A crank is a crank is a crank for 99.9% of us. If you can put out 1000 watt sprint bursts then maybe stiffness is an issue. If you're a top climber racing the TDF mountain stages maybe that last 100 gms of rotational weight might make a tiny bit of difference and makes the bigger $$$$ crankset justifiable.

There are a number of very good reasonably priced compact cranks out there. Ritchey makes a good competitive product.

What other decent compacts are there out there?

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http://slow-triathlete.blogspot.com/

i have their standard WCS cranks, not compact cranks, but they are very nice and i would expect their compact cranks to be just as nice. the WCS is ritchey's top line of components...the ritchey pro line as less expensive, and probably the only real difference would be weight, with no real difference in performance or durability. if you shop around, you can probably find the ritchey pro compact cranks for under $150, though i think either performance or nashbar websites have the wcs compact cranks on clearance for $150.

I recently put the Ritchey WCS compact crankset on my Trek 5500. I like the crankset. The front shifting is good with the ultegra front derailleur.

I put Ritchey WCS compact cranks on my P2K a couple of years ago. Got a good deal on them through my LBS, $179 installed. I have had no issues with them, and the compact setup works just fine.

I've broken one pair and someone I know has broken his original and the replacement pair.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swoo/9049322/in/set-533276/

I didn't know you were local. Did you come out to Encino's "Festival of Speed?"

-SD

Check out the FSA Carbon Pro Elite and Platinum Titanium bottom bracket combo...700g total and under $300new on eBay.

[reply]What other decent compacts are there out there?[/reply]

I'm five hours away and had to work. Otherwise I would come!

I have the WCS compact on my tri bike. They are very nice...no shifting problems...I don't think you can go wrong with them...and you can get them for less than $150 most of the time via Ebay.

I replaced my DA 9 cranks with the Ritchey WCS Compacts two years ago. The cranks have been excellent. Stiff, light, and shifting with no problems. IMO, they are the best deal going with compacts. You can get them from www.aebike.com for a better deal than you will get on E-bay or anywhere else.