Crankset upgrade question
 

Right now i have a 52-42-30 triple Ultegra crankset on my Trek 2006 2200 and am planning to swap it out for a compact. probably a 50/34. i test road a bike at the store today with that setup and felt smoother than what i have. i enjoyed it. chatted up the guy about what i'm going to do and what he'd recommend. i don't want to upgrade my whole group setting either. he mentioned i can do an Ultegra 6750 or the upper one and only change out the chain, rear and front derailleurs and the cage.
I'm not sure if my bike is a 10 speed or not. i'm guessing it is but not sure. Would the Ultegra compact 50/34 be a good move? and what would be the ideal derailleurs for the new setup? my cassette is unknown to me on what it is. what type of cassette be good too? a 12-27? and what brands should i look for?
I have all ultegra minus the front der. which is a 105.

where to begin? to swap to a compact, the only change you need to make is the crankset, the deraiullers you have are fine. to determine the number of speeds, just count the rear cogs on the wheel.

the bike shop guy is trying to sell you a lot of stuff you dont need.

spend some time on sheldon browns website and do some reading, it sounds like you are pretty unfamiliar with the bike's drivetrain

It is likely that you have a 10 speed:


http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2006/archive/2200

Even if it is a 9 speed you can a 10speed crankset and chain with a 9 speed setup. You can even use a triple fd as long as you adjust the limits. I did it a few weeks ago and it seems to be working out. If it is a 10 speed all you need is the crank and maybe bottom bracket.

Depending on which crankset you get, you might also need a new bottom bracket. As long is the chain is in good condition, it can be shortened to fit your new setup. I suspect that your current derailleurs should be fine. The cassette is personal preference depending on your fitness, riding style, and geographic location (hills).

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-Shimano-Ult...mZ120521388867
this is one i am looking at for the cranks. For the BB i was reading up on the chris king ones. where i live there isn't too many big hills. just an occasional one here and there but mostly a slight rolling terrain with flat straightaways.

I really need to know what type of terrain you've got. I switched to a compact, and it took me a while to grow used to it. You will want a tighter cassette if you are on flats. I needed to switch to a 11-23 to get ll I needed.

Make sure that the crank arms are the same sizes. Going compact + changing from say a 172.5 to a 175mm arm is strange.

I live in Washington state in the Lake Stevens area. 30 min north of Seattle. i have the centennial trail up here and a bunch of neat areas to ride. it's mostly a rolling terrain. a few good hills scattered around. the main bike shop in my area recommends the compact setup for the area. they're a part of the bike club too in snohomish county. i'm sure they know what works for the landscape. i'll look at my bike later today and see what cassette i have. it's probably a 12-25. i also like the Fulcrum RS cranks but pricey for me. my arms are 170mm in length. i wouldn't switch to another length. i know that would be weird to get used to.

A 52/42/30 Ultegra triple means 9 speed. 10 speed Ultegra triples were all 52/39/30 and the front deraillers were designed to only work with a 13 tooth ore larger gap between the big and middle chainrings. Regardless, moving to an Ultegra 6750 compact will require no other parts aside from the crankset and BB. The Ultegra 6503 triple used an Octalink BB which is now old tech. Feel free to pass the crankset and BB down to me though :)

One more edit: It is possible that you are running a "9 speed" crankset but with 10 speed shifters and cassette. Not likely if your bike has never been previously modified though.

my bike isn't really modded minus the Keo Carbon pedals and Specialized non padded red and white Toupe saddle. the cassette is a Sram PG970 11-27 9sp. Long cage. 6500 series Ultegra for the rear der., shifters, and crank. I'm sure it's all nine speed including shifters. front der. is 105.
I calculated how much it would cost to upgrade to 10sp and it'll be around 900. 2009 Sram Force shifters and 2010 rear and front derailleurs with the Shimano 6570 compact with maybe a chris king BB. cage i'm not sure if i'm going to do a small one. i just read a post debating that one. lol. Dura Ace 10sp chain (the new one) and possibly an Ultegra 11-28 cassette. i hate the new ultegra shifters. my hands are tiny and those shifters look just plain ugly and not comfortable.
then i'll have some parts to sell off for cheap:)

9 to 10 speed upgrade isn't worth it unless you really like the new ergonomics. Personally, even with smallish hands, I like the feel of the 6600 series Ultegra shifters better than the 6500 (I own both but do most of my miles commuting with the 6500's). The 6600 series shifters have more girth to grip allowing my hands to feel more stable especially out of the saddle and the clicks of the shifters feel more "right" to me as well (that's VERY subjective though). I haven't tried 6700 though. I guess I need to build a new bike :)

With that said, I really don't think going from a triple to a compact is a worthwhile change either. You lose gearing range while also increasing the gap between chainrings. A properly set up 6503 triple should shift beautifully given the smooth shifting of the Shimano compacts I've set up. A triple has to shift better given the smaller tooth differential. If something doesn't feel right on your current set up, find someone who really knows how to set up a triple or learn for yourself. www.parktool.com has great instructions for setting up deraillers.