Basic upgrade question
 

Hey folks, long time lurker, first time poster!!

I think I have out grown my current components, and I'm looking for the biggest bang for the buck.

Here is what we are dealing with:
2006 Cannondale R700 (CAAD3)
-105 shifters and front derailleur
-Ultegra rear
-Crank: TruVatiV Elita SL Triple, 30/42/52
-Rear: SRAM PG-950, 12-26

I started riding SS MTB, so I am a natural pedal masher, but I have been making an effort to be more efficient and smooth. I have never liked the triple crank, but that's what it came with. I never use the inner 30 ring, rarely middle 42, and live in the upper end of the 52. When I really want to put the hammer down 52/12 I feel like I could really use some more gear and feel like I could stay in the heaviest combo for a while. I live flat coastal area and when I get to the hills around here nothing is challenging enough to drop to the 30 ring.

So the question is, what upgrade makes the most economical sense here?
A bigger chain ring (is that even possible with this crank?)
A different cassette?
I wouldn't mind upgrading the crank all together to a double, but I suspect I would need new shifters and if I do that I might as well go full on 5800 :eek:

I would have to farm out labor to my LBS, and keep in ming an '06 frame so not looking to get too crazy (the bike is amazing like new shape, I love riding it, so can justify an upgrade, the 5800 ref was a joke)

Thanks all!

Mods, if possible please move to "bicycle mechanics" forum I meant to post there...

Welcome to the mechanic's forum.

Hello and welcome!

You mean, in 52 x 12, you could still use a higher gear?! Darn, you must be strong!

Getting a cassette with an 11-tooth cog, and a 53 chainring (pretty muh as high as you can get in standard parts) is not going to make much of difference.

If I were you, I'd work at spinning more. You must have very strong legs, but weaker cardio. Work on the cardio so you can spin faster.

How fast are you generally going when you're maxxed-out in the 52 x 12?

If you could find any hills nearby.....that'd help ya out!

What do you consider maxed out? For me a cadence of about 120 is a fast as the feet will go and the only time I'm doing that on a 50-11 is a steep downhill at 45 mph.

the easiest thing to do would be to get one more gear by going 11/? in the rear. It won't cost much and 52/11 should be adequate for everything but racing. just my two cents

Upgrade to complete Campagnolo Super Record!!!! Or if you're on a budget Shimano 105 works great for me.

Once you're at 11 and spinning out the 52:11> there are Bigger chainrings ,


maybe the pro's need some Domestiques to re supply the team .
there you have the speed to bring up bottles of water for the rest.

There is simply no way that you are running out of gear with a 52-12, particularly in a flatter area. That's good for over 40mph, and even world class riders cannot maintain that pace for an appreciable length of time. You definitely will not go faster with a higher top gear.

You need a cadence meter and learn to spin 110+ rpm. You do not need an "upgrade".

Thanks for all the responses. I realize there is no need for any change in my current setup, there probably would be more trouble and money to get a very small gain.

Maybe I could have done a better job explaining wants and needs. When I ride in 52:12 it's typically when I want to cover some ground fast. I can stay in 52:12 for a couple of miles. I think someone pointed out my situation pretty accurately leg strength over cardio capacity. And to be honest, I really enjoy working to toward a moderate (for me) RPM I can maintain (I estimate 90-95 RMP) with enough resistance that I know if I need to make a quick acceleration I can put some leg into it and accelerate. When I'm really working in the 52:12 and I get to a point (in RPM I assume, on flats not down hill) I loose that sensation of having anymore potential resistance and my only option is to spin faster. What I really want is to not loose that sensation of "potential" resistance and I thought there could be a quick economical way to get that (cassette or chain ring). I just need to get more comfortable with higher cadence and stop relying mainly on leg strength.

Thanks everybody

Something is wrong here..... At 90 RPMs in 52 x 12, you'd be doing over 30MPH..... If this is true, you need to be in the Tour De France......

Well I did say estimate :)

Let me try and get some hard data and this weekend and report back.

+1 learn to spin. When you've built up the muscle memory, it can feel like your feet are just floating on the pedals with minimal resistance and it's your breathing that's the bottleneck. This much smoother power delivery is noticeably more efficient.

If you want to tweak your setup, keep the triple and get a 12-23 (the sweet spot for the spin can be a pretty narrow rev range).

Bigger guys will spin slower than smaller ones because inertia, but they still need to spin rather than crank to be efficient.

I've got a 54/12 on my Cranbrook, decent once it's up to speed.

Yeah- simply reporting your speed when you're in 52 x 12 on the flats with little/no wind will tell the story, if you have speedometer. 'Cause seriously, if you're maintaining 30MPH on the flats, and wanting more, you could easily be a pro! Even if you're cadence is less than you estimate- it's still quite phenomenal... [Turns green with envy]

One thing to keep in mind is that even amongst the professionals there are very few riders who use anything bigger than a 53 tooth big ring, yet they can roll along at speeds that the rest of us couldn't handle. Even at that they probably do not use their biggest gears anywhere but downhill or riding with a strong tailwind. One thing they pretty much all can do is pedal at higher cadence. When I work out on a computrainer, I maintain a cadence of 90-95 rpm, but I can easily push that up well over 100. During sprints 120-130 rpm is possible. Learning to spin rather than to push the pedals is a big step towards improving performance. I don't know how many times I have been struggling to maintain speed into a headwind, shifted to a lower gear and seen my speed increase.

Use this a a guide to the drive train. Bicycle Gear Inch & Shifting Pattern Calculator

I like big gears, and I cannot lie.
You totally need one of these - won't work with your current front derailluer... just take it off.

http://www.electricbike.com/wp-conte...nringGiant.jpg

an example of speed/course/distance capabilities of mankind on a road bike...

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/f...11-660x440.jpg

Fabian Cancellara (above) recently won the last stage, a pan flat out and back TT course, of the Terirreno-Adriatico with an average speed of just over 32MPH for 6.2 miles. Peter Sagan (below) rode with an approximately 27MPH average and came in last.

http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspi...12-300x200.jpg

BTW, this pic of Sagan was at the finish line of stage 6, a sprint stage he won.

my reality is that i can't do justice to a 53/18 on a road bike on neutral ground. "justice" being 110RPM. so i don't really need anything bigger than that, ever.

Hope I never run into the woman who rides THAT bike!

To the OP - this question comes up often, and it's always and only newbies that think they need taller gears. The funny thing is that once you start riding a lot and getting faster you'll realize you don't use those gears anymore! I thought the same thing years ago too. Now my fastest road bike has either a 53/12 or 53/13 top gear depending on the cassette and the only time I EVER use it is in a fast pace-line with a tail wind, at speeds upward of 35 MPH.

I raced for several years with a 48 tooth big ring

52-12 @ 90 rpm = 30.6 mph
53-11 @ 90 rpm = 34.0 mph
52-12 @ 100 rpm = 34.0 mph
52-11 @ 100 rpm = 37.1 mph
52-12 @ 110 rpm = 37.4 mph
52-11 @ 110 rpm = 40.8 mph

Spin faster = cheap upgrade