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I've recently acquired a cyclocross bike (Stevens Prestige) with aforementioned FC-RS510 crankset. I am thinking of exchanging the 50-34 gearing which is currently mounted with a 46-36 set because otherwise my typical commuting speed would be just between the larger and the smaller rings.

Since the crankset seems to be a slight cost compromise in an otherwise excellently spec'ed bike, I am contemplating upgrading this part in the process. Can I mount any 11-speed 105 or Ultegra crankset? Or to spend slightly less but still upgrade, could I use 105 or Ultegra chainrings with this crankset?

If anyone could point me to the "famous" Shimano compatibility charts and how to read them, this would be much appreciated!

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  • CX bikes normally run 46-36 so you could possibly just swap the rings and keep your original cranks.
    – Carel
    Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 7:49
  • What cassette are you running? That's a wear item you'll replace a lot faster than your chainrings, and it's a lot cheaper. You might be able to get the gear ratios you want just by using a different cassette.
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 10:19
  • I'm running a 11-32 11-speed cassette. I guess I will regularly use the 50-22 (meaning I'm on the 4th cog) or 34-14 (on the 8th cog) which is both not really optimal. That's why I thought that 46-20 or 36-16 might be better ratios. I don't think that this can be solved by fitting another cassette. I could mount something like 11-25 and use the small wheel most of the time, but this would hurt me on longer tours with climbs.
    – NoirDesir
    Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 17:52

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Here's the Shimano compatability chart. It's graphical and rather self-explanatory though I'm critical that it can sometimes be confusing and that it doesn't incorporate enough generations of parts. In other words one may want to check compatability of a 2015 front derailleur with a 2019 front crank, however, the newest chart with the new crankset has dropped the older front mech off the list. Obviously the new crankset won't be listed when one looks at a previous year's chart that includes the older derailleur. So check it out and see for yourself.

It appears Ultegra or 105 11 speed chainrings would work on the RS510 crank as they're all 4 arm spiders with 110 b.c.d.:s.

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  • accepted because you also featured the chainrings. Thanks!
    – NoirDesir
    Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 17:46
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Short answer is yes, you can swap in any 11 speed crank that uses the same bottom bracket standard, which on the Stevens is a 24mm axle Hollowtech II type. I believe all Shimano road cranks are compatible with that.

If you are considering a 48/34 or 46/32 crank you'll need to drop your front derailleur down. There can be issues with braze on brackets not going low enough, but the Stevens seems to have a clamp style so you should be OK.

Links to the Shimano pages:

Shimano Specifications & Technical Documents

Front Drivetrain Compatibility

Reading the compatibility chart is actually straightforward, components in boxes linked by lines are compatible. The chart looks complex because of all the component codes, but once you figure out how to read those it's easy. Component codes are two letter components type then the series. ST/SL= shift levers, FD= front derailleur, FC=front chainset, BB=bottom bracket, CN=chain, etc, etc. You can look up the series numbers on the Wikipedia Shimano page.

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