Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Multiple Questions?

1st - I have an FSA 48/34 crankset that says it works for 9 or 10 speed. I want to use either Campy 10 or 11sp brifters, and a cog set that goes to 29-32 teeth. What do I need to make that combo work? Tell me brands, and please be as specific as possible.

2nd - I can see it will take some compromises to make a dual chainring setup work in the range I am looking for. Would it be simpler to go with a Triple chainring? What are the disadvantages besides weight? Does it shift crappy? Why such a stigma against the Triple.

I dont need anything bigger than a 48t, but I will need some serious bailout gears.

I have been cycling over 30 yrs and normally just run a matching gruppo, but this time I really need a special setup. Please advise. Thanks

The cranks will work fine with any setup. Campy cassettes go up to 29t, no larger. Campy suggests you need a medium cage for 29t, but short cage works fine in practice, though you have to be careful with the chain length.

I like compact gearing, because front shifting is much easier. As you get tired on a long ride, it gets harder to pay attention to trimming the front, making sure you are in the right gear, etc. Using Shimano, I can run a 34t cassette, which gives me as low a gear as I have use for. Some climbs are still tough, but lower gearing won't help with that.

I was with you until this point.


Some climbs are still tough, but lower gearing won't help with that.

OP, one can achieve a big range of gears with a compact, sure. But you won't get the granny gears you can achieve with a triple, ask any touring cyclist. And there are advantages to going with the triple in that having the small chainring up front allows one to have the range while keeping closer ratios on the cassette.

And if you want to go low, it lets you go really low. The last derailleur-equipped touring bike I bought new had a 48-36-24 triple with a 9-speed 13-34 at the back. Now, a randonneur wouldn't need to be that extreme, because typically they aren't fully loaded, as I sometimes was. But it illustrates the point. I never needed a bigger gear than the 48-13, and I could climb anything, even tired and with a full load.

The cranks will work fine with any setup. Campy cassettes go up to 29t, no larger.

Ok, so can I run Campy Brifters, Fsa crank, and a shimano or scram cogset to get the taller gearing?

Ok, so can I run Campy Brifters, Fsa crank, and a shimano or scram cogset to get the taller gearing?

I don't believe the Campy shifters would work with a Shimano or SRAM cassette.

While it's true that a triple can be more finicky to shift, most of the stigma just comes from macho roadies who think low gears make you weak and slow. ;)

I like compact gearing, because front shifting is much easier. As you get tired on a long ride, it gets harder to pay attention to trimming the front, making sure you are in the right gear, etc. Using Shimano, I can run a 34t cassette, which gives me as low a gear as I have use for. Some climbs are still tough, but lower gearing won't help with that.

I've never had the trouble that people seem to have with triples. Doubles do shift a tiny bit better. I rarely have to trim my triple and it's automatic when I do.

One advantage of a triple over a compact is that, if it's set up correctly, the gaps between gears are narrower. It might take some extra shifting but you'll be able to find the "right" gear (not always so with a compact due to the larger gaps).

OP, one can achieve a big range of gears with a compact, sure. But you won't get the granny gears you can achieve with a triple, ask any touring cyclist. And there are advantages to going with the triple in that having the small chainring up front allows one to have the range while keeping closer ratios on the cassette.
Exactly. For shifting that is a tiny bit "worse".


And if you want to go low, it lets you go really low. The last derailleur-equipped touring bike I bought new had a 48-36-24 triple with a 9-speed 13-34 at the back. Now, a randonneur wouldn't need to be that extreme, because typically they aren't fully loaded, as I sometimes was. But it illustrates the point. I never needed a bigger gear than the 48-13, and I could climb anything, even tired and with a full load.

I was using a bike (with a triple) that had 30 front and 32 rear. I used that on some rides unloaded and was very glad to have it.

I don't believe the Campy shifters would work with a Shimano or SRAM cassette.
I think jtek makes a shiftmate to make this work. I never really liked that idea. Someone used to sell spacers so you could change the cassette spacing, but I don't know who that was.