99Klein 

Finally picked up my 2012 CAAD 10 5 yesterday and went out on a little 30 mile ride.

I have to say I HATE the compact crankset. I was worried about loosing top end gearing and spinning out, but that is the least of my problems. There never seems to be a "right" gear. I'm now nearly always in the big chain ring whereas I seemed to use both almost equally before. I now find myself (in either ring) cross chaining.

Tried a couple short larger (around here) climes and even then there it seems impossible to settle into a gear. What's more, the same climes I've never dropped into my 39/27 combo or even close before I was down in my 34/27. Just completely out of rhythm the entire ride.

Anyone else having this problem?

Homebrew01

The "right" gears depends on fitness and terrain. Maybe you could switch to a cassette with a 23 max cog. Possibly swap the crankset also and sell the other on Ebay. Plenty of people in hilly areas like compacts.

Bah Humbug

Gearing is a question of the entire system. This includes your legs and terrain. I love my 50/36 and 12-27. If you hate the compact, why not grab new chainrings and switch to 52/38 or 53/39? Or trade the whole thing for a standard. From what you say, you clearly don't need gearing that low...

TrojanHorse

I don't think Lincoln is necessarily the target market for a compact crank.

Swap out the crank, or as homebrew suggested, get an 11-23 cassette.

Maybe it's the bike!

uncrx2003

I'll have a pretty much brand new Ultegra standard crankset for sale here soon. I decided to go compact for my needs.

Homebrew01

Swapping rings is a good idea too. Maybe just the inner would do the trick. You'd have to see what size chainrings are available for your model of compact crank.

RollCNY

It is largely in your head. The difference between a 50 and 53 is 6%, which is smaller than any cog difference on any cassette. So the most difference the compact big ring makes is less than 1 cog shift in the back. I am over simplifying, but it isn't a big difference.

The downside of a compact crank is the 16 tooth jump. As a 30% decrement, it means you are going to have to bang down 2 or 3 cogs to not have a big jump in cadence when you shift. I have found a 50/36 to be a much nicer setup, as the increment more closely matches a standard crank. I also find 52/36 to be a silly combo, as it brings you back exactly to the same big increment problem as a compact.

Ride more. Think less.

vwchad

As has already been stated, it is largely a matter of personal preference, fitness, and terain. Personally, I prefer a compact for the terrain I ride. I simply have too many hills to comfortably use a standard double. Personally, I'd try a cassette change first, it is cheaper and easier than a new crankset.

nastystang

I had a bike with a triple and hated it. Gearing was to close and to many of them for my taste. My current bike with a compact crank and 11-25 is great. I do not search for the right gear and rarely need the small ring. I mainly ride the big ring with the exception of some hills. I would like to have a standard double at some point but I do not see it as a must have. Maybe and 11-23 cassette. I would think with a little riding time you would settle right in.
Give the bike a chance. Some acclimation is required for any thing new.

njkayaker

Sometimes, it's just a matter of getting used to the difference.

It might be useful to run a gear chart for the old and new configurations to see what the actual gearing is and where.

Also, compacts tend to work better for people with a high cadence. Take that to mean that without knowing what your average/preferred cadence is, people are not going to be able to help you.

The usual purpose of a compact is to get lower gears without loosing too much in the high end. For the vast majority of people who ride varied terrain, a compact is better than a standard. It's possible that you (in particular) don't need what the compact is providing.

I'm assuming that you have the same cassette (11-27). The change to the compact might have eliminated your favorite "cruising" gear (or moved it).

Looigi

Available overall gear ratios are about the same until to reach either end. If you're not off the end, the difference is pretty much indistinguishable.

99Klein 

Don't believe it to be in my head and I know the difference between 50/12 and 53/12 is not much. I was worried about spinning out with the compact crank as I spin out with a standard. This is a 10 speed cassette as instead of the 9 I usually ride.

I road some of the routes I normally ride so it's not a "mental" issue. I know what speeds I ride where on a given route. If riding alone I can get comfortable but I'm way off pace. When I join others I usually ride with, I can't find a gear to match the pace being set. It's constantly too low or too high. My normal cadence is 90-110 and I'm not much of a "coaster". Even downhill we pedal away.

Though about switching chainrings but wonder if I will still find myself "off". I really had not expected this to be a problem. I though the lower gears may be nice on some long steep hills but did worry about spinning out quicker on the top end on a couple hills on some of my regular rides and, of course, loosing some Strava placements:-)

Honestly it seems cross chaining int the big ring is closest to where the gears I'm use to running are and the small chainring is useless.

Keep in mind I also have hybrid and mountain bikes. The hybrid has pretty decent gearing and you can keep comfortable when not trying to match pace with rodies, but this is about like trying to keep pace with road riders with a mountain bike.

mprelaw

If you're spinning out on a 53/12, why would you even consider buying a bike with a compact?

njkayaker

This can't be true. There's a fair amount of overlap of the gear-inch range with the smaller and larger rings.

The actual gear inches of the combinations are different. It's possible that you are noticing that they are a bit off from what you are used to.

You need to run a gear chart for both combinations. That would either clarify what I'm talking about or allow you to know what gear you need to use with the compact to get close to the gear you looking for.

It's quite possible that a specific gear (a particular front/rear combination) that you often used in the standard is missing in the compact. There's a good chance that there is a different front/rear combination in the compact that will yield a similar (close) gear.

It's possible that the compact with the cassette you are using has a large gap around your "favorite" gear. You'd almost certainly notice that. Are you using the same cassette?

And, even if it's different, it doesn't mean that you won't get used to the difference (and adjust to it).

Run a gear chart.

What chainrings and cassettes are the "roadies" you are trying to keep-up with using?

The gearing is going to be different. And it might take time to get used to the difference and know exactly where things are.

cycledogg

99Klein,
I have the same problem. i have been using standard rings for over 20 years on road bikes and out of the 5 I now own, I decided to set up a compact gearing. 50/34 with 12-28 Ultegra 6500. I have been riding this set up for almost 6 months now and still feel i never really get into a comfortable gearing. Same problem as you when climbing. I had thought it would be easier from what riders had told me but never really seem to be. Maybe, on a real heavy climb the set up is better, but only by a fraction. Anyway, it's not mental. I will only guess with more use, I may get the hang of it, but for now, I still ride the other bikes with standard rings and 11-25 or 12-27 and have no issues with gearing. Silly as it seems, most new road bikes today come "standard" with compact rings.
Cheers

Dunbar

Swap the 34 for a 38T small chain ring and install an 11-23 cassette. Or if you can find a 39T ring with a 110BCD you could install that. It will be much cheaper than swapping the whole crank out. You must be a pretty strong rider if you can spin out a 53-12 yet don't need a climbing gear of lower than 39/24. Are there even hills in Lincoln Nebraska that are steep enough to spin out a standard crank?

CrankAndYank

You are riding in the wrong place. Move to where the fun starts at 15% and then get back to us.

gregf83 

Something is odd here. You are capable of spinning out on a 53-12 (67kph @ 120RPM) however your normal gearing is cross-chained with a 27 rear cog? That's 21kph (13mph) @ 90 RPM. It takes a lot of power to spin out a 53-12 on the flats.

Cross-chained to me means big-big, perhaps it is something different to you?

longbeachgary

I switched from the stock cassette to a 12 - 23. The 12-23 is the only one that has the 12 through 19 in one tooth jumps.

Size 1 - 11-23T: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23 size 2: 11-25T: 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25size 3: 11-28T: 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,24,28 size 4: 12-23T: 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23size 5: 12-25T: 12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,25

digibud

This is exactly why I greatly prefer a triple over a compact. No matter how you cut it, a triple with a closer spaced set of cogs will allow you to move to a more perfect gear, particularly when you are in the larger cogs. Sometimes I'll drop to my inner chainring just so I can find that perfect gear. When you hit a headwind and just and that little change in gearing that allows you to keep a perfect cadence, having a triple makes all the difference. No doubt, in flat land you can get away with two chainrings but it's all a matter of matching your rear cogs. As others have suggested, put a tighter set in back and see if you can find that good match up. Take a look at some of the gear calculators online which might help you point yourself at a gearing set you'd like better.

99Klein 

I spin out on downhills, not flats. I'm only good for about 42 anymore where as ten years ago I could hit 50 on the same bike. I'm just slowing down. My specialized Crosstrail has a 48/36/26, crankset with a 9 speed 11-32 cassett. The mountain bike is a GT and I imagine has similar gearing.

Cross chaining means to would be using the three largest cogs with the large chainring and the three smallest cogs in the small chainring. I was stating that with the compact crankset I find myself needing to cross chain to come close to a comfortable or "normal" gear ratio whereas with a standard crankset I'm use to using the four or five center cogs in both chainrings for normal riding. When I'm in around in the small chainring and get to the 7th or 8th cog I will jump up to the big ring while shifting up three cogs at the same time. I then work my way up or down as needed again dropping down the the small chainring while shifting down tow or three cogs. I can safely "cruse" in either ring in those four or five cogs depending on incline and wind. When the road starts heading up or down I then require some of the other cogs.

As far as why I would by a bike with a compact crankset in Nebraska? Try and find a standard crankset here in Lincoln. "Everybody wants the compact cranks, so that's how we order them in" is the standard "go to" reply around here.

Here is what I have with the compact:[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD]12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
And here is what I'm use to:
12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27 I've underlined the gears I use on a typical ride without bigger rolling hills. Rarely do I EVER drop below the 21 and 27 is almost never used.

Note that they share all but the 17th cog so it's clearly NOT a cassette issue.

clausen

If your riding in the middle of the cassette it clearly is a cassette issue. From the gears you posted I think you normally use your 19 and 21 mostly. Now with compact that would move you to 1 cog which you don't have. Find a cassette with 18 and 20.

Jakedatc

50/36 with 11-28 cassette here and love it. I've been up to 45mph and am ok with holding on for the ride at that point. i've been up 20% while still turning over an ok cadence while standing.

Who says you can't use the everything but the biggest cog in big ring and smallest cog in small ring? I use my 50- 25 all the time.. half of my rides i don't need to leave my 50 ring. What is the point of having a 10 speed cassette if you're only going to use half of them?

you could get an 11-26 cassette and a 52-38 rings on the same compact crankset. takes like 10 minutes to do the switch.

or
https://www.backcountry.com/shimano-u...rankset-double there you go.. 1 week for shipping and you'll be golden.

also... you took 1 ride on a brand new bike with gears you've never used before.. and if your LBS couldn't find a standard crankset to put on it then perhaps they aren't the folks you should buy a $2k bike from?

David Broon 

Those things are jesus for juniors trying to make gear restrictions. Also, you think you have a problem with spinning out? Try 52/14, or 45/12.

Dunbar

The way I ride my compact is to leave it on the big ring all the time unless I'm climbing. As long as I'm not cruising under 15mph the big ring works just fine (i.e., no cross-chaining involved.) I encounter my fair share of gusty headwinds and (uphill) false flats and don't have a problem maintaining at least 15mph. As you become a stronger rider it gets easier to stay on the big ring most of the time. While I would agree jumping up and down on the front is annoying I suspect it may just come down to adjusting your technique. There isn't really any rolling terrain here but I kind of doubt a standard crank is much better on typical rollers.