compact cranks

[alpinerabbit]

Ooooo, boy!!! Time to pull up a chair, grab a tub o' popcorn, and watch the fur start to fly in the great "compact vs. triple" debate. This is gonna be fun!!

I was gonna say just the same.

[IFjane]

Just the voice of experience here. I took physics and remember little or nothing. And no, I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

BUT - In January I switched from my Shimano Ultregra triple I had been using since I started road riding (6 years ago), to a Campy compact double. I am not some young hammerhead-ess. I am 54, carrying about 20+ pounds more than I would like, and live at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I do not and never have been a fast climber - uphill is my weakness - but for some reason the double is in most instances easier, and in a few, no harder than the triple. My theory is the weight savings by not having the extra chainring. The gearing is similar - my triple was a standard 52-42-30 with a 12/27 cassette. Now I have a 50-34 with an 11/27 cassette. I love it and have no plans to ever go back.

Good luck!

[debdownunder]

What cassette are you running? If you don't already a 12-27, it would give you some lower gears.

i have a 12-27 rear cassette...maybe i just need a lot more practice.
my friend, the triathlete says she wouldnt have anything else but a compact crank, and it seems to be the way older riders are going...obviously a very debatable topic.
ta

[debdownunder]

thanks,
finally a sort of, positive response.
i just want to make it easier on my old legs, which burn, baby burn!!!!when i try and go hard up some hills.

[PinkBike]

add me to the (small) group that advocates the compact double. i just switched (ultegra 10-speed) this year and i'm real glad i did. it is easier to go up hills without the leg burn if you have a smaller chain ring. and i'm having fun finding i spend more time in the big chain ring than i ever did before because of the lower gearing. i'd hate to think of a situation where i'd need more than the 34-25 gear ratio - what a climb that would be!

i'm also in my 50's and carrying about 10 extra pounds. when i lose that weight - lookout!!

[Beane]

I went from a triple (52/39/30 I think) x 12-26 to a compact double (50/34) x 13-29 and have found little difference between the 30x26 and 34x29. I've noticed it only on the worst of the worst hills. For the ease of transition, I would definitely say go with the compact double and get the biggest rear cassette you can. (which is 27 or 28 for shimano, I think)

[SadieKate]

I went from a triple (52/39/30 I think) x 12-26 to a compact double (50/34) x 13-29 and have found little difference between the 30x26 and 34x29. I've noticed it only on the worst of the worst hills.

Wow, and I thought I was a princess. I'm amazed that you notice it at all as the gear inches are 31.15 and 31.66 respectively.

If you had stayed with the triple and just changed to a cassette with a 29 cog (30x29) you'd have 27.93 gear inches which is definitely noticeable.

Now, if you'd changed your inner ring to a 28 (entirely possible), you'd have a low gear of 26.07 with 28x29.

You can always get a wider range of gears with a triple. Whether you need/want them is an individual thang.

IFor the ease of transition, I would definitely say go with the compact double and get the biggest rear cassette you can. (which is 27 or 28 for shimano, I think)

That would be the biggest cassette your rear derailleur can handle. You can always change the rear derailleur to a longer cage model and put on a cassette with a 34 cog.

[OakLeaf]

For you gals with compacts, how many gears do you actually use?

With my triple, it's the bottom 3 on the small ring, all 10 on the middle ring, and the top 4 on the big ring.

It's not just the range that counts, but also how many different gear choices you have within that range, that will allow you to spin your desired cadence. Even one tooth on the cassette makes a huge difference in cadence and comfort.

I've never actually done a spreadsheet to see how much overlap I have in the gearing, but those are the ones I actually use.

[Bikenow]

Try it you will love a compact. I have been riding since 1984 and in 2005 I got a new Bianchi with a carbon compact. I'll never go back. Everyone has really given a lot of good advice. Something to think about is the crank arms should be as close to what you have been riding, other wise it will take your
legs time to adjust to the new spin and new gears. Also the pedels may be wider or closer together than what you have been riding. This is called the Q factor. You might what to wait and change at the first of next year's riding season. Just try it, what do you have to lose. I'm 55 and love the spin, no mashing anymore.

[debdownunder]

forgot to mention that i dont have a triple...just the regular double...
and trying to make my riding even more enjoyable
playing catch ups is really hard work.

[debdownunder]

Great! another positive comment for comp/cranks.
i think i just need to be talked into it.
when i do it, i'll let you know what i think.
but...then again, i dont want to spend money for the sake of it.

[mimitabby]

you need to find one of those chain rings and hold it in your hand (if you're trying to decide which would be better a triple or a compact)
they weigh about the same as 3 ounces of water. I doubt that the extra weight of a triple is going to slow you down.
However, further back, i heard someone say it would be easier mechanically speaking for you to switch from what you have to a compact than it would be to a triple.

[Andrea]

SRAM is making an 11-28 now for all you "big range" junkies

Oh yeah, and I had a compact double last year, and it was fine unless I was in a race situation where I needed to go very fast downhill. That's the only reason why I switched to a standard when I upgraded parts, because otherwise, I loved it for hills & long climbs.

[aicabsolut]

SRAM is making an 11-28 now for all you "big range" junkies

Oh yeah, and I had a compact double last year, and it was fine unless I was in a race situation where I needed to go very fast downhill. That's the only reason why I switched to a standard when I upgraded parts, because otherwise, I loved it for hills & long climbs.

For you gals with compacts, how many gears do you actually use?

With my triple, it's the bottom 3 on the small ring, all 10 on the middle ring, and the top 4 on the big ring.

It's not just the range that counts, but also how many different gear choices you have within that range, that will allow you to spin your desired cadence. Even one tooth on the cassette makes a huge difference in cadence and comfort.

I've never actually done a spreadsheet to see how much overlap I have in the gearing, but those are the ones I actually use.

Remember, a 50-11 is bigger than a 53-12. How often do you really need a 53-11? If you love the compact, you can make it work for racing.

I use every rear cog with my compact. It's quite nice for racing overall. The compact lets me spin up big hills (I don't think I'd ever need a 34 for the races I do--the 36 is enough), but the best part is that a greater range of hills are now "big ring climbs" for me with the 50T. So the less I have to shift up front the less I risk dropping my chain, which is nice. Plus, shifting back up is faster when you don't have to jump rings. One thing I really like about the 36-27 is the ability to get started from a stop light on a hill. I appreciate that (which I encounter more often) than the ability to keep going when I really need that gear to get up a hill.

[Andrea]

How often do you really need a 53-11?

Not very often, but last season, I spun uncomfortably in the 50x11 a few times when chasing someone downhill and in a couple of sprints- one with a perfect leadout and one that was downhill. I am much more fond of my 53x39 with an 11x26 rear.