Felt Triple to Double conversion

Triathlon Forum
1

I couldn’t find anything searching the archives, so I thought I’d ask. I recently bought a Felt F50. This came with a Triple up front. I wanted a double so they said at the LBS that they’d just pull one off a Felt F45. However, I was wondering if the rear D also needs to be swapped out. The arm (I believe it’s called the cage?) will be longer to take the slack from the smallest crank. Does a new rear D need to be put on too?

Thanks in advance

Burns

2

Your triple derailleur will work just fine with a double chainring. It will be longer than necessary, and therefore a bit heavier, but neither of these is a big deal. It will also make you look like a dork with the long cage and all, but that never stopped me.

3

AJFranke:

Look like a dork?! That’s just too much! The cages come in short/medium/long don’t they? I was comparing the F50 to the F45 on the website. It seems they’re the same considering the F50 pic has the chain on the middle ring and the F45 has the chain on the big ring up front. I’m guessing this means they both come with a medium cage?

http://www.feltracing.com/2004_bikes/f45.html

http://www.feltracing.com/2004_bikes/f50.html

Burns

4

I would think you would need a long cage to support a triple. I have actually used a short cage DA derailleur on my triple at times, but it doesn’t take up enough slack to get to all the gears. I used this for IM Lake Placid. It is no problem since I just stay away from the cross over gears. I doubt you will find anyone to recommend this approach though (including me), since if you try to shift into say, 53/25, the results could be a major disaster.

Yeah, the long cage makes you look like a dork, until you have the ride up the 12% grade and you are spinning at 30/27 when everyone else is dying. You don’t look so dorky then.

I would be more concerned about the front derailleur than the rear. You didn’t say what group you are using, but the DA STI shifters can’t handle both triple and double front derailleurs, though Ultegra and Campy products can. If you are using bar end shifters, they are friction shift for the front and they work fine.

5

hey Art, you’re pretty knowledgeable for a gun toting, Bush quoting, right wing, neo nazi facist! lol