Cycling UK Forum

I went for the Topeak one (a bit apprehensively). It's a great, simple thing! Probably the cheapest small-end torque tool out there.

Ah....OK. Thank you.

.....which leads me to another question.....how to cut the new chain to the correct length.....


Do I measure it big ring front to big cog back.......even though I'll never use it on the largest rear cog?

Excuse my ignorance but where does 41 come from?

OK. I get it now. The RD moves across the cassette width smoothly...not in increments - it's the shifter that has the increments. That was the bit I couldn't get my head around.

One last question....assuming I have a 34/50 up front, and a 36 (no bigger) at the back, which model of M772 do I need at the back....a long cage (GS) or a super long cage (SGS) ?

Thanks to all the above replies. I found them all useful. Now I know what my choices are. I think I'll go with a different rear derailleur and a 36 cassette temporarily (for the Fred Whitton), and long term will go down the smaller chainset route when I've looked into it a bit more. How often do I use 11/12/13/14 and the big (50) ring? Maybe once a month. I don't need those high gears.

The only thing I'm not clear about is when setting up the rear derailleur if I put a 9-speed mech onto a 10-speed cassette............
Assuming I lined-up the RD under the smallest cog and 'indexed'....won't I run out of RD movement when I get to the second largest cog (2nd gear) if using a 9-speed RD? Or does it handle more than 9 increments???

[quote="531colin"]46/30 chainset £60 at Spa, in the new CTC mag....[url]http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=103107&hilit=chainset&start=15[/url][/quote]

I find that link confusing. It goes off all over the place.

Are you saying Spa (My LBS) has a 30/46 chainset that works with 10-speed?

My current chainset/BB is BB30 press fit....will this Spa thing fit my frame?

OK. Thanks for clarifying that part......as for the cassette, does it matter is it's a Shimano or Sram?

.....AND....I don't get how a 9-speed indexed mech (RD) works with a 10-speed drive train?

I was expecting a reply from you Brucey...you've helped me before......

I'm not sure I follow you....is your advice referring to a Shimano RD? Or a Shimano 9-speed cassette?

I know this is the best place on-line for tech info having been on here for quite a few years....so here goes....

I want lower gearing on my flat-barred road bike. At the moment I have a Shimano road 10-speed Tiagra drive train , 34/50 compact, 30 cassette.

So anyway, I doubt I can go 34 or 36 with this RD....but I want to replace my present cassette with a 34 or 36. I don't think I can go down this road with Shimano as their 10-speed road/MTB stuff is NOT compatible, so I'm thinking to go with Sram.

Can I replace my current (30 Tiagra) cassette with a 34 or 36 Sram cassette? and if so, what Sram RD should I fit? AND will all this work OK with my Tiagra flat bar shifters? I don't understand the 'pull' on the shifters with Shimano but I understand that Sram is the same with road & MTB?

I don't like the idea of wider ratio cassette, I'd prefer a 30/46 chainset but these are not common, and expensive.....so I'll go with the cassette.

Just to put what kind of rider I am into perspective....I've been down in the Pyrenees for the last couple of months and been climbing every big 'Col' down here that's open (including Col de La Pierre St. Martin 5 times - the one that C. Froome gained time on - stage 10 in 2015 TdF). So I like climbing, and do a lot of it. I have been fortunate(?) enough to get a place on the Fred Whitton this year. I just want lower gears! I'd happily swap my 6 highest gears for an extra 6 lower gears....as would most aging MAMILS I guess. How often do we use the 11/12/13/14/15 - 50 ??????

Thanks for any help/info/suggestions.

OK. Got it now. Thanks.

Where's 'My Account'? I'm stuck on the forum page.

Trying to renew my membership on-line. Instructions say

Login to our website.
Having logged in, go to the "membership" page from the “My CTC” menu option.

Where's 'my ctc' menu?

The top of the Alpe d'Huez climb is not indicated too well...not at all when I went up a couple of months ago. I also had to ask a local where the 'official' end was...but anyway, when you get up to the village, you keep going, under the bridge....keep going.....and bear right then left at the roundabout. There's a sign showing the end of the climb on the left and a place to stand and get your picture taken opposite side of the road, on the right (kind of!). Suffice to say, the 'end' is not where you think it's going to be when you're doing what you think is the last stretch coming into the village! You have at least another kilometer, so don't go mad!

You'd have to be a lot fitter than I if you can get up these big climbs with a 28 cassette. I fitted a 32 especially for the trip in the hills. I tried not to use the 32 but instead use the second gear - which is a 28....but unless you can ride out the saddle for long stretches, a lower gear (30 or 32) is recommended as a back up.

As chat noir says....keeping your head together for 2 hours steady grind without respite is something you should be prepared for. I cycle in the hilly Yorkshire Dales and think I can handle hills (slowly, at my own pace)....but we don't have anything where you can't have a rest after 20 mins of effort.

After my 2 weeks in the mountains, my fitness definitely went up a level. I found that daily 2 hour grinds are far better training than daily 4 hour ups and downs at home. I also found my confidence soared after I bagged my first couple of cols.......not sure if it would have been so high though without knowing I had that 32 cassette to fall back on if needs must!

You can also do the Madelaine from Chaussy (if you have the legs).

Yes, don't miss the Lacets if you're in the neighbourhood. Amazing.

Good point about the train running through the valley. Very handy...like you say - way better than cycling the valley road.

No need to stay in St Jean though, lots of small villages where you can find rooms & apartments (we stayed in St. Remy for example).

We ended up staying at La Grave for a week....just up from the tunnel that's closed indefinately, causing the TdF to be re-routed this year. Hence there was no through traffic, very quiet & peaceful and beautiful. There wasn't much open but that didn't bother us. We had a nice apartment with balcony for next to nowt.
I climbed the Col du Colombiere on the drive down from Annecy.
The Galibier opened (via the tunnel) the day before we arrived so we drove that way to La Grave (as the Grenoble-Briancon main route is closed).
The second week we moved over to the Maurrienne Valley, which is indeed very handy for a lot of climbs but has constant noise from the roads and rail line.

I managed to do the Telegraph, Galibier, Izoard, La Sarrenne, Alpe d'Huez, Chaussy (via the Lacets), Glandon & Croix de Fer, Mont Cenis.

The third week we were based in Avignon from where I 'did' Ventoux twice.

Really enjoyed the loooong climbs. Two tips to anyone not too confident about doing the cols...lose as much weight as you can, and put low gearing on your bike! I swapped my 30 cassette for a 32 and it helped a lot on the steeper climbs (compact up front)..
I'm a hard-drinking 55-year old of reasonable fitness who carries about 15lbs too much excess weight.....and though nervous on the first couple of climbs, really got stuck into them when I got my confidence. The hills are not that steep, but they go on FOREVER!