Have you personally gone from a 53-39 to a 50-36. Why and have you benefited from this change?
maybe you miss the 53-39 and fell for all the hype?

I currently run a 52-39 on a 12-25

For years I had run 52-42 on a 12-23 or an 11-23 or even a 14-25.

Surely it makes sense to have a 5036 on a 11-23?

I don't understand why everyone doesn't use a compact. especially mated with a 11-23 cassette. I run the traditional 50/34

A 50-11 is slightly faster then a 53-12 at 90PRM. A 34-23 offers a much lower range then a 39-25 as well. All this in addition to having tighter gear patterns.

I don't need to go as low as 34-23. I think that 36-23 if pretty low and acceptable for grades up to constant 25%. For fast training and racing 34-23 is far too low and maybe needed for climbs like the Angliru or the Ratpenat near Sitges.

why did you get a 53/39? why did you fall for the hype of the 53/39?
why did you have so many cog sets?
is everyone like you?

why do many sprinters in the TDF use the 50/36?

I don't race, but some do race with the compact. I have a 50/34 and two cog sets...11-23 and 11-27. I have also ran the 52/42 and the 53/39 but never ran those cranks with an 11t cog. For me the 50/34 is a dream come true and love it b/c the 11-23 gives me the speed I like on the down hills, 7 cogs for the 50t ring to use that are close and allow me to fine tune my ride, and the 23t gives me the easy high rmp climing that I like that so much. The 11-27 is used for all day hill rides.

Here it is quantified, the difference between conventional Cranksets and the Compact Crankset from https://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadin...r/gearing.html. The following examines the speed differences between a 53-39 Chainring and a Compact (50-34) Chainring. The calculations are based on a 700c wheel with a cadence of 90 RPM. Bold print marks a change in cassette size.

...::: 700C Wheel At 90rpm :::...
53-39 Rings, 11-21 Cogs 50-34 Rings, 11-21 Cogset
High speed 33.2 MPH 31.3 MPH
Low speed 12.8 MPH 11.5 MPH
Comments Changes between each gear are the same (cssettes re the same). The tradeoff is easier climbing as the expense of a small loss of top speed. This s the lightest configuration for either set up.

53-39 Rings, 11-23 Cogs 50-34 Rings, 11-21 Cogset
High speed 33.2 MPH 31.3 MPH
Low speed 11.7 MPH 11.5 MPH
Comments Low speed now almost the same. 11-23 cassette is heaver with gear ratios wider apart.

53-39 Rings, 12-25 Cogs 50-34 Rings, 11-21 Cogset
High speed 30.42 MPH 31.3 MPH
Low speed 10.74 MPH 11.5 MPH
Comments The 12-25 cassette lowers the top speed on the conventional Crankset and makes climbing easier but at the cost of even wider gear ratios and weight.

53-39 Rings, 12-25 Cogs 50-34 Rings, 11-23 Cogset
High speed 30.42 MPH 31.3 MPH
Low speed 10.74 MPH 10.18 MPH
Comments With slightly wider gear ratios the 11-23 cogs further ease climbing with the Compact Crankset while maintaining top speed.

53-39 Rings, 12-27 Cogs 50-34 Rings, 11-23 Cogset
High speed 30.42 MPH 31.3 MPH
Low speed 9.98 MPH 10.18 MPH
Comments 12-27 is about the biggest (heaviest) cassette seen on Tri Bikes. Almost the same climbing can be achieved with the 11-23 cogs with a compact Crankset with a higher top speed, closer gearing and reduced weight.

Gear spacing...
weight...
...Closer gear spacing allows small changes in gearing, letting the riders to keep his/her cadence in a narrow ideal range.

Selecting optimal gearing for a bike needs consideration of the abilities of the athlete and the bike course (wind and hills). It is not unreasonable to have different gearing for different races. With conventional chain rings on a flat course an 11-21 cassette might be ideal. On a hilly course (Lake Placid IM) a 12-27 would be much better. With compact cranks you could use an 11-23 for both races with similar results. If you are an older or less powerful age grouper a 12-27 cassette with Compact cranks would eliminate the need for a triple Crankset (a heaver, more complicated solution sometimes used to get low gearing).

you must be one hell of a professional racer then. Pro's were using MTB cogs at the SF Gran Prix and nothing there was even 20% that we under 1 mile long

What team do you ride for? Are you a domestique or a team leader?

excellent post.

I have a compact on my Tri bike, and have run a 12-27 on a hilly course, saving the legs for the run. As you stated, you can do a lot of tailoring for the task at hand.

How are they tighter? If the bottom and top gears are approximately the same, and if there is the same amount of gears inbetween top and bottom, then the steps are the same.

using a 12-25 or a 12-27 to get what a 11-23 w/ a compact give you less spacing between gears.

I havent seen any local road racer using a 50-36 at the moment.just the cyclo tourists who have dumped their triples. On a new centaur group I was forced to order the 53-39 as they had nothing else in stock and nor would they for many months. Some of us have been around riding since the 80s so change is hard. I used to race on a 52-42 13-22!!!! I couldn't afford to buy 8sp dura ace. We made do. I specced 52-42 on my cannondale in 1998 with a 12-23. That was great for most climbs. Our climbs here are about 6-7% grade average. Classic European climbs. Which renders a 34-25 useless unless you can spin out constantly on a 6-7% at 100rpm plus. ( some geek will correct me on that for sure). I have never fallen for 53-39 hype. As these chainsets come standard with most bkes or groupsets these day then you have little choice. Dont you know that Shimano and CAmpy went from "hype" or what i would say standard 42-52 to 53-39 in the early 90s when Hampsten and Anderson were testing STI ( they were both top pro level cyclists fr TVM, Motorola outfits). I was always against the huge jump from 53-39 especially when going from a long hard fast flat to a sudden climb. It meant changing down to small and then down a few sprockets. 52-42 meant less of a shock to the system. Not relevant f you ride like a tourist. ( but that aint a ad thing dude as a man should know his limitations). I actually am a fan of the 50-36 and wish to propogate its use and thought of this combo well befre your dream hero TDF pros... oh there are other races...come to Europe and see.) a 50-11 offers a gear larger than a 53-12 and the 36-23 also offers and out gear which undercuts the 39-25. I do a lot of standing climbing at 20kph on the 52 and being forced to have a 53 n purchase of most bikes ( ie: FSA SLK) is quite frustration. 50-36 on an 11-23 is the way forward for racing gears. But you need the cadence. I laugh so much when i see guys gear crunching on a 53-12 or any other gear. Do the grade my learning to spin.
Why did I have so many cassettes? WEll dummy maybe cos i have more than one bike?? Why not? Is that a crime? Why do i have different trousers? Not cos of fashion but cos of functionality, different bikes, styles of riding, coutries lived in and conditions and also technology available. I have never been against a 50-36 quite in favour but not quite for the 50-34. We have had to suffer using 53-39 so the industry could standardise. I would never push weights which Hulk Hogan chooses to train with so why have we been forced onto the 53 for so long??? I don't care what the sprinters use or any TDF rider. They are irrelevant. I don't possess a RP of 36-40 nor do I have a huge vo2 max. Think before you jump in.

50/36 with 12/23 makes a lot of sense based on what appears to be your preferred gear combos. For most riding, I don't thing you'll find that big a difference. Of course when you have steep hills all day, it might be worth throwing on your 12/25 and you'll be able to spin up some climbs you'd normally have to stand on.

Having said all that, if you only want to deal with one cassette, I don't think the compact would be worth the money even if it would be a slight improvement. 53/39 with 12/25 is really versatile when you get right down to it.

Anybody notice faster drive train wear with a compact? If you are always using 11 or 12 tooth cogs (due to the tiny chainrings) the force developed has less teeth to be distributed on which should mean faster wear.

I think you all are really strong or live in really flat terrain.
Those gearings just don't provide the hill climb ratio's that I need here.

relax son. you started this thread by using the word "hype". So I gave you some questions to make a few points.

one...CC are used in races
two...if you do the math the CC may work for you or it may not
three...we ride with what works for us once we figure out what that is
four...we are not you.

And by the way that 53/39 is really a normalized compact crank when you consider the 52/42.

As for thinking...I just did it for you....
p.s. don't get your panties in a bunch...crank rings will get even smaller at some point as the cogs set we use have a smaller top cogs like say a 9t cog.

THey will go to 9t cos of market forces based on peopl like you. Just get out and train on the climbs if you can climb or just enjoy it. In a typical day we will do about 25 miles of climbing at 178HR.
Go smoke a big fat..........

Such as whom? I doubt very many if any of the top TDF sprinters are using a 50 in flat stages of the Tour. Are you talking about what these guys might ride on Mountain stages, when they're just trying to stay on the bus to finish the stage?

+1 (EXCEPT I RUN 11-21)

Exactly. They've got 53/11, or larger, for flat stages. But rest assured that they're still better climbers than most of us here, using 36 or 34 chainring to stay on the autobus.

I think my next bike will have compact crank. Currently I have 53/39 27/12, and it is working out just fine, but on the hills I'm spinning at ~70 rpm. I think I would preffer to have higher cadence.

There are hills that are so steep that you simply need to stand. If you're not used to standing, you can train yourself a bit at a time. When you alternate spinning and standing, it's a lot less tiring and you go faster.

If your knees are bad, you will have to train yourself very gradually. Also, be sure to adjust your cleats carefully and get pedals that work for you. A couple degrees can literally be the difference between agony and feeling great.

I have not been able to run for over 20 years and don't expect I ever will be able to, but I've never run out of gears with 39/25 (though trips in the mountains sometimes have me standing on that combo)

If you never want to stand, it makes more sense to go for the third ring and pop on an 11/32 in the rear than to go with a compact. Anything with 2 rings that would never require standing probably wouldn't leave you with tall enough gears for when you go really fast.

Well with 36/25 I can get the same low gears I can with 39/27. I think with 12/27 and 50/36 I will be sacraficing some speed, but it will be on the downhill. On the uphill I will be gainning an extra easy gear to spin. On flats I usualy spin in 53/14, so I won't be loosing any speed there. Basically I think it will be a gearing for Mt. Hamilton.

Based on the quality of your retorts in this thread and others, I'd rank your mental capacity somewhere between spore mold and a toaster oven.

yup...just to get by...not win.

lol...

Uh ohhhhhh....now you've done it!