I'm having all sorts of problems sorting out the gearing on my Diverge.
Currrently she's 50:34 11-32 but i want to go steeper. BB30 FSA gossamer chainset, 105 derailleurs and a kmc chain.
Simplest solution would be to bang on a road link but specialized tell me the slightly odd chain line would mean this wouldn't work apparently. Also shimano don't make an 11 speed 11-36 and the local bike shop tell me they have "issues" with the larger sram cassettes
Does anyone know if 105 11 speed sti shifters pull enough/not too much cable for an XT mech so i can put an 11-40 on her and just swap the 5800 for an M8000
Otherwise if any of you have a Diverge and any other solution i'd appreciate suggestions.
I have 2 buddies both of whom are running SRAM 11-36 on their Diverges. Neither are having any issues and neither are using the RoadLink. I did the tuning on one of them and just ran the B-Screw in almost all the way but didn't have to resort to any more drastic solutions such as reversing the B-Screw or installing a longer one. I'm also running an 11-36 on my X-Trail with no issues though I did install a RoadLink rather than adjusting w/the B-Screw. That said, it's nice to have a RD w/a clutch in which case an XT or XTR RD w/a Tanpan is the way to go. In fact, I may go that route myself rather than convert to Di2 as I've been bouncing a lot of chains off the front rings. The other options is to wait for the XT Di2 though that is a pricey option.
BTW, the RoadLink doesn't change the chain line it merely drops the RD 1" to allow more clearance between the upper pulley and the cassette. And I'd be curious as to what the "issues" are as well. My guess is that the SRAM cassette may not be quite as refined as the upper end Shimano but have never heard of any problems either. Both sound like, at best, opinions and, at worst, bike shop BS.
I'm currently running an 11-36 SRAM cassette with an 46/34 chainring setup on my 105 Warbird, and it works great. Shifting might be just a hair slower than the original 11-32 50/34 setup, but then again, it could be my imagination. My mechanic ended up swapping in an ultegra 46 tooth CX front ring and using the stock 105 small ring. WickWerks also makes a 44/34 CX setup.
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\nI am running 40s and really like the 46 tooth big ring, as I am able to spend much more time in the big ring.
