Grumpy McTrumpy

standard with a 12-27.

the little gears are for going up. the big gears are for catching up to heavy guys on the downhills.

Brandy

Yeah that...except that I just pretend to be a climber. Terry Morse really is a climber.

jklasdf

Depends on the enviroment. I just started riding with a team on a compact and I love it. We climb our local 2300 foot climb pretty regularly. The jump between the two is pretty annoying, but so worth it for the climbing. If I lived in a flat place I would go standard all the way, but with the amount of climbing I am forced to do, you can't beat a compact. triples even better, such as 30/39/50, but 34/50 is pretty close and you don't have the second gear which is neither very helpful or light.

markwebb

I am now riding a compact this season. Past few years I rode a triple. But I only used small one in front on big hills - which was like never on normal rides and only a few times a year on large group rides with steep (over 7% for me = steep) hills.

So far, the compact has been great. I find myself, with compact, using the big one up front more, too. Which has been good on the flats. On flats on triple I tended to stay in middle gear most of time. Now with compact I am in the big gear and have actually increased my speeds on flats. I just find myself going into big gear more with compact, and have better gears to match with rear on flats now. I guess before with triple I was just lazier. I'm doing a 9%-10% hill around here regularly with compact. I did go to a 28 in the back (with triple I had a 27) and that probably makes a difference - I think with my 34 in front/28 in back it's not much different than the 30/27 I used to ride.

Oh - and I NEVER drop the chain with the compact, which was not true with the triple.

I need to go to the Sheldon Brown gear ratio chart to see exactly how the 34/28 compares to the 30/27.

markwebb

My FSA compact with Ultegra FD shifts a lot better than my Ultegra triple ever did with same FD. It's nearly perfect and effortless. With the triple I always had to be careful about going into small gear for fear of dropping the chain.

AEO

compact 34/50 and I live in a relatively flat area, but I spin at 100~120rpm and there are some steep 15~20% slopes near the ravines we have here.

BobLoblaw

I've been riding and racing a 53/39 with a 12-25, but I'm switching to a compact with an 11-23. it turns out that a 34 x 23 is smaller than a 39 x 25, and a 50 x 11 is bigger than a 53 x 12. That means a wider range of gears.

Here's a good gear chart to figure stuff out:
https://home.i1.net/~dwolfe/gerz/index.html

BL

Scooper

Compact with 34/50 and 13-29.

I'm an old fart, and live where there are lots of hills (mountains to right coasters). This gives me close to the same gearing range as the Nuovo Record triple on my old P15 Paramount, and I need all the help I can get.

Carbon Unit

This is a set up I might consider. I have a triple right now but would like to upgrade to Campy 11 with a 34/50. The largest cassette that Campy has in 11 speed is the 12-27. I will lose a little of my climbing gears if I go this route. The 26 on my triple is just about the same as a 29 on a compact.

Which do you prefer the compact or your triple? Also, how are the jumps between gears with the 13-29?

RoboChrist

Compact 34/50 that came with the bike...and I spend most of my time on the 50 spinning in the low gears around 90 rpm. I do need to change the 34 though (to a 36?), going up hills I either have to upshift before going to the 34 or I just get lazy and coast half way up the hill

EvilGoodGuy

I used a 53/39 with a 12 - 25 for 4 years. I had no complaints. After buying a new bike (2 weeks ago), I switched to a 50/34 with a 12 - 23. I don't often need the easier gears; however, I find the easier gears wonderful for recovery rides. It is far easier to control my pace. At the same time, I find I can keep my rpm's higher on steep climbs. I would not bother with a 53/39 again unless I moved to a flat area. In my current location, most of my rides contain a fair amount of climbing.

Edit: I may change my 12 - 23 for an 11 - 23.

rubic

I started out using a 53/39 with a 12-23. Then I switched to a 12-25 rear for that bailout gear. Now years later and on the cusp of my 60th birthday, I use a compact with a 12-27 rear. The only time I miss the 53 is on a long downhill.

Carbon Unit

Sometimes I ride the brakes going up hill so my speed doesn't get out of control.

RecceDG

My bike came with a compact double, 50/34, and a 12-25 cassette.

I'm finding with my current fitness level and the general lack of hills here that I'm spending all my time in the big chainring, mostly in the center of the cassette, with the occasional visit to the big end.

The step down to the small chainring is so big that I'm not seeing any use out of it.

So I'm considering swapping out the little ring for a 38 tooth. According to Sheldon's calculator, that makes for a setup where a front downshift and two rear upshifts is (mostly) equivalent to a rear downshift. That strikes me as useful.

DG

Beaker

Like terry morse, MsI and Brandy, I'm another 50/34 12-27 rider. Seems like it's a pretty good California setup.

MtnRide

Compact w/11-26. Never have to touch the gears. I consider myself to be a fairly strong guy and still run the compact for everything. Shifting isn't as good as a standard, but I can't think of a time I wished I had a higher gear.

Carbon Unit

When you has that shifting isn't as good as a standard do you mean on the front dr? I would think the shifting would be about the same.

umd

If you have a 50/34 it is a bigger jump (16T) than a 53/49 or a 50/36 (14T) which makes for a more hesitant shift to the big ring and more likely to drop the chain to the small ring under load.

J.W.

53/39

The only large hill here is very steep (22%) but also pretty short....

terrain

Have double and new kit has a compact with 12/27 -- I am liking it!

AEO

yep.

but shimano, sram and campy all seemed to have figured out how to shape their pins, ramps and teeth so that the chain doesn't fall off.

even the tiagra level compact has very crisp shifting.

JoelS

I run a 53/39 up front and a 12/26 in back. I keep considering a 50/36 for the front, but have been reluctant to do it. I might when I upgrade the group on my CF. Then again, I might not.

We have a lot of hills here and some steep grades (20%). I'm able to get up them just fine with what I've got now. I think if I had the compact, I'd just get up them slower.

martinus

53-40 / 13-23 . Yeah, its old...

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guelerct

Got the racing double as a cocky newbie...Should have gone compact

DScott

Another 50-34 and 12-27 user.



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