Originally Posted by
bhaubold
Hello,
Long time old biker riding an old bike. All is well at the moment. But, I still dream of buying a new bike someday. Thing is, I just don't get this compact crank thing. I mean a crank with 34/50 teeth just doesn't appeal to me. But, alot of bikes I've looked at have them. I would prefer the 39/53 crank.
My question is, if I bought a bike with a 34/50 crank, could I just change out the chain rings to 39/53, or would I have to replace the entire crank?
Thanks for your help,
Bob
Most bikes I have seen sold in bike shops are available in either a standard or compact crank. If you don't live in an area with lots of nasty hills then by all means, get a standard. However, a compact does give you a wider range of gears than a standard. A 53X12 on a standard is a smaller gear ratio or slower gears than a 50X11 on a compact.