Technical help please.

[whoami]

Hi -- First post.

I have Dura ace 52/39 on the front and 28/11 on the back. I'm not a young buck anymore and struggle to get up the steepest hills round here. I'm thinking of buying an Ultegra rear cassette ( yes I know shame to spoil the groupset but price difference between dura ace and ultegra is huge and I believe the weight difference not so )

What compact would you suggest I buy , I probably only need 1 more climbing gear , 2 at max.
Also would I need any other adjustments to my set up to accommodate the new cassette or would I be able to do a straight swap without adjustments ?

Many thanks in anticipation.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Keep the rear cassette because unless I'm mistaken you'll need a different rear mech to handle more than 28 teeth.
Change the chainset to a compact 50/36.
Ultegra cassettes are just fine.

 

[whoami]

Keep the rear cassette because unless I'm mistaken you'll need a different rear mech to handle more than 28 teeth.
Change the chainset to a compact 50/36.
Ultegra cassettes are just fine.

Thanks very much for your reply Fab Foodie. Just priced up the Ultegra chainset , pretty pricey for moi at the moment but then again a new cassette and a new rear mech are not too far behind that either. Can anyone definitely confirm that I would need a new rear mech if I was to buy a compact with more than 28 teeth ?

Thanks once again.

p.s. love your foot note , it sums up my efforts with the guys I go out with , I really need to look for an older crowd lol.

 

[HB_Dude]

I'm with Fab Foodie here.....leave the back as it is and just change the chainset , personally I'd go for a compact 50/34.
That would give you a really good spread of ratios with out having to fork out for a new rear mech and cassette.

 

[mr messy]

Or just a 36t inner chainring as cheapest alternative

 

[Fab Foodie]

Thanks very much for your reply Fab Foodie. Just priced up the Ultegra chainset , pretty pricey for moi at the moment but then again a new cassette and a new rear mech are not too far behind that either. Can anyone definitely confirm that I would need a new rear mech if I was to buy a compact with more than 28 teeth ?

Thanks once again.

p.s. love your foot note , it sums up my efforts with the guys I go out with , I really need to look for an older crowd lol.

Just want to make sure we're using the same terminology here ....
The cogs at the rear 11/28 is the Cassette. These don't come in a 'Compact' version.
Compact usually refers to the chainset at the front. Standard racing doubles were either 53/39 or in olden times 52/42. The compact design has a much bigger gap between teeth say 50/36 or 50/34. Since the advent of the small 11t rear cog there's not much need for 52 and 53 chainrings.
Now ...
Rear mechs come in long and short cage design and with a max number of teeth they can manage. 28 is max for Shimano road mechs, MTB will do dinner plates. I have a DA medium cage and it will cope with up to 28T and chainring differences from 52 to 30. A small cage DA mech might not handle such a chainring difference. Hence my suggestion for 50/36 compact chainring which would give a bit lower bottom end gearing for little loss at the top end.
Btw, DA are not the only chainsets available there are slightly cheaper options.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Or just a 36t inner chainring as cheapest alternative

Good option ... but I'm assuming (and I may be wrong) that it might not have the right BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) to fit the existing chainset.

 

[mr messy]

Good option ... but I'm assuming (and I may be wrong) that it might not have the right BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) to fit the existing chainset.

That's very true and i'll also grant you buying new shiny shiny is much more exciting!

 

[User169]

Good option ... but I'm assuming (and I may be wrong) that it might not have the right BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) to fit the existing chainset.

I think you're right. I'd always thought that 38 was the minimum on a non-compact double.

 

[whoami]

Thank you everybody for your help. Much to ponder over and I'm loving this forum already.