52/36 to 53/39: new chain needed?

[Luca199]

Hi,

Currently I have 52/36 and 11/30
Moving to 53/39 and keeping same cassette 11/30
Do I need new longer chain (by 1-2 links) because of this change? Or am I ok to keep what I have already?

See pic below of current 52/30 (big/big) combination.

Worth noting I never ever cross chain (52/30) and never stay in the 52/27 either. Max is 52/24 (third sprocket from last). If I need easier gear I shift to easier gear 36 normally

Thanks for feedback

[Nickldn]

Your chain already looks short (perhaps due to the OSPW?).

You may experience an improvement in shifting if you add a couple of links to your chain with a 53/39. I would run the chain longer to be on the safe side anyway.

[usr]

You absolutely do need big/big compatibility, not because you would ever want to ride that combination but because accidental trying that shift when the chain is too short is in the realm of "could lead to injury and death". Very unlikely of course, to get more than a broken chain, derailleur, hanger and rear wheel, but still in the range of not worth the risk. (whereas a chain too long for small/small would merely be a noticeable but harmless loss of shifting quality)

Can you currently pull enough chain while on big/big to form a full "square bend"? That would imply that the chain would still fit big/big if it was three half-links shorter. Three more teeth would require less. But during the shift the chain needs to be a bit longer even, so the square bend would not a a full guarantee.

I'd suggest buying the chain anyways and keep it as a spare if the old chain happens to fit. It's a wear part, nothing lost if a replacement of purchased a few months earlier than required.

[DaveS]

You can only change chain length in two link or one inch increments. Every inch is good for 4T of additional wrap capacity. The chain should never be shorter than required to wrap the big/big plus 1inch.

[robbosmans]

Your chain already is to short, at least add 2 links

[NiFTY]

I agree with everyone else. Your chain is already too short. Always measure the chain for the worst combination you could shift to.

[MasterBean]

I thought di2 would never shift into big big so would limit your available gears.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk

[Hexsense]

^wrong.
It won't shift into small small. But it doesn't complain about big big.

[tiz92]

I thought di2 would never shift into big big so would limit your available gears.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk

You can decide that in the settings. I run di2 and crosschain all the day haha

anyways I would add also 3 links

[DaveS]

You can't add 3 links. It's either 2 or 4.

[Luca199]

Hi, is the photo attached any better? I tried respecting what CeramicSpeed suggests (which is 114 links for 53/39 and 11/30), but the chain was way too long... there was a lot of slack in the small small, which could be removed only by tightening the b screw quite a bit... this meant that the RD moved down and away from the cassette, creating a very large gap between top pulley wheel tooth and cassette tooth in the small chainring biggest sprocket combination. That gap meant that the shifting wasn't really crisp, in fact I could hear clicking noises, and it would 3/5 secs to shift into some gears....

So I ended up with 110 links (picture below) in the 52/36 and 11/30 combination. It feels like it's a healthier length now... in the big/big combination, I can move the RD forward with my hands and there's enough slack..

I've attached photos of small small and big big.

Thanks for feedback

[Maddie]

To me, that's still too short. RD cage is fully stretched out in big/big while in small/small, there is still some room.

I use 110 links with 52/36 and 11-30 but without OSPW (410mm chainstay on SL7).

[robbosmans]

It’s definitely much better, although 2more links would be perfect

[Luca199]

With two more links is when It felt way too long and the shifting was bad.... unless I left a lot of slack in the small small combination, which is not good either...

It's not really fully stretched out, if I move it forward with my hands, there's lot of play, it can move a lot forward, so it doesn't feel like it's stretched out.... with the previous chain I could t even move it with my hands, which meant it was really at capacity...

If I add two more links, the slack increases quite substantially...

[MagicShite]

Is this the Pinarello F10?

I have the exact same problem on a client's bike.

The chain is either too short or too long even with the stock cage. There is something *f##k* going on with this bike.

I settled in the end with the longer chain, although at the expense of a larger B-Gap. Shimano manuals specs +1 OR +2/+3 links depending on where the link overlaps.

I tried with +1 and at Big Big the entire thing is just too stretched out and you can hear crunchy noise when shifting to Big Big.

I really hated working on this bike. Gave me so many griefs.

Everything else I had worked on that is not Pinarello F10 did not have this issues. Most of them were just +2/+3 and you get perfect B-Gap.