Originally Posted by akarius
I have a Cannondale touring bike and I want to make it into a bit faster. I can't afford a nice road bike. Right now it has an 11-28 gear in the back, and 7 speed STI RSX shifters, a triple crankset of 22-32-42, and a deore LX rear deralieur. What I wan't to do, aside from narrower tires, is put more teeth on the crank set, say a 53, 42, and whatever for the granny. I have a shimano 105 deralieur to replace the mountain bike deralieur. All the parts I have are in very good shape, some like the 11-28 have never been used, and all I would have to buy is a new crankset. Is what I propose possible, and able to work well together, or is it an impossible mismatch of parts? Changing the gearing, and putting the 105 derailieur with 7 speed RSX shifters. Would a 53, 42 work with an 11-28? I am concerned because of the 11 in the back, will it work with an older 105 derialieur?
An 11 works with the 105 but it should be a long cage if you have a triple up front.If you change to a crank with a 52 or 52 big ring you will will need a road triple FD to handle the bigger rings. You likely need a new BB with correct spidle length for the new crank.