Originally Posted by
zacster
Ok, I put the new cassette on and installed the chain. No muss, no fuss. The old chain was probably 2-3 links too long because I replaced the 53/39 with a 50/34 at some point and never shortened the chain. I used Calvin's method above and it fit perfectly without having to change the length. Also, the 29 cog doesn't have any problem with the short cage. So now I have a 34-29 low gear which should be enough for just about any riding I do. I hardly ever went in the 34-26 in the past anyway but I'm getting old (65). Also, this cassette gives me all the 21-23-26 that I ride in with the big ring but now one cog lower in position so I will cross chain less. I'll avoid the 50-29 combo whereas I would use the 50-26 combo in the past.
There was no cursing in this install, which is rare.
Now to take it for a ride.
wow. Much quieter and better shifting. And while I didn’t need the lowest gear for the ride I can tell it’ll be a nice addition for when I do.
Can you clarify something? You say that you'll "avoid the 50-29 combo" - is that because you don't want to cross-chain or is it because that combination is beyond the capacity of your short-cage RD? I'm asking because I currently run a 51/39 crank with a 12/23 cassette - creating a chain wrap of 23, obviously well within the capacity of my 10sp Chorus medium-cage RD (nominal chain wrap cap. = 30). I'm contemplating switching in a compact (50/34) crank, which would up the chain wrap to 27, and I have a 13/29 cassette that I swap in for serious climbing days. The combination of the compact crank and the climbing cassette would push the chain wrap to 32 - technically beyond the capacity of my RD, but I haven't actually tested it. If your short-cage RD can handle this combo, then my medium-cage RD should have no problem, which would be very encouraging for my future climbing!