FooserX

I just bought a new bike last week, and I didn't really pay attention to the front crank. It's a double, and I assumed it was a compact since all the ones I had been test riding where. My bad...newbie mistake.

Anyway...so I get out on a climbing ride here in CO, and holy hell! I ran out of gears! lol

So I replaced the back cassette for one with more teeth, but it didn't help too much. Now I am going to have to replace the front crank for a compact...ugh! More money!

Should I just not make a switch and power my way through this so I get stronger, or does everyone use at least a compact for climbing?

X

timster

What cassette did you have on the back? What cassette do you have on there now?

What chain rings do you have up front? 53/39?

FooserX

I'm sorry, I don't know what ratios I have on there now. :-( I know they put on one with 2 more teeth on the back cassette which was noticeably larger than the cassette it came with.

I'm looking at compact cranks online, and they are over $100...ugh. Man, totally unexpected cost.

Just wondering how many riders use a double and still climb passes just fine. So many hills in CO...the double crank is brutal now...but maybe I'll get stronger and in a couple weeks it won't be an issue.

X

umd

I ride a standard double but my climbs are not your climbs and my legs are not your legs.

Lamp-Shade

I was in your situation once and made the decision to just power through it. Let yourself rest enough and pretty soon everything that inspired fear just kind of makes you giggle in the end.

ridethecliche

Used to ride a compact around the climbs here, but now use a regular double.

I'm stuck on the crank I have, but if I had the option, I would run a 50/36 compact with an 11-26.

DaveSSS 

My guess is you've got a Shimano drivetrain with a 53/39 and 12-27 cassette. That's as low as you'll get with a short cage RD.

If you change to a 50/34 crank, it will help a lot, but you'll come up short on gearing for the descent. Shimano now offers an 11-27 or 11-28 cassette.

Young racers usually get by with only a 39/25 low gear, but they may be forced to pedal standing on the steepest sections. if they can't stay seated in the 39/25. Even they may resort to a 39/27 on occasion.

trojanman

I rode Squaw Pass for the first time yesterday with a standard double (53/39). I didn't have any trouble, but I was SLOW. Everyone that passed me was either on a compact or a triple (at least that is my excuse). My buddy's grandma passed me on the way up, but I don't think it had anything to do with my gearing. There was a day when i used to climb with a 53/39 and 11/21 on back. Man do I like to remember the old days.

That said: I am doing the Triple bypass next month and I will be putting a compact on my bike for that event.
Compacts are GREAT for climbing, no matter how manly you think you are. Flats and downhill, not so much.

And FWIW: I passed everyone on the descent that passed me going up (53:12 vs 50:12 wins everytime)

intence

Despite Shimano's claims, a 12-27 will work with a compact crank and the 12-27 on the rear, i've been running it on one of my bikes all season. According to their spec, the short cage RD *shouldn't* be able to work with this, but if you search on here it works just fine.

SRAM makes an 11-26 and 11-28. I've never tried the 11-28 but the 11-26 with a compact crank should be a nice setup if you want the higher gearing from the 11.
If you have an external BB (which you probably do with a newer bike) then buying a compact crank from the same manufacturer should mean it's easy enough to swap out without *too* much trouble, although you'll have to adjust the front derailleur.

Depending on the brand/type the cost might be minimal if you sold the current double crank.

blamire

just keep riding it, you'll get stronger

wfrogge

Compact or triple front will not make you faster... In the end you will need close to the same gear ratio and cadence as the rider you are trying to match. Oh and how do you know they werent on a 50:11? Thats a bigger gear than your 53:12

trojanman

Cus they were my buddies.

umd

And a 53x11 is bigger still

popeye

I would spend some time just learning to stand and conserve on the steepest climbs. Don't blow up and you will get faster and stronger.

kyriefurro

I haven't seen any of these "claims" by Shimano, but for what it's worth, the 12-27 with short cage RD comes standard on the compact double version '09 Specialized Roubaix (at least the Elite model that I bought). So either the Shimano folks are smoking something, or they've changed their mind .

intence

Does the Roubaix Elite come with a 7900 DA RD? Somewhere in Shimano's tech docs they tell you how to calculate the max number of teeth supported by the SS version of the 7800 RD. The Compact along with the 12-27 just bareley exceeds this, but it works great

telebianchi

I'm a wimp so don't ask me whether or not you need to go to a compact, but I run a compact with SRAM's 11-28 cassette. No shifting problems with an Ultegra RD.

In winter and spring I'll use the 28 once in a while. From mid-May onwards I rarely do....but I just live in Northern Virginia where there some hills but no mountains to speak of.

Only problem that even my inexperienced, non-racing, just-out-for-a-ride self runs into is the spacing on the cassette. 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28 -- in the small cogs it's fine but the jumps are bigger from 19 to 28 and it is noticeable and sometimes hard to pick the right gear which then sometimes means a shift to the other chain ring up front. For me and my lazy rides, I just deal with it. But if you ride in groups/pace-lines, or especially if you race, I could see this being a problem. I still have the 12-26 that came on my bike and may switch it back for most of the summer/fall when I'm in a little bit better riding shape.

agarose2000

If ur a young racer or wish to become stronger, stick with the 12-25 noncompact . I had the same problem with hills starting out, but stuck with it and I now ride 70+ miles routinely with big mountain passes of 8-18%. U will get a lot stronger and faster-I'm glad I stuck with it.

Ygduf

Just lose 5/39 of your body weight.
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kyriefurro

Nope. The Elite comes with 105. Which makes me wonder if the limitation is specific to DA, or if Specialized just decided to ignore the "official" limit since, as you said, it works just fine.

recursive

There are precious few applications for such a gear. 120rpm is 46mph. Mere mortals are best off getting aero and coasting at that point.

elader

I run a FSA 50/34 with a shimano 12-27 and Dura Ace brifters and derailleurs. It works just fine. Had to adjust the rear derailleur a bit and of course move the front derailleur. I do throw the chain off the small ring if I am stupid enough to shift down when the chain is on one of the big cogs in the back.

Bike came with an FSA carbon standard crank and I replaced it with a compact, same style which I got on CL for $125. The 34-27 is like climbing with a mountain bike in the granny gear, and the 50/12 is a bit short for descending faster than 40mph....but I love it.

umd

:sigh:

did you not see the ?

Did you even pay attention to what I was responding to?

"Oh and how do you know they werent on a 50:11? Thats a bigger gear than your 53:12"

So a 53x11 is bigger still

Just sayin'

khatfull

My CAAD9-5 is all 105, FD, RD, crank, and cassette, 50/34 compact crank, 12-27 cassette. Stock from the factory, works just fine. If you cross chain the 50/27 the RD is really stretched, but with the FD trim it works without issue.

recursive

These words: I'm eating them.

I apologize to the world for being dumb.