Which compact crank?
 

I live in SF and have decided to go with a compact crank with an 11-23 cassette. Right now there are a few auctions on ebay and I was wondering which you guys thought I should go with. I plan on purchasing one tonight or tomorrow morning. I did some searching in the forms and it seemed like most people would go with the shimano but I would like to see which people think specifically with these cranks.

SHIMANO ULTEGRA \ R700 8 PIECE COMPACT GROUP 10s
http://www.gottaridebikes.com/Mercha...roduct_Count=6
This was my first choice and I still think first actally. I like the idea from buying from a store as opposed to ebay. I have herd good things about the shimano compact and it comes with free shipping.

FSA SLK Compact Crankset(50/34)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ultegra-Dura-Ace...QQcmdZViewItem
I was really interested in this one until I found out about all the problems people were having with fsa cranks. Not too excited about this one anymore.

Truvativ Compact Carbon Rouleur BLACK RINGS(50/36)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ultegra-Dura-Ace...QQcmdZViewItem
Havent herd of this brand. Some people said they prefer the shimano compact.

My final option is to wait for the new Ultegra SL. Problem is I have a comp in 2 weeks and would like to have my new bike for it.

Thanks ahead of time!

I have two Gossamer FSA cranks, one compact and one standard, and have ZERO problems. I am unsure why everyone has such problems with them. Could it be they are not installed/maintained correctly... nah, couldn't be.

I say go FSA.

I have absolutely ZERO problems with my Ultegra 10spd crank. Shifts much better than my previous crankset and is a hella stiffer. I just don't feel comfortable with carbon cranks for obvious reasons.

What are those reasons?

I'd hazard a guess at the "obvious reasons:" Carbon's generally lighter than alloy (by volume, for example). Lighter = Weaker in a lot of people's minds. For something you crank down on literally, an alloy would bend where carbon would snap ..

NOW, how true is this?

Not very in today's world of material science/engineering/technology.

FWIW, Carbon can be "stronger" than alloys; i.e. can withstand more stress before failure. When said failure occurs, though, you will have different signatures .. maybe that's where the fear is ..

Largely, I think it's mental. People are still getting used to the idea of something as light as Carbon being stronger than alloys/metals. In case it's not obvious, most chain rings even on carbon cranks are made with alloys .. it's mostly always the crank arms that are Carbon.

I have the FSA SLK 50-36 and have no complaints or issues with it, and I run it with a 12-27.
I just ordered the Shimano R700 50-34 and went with a 12-25 cassette.

The reason I when with a different crankset is that I ordered the full ultegra group...and didn't really see a reason to change to anything else.

Where did you order yours from? Would you reccomend the fsa if you had the option?

I have been riding with the Truvativ Compact Carbon Rouleur for about 18 months now. Great crankset. It stands up well to heavy use and abuse and works smoothly with no discernable flex (under a 185 lb. rider). I've been tempted by the R700 but haven't made the jump. It just doesn't look like Ultegra level stuff, if that makes any sense. Once there is a real Ultegra compact (SL?), I might make the switch.

Either get the Shimano or buy a Campagnolo Centaur 2007 set seems to be the best option. Will run just fine with a Shimano drivetrain.

I live in the SF area as well and I chose the R600 (basically the the 105 group of the Shimano compact cranks). I did so for three reasons... one, I have external BB's so I wouldn't have to change them out to something else. Two, I got it for $130 on craigslist, brand new. And three, I've just seen so many bad reviews on the FSA's by people that have installed it themsleves or by a shop. It seems the bolts on the arms can back out unless you use loctite to keep them in place. :)

I called Shimano and they basically said the difference in weight comes from the chain rings as the crank arms are both Hollowtech 2. I didn't get the weights though.

I haven't gotten to ride it on the road yet, just the trainer, but after dialing in the RD and FD everything shifts smooth like everyone said it would.

If I didn't find it on craiglist I would have gotten the R700 new on Probikekit.com for about $192 as it comes with an Ultegra BB and free shipping and no tax! (look under chainrings)

I vote for Shimano. It's a name you can trust and I haven't read anything bad on the Shimano compact cranks.

Good luck!

+1

The R700 is a quality crank and the deal from probikekit is hard to match.

I have an FSA Omega compact on one bike and the Shimano R700 on another. I prefer the R700.

Thanks for the advice guys I think I am gonna order the shimano set tomorrow morning from gottaridebikes.com Has anyone had experience buying from this company? This seems like the cheapest deal I could find besides total cycling, but I have herd some bad things about them and they are over seas.

Anyone find a better deal?

Well, I think you hit the nail on the head, which is why I'm leary of carbon (well, that and the needless expense). I'm not leary of carbon overall, just cetain parts, namely the crankset and handlebars/stem. As you said, chance of failure isn't really any greater than alloy, but when it does fail it's a catastrophe. I read last year of a case here in CO where a guy was riding in a group ride, got out of his saddle to hammer up a hill, and the crankarm snapped, plummeting him down on to his toptube and handlebars, and ending with a nasty crash and a trip to the hospital. If your handlebar suddenly snapped, you'd also experience a complete lack of handling and balance, and down you go.

If I bought a bike that already came w/ a carbon crank or handlebars, I'm not so worried about it that I'd switch them, but when building up my own bikes, I stick w/ good ol' metal...

I've got an FSA Gossamer Compact MegaExo on my road bike and love it; have had no problem. I've got an FSA Energy Compact (ISIS) that I plan on using on my cross bike.

Structural concerns aside, as they probably are overinflated as FrankBattle said, the other thing to ask when debating btwn alloy and carbon cranks, is - is it worth the money? You can find a brand new Gossamer/Energy crankset on eBay pretty cheap usually, anywhere from $90-$170. Once you get up into the carbon models, you're looking at $250-$500+. They're only a tiny bit lighter, and unless you're a Cat1 hammer, you're not likely to notice any difference in stiffness/performance.

My two cents....

I run a dura ace 7800 crankset with a 38 ring and a 27 cog that gives me 38.3 gear inches. I also run a fsa carbon carbon crank, 34 with a 24 cog that gives me 38 gear inches. I have had no problems with either cranks...both are smooth but I think the shimano cranks are stiffer with the outboard bb.

the issue I have is the shimano compact crank is the weight...I just don't understand why it comes in over 800 grams. I like the centuar cranks...they look really cool but they also weigh in around 800 grams, but I think they are lighter than shimano when you add the bb into it.

btw, I ride a full carbon kestrel ems with carbon handlebar, but I have the dura ace cranks on it while I have my carbon cranks on a scandium road bike. the kestrel handlebars are not the superlight ones and have a lifetime warranty. the two parts that I will not ride on with carbon would be seatpost and rims.

I have the FSA Compact 50/34 and the only problem i've had with it was the chainring bolts became loose and fell out, at some point. I should have checked them periodically anyway(and you should with any crankset for that matter), and since i didn't, it caught me off guard, 200 miles away from home.
Anyway, when i got back, i asked my LBS to put in steel bolts, and that's it. 3000 miles since i have zero problems, and the shifting is very smooth.

R700! I put it on two bikes in the last year and half and love it. They are nice and stiff and shift great. PBK deal is hard to beat.