My guess is that you don't take your Madone of the tarmac (I know I wouldn't), thus no need for those lower gears.

So what would you choose if you had just one bike for all 3 purposes?

ColonelSanders

Thanks

Delmarva

I've got a Giant FCR3 that came with 11-28 8 speed rear and 52-42-30 front. I switched to 13-26 to tighten the spread a bit and get rid of the 11t & 12t that were never used. I'm considering changing the front to 48-38-28 as most of my riding is light to moderate trail.

simplybao

HUH...now that's interesting. I'm not sure I could pick. For me it's always about n+1. One bike, for all things? Whew, that'd be really tough for me. I currently have 4 and I want another already, LOL. I'm thinking about doing a steel frame (I'm thinking Waterford/Gunnar) in English Blue with the white panels. Brooks saddle, leather bar tape, Ultegra 11 spd. Drivetrain with a compact crank and 11-32. So, I guess my answer is, I'd go 11-32 with a 50-34 11 spd. if I only had one bike....that's my long winded answer.

My husband us running the 11 spd. 105 gruppo on his Synapse and really the only difference I can tell between that group and my Ultegra is that the Ultegra is slightly quicker and more precise. It's like when you shift, you can feel a positive "click" on the brifters whereas on the 105 group, it's soft and the shift doesn't feel as direct, although in function, it does the same thing.

andrei_r

Now that was a well thought, cleverly written answer. Thank you! As a side effect, I now want an 11 speed Ultegra (not gonna happen any time soon though). All of my experience, calculations and guesstimation seem to confirm that an 11-32 cassette is what I need right now with my 34-50 crank, but it will be in a 9 speed setup. One day I'll treat myself to a an 11 speed upgrade..

simplybao

If you're ok doing the work yourself, you can get the entire 11 sp. group relatively inexpensively. I got the shifters, brakes, cables, chain, bottom bracket, wheels, cassette and crank from Chain Reaction for a really great price. I upgraded my madone from a 10 sp. 105 to the ultegra setup and no regrets. The 6800 gruppo really is quite lovely. It's even better than my franken setup on my Lynskey.

andrei_r

It's funny how FCR3 came with different specs in different places. What year is yours? For a 2008 model, like mine, I've seen them with both Sora and Altus, with and without caged pedals and some other differences like that. 12-26 and 48-38-28 is how mine came stock, so almost what you want except for a slightly bigger gear spacing somewhere, I guess a 12-13-15 instead of a 13-14-15. This gearing makes perfect sense, but I guess I'm just not a triple crank kind of person.

andrei_r

You're like one of those little devils on my shoulder whispering into my ear . That and the deals on CRC are very temping... I'm definitely ok doing the work myself, but I try to keep my upgrades under 100$ at a time. It's easier to swallow that way. The 6800 gruppo on my bike might actually be an overkill. I would probably get a new wheelset and a carbon fork first. At this rate, I might be better buying a new bike.

Wanderer

I have a 48,36,26 - 11-34 9 spd on my Crosstrail; and, a 50,34 - 11-30 9 spd on my Sirrus. (Sirrus came with 11-26)

I've always thought a 50,40,30 triple would be perfect, with an 11-34 9 spd on the back, would be perfect for me. This would enable me to stay on the middle chain ring for most of my riding. I'd still have the little ring for serious uphills, or for tree climbing. On big, long downhills, I still like the 50 ring, and the little 11 on long downhills, because I like to go fast.

I can deal with the 50-34 compact, but I prefer the triple. The 11-25 or 11-28, not so much - I need that bailout gear.

So for me, it would still be a triple 50,40,30, and a big spread 11-34 9 spd on the rear wheel.....

andrei_r

That makes a lot of sense... I would probably tweak it to 50-40-28 or 50-38-28 and 12-30. I can easily survive without that 50x11 high gear and tighter spacing is welcome. Today I was paying attention to which gears I use most. First, I seem to be in the 34T chainring most of the time, but in the higher gears in the back, so that middle ring at 38T would probably be the best choice. Second I find the 2T jump from 13T to 15T gear a bit too big. Lowering that bailout gear to 28 would permit for a much tighter spaced cassette, without losing much on the low end. So a 9 speed 12-30 would be something like: 12-13-14-15-17-19-22-26-30.. although I would have to do a lot more real world testing to find my perfect setup.

These triple cranks start to appeal to me more and more... maybe I should borrow somebody's bike that has a nice triple crank and give it another try.

DorkDisk

For 9 speeds or less, I think the classic 46/36/24 with 12-28/32 is perfect for all around riding. 42/32/22 with 11-28/32 is great for all round off-roading.

I think 110/74 double cranks are interesting with modern 10 and 11 speed setups.

As for personal preference:

1) polished silver cranks, chain, rings, and cogs, pedals, and derailleurs
2) friction front shifting
3) shortest cage rear derailleurs

andrei_r

4) You forgot to mention that polished silver dork disk

Delmarva

Yes it is interesting how a bike with the same name can have different specs. In this case I think the 2008 FCR3 sold in the USA has specs that are different than yours and mine. It looks like the 2008 came with 50, 39 and 30 chainwheels but an 11-28 cassette.
2008 Giant FCR 3 - BikePedia

Mine is a 2009 model and that was the last year of production. The gearing is too high for most hybrid rides imho. I also swapped out the cheap pedals for MKS Grip Kings and went to 700x42 Continental tires.
2009 Giant FCR 3 - BikePedia

It's great that you found the right combination in a double. As long as it makes riding fun that's what counts.

andrei_r

Which 42mm continentals do you have? I was once contemplating the idea of putting 700x42 Continental Cross Ride, but I wasn't sure at all if it was going to fit between the chainstays. I ended up by getting the pricier Clement XPlor MSO in 700x40.

Delmarva

Continental Country Plus.

andrei_r

Are there pictures of your bike anywhere on the forums? I thought that I was the only one in the whole world to turn an FCR into an offroad machine.

ColonelSanders

What is it about shortest cage rear derailleurs that you like so much?

DorkDisk

They have greater ground clearance for rocks and less possibility of grass and sticks jamming in the cage. They are also lighter but the difference is miniscule

The shifting is snappier. This might be subjective and was truer years ago but I swear there is a difference

They also have better chain tension which means slightly less chain slap on rough terrain.

Plus, they look better

ColonelSanders

Thanks for that info.

Delmarva

It's amazing what the right tires, pedals and gears can let one do with a bike. They make nice riding light to medium trail a joy and the Altus derailleurs do their job very well. No pictures of my bike I'm afraid, but here are pics of the MKS pedals and Continental tires.

trainchaser

...very interesting reading through this thread, and I can definitely see how some have a difficult time understanding what they should do when faced with so many choices. I think it comes down to actual experience, which is why we should listen to riders who have a few years and miles behind them. I'd also like to hope that the more reputable shops and manufacturers are actually providing the best solutions to a riders given needs, based on what types of riding conditions that rider has indicated they'll be doing...
...when I look back at all the bikes I've had over the years you realize how much has changed. When I was a kid in the 60's you basically had a choice of a single speed cruiser with coaster brakes, a 3 speed upright basic bike with swept back handle bars, and 10 speed road bikes with the classic drops and down tube shifters.
Now, you go into a bike shop and the walls are lined with multiple types and multiple selections within each type, no wonder there's so many asking the "which bike should I get?" question on these forums.
So the question of an ideal drivetrain really comes down to personal preferences when all is said and done, because each rider will have unique requirements. After starting out with single speed bikes and moving on up through the various speeds through the years to where we are now, I feel I can say I'm very happy to have arrived with the drivetrain on my current bike. It's defeintely not going to be everyone's cup of tea but is very effective for where I ride. The rear cassette is a Shimano Shadow 10 speed 11-36 with an XT RD and the front setup is all SLX with a compact double 44-32 chainring. What I find so nice about this setup is I actually have a true 20 speed bike, I can work through all the gears on the small chainring, then all the gears on the large one providing very little redundant overlap or crosschaining that I can perceive. After riding this for the last couple months I'm not missing a triple chainring at all. At the same time I totally understand the need for a triple on something like a touring bike where you're dealing with greater changes in elevation.
It's nice to have so many choices but it can certainly be confusing at times to know which way to go...

cheers everybody, enjoy your ride!

Little Darwin

Typically my bikes all have had 11-32 8 speed cassettes for the past decade or so.

I currently ride a 2011 Trek 7.3 FX with lower than stock gearing based on smaller chainrings.

43/32/22 crank with an 11-32 8 speed cassette.

I will probably switch to a 12-28 cassette when it comes time for a cassette change to get some tighter gear spacing... and as I lose weight, I should be able to do without the lowest gears.

Sixty Fiver

Will be installing and giving it a beating in mid August... will start by using it on my touring bike and then swap it to my winter bike to put it to some really severe testing.

Will also be providing feedback to Sam (Patterson) as this might be a great fit for fatbikes as well.