I live in Fort Myers, FL so have standard Shimano Ultegra crankset (170mm) and cassette 12/23 on my road bike (Cervelo S5) and tri bike (Cervelo P2). I stand 5"8.5" and have a 30" inseam. Next month I’m competing in Ironman 70.3 Augusta and am thinking about the Vuelta de Puerto Rico in January. When I’m in hills I struggle - so was thinking about getting a Shimano Ultegra compact crank with a 12-28 cassette both of which I would switch out between my P2 (for Augusta) then S5 (for Puerto Rico).
Looking online the calculator says that I should be looking for a 160mm crank. Is that right? Having trouble even finding that online. Suggestions? Thanks for any help you can offer.
Definitely stick with 170mm cranklength. You should be fine with a 28 rear and 53/39 front, but a compact crank (i.e. 50/34) is probably a better choice for most triathletes for sure. You are likely struggling in the hills mostly because you live in Ft. Myers…
I’m similar in size but with a 31" or so inseam. I just got a proper Retul fit by one of the best in the business and it was found that 165 cranks provided a bump in power that my fitter said, “we can’t ignore that! You’re getting 165 cranks.”
Thus, you may benefit from shorter cranks but can’t be sure without a fit.
Agree that most people would benefit from compact cranks.
My P2 is 54 as well - so you think I should go with the Ultegra 6700 Compact at 170mm and the 11-28 cassette? 5’8" 30" inseam -
I appreciate your input…
P5 is a nice machine. Still comes in 2nd place to my old P3SL (old annodized aluminum version) of its day though. Liked the older Cervelo geometry better, though no doubt the P5 is a great piece of technology (esp the Magura brakes).
Compact crank - yes. Crank length I’d stick with 170s only because you live in flatland and say you struggle in the hills. Some people do better with shorter cranks if in a “bad” TT position with a more closed hip angle (usually on slacker angle bikes or road bikes with clip-ons) and they spin/generate power better. Probably what is going on with the earlier poster. But, a shorter lever arm “tends” (it did for me when I experimented with shorter cranks a while back - I’m 5’-10" and tried some 165s) to generate less pwr in the hills. Sure, just downshift and spin more and generate more pwr - works for some, just didn’t for me. Oh, and if you do get a 50/34 compact crank, you certainly won’t need a 28 on the rear. An 11-25 would be more than enough. Personally, I really like the 52/36 compact combo and then you can put on an 11-26 or so. Basically gives you everything you need right there from FL to mountains.
I live in Fort Myers, FL so have standard Shimano Ultegra crankset (170mm) and cassette 12/23 on my road bike (Cervelo S5) and tri bike (Cervelo P2). I stand 5"8.5" and have a 30" inseam. Next month I’m competing in Ironman 70.3 Augusta and am thinking about the Vuelta de Puerto Rico in January. When I’m in hills I struggle - so was thinking about getting a Shimano Ultegra compact crank with a 12-28 cassette both of which I would switch out between my P2 (for Augusta) then S5 (for Puerto Rico).
Looking online the calculator says that I should be looking for a 160mm crank. Is that right? Having trouble even finding that online. Suggestions? Thanks for any help you can offer.
If you have problems with hills, you buy several cassettes and try them out on the hills. Show up at events a couple days prior to the event and climb the hills.
You can get a 12-30 cassette. That should work with most deraileurs. You might want to take chains of the proper length also.
I really don’t understand why people go to these events and have no idea what gears they need.
It only costs a couple hundred dollars to get enough parts to start with a 11,12,13,14,15, or 16 and end with 23,24,25,27, or 30. You can mix and match.
@ An Old Guy - You’re right about getting there a few days early and trying out various cassettes. Unfortunately, for me that’s not practical since I don’t live within driving distance of the sight, am married (and don’t wish to be divorced) raising a family, have a kid going off to college and a busy professional practice. Triathlons and tours are my “escape” - I have no hope of reaching the podium although I consistently place in top 1/3 or 1/4 which I am happy with. So I’m just looking for the most versatile set up that will meet a variety of needs given my own limitations!
Have you considered a mid-compact chain ring set up (52-36)? I run that with a 11-28. It’s kind of a funky set up and took a while to get used to, but now I have one bike that can pretty much tackle all. I’ve heard from others as well, who go from a standard to mid-compact, have a hard time getting used to it.
I agree with several posts that you should go 170 cranks and the compact front end. Can do either 12-25 or 11-28 depending on how hilly, but in FL you would want the 11-25. I am a 59 year old pretty high-end racer from hilly Virginia. With an FTP (using power meter) of around 217, I stick with a compact on my size 54 P2. I also run an 11-28 to give me more range on hills. We run mostly compacts on road and TT bikes here. You will save energy on hilly courses with the compact cranks and not sacrifice high end speed. The big and/or younger power guys run full size cranks, but they have FTPs in the 250-300 range and can push the big rigs on the hills. They also need the top end speed at their power levels which normally exceed the speeds they can get on a compact. Side note…consider a power meter on the Tri bike. Save up some $$ and invest (quarks are great). The best tool ever for training and race pace management as you move to 70.3 distance. Good luck!
I am the same height and inseam as you and I ride in a hilly area that is probably very similar to Augusta (Charlotte area). I also have 170 cranks on my road bike and love them. I had a compact crank on it for the first two months and didn’t like it. However, for triathlons, it probably would have been fine. What I didn’t like about it was that it moved the favored big ring/small ring changeover point from about 20mph down to about 17mph. Also, it seemed like I had to switch three cogs in the back to even up the cadence. Like everyone else has said, don’t change the cranks. The longer cranks will mess up other aspects of your fit and you don’t want to be doing that at this point. When I was doing tris, I switched out the rear cassette on my tri bike from an 11-23 to an 11-28 and couldn’t have been happier. I might have had to push up the hills a little bit more than the flats, but the 28 tooth cog made a lot of difference to me as I was able to keep my heart rate within my desired range pretty well even when climbing. That was with 172.5 cranks and a 53/39 chain ring setup. Last, I will say that I am an older guy that doesn’t have a 300w FTP. I wasn’t much of a climber back then either, although I am better now on my road bike and I am running an 11/28 cassette on it too. It’s nice to have at the end of a long ride when the last few hills are still ahead of you.
I agree with the calculator. Shorter cranks. 170mm is too big for your inseam by my reckoning. Also no mention of front ring sizes? There’s a fair amount of variation for both compact and standard, and remember that you have to keep in mind the capacity of the derailleur. But if your struggling with the hills then a compact most likely a good idea.
Looking at the replies you are getting all I have to say is this. Been on this board since it came up…listen to rroof. You get to know who to listen to and who not to. I have compacts and a 13-25 and bike 6 hr IM. But rroof know hi s cycling
to the point of crank arm length… Getting a compact setup, had a 172.5 on the TT with the standard setup and got a 175 with the 50/34, going to get my fit re-checked but will the 2.5mm make any noticeable difference? I run a compact 50/34 with 175s on my road bike (what it came with), but thinking more about it… that frame is a 58 where as my TT is a 56… different style bikes I realize, but I don’t notice any difference from a pedal/extension perspective.
Thanks in advance,
When I do a race with hills, I like to run 50/34 - 11/27, e.g., California 70.3, IM CDA. There have been plenty of times that I’ve had to drop into the 34-27. Also, I’m 5’9" with a 33 1/2" inseam and have comfortably run everything from 175s to 155s. I’m currently on 155s, which I find are the easiest to climb with. YRMV.
Why would crank length have anything to do with riding hills? Generally slower cadence (common for climbing) may mean LONGER cranks, but if you need a smaller gear, get larger cogs. Don’t mess with crank length if it works for you in the past.
I doubt very much you would notice a 2.5 difference. Most who say they do I believe is placebo. As far as different size frames, you are rotated more forward so common to have a smaller size frame and still have an open enough hip angle. However when sizing by 56 or 58 instead of stack and reach, its really hard to know the difference in frame size. When they were diamond frames sizing was more consistant but with compact frames of different brands I have seen 57’s that are larger than 58’s ect