Compact crank or wheels? (on a budget)
 

Okay, I am setting aside about $250-300 for something for my bike. I have an '06 Spccialized Allez Elite double, w/Shimano 105 and stock Alex 289(?) wheels.

I'd like to get a good set or wheels but for that price range I am not sure if I will notice that much of a difference compared to the stockers. I've lookied into Neuvation, Reynolds, Bontrager, Easton and so on. I've heard of Reynolds Race rims on sale for the price range but most of those deals are gone now. and Neuvation has a set of M28's with ceramic bearings for under $300 or something like that.

However, being that I moved from Dallas to San Francisco and am in the land of the hills, which i am not used to yet, should I go for a compact crank like a Shimano R700 instead to help me on the hills? I plan to do the MS150 (Waves to Wine) ride out here and have been told this years route, which will go over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito and so on, will have about 7k feet of climbing on the first day. I have also seen FSA compact cranks go for about $200.

So I am looking for opinions on whether I should get a decent set of wheels or a compact crank.

Thanks for your opinions and recommendations.

Gary

I think the crank will offer you an immediate, very tangible difference, much more than any set of wheels you get with this budget will.

I love my Cane Creek Strados wheels. Got them for a great price at Nashbar. These wheels are big bang for the buck....and bomb proof.

You need some gearing to get you up hills. BTW, what cassette are you using now?

i'd go for the compact.

i do all my climbing with a 53,39 | 12-25. it's fairly unpleasant.

i would get a new crank as well. you have to spend more than that on wheels to notice a difference from what you have.

you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone, if you want...

you can get a pair of new Reynolds Race wheels on e-bay for about $199, and you also get a new Shimano 105 rear cog with 12-27 gearing on e-bay for about $60. so, you figure about $300 with shipping...

if you do decide to go with the cranks, look into it, i personally wouldn't go with FSA cranks...

the ritchey wcs compacts are a great deal. i'd go with the compact and upgrade your wheels later when you have a little more to spend.

Appropriate gearing is a necessity. Fancy wheels are a luxurious toy. In my mind, this shouldn't be a tough choice. If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your gearing, deal with that first.

++1

wheels

cassette

Cool! All good suggestions... I guess I have more to think about... :)

Currently I got a good deal on an SRAM 12-26 cassette. Only slightly larger than my stock 12-25 9spd but it did actually make a difference. I was also considering a 12-27 cassette...

So maybe I'll do the cassette and wheels thing. But I'll weight more of my options since I'm in no huge hurry just yet.

Thanks again!

Hmmm... Cane Creek, Ritchey, Xero, etc...

Getting a compact crank with a 34 tooth inner sprocket will make a greater difference than just one more tooth on the cassette. There's some great deals to be had on eBay for new or old stock so take a look. I just picked up some compact Truvativ Elita cranks from an American seller for a very good price and there's alway "buy it now" items going at a good price too.

Regards, Anthony

If you just got a compact and kept the 12-25 cassette, you'd have virtually the same low gear as a 39T front ring with the 27 in the back. (You aren't going ot notice 2 measly gear inches)

I would get a 12-27 cassette and a decent set of wheels. You can snag the Alta Race wheels for just over $200. Those are a VERY nice set of wheels and will weigh a ton less than your current ones... as well as being high quaility. Then spend the rest on an Ultegra or 105 12-27 cassette. A 39-27 ratio is good enough if you are in even reasonably good shape.... and will make you a stronger cyclist anyhow. The lighter wheels are going to save you a ton of rotational weight and that will help on the climbs too.

Allright I've done the sums. All with 700x23c tires.

39-25 = 41 gear inches
39-26 = 39.5 gear inches (current)
39-27 = 38 gear inches

If you went to a compact with a 34 sprocket,
34-26 = 34.4 gear inches (thats a big jump down in gears)

and if you stayed with a 25 cassette then thats 35.8 gear inches with is still significantly lower than 39-27.

Regards, Anthony


if you want a set of neuvation wheels, performance titans are supposedly the same wheel under a different badge and they're crazy cheap right now.

For you knee's sake, go with the compact crank. Just seems like the wiser choice to me.

Shimano R700. I have had one for a year and love it.

+1 for the crank.

For $300 you can't get a set of wheels that will matter worth a damn. The crank will actually make a difference beyond a marginal OCP adjustment in the flash factor. A compact will radically change the experience of climbing.

Unless you are routinely spinning out in your big ring, you should not think about anything but the compact. (For what it's worth, I ride a triple... best of both worlds :D)

I live on Grizzly peak blvd. in berkeley - so hills are about all I ride. I actually need to make an effort to go and work on my power on the flats. If I had to choose between my compact and my DuraAce wheels (and at $250 you won't be saving .92 of a pound) I'd go with compact. The right gear is key and it isn't so much the choice in the largest rear cog that makes the difference - it is the next three of four smaller that really let you slot into the right climbing cadence. My rear is 12-25 and it works great. 25 can get me out of about anything and the next ones are what I spend most of my climbing time in.

Your budget's too small for wheels.

Token carbon compact crank - $229
558g

http://cgi.ebay.com/TOKEN-Carbon-Fib...QQcmdZViewItem

what you need is a 11x28 cassette! http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...A%20Freewheels
this is a great deal and I used it with a 38 chainring. note that a shimano crank is a 130 bcd, which will allow you to run a 38. a 34x25 equals 36.7 gear inches, a 38x28 equals 36.6 gear inches.

I also run 2 bikes with compact cranks...I know there are many ritchey fans out there, I even have a ritchey bike, and I like the design of the ritchey crank, but I just don't understand why ritchey cranks are designed around the shimano octalink bb!! I guess it was a great idea at the time because it allowed people with that bb to just slap on a new crank, but now that shimano has moved to their new design, one would think its time change.

You honestly think that 2.2 gear inches is a "significant" lower gear? :(

And to those that say you can't get a good set of wheels for under $300... that is just ********. The ALta Race wheels are VERY nice wheels and will likely save nearly a pound off his bike. I think that is going to help the climbing more than the 2.2 gear inch difference between a 39-27 and a 34-25. I know he could get a lower cassette and a compact. But I still think that a decent wheelset and a cassette is going to give him the best bang for his buck.