swapping a double to a triple

You'll need to change your crankset, bottom bracket, front derailleur, rear derailleur (if your current one is not a long cage), and maybe your right-hand shifter if it can't be adapted. Add all that up and yes, it could be pricey. Your local LBS should be able to advise. There are a couple of recent threads in this forum on the dual vs triple issue. One way to decide is to REALLY look at the kind of riding you do, then use a gear-inch calculator to work out what you're actually getting.
I ride campag chorus, and the weight difference is negligible (about 100gm heavier for the triple). The triple does give you more on the low range, depending on how you specify chainring/cassette combination. Some riders like the 42 middle chainring for cruising in preference to a 39 on the dual. An alternative (possibly less expensive) if you're after lower gearing is the FSA compact pro crankset (50/34 dual), and there's a compact from stronglight too that goes as low as 48/36 (i think). You will also need to find out if ultegra's FD can handle the 16-tooth change (my chorus can only do max 14)..
Hope that helps.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by pfotoguy
i'm considering purchasing a used 5200 with a standard double ultegra set-up. i've been riding a triple since i started road riding. how large of an issue is it to change to change to a triple if i decide i need it? would it likely be an expensive operation? are there other factors i should take into consideration that i'm not seeing? thanks for any comments or advice.

i have a lot to learn. nothing is simple, is it? the fact that it involves math, too, is a definite(not) bonus. thanks for the starting point on this journey! it helps just to know that it's much more complex than met my neophyte eye (most things are).
appreciate your assist

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by armchair_spacem
You'll need to change your crankset, bottom bracket, front derailleur, rear derailleur (if your current one is not a long cage), and maybe your right-hand shifter if it can't be adapted. Add all that up and yes, it could be pricey. Your local LBS should be able to advise. There are a couple of recent threads in this forum on the dual vs triple issue. One way to decide is to REALLY look at the kind of riding you do, then use a gear-inch calculator to work out what you're actually getting.
I ride campag chorus, and the weight difference is negligible (about 100gm heavier for the triple). The triple does give you more on the low range, depending on how you specify chainring/cassette combination. Some riders like the 42 middle chainring for cruising in preference to a 39 on the dual. An alternative (possibly less expensive) if you're after lower gearing is the FSA compact pro crankset (50/34 dual), and there's a compact from stronglight too that goes as low as 48/36 (i think). You will also need to find out if ultegra's FD can handle the 16-tooth change (my chorus can only do max 14)..
Hope that helps.

Why does he need to change his right shifter???? If the 5200 is 8 speed,then he needs a left shifter,because the 8 speed ultegra/600 front shifter was never made as a triple. A short cage RD will work fine with a triple as long as one avoids the small cogs when in the granny ring. FD capacities are consevative and your chorus front WILL handle more than a 14 tooth spread.Since he has been riding a triple,he likely knows what he needs for gearing anyway.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by pfotoguy
i have a lot to learn. nothing is simple, is it? the fact that it involves math, too, is a definite(not) bonus. thanks for the starting point on this journey! it helps just to know that it's much more complex than met my neophyte eye (most things are).
appreciate your assist

You got alot of hooey,and you don't need math if you have a gear inch chart. but you do need to be able to count chainring and sprocket tooth numbers.

counting, i can do... i have a bike bible with the charts, but not sure which chapter the hooey equations are in.

In all probability, you will need to replace both STI shifters, because Shimano doesn't sell them individually. Have to buy them as a set, at least that was the case this summer when I was looking at an upgrade.

Go ahead and replace rear der. or just the cage if it's availabe. Sooner or later you will want to use the gear combo that needs the long cage. Bet on having to replace FD as well, but they usually aren't that expensive, at least compared to what you'll be spending on a triple upgrade.

Converting to triple is an expensive proposition. Unless the 5200 is a real bargain, you might look for one already equipped with a triple, or think about the FSA compact pro.

I also run the Chorus with a Record triple crank/fd/rd upgrade, it was a $200 option when I bought the Chorus groupo. Run a 30/42/53 on the front, works out nicely. Good wide range for rolling hills, plus wimp gear if you hit something really nasty and just don't feel like hurting. I use the triple as a gauge of progress - when I can climb certain hills near my house without using wimp gear, I know I'm improving.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by JohnO
In all probability, you will need to replace both STI shifters, because Shimano doesn't sell them individually. Have to buy them as a set, at least that was the case this summer when I was looking at an upgrade.

Go ahead and replace rear der. or just the cage if it's availabe. Sooner or later you will want to use the gear combo that needs the long cage. Bet on having to replace FD as well, but they usually aren't that expensive, at least compared to what you'll be spending on a triple upgrade.

Converting to triple is an expensive proposition. Unless the 5200 is a real bargain, you might look for one already equipped with a triple, or think about the FSA compact pro.

I also run the Chorus with a Record triple crank/fd/rd upgrade, it was a $200 option when I bought the Chorus groupo. Run a 30/42/53 on the front, works out nicely. Good wide range for rolling hills, plus wimp gear if you hit something really nasty and just don't feel like hurting. I use the triple as a gauge of progress - when I can climb certain hills near my house without using wimp gear, I know I'm improving.

Actually,they are available separately,through the QBP catalogue which almost any LBS order through. And, if the bike is 9 speed, he does not have to replace either one. The short cage allows one to use all the cogs really necessary,as the granny is primarily a bailout , and in many cases depending on the rear cassette, the short cage will wrap all the chain,even in the small/small.

Oops I meant left shifter, for the reason Boudreaux suggests. There's a very good online gear-inch and shifting pattern calculator at
http://www.panix.com/~jbarrm/cycal/cycal.30f.html that I have found very useful, particularly in comparing dual/triple/compact options. I am aware of a couple of local riders who have had problems with 54/39 front setups where the top to bottom capacity of FDs hasn't been sufficient to handle the spread without some degree of chain rub. That said, boudreux has a point about not taking manuafacturer's claims as gospel. Among other "no-nos" I've run a couple of "incompatible" crankset/BB combinations (D/A with 9sp Daytona, among others) without major problems.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by boudreaux
Why does he need to change his right shifter???? If the 5200 is 8 speed,then he needs a left shifter,because the 8 speed ultegra/600 front shifter was never made as a triple. A short cage RD will work fine with a triple as long as one avoids the small cogs when in the granny ring. FD capacities are consevative and your chorus front WILL handle more than a 14 tooth spread.Since he has been riding a triple,he likely knows what he needs for gearing anyway.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by pfotoguy
i'm considering purchasing a used 5200 with a standard double ultegra set-up. i've been riding a triple since i started road riding. how large of an issue is it to change to change to a triple if i decide i need it? would it likely be an expensive operation? are there other factors i should take into consideration that i'm not seeing? thanks for any comments or advice.

Consider a "compact double" crank, which takes chainrings with a smaller bolt pattern. Instead of 39/53, you have 34/50.

This way you get about an almost-similar gear range as a triple, while still keeping the rest of your double crank drivetrain. (In gear inch terms, a 34x25 is about the same as a 30x23; and a 50x11 is almost a 53x12.)

FSA are starting to push this in a big way .. I guess the marketing opportunities from (an injured) Tyler Hamilton using them in this year's TdF helps their cause too :p This is their carbon version, but a cheaper metal version is in the works apparently: http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/road/pages/cranks/carbon-pro-compact.htm

There are other manufacturers that make road cranks with the 110mm BCD standard, but I forget who they are. (That FSA marketing must have worked on me! 😉 )

i'm starting to get a feel for all the considerations i had not previously considered. now, the next question: is it a procedure that an novice attempt themselves? winter is coming, and it might be a good learning experience for me. is it foolish to give it a try? how much trouble can i find myself in? thanks for all the input..it is all a learning experience for me.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by pfotoguy
i'm starting to get a feel for all the considerations i had not previously considered. now, the next question: is it a procedure that an novice attempt themselves? winter is coming, and it might be a good learning experience for me. is it foolish to give it a try? how much trouble can i find myself in? thanks for all the input..it is all a learning experience for me.

Get a maintenance book like the Zinn one.It has the procedure and tools needed. www.parktool.com is good too. It isn't rocket science,but the turely inept manage to screw up almost anything.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by JohnO

I also run the Chorus with a Record triple crank/fd/rd upgrade, it was a $200 option when I bought the Chorus groupo. Run a 30/42/53 on the front, works out nicely. Good wide range for rolling hills, plus wimp gear if you hit something really nasty and just don't feel like hurting. I use the triple as a gauge of progress - when I can climb certain hills near my house without using wimp gear, I know I'm improving.

Incidentally if you have a 10speed Campagnolo groupset and an ErgoBrain10, it can't calibrate properly with a triple! Campagnolo are bringing out a new model ErgoBrain10 to cope with this.

my quandry ended. i purchased the 5200 and the seller graciously agreed to have her mechanic do the switch. i've learned much from my post, and it's good to see that there are others willing to help a nimrod biker. i am but a grasshopper on wheels, and i am certain i will have many more questions for you helpful souls.

thanks to all, pfotoguy