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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter?

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Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter?
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Fusion
Dec 7, 16 9:47
Post #1 of 9 (5002 views)
Hi there,

As i've mentioned in another post I ordered a Quarq DZero Aluminium crankbased powermeter. Because the AL version was cheapest I just ordered it without spending much time thinking about the spider configuration.

Now as the powermeter is in backorder I still have time to change my order, which made me think:
Would it be worth the extra 200euro to get a four bolt crankset to be able to fit 11speed shimano chainrings (I'm still on 10speed 105 atm) and thus make the powermeter a bit more futureproof for whenever I decide to go 11 speed?

Or would I be better of just keeping the cash and maybe buy some praxis or rotor chainrings somewhere in the future?
Also the four bolt is about 200grams lighter, which wakes up the weightweanie in me.

Any other insights in why a fourbolt would matter?

Thanks for any advance fellow ST'ers!
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Fusion] [ In reply to ]
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PMo
Dec 7, 16 11:25
Post #2 of 9 (4944 views)
If you're using a Shimano FD, then Shimano recommends using their chainrings. Obviously they just want you to buy their product, however I have found that this combination shifts really well.

Also, the 4-bolt pattern allows you to run anything from 50/34 to 55/42 by just swapping out chainrings and adjusting chain length. With 5-bolt, you'd have to choose between 110 BCD and 130 BCD which would limit your gearing options without going to some weird third-party solutions (which again, might not shift all that well).
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Fusion] [ In reply to ]
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jaretj
Dec 7, 16 11:31
Post #3 of 9 (4935 views)
If I had a choice I'd stick with 5 bolt either compact or standard.

jaretj
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Fusion] [ In reply to ]
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Titanflexr
Dec 7, 16 14:07
Post #4 of 9 (4866 views)
5-bolt 110bcd is the most flexible choice. You can use smaller "compact" rings, but there are also 53T made for 110. 5-bolt is the standard for everyone except for the new Shimano, so you will always have access to SRAM, Campy, Praxis, etc. rings.
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [PMo] [ In reply to ]
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NordicSkier
Dec 7, 16 14:22
Post #5 of 9 (4846 views)
PMo wrote:
Also, the 4-bolt pattern allows you to run anything from 50/34 to 55/42 by just swapping out chainrings

I believe you can also use CX gearing 36/46.
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [PMo] [ In reply to ]
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bloodyshogun
Dec 7, 16 15:16
Post #6 of 9 (4803 views)
Ditto. Main advantage to shimano 4 bolt pattern.


PMo wrote:
Also, the 4-bolt pattern allows you to run anything from 50/34 to 55/42 by just swapping out chainrings and adjusting chain length. With 5-bolt, you'd have to choose between 110 BCD and 130 BCD which would limit your gearing options without going to some weird third-party solutions (which again, might not shift all that well).
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
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fredly
Dec 7, 16 16:45
Post #7 of 9 (4753 views)
Quote:
5-bolt 110bcd is the most flexible choice. You can use smaller "compact" rings, but there are also 53T made for 110. 5-bolt is the standard for everyone except for the new Shimano, so you will always have access to SRAM, Campy, Praxis, etc. rings.


Just a minor point: Campy 110 isn't the same as the others. It's a 110bcd with a hidden fifth bolt placed at 112 bcd. Not cross compatible.
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Fusion] [ In reply to ]
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beston
Dec 7, 16 17:57
Post #8 of 9 (4724 views)
10 speed cranks work just fine on otherwise 11-speed drive trains.

I like the 4-bolt cranks simply because it's made considerations between 110BCD and 130BDC a thing of the past. Shimano also has to be loving the innovation because it eliminates the need to make two different variants of each crank. 4 bolts gives you that flexibility if you want to transfer your PM to another bike that uses different gearing (e.g. a cross bike).

Shimano rings work so damn well that I'd be hard-pressed to put out more than Shimano equivalent $ for another brand.
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Re: Four bolt vs Five bolt cranks: does it matter? [Titanflexr] [ In reply to ]
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The GMAN
Dec 8, 16 5:31
Post #9 of 9 (4596 views)
Titanflexr wrote:
5-bolt 110bcd is the most flexible choice. You can use smaller "compact" rings, but there are also 53T made for 110. 5-bolt is the standard for everyone except for the new Shimano, so you will always have access to SRAM, Campy, Praxis, etc. rings.

That might be more flexible from using parts from different companies but it is in no way a more flexible system. The Shimano system eliminates all the standard vs compact bullshit. Yes, you can only use Shimano rings but so what? What do SRAM or Praxis chainrings do that my Shimano chainrings do not?
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