Ordered my new rig and am going to try out a compact this season. From reading reviews, it seems that 50/36 is the sweet spot for compact setups. However, my 50t Red chainring says that it should only be paired with the 34t inner. And the SRAM website says doesn’t show the 50/36 combo for Red. Is this true or can I run the Red/Force 36t (such as this one) with the 50t outer on my new compact ?
I’ve seen folks running this combo with non SRAM chainrings. Just curious if folks have done it with Red chainrings.
You should be ok. Shimano also match ring sets stating that A and B should not be mixed. I think it is down to the positioning of the lift pins and profiled teeth on the big ring. You will not get what they regard as the best level/smoothest shift on the upchange but if you are a mere mortal like most of us you will probably not notice the difference.
Perhaps one of the pro wrenches could chime in with a more product specific explanation?
It shouldn’t make any difference to the shifting but for the small cost I would put one on every bike I build now. Cheap bit of insurance to save your frame, especially if it is carbon. Generally the ‘nay-sayers’ to chain catchers I would suggest are just jealous that they didn’t think of such a simple and effective solution. :o)
50/36 is essentially the same proportions as a 53/39. I would guess that this difference (14 teeth) a chain catcher wouldn’t make any more difference than the 53/39. Why not a 50/34 if you’re going with a compact?
The 34 seems like it’ll be a too low after looking at some gearing charts. The 16 tooth jump also seems like a fairly big jump so I thought a 36 might be more useable. I’ve already got the 36t on order but will try the 34 for a while and see how it goes. I was paranoid that pairing the 36 with the “34-only” Red 50 might increase the chances of chaindrop hence the catcher.
After talking to a few more techs, it seems that the 36 should work. From what i understand, the only thing that might be affected is shifting to the big ring, not the inner chainring.