Component Upgrades

WilkBMC

I am just curious when do people generally look to upgrade components on there bike? is there a lifespan for parts? and obv

I have the 10 speed shimano Tiagra groupset on my BMC and its perfect (bar a small bit of rubbing against the front derailleur in the highest and lowest gears) but is there any signs of when replacement is needed and the same question goes to the chain.

Coronal

I'm not sure about derailleur replacement, tbh, I'd say it'd need to be fairly fooked before a decent clean wouldn't sort it out. In terms of consumable parts, your chain and cassette will need to be changed on a timescale of ~5000 km for the chain, 2-3 times that for the cassette. You can get a little measuring dealie which tells you when to change your chain. Or just measure it with a ruler - I think 1/8th inch stretch over 12 links implies changing the chain? Note that if you leave the chain on for too long, the new one will skip on the teeth of the old cassette, so you'll have to change that at the same time.

If the chain is rubbing off the front derailleur and you're not crosschaining, then the limit screws and cable tension need to be looked at, the derailleur itself should be fine.

colm_gti

WilkBMC wrote: »

I am just curious when do people generally look to upgrade components on there bike? is there a lifespan for parts? and obv

I have the 10 speed shimano Tiagra groupset on my BMC and its perfect (bar a small bit of rubbing against the front derailleur in the highest and lowest gears) but is there any signs of when replacement is needed and the same question goes to the chain.

I have put up about 9k km on my road bike and so far it's only needed a new chain and cables.

-K2-

I've covered about 13,500km on a Tiagra groupset in all weathers. I've replaced the chain when it's stretched (see here) and the cables when they've broken. The cassette was also swapped out after 10,000km; this was partially due to a special offer on Wiggle for a shiny new one and partially due to me thinking it was getting a bit jumpy.

The remainder of the set is working perfectly. I generally try to keep everything clean so this may help extend the life of components.

Craig06

Is it worthwhile buying an ultegra cassette and chain when the tiagra wears?

Tonyandthewhale

Craig06 wrote: »

Is it worthwhile buying an ultegra cassette and chain when the tiagra wears?

Not really, they'd be a bit lighter is all.

velo.2010

Craig06 wrote: »

Is it worthwhile buying an ultegra cassette and chain when the tiagra wears?

FWIW, I got 6000km out of an Ultegra chain and BB before they both literally broke. That did include a winter of typical sh!tty weather. Personally, I think the latest incarnations of Shimano products are not as robust as previous generations.

f1000

I have been stocking up over the last few months for a summer rebuild with a mix of Dura-Ace, Ultegra & 105 parts. Chain Reaction have some good savings on Shimano parts at the moment. Just received a shiny new cassette today (40% off)

Just to add... Don't ignore your cables especially in this weather. Could be dirt in the housing as I have noticed with my commuter and road bike. This morning I was unable to move to the outer chainring because of this.

cdaly_

I'm on my third rear mech and second front mech after about 3 and a bit years of pretty much daily use. I went sora -> tiagra -> 105 on the rear and skipped the tiagra at the front. In the same time I've gone through about 8-10 chains and 3-4 cassettes. Anytime a component needs replacing, I'll go for an upgrade if it's reasonably priced.

velo.2010 wrote: »

Personally, I think the latest incarnations of Shimano products are not as robust as previous generations.

10-sp components will be less robust than 8-sp because of having to use thinner materials.

Dubba

I'm after breaking two SRAM Rival shifters in under 2 years so I'm moving back to 105's. Gone thru plenty of chains and cassettes, no problems with chainrings and deralieurs tho.

Seen people say here that handlebars should be replaced at some stage, I've my PX ones for 2 years (2 bikes), no problems so far but don't want to think of what might happen if they fail in a sprint / decent!

WilkBMC

Coronal wrote: »

I'm not sure about derailleur replacement, tbh, I'd say it'd need to be fairly fooked before a decent clean wouldn't sort it out. In terms of consumable parts, your chain and cassette will need to be changed on a timescale of ~5000 km for the chain, 2-3 times that for the cassette. You can get a little measuring dealie which tells you when to change your chain. Or just measure it with a ruler - I think 1/8th inch stretch over 12 links implies changing the chain? Note that if you leave the chain on for too long, the new one will skip on the teeth of the old cassette, so you'll have to change that at the same time.

If the chain is rubbing off the front derailleur and you're not crosschaining, then the limit screws and cable tension need to be looked at, the derailleur itself should be fine.

Good info so basically only replace them if they break as there isnt enough benefits to be had otherwise.

@Coronal when you say crosschaining what do you mean?

colm_gti

WilkBMC wrote: »

Good info so basically only replace them if they break as there isnt enough benefits to be had otherwise.

@Coronal when you say crosschaining what do you mean?

Cross chaining is when you use your big ring and largest gear, or little ring and smallest gear.

WilkBMC

it rubs on the big ring and smallest gear and big ring and biggest gear, will adjusting this with the limit screws fix this?

velo.2010

cdaly_ wrote: »

10-sp components will be less robust than 8-sp because of having to use thinner materials.

Thats not true. Any experienced mechanic will tell you that Ultegra/105 will wear better and be more durable than Tiagra/Sora.

I was refering to the latest 6700 on my bike compared to 5600/6600 components I used previously. In my experience the 6700 Ultegra seems to wear a little faster and the quality of the shifters is a little more SRAM-like in terms of durability.

colm_gti

WilkBMC wrote: »

it rubs on the big ring and smallest gear and big ring and biggest gear, will adjusting this with the limit screws fix this?

Is it rubbing off the derailleur or frame when you're in the big ring and smallest gear?

WilkBMC

its rubbing off the outside of the derailleur when in the smallest gear and off the inside of the derailleur in the biggest gear.

Coronal

WilkBMC wrote: »

it rubs on the big ring and smallest gear and big ring and biggest gear, will adjusting this with the limit screws fix this?

OK, one caused by cable tension, the other by crosschaining. If it's rubbing in the big ring and small cog on the back, then the front derailleur isn't far enough out - either cable tension or limit screws. If it worked before, then it's probably cable tension. They stretch over time.

Rubbing when in the big ring and biggest cog is because you're crosschaining - don't do that, it'll cause undue wear on the chain and derailleur, as well as making it more likely that you'll drop the chain should you shift at the front. Cost Andy Schleck a Tour de France, IIRC (although he was later promoted to winner, following some dodgy Spanish steaks eaten by Contador :pac:).

smacl

Replaced my front dereailleur (campag xenon triple) last year, though god knows how many miles it had done as I originally got it 2nd hand. Basically, the spring was losing strength and not dropping into the granny ring reliably. I now make a point of leaving the bike in the small cog and small ring when not in use so that the derailleur springs are not under tension.

I replace the chain annually. Went for a record 9sp chain this time which seems that bit smoother on shifting than the previous SRAM chains, possibly due to the bevelled edges.

I've been tempted by various upgrades to the groupset, but the main obstacle is that what I have works pretty well and is reliable. I need something to break to give me the needed excuse to spend the money. Drawn to the Athena 11sp, mainly for the spinal tap 'but mine does 11' buzz.