Triple or Compact Crank

Kathy,

I have a triple with a 10 speed cassette, and haven't had problems until recently. In a nutshell when I got my Powertap wheel this year, a 9 speed cassette was installed instead of a 10 (I didn't check). All summer I was having "difficulities" shifting (but not dropping the chain). Recently started having trouble with the chain "skipping", was told that there were broken and worn teeth on my middle ring. Purchased a new 9 speed crankset and bottom bracket. Still having trouble. Went to a different LBS, finally get answer. 9 speed cassette and 9 speed crankset with 10 speed derailleur. I had been mixing and matching 9/10 speed components all summer.

New LBS is recommending new parts to start "fresh" and I am very much in favor of this. However, since I'm replacing everything, now would be the time to change. Although now that I think about it I would need new shifters with a compact versus triple. Hmmm, more $$$

Something's dark in Denmark here...

I don't mean to chide, but you shouldn't be in this situation. Sounds like really poor LBS work...

Let's see if I have it straight: Your original bike was:
10 speed shifter, cassette, bb, derailleur and triple crankset.

Your power tap was 9 speed (accidentally).

Q1: Who mucked this up and took away your 10 speed cassette? This starts the problems...

You bought a 9 speed crankset (your 10 should work just as well, but...) and a botom bracket.

Q2: Was this triple? If "9 speed" the BB is separate and not just cups, right? If spindle in the BB, you could have serious compatibility mismatch possibilities. The spindle length sets the chainline spacing and you need a 108mm for double and a 118 for triple. It depends on your crankset and your frame.

Broken teeth on middle ring?

Q3: How on god's green earth do you break a chainring tooth and not realize this? That takes SERIOUS effort to do! Why didn't they simply replace that chainring for $40 instead of a new front 1/2 of the drivetrain?

10 speed derailleur and 9 speed everything else?

Q4: This works fine. There is simply no difference if you set the limits of travel properly. It works; I use it all the time.

Q5: Has the bike been re-cabled? IMHO: Cables and housing can cause poor shifting in many instances.

Q6: Shifters? Are these bar ends or STI integrated. If bar ends, you could run them friction mode and not have to swap out between 10 and 9. If STI, then your bike should have always been 10 speed since it came that way. If bar end 10 speed shifters w/ a 9 speed cassette: Your poor shifting answer is right here. That's not going to work.

IIWY: I'd go back to the original set up you had. Get new chain rings, a new 10 speed casette, a new chain (you never did say you swapped out chains), recable the bike and get it going.

IIWY2: I'd get better mechanics. Who does things like this? Throwing parts at the issue and handing back the bike w/ the wrong cassette is really poor form. The "new" LBS is simply wrong about incompatibility of 10 and 9 speed; both cranksets and deraillerus. 10 speed these will work on 9.

IIWY3: Compacts have their limitations as do triples. Neither works 100% perfectly. The triple can be a PIA to get right; the compact is a bit easier to set up. You need to get the proper front derailleur which can change the 16 tooth difference in front rings.

Edited by pitt83 2008-10-30 7:41 AM

Answers added/included

I don't mean to chide, but you shouldn't be in this situation (darn right). Sounds like really poor LBS (coach)work...

Let's see if I have it straight: Your original bike was:
10 speed shifter, cassette, bb, derailleur and triple crankset. YES

Your power tap was 9 speed (accidentally).

Q1: Who mucked this up and took away your 10 speed cassette? This starts the problems...
A1: My coach
You bought a 9 speed crankset (your 10 should work just as well, but...) and a botom bracket.
I bought a 9 speed crankset based upon information from coach that I needed a 9 speed, based upon the fact that I had a 9 speed cassette..I was looking for just a ring, but LBS didn’t have one and I needed to get on a plane, sold me the crankset off a floor model that someone was upgrading with the bracket for $100, I was desperate for repair, so…

Q2: Was this triple? If "9 speed" the BB is separate and not just cups, right? If spindle in the BB, you could have serious compatibility mismatch possibilities. The spindle length sets the chainline spacing and you need a 108mm for double and a 118 for triple. It depends on your crankset and your frame.
A: Mismatched for sure, I wasn’t able to shift “up” the rings as spacing was off

Broken teeth on middle ring?

Q3: How on god's green earth do you break a chainring tooth and not realize this? That takes SERIOUS effort to do! Why didn't they simply replace that chainring for $40 instead of a new front 1/2 of the drivetrain?

A; See above AND new LBS informs me that some teeth look like they are broken but are not, Designed that way, common mistake. Were they ever broken in the first place???

10 speed derailleur and 9 speed everything else?

Q4: This works fine. There is simply no difference if you set the limits of travel properly. It works; I use it all the time.

Q5: Has the bike been re-cabled? IMHO: Cables and housing can cause poor shifting in many instances.

A: Nope, doesn’t appear to be needed

Q6: Shifters? Are these bar ends or STI integrated. If bar ends, you could run them friction mode and not have to swap out between 10 and 9. If STI, then your bike should have always been 10 speed since it came that way. If bar end 10 speed shifters w/ a 9 speed cassette: Your poor shifting answer is right here. That's not going to work.
A: STI

IIWY: I'd go back to the original set up you had. Get new chain rings, a new 10 speed casette, a new chain (you never did say you swapped out chains), recable the bike and get it going.
I did get new chainring

IIWY2: I'd get better mechanics. Who does things like this? Throwing parts at the issue and handing back the bike w/ the wrong cassette is really poor form. The "new" LBS is simply wrong about incompatibility of 10 and 9 speed; both cranksets and deraillerus. 10 speed these will work on 9.

A: My bad. Used my coach as bike mechanic. When she couldn’t fix it went to LBS in desperation (should have gone there first, lesson learned). New LBS isn’t saying it wouldn’t work, just that I have so much mix and match going on that I should start fresh with the original setup I had.

IIWY3: Compacts have their limitations as do triples. Neither works 100% perfectly. The triple can be a PIA to get right; the compact is a bit easier to set up. You need to get the proper front derailleur which can change the 16 tooth difference in front rings.
THANK YOU!

I did have issues all summer. Looking back I should have known I had bigger issues. There was one day I was in my granny gear, flat road, going 9 mph, felt like I was pedaling through mud.

On the upside, I did get faster over the summer, think about how much faster I must have actually gotten! If I got faster with a mismatched setup and problems, how fast will I be when everything is working right?

Sounds like you've got your answer. Go back to your starting configuration of original stuff. If you do go compact, the FSA stuff is nice. Less expensive than Shimano, works like a dream and wears well. I have a couple of bikes w/ FSA and really like it.

I'd still re-cable and replace the housing on the bike; I do mine every year or so depending on use. If it's done carefully to remove any burrs from the housing, grease the cable when you install it and you use cable stops, your shifting is crisp like a new $1 bill.

Another thing to watch for: Your powertap hub may / may not require a small spacer on the hub flange to set the 10 speed cassette spacing correctly. Some hubs do, some don't. Trial and error or a careful read of the owner's manual are indicated

Edited by pitt83 2008-10-30 8:31 AM

Will check on the powertap spacing. Thank you isn't enough for all the advice

So buy him dinner the next time you are in the States...... wink.

You will need the spacer. It should come with the cassette. I also suggest getting your bike re-cabled. As Pitt stated, it's a good thing to do on an annual basis regardless of your drivetrain issues.

scott