Ok guys and gals since I am not all that savvy regarding gear ratios. On my 2015 Giant Anyroad 1 it came with a Shimano HG62 11x34, 10-speed Cassette and a Shimano R460, 34/48 Crankset. Now for 2016 they have changed to a 34/50 Crankset. I know only 2 teeth larger on the big boy but my question is does this make much of a difference in the big skeem of things and why do you all think they might have made this change? opinions are of course fine.

Chainrings can be replaced

you can do the ratio math and know what the gears are .

Gear Inches, Front tooth count divided by rear tooth count.. then multiply by wheel diameter in Inches ..


50-34 are getting really common so they get the best price buying what is produced in volume .

you are free to change parts on your Bike.

I will ask you a question. When you ride your bike, apart from a steep downhill, have you ever been in a situation where you simply couldn't pedal fast enough to keep up with the speed you were going? If the answer is no, a bigger big ring won't make any difference

I have no idea why Giant might do that. I seriously doubt anyone would spin out the 48 tooth big ring.

Just looked at the specs for both bikes. The 2015 bike features Tiagra 4600 components while the 2016 bike is equipped with the new Tiagra 4700 group. The crank used on the 2015 bike is probably no longer available

Makes almost no difference. The only difference is, a big gear of 121 gear inches for the 50 tooth chainring vs. 116 gear inches for the 48 tooth chainring. At 90 rpm cadence, that is the difference between 32.5 and 31.2 mph. Other than going downhill, how many riders can maintain a speed like that for any length of time? For my money, I would prefer if the bike companies offered the option of a 34/46 or even 32/42 cranksets. IMO, this type of crankset is better suited for the kind of riding the average recreational cyclist actually does.

BTW, congratulations on your Anyroad. It looks like a fine bicycle.