EnPassant
Remember Remember some date in November Member
- Location
- Gloucester
Hello again to the helpful folks of cc.
I have a 5 year old specialized cx bike with a 10 speed 105 drivetrain, that is now pretty much worn out (or so I'm told, see below...). It's a compact with 12/27 rear and a somewhat unusual 48/34 front.
I know very little about bike maintenance and in a what must be a testament to it's basic design I've used it far longer than I probably should have maybe 4/5 years at an average of some 1k miles a year, less at the start more lately and in all that time it's never given me any trouble. So aside from an occasional tweak on the indexing barrel adjuster and an irregular clean and squirt of lubricant I've done nothing with it at all.
I have recently learned that I should probably have replaced various parts during this time: the chain (maybe 4 times); the cassette (maybe twice); and now the whole set is possibly done for. However, this is somewhat dependent on exactly which lbs you ask, I've tried about 4 or 5 and the suggestions run from, "It's totally shot, replace the lot £350" to "you can get away with those chainrings for a while yet, new cassette and chain and you're good to go £60".
A new bike is in prospect anyway as I want something more road oriented so I don't want to spend too much getting this one to anything more than 'serviceable' (stick some panniers on and go shopping, use in the wet...etc), by that I mean tiagra, sora, claris, non-shimano, I don't think I much mind. It doesn't need to be 105 for 105 (is this even possible now that 105 is 11 speed?)
I understand that any advice here will be under proviso since you can't get your hands on it to see the condition of the various parts (the chain and cassette can go, no issues, but the rings and its getting pricey, suffice to say they are clearly a little worn but don't appear to my eye as 'massively hooked' or 'sharper than sharks teeth'). But with that in mind I have a few questions if I may...
1. If I went 105 again, are the bits available, or am I going to keep finding they are the 11 speed variety? How do I tell which is which at wiggle/chainreaction etc?
2. I'm assuming that due to trickle down, todays 10 speed 'tiagra' is probably pretty much the same thing as a 5 year old 105, can I just use this like for like?
3a. Does 'transmitted wear' really exist? Up to a point I see the argument that a worn chain ring will accelerate the wear on a new chain and thence to the cassette, on the other hand the new stuff wears as well, I'm not sure that I really follow that a worn chain ring makes it that much worse/faster (particularly given that 3 of 4 lbs said I can probably get away with it a bit longer).
3b. If it does exist, since I have experienced not a single shifting error or slip, should I now just run what I have until such time as I do have an issue and then replace?
4. Can I do it myself? (if I use guides or videos from t'interweb?) Does the cassette need some special puller?
5. If I can't easily find a 48 large chainwheel, will 50 do? What chain length would I need? Is the derailleur good for this?
6. What's this guff about changing whole crankset I got from one source?
I have a very mild suspicion that some of these lbs have spotted a punter who knows little and are simply trying to sell me a new bike (that'd be the top estimates...
), on the other hand maybe they are technically bang on and the lower estimates are just to get by.
Profuse apolgies for droning on but I like to try to provide all relevant information in one go if i can. I'm sure most of the lbs mean well, but I'm concerned that their advice isn't completely unbiased, particularly since it seems inconsistent.
Thanks.
I have a 5 year old specialized cx bike with a 10 speed 105 drivetrain, that is now pretty much worn out (or so I'm told, see below...). It's a compact with 12/27 rear and a somewhat unusual 48/34 front.
I know very little about bike maintenance and in a what must be a testament to it's basic design I've used it far longer than I probably should have maybe 4/5 years at an average of some 1k miles a year, less at the start more lately and in all that time it's never given me any trouble. So aside from an occasional tweak on the indexing barrel adjuster and an irregular clean and squirt of lubricant I've done nothing with it at all.
I have recently learned that I should probably have replaced various parts during this time: the chain (maybe 4 times); the cassette (maybe twice); and now the whole set is possibly done for. However, this is somewhat dependent on exactly which lbs you ask, I've tried about 4 or 5 and the suggestions run from, "It's totally shot, replace the lot £350" to "you can get away with those chainrings for a while yet, new cassette and chain and you're good to go £60".
A new bike is in prospect anyway as I want something more road oriented so I don't want to spend too much getting this one to anything more than 'serviceable' (stick some panniers on and go shopping, use in the wet...etc), by that I mean tiagra, sora, claris, non-shimano, I don't think I much mind. It doesn't need to be 105 for 105 (is this even possible now that 105 is 11 speed?)
I understand that any advice here will be under proviso since you can't get your hands on it to see the condition of the various parts (the chain and cassette can go, no issues, but the rings and its getting pricey, suffice to say they are clearly a little worn but don't appear to my eye as 'massively hooked' or 'sharper than sharks teeth'). But with that in mind I have a few questions if I may...
1. If I went 105 again, are the bits available, or am I going to keep finding they are the 11 speed variety? How do I tell which is which at wiggle/chainreaction etc?
2. I'm assuming that due to trickle down, todays 10 speed 'tiagra' is probably pretty much the same thing as a 5 year old 105, can I just use this like for like?
3a. Does 'transmitted wear' really exist? Up to a point I see the argument that a worn chain ring will accelerate the wear on a new chain and thence to the cassette, on the other hand the new stuff wears as well, I'm not sure that I really follow that a worn chain ring makes it that much worse/faster (particularly given that 3 of 4 lbs said I can probably get away with it a bit longer).
3b. If it does exist, since I have experienced not a single shifting error or slip, should I now just run what I have until such time as I do have an issue and then replace?
4. Can I do it myself? (if I use guides or videos from t'interweb?) Does the cassette need some special puller?
5. If I can't easily find a 48 large chainwheel, will 50 do? What chain length would I need? Is the derailleur good for this?
6. What's this guff about changing whole crankset I got from one source?
I have a very mild suspicion that some of these lbs have spotted a punter who knows little and are simply trying to sell me a new bike (that'd be the top estimates...
), on the other hand maybe they are technically bang on and the lower estimates are just to get by.Profuse apolgies for droning on but I like to try to provide all relevant information in one go if i can. I'm sure most of the lbs mean well, but I'm concerned that their advice isn't completely unbiased, particularly since it seems inconsistent.
Thanks.
