# Dura Ace crank question - double to triple



## bleed_oil (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi there,

I'm planning on taking my bike to France in July to ride the big climbs and watch the Tour.
Thinking of swapping out my 7800 double for a triple (which I'm pretty sure I'll need) and maybe the rear cassette.

Is it just a matter of switching the crankset/cassette or do I need derailleurs, shifter etc...?

thanks!


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## rcummings1 (Oct 6, 2008)

Your going to need the triple left shifter so you can shift to the inner chainring along with the triple front derailleur to do so. You also need the long cage rear derailleur to take up all the extra chain slack you get with the triple. So your answer is yes you need both derailleurs, left shifter, new chain, and maybe a cassette depending on which one you have now and how worn it is.

It would be less expensive to go to a 50-34 compact crank and a SRAM 12-28 cassette. That way you only need to replace the crank and cassette to get almost the same gear range.


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## android (Nov 20, 2007)

Too much trouble monkeying with a triple. Get an Ultegra 6650 compact crank, It will go nicely with your Dura Ace stuff and get the job done.

You will need to swap the cranks out and lower the FD. They use the same BB, so you won't have to touch that.

If you already have a 25t rear cassette, that might be all you need to do. If you want lower gears than that, pick up the Shimano 12-27 or the SRAM 12-28 cassette and the long cage derailleur.


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## gnatman (Jan 14, 2009)

*Go compact crank*

I went from an all Ultegra (vintage 1993) 39-53 crank and 12-23 8-speed cassette to a 34-50 compact crank and built my own 12-30 cassette. I get triple chain-ring range with less complexity. I probably could have gone as high as a 32 on the rear for even a little more mechanical advantage.

The only new parts I had to get, outside of the crank and cassette parts, were a long cage rear derailleur and a chain.

And the compact crank is a Nashbar generic which, while it's still pretty new, runs sweetly.

Also, the new long cage derailuer, Shimano Deore, is what they're calling high-normal or reverse pull. That is, the spring pulls the derailuer toward the larger cogs, or towards the bike frame. Takes a bit to get used to, but works well.

So, research a little about upgrading a double chain ring before think you gotta go triple.


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