jafran456

Hi All,I’m looking for some advice on making some changes to the drivetrain of a 1984 Raleigh Racing USA Grand Prix that I just picked up. The serial number starts with 4FN….It’s the red one with chrome fork and stays. It was modernized by a previous owner. It has a 2x9 drivetrain with a Dura Ace FC-7800 double crankset, Dura Ace FD-7800 front derailleur, Dura Ace BB-R9100 bottom bracket (BC1.37x24 road), Ultegra STI brifters (can’t find the model number), and Ultegra RD-6600 rear derailleur.

I would like to install a triple crankset and make it a 3x9 drivetrain. Aside from the crankset, what else needs to be swapped out (bottom bracket, front derailleur, brifters)? Will any of the existing components work with a triple set up? I would like to stay with a Shimano triple crankset, either Dura Ace or Ultegra. What series or model numbers do I need to look for (FC-xxxx, FD-xxxx)? Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Iride01 

What are you needing that the triple will give you? Just a lower gear ratio or something else?

You'll have to replace the shifter and front DR if you go to a triple. That might look odd if you don't do both shifters. Then you might have to replace the rear DR too depending on what you find. STI shifters are one of the most expensive parts you can change out typically.

You need to learn to deal with terms of "total capacity", "Front tooth difference" , "Largest sprocket" and "Smallest sproket".

If you just need a lower gear ratio for a few hills that make you grunt, then you might can just get a smaller chain ring for your 2x or a crank with smaller rings or wider tooth difference.

dedhed

Lots of "Depends" here.

If the replacement crank is HTII (for example a FC-6603, FC-7803) the BB can remain. Be aware there are additional spacers required on a triple HT II crankset that may or may not come with a used one.
If you're using a FC-6503 or 7703 it'd require the correct octalink BB (or really any other crankset needs correct BB)

Probably need a FD due to the reach and cage shape to accommodate the inner chainring.

More than likely need the L shifter to accommodate the triple like a ST-6503 0r 7703.

Depending on rear cassette and chainring sizes likely need a "GS" medium cage road RD. Or a 9 speed or less mt LX/XT/XTR RD

Longer chain needed.

Shimano Ultegra series are - 6500 (9S), 6600 (10S)
Dura Ace - 7700 ((S), 7800 (10S)

"Typically" any shimano series number part ending in "03" indicates for a triple. For example ST-6603 is a triple shifter, ST-6600 is a double

Retro Grouch 

The good news is probably going to surprise you. For 9-speed cassettes Shimano used the same brifter for both double and triple cranksets. Your left Ultegra shifter actually has 4 shift positions. That's good news because that's usually the most expensive component to buy and probably the hardest to find. Do your shifters function crisply?
Bottom bracket will depend on exactly what crankset you acquire. If it's a genuine Shimano it will need a splined octalink bottom bracket. Be sure that you get the correct one because there were two spindle lengths and two different spline patterns. As I remember, the front derailleur cages were quite a bit different so you'll want to find a 9-speed triple front.
You'll need a longer cage rear derailleur to take up the extra chain slack from the granny chainring. Chain length will be the same because the big/big sprockets haven't changed but I recommend starting a new chain to go with new sprockets.

Good luck. Are you sure you want to put that much money into a 35 year old run-of-the-mill frame? What's the rear dropout spacing?

dedhed

That's actually a fairly nice frame. The main tubes are the same 555SL as some of the higher models, fully chromed under the paint and actually good looking.
Originally would have been 126mm spaced 6 speed and likely respaced to accommodate the 9 speed. .

jafran456

A lot of good feedback here. I really appreciate it, although some of it went right over my head. I'm not a mechanic but I'm trying to learn and have been picking up a few tools here and there. Here's my dilemma. My everyday bike is a 2007 Cannondale SystemSix with a 2x10 drivetrain, 53/39 up front and 12/25 at the rear. I ride in hilly areas and struggle a bit on the uphills even on the lowest gear. I often find myself wishing for some granny gears . Long story short, I love my SystemSix and don't want to modify it so I picked up the Raleigh for a couple hundred bucks. I've always wanted a vintage steel bike anyway and it already has most of what I need. I can sell the parts I take off anyway. I have an old Cannondale mountain bike that I put city tires on and it has a 3x7 drivetrain, 48/38/28 up front and 11/28 at the rear. I can ride the same hilly routes on this bike much easier than on my SystemSix because it has the right gears (or better selection of gears). That's why I want to go with a triple crank on the Raleigh. The small chainring up front makes a big difference and gives me the gear options that I need, plus a little extra perhaps. In a nutshell, I guess I'm trying to duplicate the set up that I have on my old Cannondale mountain bike onto the Raleigh. Not exactly the same but you know what I mean. I really don't care about grams or extra weight or even the investment.

cpach

First to directly answer your question:
Your shifters are, to my understanding, blessedly able to shift a triple, and you have a HTII crankset. You'll need a new triple crank, front derailleur, and rear derailleur, and almost certainly a new chain. 9 speed is well in the past for Shimano. Honestly if it were me I'd probably mostly buy current generation Sora parts, but if you must have Ultegra/Dura Ace you're going to be shopping used/NOS at pretty high prices. Look for FC-6503 for an appropriate Ultegra Crankset, or FC-7703 for Dura Ace.

A much lower cost option that would give you pretty much the same gearing range as your MTB would be a subcompact crank with 46/30 rings (as the diameter of the wheels is larger, this is closer than 48/32 head-to-head with the same cassette). It's not sexy/light but the FSA Tempo Adventure crank is intended for 9 speed drivetrains. A 10/11 speed crank will probably shift OK as well in most cases.

blamester

You may not need a triple.
Start by putting a better suited cassette on your system 6. 12/28 or similar. It might be all you need to do.. Most cost effective and simplest way to go. See how you get on with that. Then decide what gears you want on the new one.

jafran456

Thanks again for all the feedback guys. If I have to replace the rear derailleur too, then maybe I should start at the rear and swap out the cassette for one with a wider range. The Raleigh currently has a 50/39 Dura Ace crank and a 12/23 cassette at the rear. The Ultegra rear derailleur is a short cage. What's the largest sprocket I can use.....30? I can easily get my hands on the same Ultegra derailleur with a long cage. Can I go up to a 34 or 36 with a long cage if I can find such a cassette? I'm guessing I would need a longer chain too. I think that would be a good start and a smaller investment. If it's still not adequate for the hilly areas, then I'll give some thought to the front drivetrain.

icemilkcoffee 

si.shimano.com
^ this website is your friend. You can type in the part number for the rear derailleur and the tech documents will tell you the largest and smallest rear cogs it can handle plus the front chain ring difference (largest front chain ring - smallest front chain ring)

Iride01 

If the bike you are wanting to change is the Raleigh and it's got the RD-6600 on it, then you need to decide if it's the SS (short cage) or GS (mid cage) version. That will help you decide what the range of front crank can be whether 2x or 3x.

Spec's for the RD-6600 say the largest sprocket on the rear can only be 27 teeth for either cage version of the RDR. But spec's many times are conservative and you can exceed them frequently. And you typically can make the DR work with larger cogs by putting a wolf tooth or similar thing on the bike which essentially just spaces the DR further away from the cogs. But that doesn't change the total capacity spec that involves your front rings.

The Raleigh is a 50/39 front? Typically more modern are 50/34. Just changing the front rings or crankset will help. Getting a larger rear tooth cassette will help too. Both will go a long way.

Are you always in the 28F and 28R when you go up that hill on that other bike? Figure out what gear ratio you have to have on that other bike to get you comfortably up that hill or those hills and then use that to help you decide what gear ratios you need to put on the Raleigh.