Triathlon - Compact crankset

Hi,
My question is this I have a tri bike. The gearing on it is 53/39 12-25. Im having difficulty climbing very steep hills with this ratio. I was told to go to a 11-28. Then I was told this would not work. So they suggested doing a compact crank. Would this help with my climbing? Would I also need to change out my 12-25 cassett? If I got a compact crankset 50-34.
Any info would be great
Thanks
Jak

Hey Jak,

You could go to a compact crankset no problem, you just may need to shorten the chain a link or three. It will not neccesarily help you climb but help you use the right gear for climbing.

Best of luck

Hi,
My question is this I have a tri bike. The gearing on it is 53/39 12-25. Im having difficulty climbing very steep hills with this ratio. I was told to go to a 11-28. Then I was told this would not work. So they suggested doing a compact crank. Would this help with my climbing? Would I also need to change out my 12-25 cassett? If I got a compact crankset 50-34.
Any info would be great
Thanks
Jak

I run a compact 50/34 with a 12-25 cassette on my road bike. It is extremely versatile and yes it does make for an easier climb than the 53/39. I think you will be happy with it.

What components do you have? The spec for Shimano road rear derailers is max cog of 26, 27, or 28 depending on which model you have. But on most bikes, they will all handle a 28 just fine. I've even run mine on a 30.

I would try the 11-28 first and if that isn't low enough, switch to a compact double or triple crank.

Well for me, going to a 12-27 was all that i needed to climb well, Also, most triathlons are (relatively) flat, Alcatraz is one of the steeper ones, and i really only needed about a 39-25 setup for the steepest climbs.

Also there is also a good helping of HTFU waiting if the hills you are climbing are more than about 12% grade, they will be hard, get used to it

I'm using compacts on all my bike (both road bike and the tri bike) with 12-25. Rarely do I spin out of 50-12 (it's really going scary fast down hill, never on the flats) yet I can pretty much climb anything with my 36-25 (my compact is 50/36 as I like a smaller drop from ring to ring).

I do think that a 11-28 would work though... as I remember the largest rear cog on Shimano short derailleur is 28

I run 11-28 MTB cassettes on my tri and road bikes, with short-cage Shimano rear derailleurs, with no problem at all. 53-39 on the front. I find 39-28 is normally OK to haul my fat rear up most of the hills in the Taunus.