Hello,
I'm looking for input and advice.
I have an older Cannondale R600. I've had it 20 years and it was at least 2 years old when I bought it. I am 57 years old and 6' 4" (193 CM). The bike frame is 63 CM.
The bike's gearing is fine for flats but when I hit hills, especially now that I'm getting older, I struggle, even in the lowest gear. The bike is geared as follows:
- Crank length is 175. Gears are 53/39.
- Cassette is 8 gears 23/13.
My local bike shop said the crank, chain and cassette should all be changed together due to wear but the price just isn't worth it on a bike this old. They said if I could find a used square taper compact crank which would be geared 50/34, that would help. I may just buy a new bike but hate to abandon this one as it has served me well. Looking online I see cranks and cassettes are not that expensive. However I see the cassette sizes are quite different than mine, 11/28, 11/30, 11/32 for example.
What would be the best approach to gearing this bike down without spending a lot of money? There is a local bike shop that helps you do the work yourself for a small fee so I'm thinking of going that route. Could I just go to a cassette that has more teeth than mine and be done? Change the crank as my bike shop recommended? Both?
Thank you in advance.
Steve