I am building a new cx bike, I have most things that I need, except for the crankset. It will mostly be used as a rain/training bike. I don't know if I should go with a compact crank? Any suggestions or advice is appreciated. Also if anyone knows a good place to buy said crankset on the cheap, that would be great.

I wanted to buy a specialized tricross frame, but shipping may not be until March. Instead I may be going with the Ridley x-ride, I also looked at Cannondale, I really don't like their aesthetics, but would consider other CX frames for around the $800 range.

Thanks.

IMO, there's no reason for a compact east of the Rockies assuming you are in decent shape. Most modern drivetrains handle 27t cassettes and beyond and that should be enough for most of the "climbing" you are doing (someone will probably mention Mt. Washington).

If you want a compact just for kicks, Jenson sells the Shimano R700 with BB for under $100. You can probably find it even cheaper if you look around or buy used.

Thanks, I will check out Jenson. If it were a regular road bike I would not get a compact, but since it's gonna be for cx as well I will put a compact on. Most cx bikes come with 48or 46/34. I use a full 52/39 on it now and when cx season starts up, I put on a long cage rd and run 39 with 27 on the back, but don't want to be going to the trouble of changing out the bb and front ring every season and swapping rear cassettes as a 25 is good enough for me on the rear and then I can put regular tyres on it and use it for early season races as well.

In my experience, most of the really steep slopes are on the east coast... ...and I like my knees.

FYI many road cranks don't fit on cross bikes, not enough chainstay clearance. You could f- around with bottom bracket width, but be aware of the problem.

I agree with you about the hills, I definitely live in a hilly area, at the base of the gunks. I generally like to spin more in the early season until I get enough base miles, the compact on the training bike will fit that bill perfect. I can run an 11/25 and not miss out on too much gearing I think.

I will keep in mind about the fit issue regarding cranks on the cx bike, my current crossbow has a shimano 600 crank on it, 53/39, and has no issues, but as I said before, I do have a narrower bb for the single chain-ring, to prevent too much wear when cross-chaining. Thanks.

i've got a 2010 SRAM Force compact crankset (170mm arms) for sale, brand new in box. came with a groupset purchase and I just don't need it - got an SRM. PM me if interested.

Why would you ask for recommendations on a crankset when only you know how strong of a rider you are and what kind of riding you plan to do with your new bike? If you run a standard double now and plan to use the new bike for the same purpose (and have confirmed clearance for that crankset, not that I believe it will be an issue), just use the same gearing. If you plan on using the new bike for actual cross, you should probably get a more cross oriented crankset, whether that's a true cross crankset with closely spaced chainrings or a road compact. Personally, I'd get the best of both worlds (and more) and get a road triple. All the low and high gears you want (depending on which chainrings you use).

I highly recommend the Sugino XD. Velo-Orange has them, but you can get them from QBP too. You can also find Campagnolo Mirage square taper compacts on ebay for 30$ or so. Those are really pretty nice. If you are not building a race bike, I would fit a compact. So there!

Excellent CX cranks...get them before they are gone FOREVER:

https://www.bikewagon.com/Drivetrain/...-p7558527.html