Compact Cranksets
05-21-07, 08:50 PM
#1
The Truth
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Compact Cranksets
I am moving to a place that has a lot of flat crits,hilly (no mountains) road races as well as lots of hills for training on from a place with hardly any races aside from the fast group rides on flat ground.
I have been seriously considering going to a compact crankset for a while now. My question is: Is compact gearing 50/34 with 11/23 ok for crit racing? Thanks.
I have been seriously considering going to a compact crankset for a while now. My question is: Is compact gearing 50/34 with 11/23 ok for crit racing? Thanks.
05-21-07, 09:17 PM
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Most crits are all in the big ring so it shouldn't matter that much. I would give serious consideration to a 53/39 instead. The pace in non-mountainous road races could be too high for a 34 ring.
05-21-07, 09:20 PM
#3
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Roughly the same as a 53/39 and a 12/26 but lighter and better shifting in my opinion....
https://www.bicyclesource.com/bike/ge...avascript.html
This little tool will telly ou haw many gear inches you will get out of what gear....it will let you compair what you have now and what you will get. Very helpful in choosing a compact...
https://www.bicyclesource.com/bike/ge...avascript.html
This little tool will telly ou haw many gear inches you will get out of what gear....it will let you compair what you have now and what you will get. Very helpful in choosing a compact...
05-21-07, 09:21 PM
#4
RacingBear
Originally Posted by Non-Fiction
I am moving to a place that has a lot of flat crits,hilly (no mountains) road races as well as lots of hills for training on from a place with hardly any races aside from the fast group rides on flat ground.
I have been seriously considering going to a compact crankset for a while now. My question is: Is compact gearing 50/34 with 11/23 ok for crit racing? Thanks.
I have been seriously considering going to a compact crankset for a while now. My question is: Is compact gearing 50/34 with 11/23 ok for crit racing? Thanks.
05-21-07, 10:05 PM
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I live in Utah, lots of hills. I guess hills is an understatement. I have five canyons within 10 miles of my house. I run a compact (50x34) with an 11-23 and find that I have all the gearing I need for climbing and flats. Plus the setup is actually lighter than most standard doubles.
05-22-07, 12:30 AM
#6
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i use a compact record group with an 11/23 cassette. plenty fast enough for 50 kmh racing... 50/11 is a slightly bigger gear than 53/12 so you're up there with most of the other bikes. and if you want to go faster? SPIN!
the 34 is a great hill ring, but the 50 is not bad for short hills less than 10% if you get in the larger cassette cogs, which could mean perhaps less gear changes than if you used a 53 big ring. of course, it needs careful set up to avoid cross-chaining issues. (not a problem on my bike even with short chain stays) and i have the benefit of training on a single speed so mashing is my usual hill climbing mode...
the 34 is a great hill ring, but the 50 is not bad for short hills less than 10% if you get in the larger cassette cogs, which could mean perhaps less gear changes than if you used a 53 big ring. of course, it needs careful set up to avoid cross-chaining issues. (not a problem on my bike even with short chain stays) and i have the benefit of training on a single speed so mashing is my usual hill climbing mode...
