Move from triple to compact is killing me.

[aicabsolut]

hmm.. 170 on the cranks. I hadn't thought about that. I'll talk to the guy who did my pro fit and see if that's something that might work for me.

Don't worry about going shorter with the cranks for the purposes of spinning only. It is not "easier" to spin with short cranks. Instead, you are forced to spin more because you are moving in smaller circles, but you may need to exert more power to the pedals. So, it is "easier" to turn longer cranks, because you have more torque. Some big power sprinters and time trialists use long cranks with very large rings (like 56T). You just have more knee action in a larger circle, which can make for fit issues and knee issues if you're using cranks that are too long for your leg biomechanics. For small changes in crank length, IMO it is difficult to notice the ease or difficulty of turning the cranks. For some people, it's difficult to notice the fit differences, too (though 2.5mm longer hurts my knees, personally).

[Cataboo]

Shorter cranks'll limit some of the hip motion and may relieve some of the hip pain that lo123 has. Sheldon Brown says that cranks should be taken into account for gain ratios:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gain.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cranks.html

This is on rehabbing labral tears in cyclists, suggesting that excessive hip angulation on too long of cranks contributes to it:
http://www.rehabtoracing.com/resourc...C-winter09.pdf

Couple guys that have relieved some of their hip arthritis pain by switching to shorter cranks:
http://www.serotta.com/forum/archive...p?t-51194.html
(there's more threads on that on a google - so at least anecdotally shorter cranks should help with hip pain)


I know I get knee pain if my cranks are too long.

[lo123]

Thanks for all the input... I think I'm going to look at the new rear cassette and deraileur option since it seems that would be my best option to get closer to the gearing on the Tricross.

I really appreciate all the responses and options you guys have thrown out. I'm glad to know that it's possible to get a better setup that just might work for me.

[VeloLisa]

Hi! I am in the exact same boat as you are! I just got a new Madone 5.2 WSD with the compact set-up. I tried putting a 12-27 on it. It helped, but still wasn't enough to get me up one of my favorite climbs comfortably. (12% avg. grade, with a pitch of 20%) So, I decided to go with the IRD 11-34 cassette with a MTB XT rear derailleur. It works fine, but it does not have that wonderful, crisp shifting that I had with the 12-27. That is one thing I noticed right away, going from a triple to the compact double - how very much nicer the shifting was! But, the IRD cassette is acceptable. And the climbing gears it gives you are awesome! However, it is heavy at 363 grams. But, that is still lighter than a triple set-up would be.

Because of the weight and the less than perfect shifting, I decided to pull the trigger on a SRAM XX 11-32 cassette. It weighs 185 grams, which is less than the 12-27! And I'm hoping it shifts nicer.

But, bottom line, I guess it all depends on how picky you are. As I said before, the IRD 11-34 is quite acceptable. And it did give me the gearing I needed. If you're in the Sacramento CA. I will let you try it out!

Oh! And BTW, if you are interested in the SRAM XX cassette, this site has 15% off all their SRAM XX components, plus free shipping.
www.BicycleOutfittersIndy.com

[Cataboo]

Wow. When does your XX crankset come or do you already have it?

The thread I was reading about IRD derailleurs said that the older XTR rear derailleurs shifted much better with it.

[VeloLisa]

No, I have the Ultegra SL compact crankset and an XT rear derailleur. It is my understanding that the SRAM XX cassette will work with my Shimano group. At least I hope so!

[Mr. Bloom]

I'd give yourself some time to adjust before you write off the Madone. Lighter makes a huge difference, but it's not necessarily automatic, especially when the geometry is a lot different.

I'm not able to read all the responses, but I made the same change last year when I got my Madone and was INCREDIBLY frustrated. I missed the redundancy of the triple and didn't like having to plan my shifting in advance.

But, after a couple of months - and a 3 hour professional fitting, I got over it. I think the fit was the biggest issue.

Hang in there.