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I guess slightly lighter
when paired with a smaller cassete you can achive the same gear ratios. I would think it not worth it if shifting suffered.
when paired with a smaller cassete you can achive the same gear ratios. I would think it not worth it if shifting suffered.
physasst said:
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14,791 Posts
Well
the reason I asked, is the Kona JTS I bought for cross racing next year, has a 50/34 compact on it, and I am in the process of upgrading the components on my road bike, and am wondering if I should switch the compact to the road bike, and put a standard double crankset on the cross bike....does that sound right to you?
DPCX said:For me personally, if I cant climb it in a 38/26 running is probably faster. I think the largest, smallest chainring you can get on a compact is 36, correct? I did have some old XTR cranks made into a double on my commuter cross bike & that gearing (34/46) was welcome on some of the climbs on my ride home. I also loaned that bike to forum member Steve_ef from Socal on a holiday visit up here last fall. I dont think he ever got out of the big ring during his race. My .02cts.
Dave
the reason I asked, is the Kona JTS I bought for cross racing next year, has a 50/34 compact on it, and I am in the process of upgrading the components on my road bike, and am wondering if I should switch the compact to the road bike, and put a standard double crankset on the cross bike....does that sound right to you?
For me personally, if I cant climb it in a 38/26 running is probably faster. I think the largest, smallest chainring you can get on a compact is 36, correct? I did have some old XTR cranks made into a double on my commuter cross bike & that gearing (34/46) was welcome on some of the climbs on my ride home. I also loaned that bike to forum member Steve_ef from Socal on a holiday visit up here last fall. I dont think he ever got out of the big ring during his race. My .02cts.physasst said:
Dave
I think for most cross courses, the compact might have you doing some extra front shifts, which isn't always advisable when your driveline is all muddy. If you can do a swap to your road bike (the bottom bracket needs to be the same) then perhaps you may like a sngle ring, I have been messing with a 42 front ring on my new bike for a couple of rides and find I like it a lot so far.
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Depends on what you're going to be doing with the bike. I think you can go 34/46 with a compact and that would be pretty nice if you wanted to do some trail riding. However, that gearing would suck for racing.physasst said:
An interesting combo to consider is 34/42 plus an outer chain guard. When you race, you just leave it in the big ring but you have lower grearing for goofing around on trails and such. Also, if you "drop" your chain, it will most likely drop to the 34 instead of off the rings entirely. Shifting it back up would be a breeze.
For a primarily race machine, 38/46 is my fav.
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3,897 Posts
IIRC my rings are 34/44 (or 46) on my bike. I tend to ride it more like a mtn bike than a race bike, so I 'need' the lower gears. I've got an XTR crank with a 110mm adapter on it, which I guess technically makes it compact. (Tho to me, compact means a Suntour crank with a 56mm granny BCD)
I find that when racing, I tend to stick it in the big ring and just shift the rear. (not that I did much of that this last few winters!)
The 50t will be a good thing if you're trying to keep up with road bikes. A 50x12 is a lot like a 53x13.
M
I find that when racing, I tend to stick it in the big ring and just shift the rear. (not that I did much of that this last few winters!)
The 50t will be a good thing if you're trying to keep up with road bikes. A 50x12 is a lot like a 53x13.
M
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