When I first got back into cycling after life was no longer in the way I noticed things had changed a bit. When I took my hiatus a good road bike was made out of light weight steel, came in about 20 pounds, had down tube shifters and a 10 speed was cigs in the back with two in the front. I think all road bikes were 52 or 53 x 42 or 39.

My first new road bike was what was billed as a compact with a 50x34 and STI shifters. I was over weight and out of shape but the compact made me feel stronger.

Fast forward about 6 or 7 years and three road bikes later and I am riding CF bikes weighing in at about 16 or 17 pounds with the same compact in front but with several sets of wheels with 12x25, 11x28, 11x32, 11x34 in the back depending on how much climbing I planned on doing.

I am down about 55 pounds and was climbing in the middle of the pack with our local bike club. And in a fast pace line I was staying with the big dogs for 12 to 15 miles. But I was spinning like a top all the time with that compact and 170 cranks. And I was getting dropped on the decents.

So I decided I needed a mid compact and 172.5 cranks to make it easier to stay with the pace line and keep up on the down hill.

Here is the problem, I seem to be working harder on everything but the down hill. The flats aren't bad but I have seen very few PRs since changing. I keep thinking I shouldn't have changed both the crank arms and the chain rings at the same time. My body and my brain seems to think my pedal timing is off if that makes sense?