upgrading old Ultegra crankset to Dura Ace

[acenavarre]

Hello all! I have a 2004 Trek 5000 road bike. I'm not tech-savvy so bare with me as I write what I read on the cranks: Ultegra FC-6503, 52-42-30, 172.5 (arm length?) I have upgraded the rear cassette to Dura Ace and want to put a Dura Ace triple on the front for stiffness and weight saving. I'm not sure of the tech stuffs of the bottom bracket. It's whatever came with the crankset. Right now I'm just looking at newer used cranksets. I am female, 5'8", 135lbs. How much does the arm length matter? I've put 1000's of miles on this bike and am very sensitive to changes. Most important, what are my options for Dura Ace cranksets? Are there major compatibilty issues with newer stuff? Any and all advice is appreciated!! Ride safe

 

[Dave67]

The first thing you need to look at is do you need a triple? You could look into a compact crankset, much lighter than a triple. You will also have to match the speed, 8 and 9 speed can be used together. The newer 10 speed crank doesn't like the old stuff. You will have to get the bottom bracket that will match the crank. The crank length is a personal thing, long more leverage, shorter can be spun faster.

 

[acenavarre]

Thanks for responding! I would go to a double but won't I need new shifters and front derailer? I don't want this project to get too costly. Although it's true, I rarely use the "granny" gear. I have 9 in the back. What year did they switch to 10 speed? I should probably aim for something just before that probably?

 

[Dave67]

You could, but not needed. Just swap the crank, and readjust derailers.
This might help http://sheldonbrown.com/dura-ace.html.
I would set your goals a little lower. The 9 speed Ultegra can be had for cheap, and only come in a few grams more than the DA big brother.