+1
Switched my road bike to Q-rings in 52/36 last season (from standard round 50/34) and even with lots of hills (SE WY and NE CO) it was the first year in nearly a decade that I didn’t have any knee issues (yes I know another n=1)
Good luck
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What cassette do you all ride with your 52/36?
I use a 12-27. With my 50/36 that allows me a good deal of top end with a low enough bottom that I only shift to my 36t for serious climbs. On the 52t round ring on the tri bike it’s not quite as nice, but it has much better spacing than an 11-28, and less front shifting than a tighter cassette.
Just ordered a 36 tooth for my DA4. On paper it looks really good.
I like the 52/36 I am on now, but I am looking to get a Quarq. What is the best way to go when my options are 53/39 or 50/34?
Get the 50/34 and put your 52/36 rings on it.
Get praxisworks 52/36 rungs. And if its a new model Quarq, you won’t need to recalibrate when you change from the 50/34 rings.
My best case scenario for the tri-bike is a 50-36 compact, with a 12-23 cassette. Most of the courses in VanCity are somewhat hilly.
54/39 with an 11/26 has been incredibly versatile for me. I have a SRAM force front which has been bullet proof and a chain catcher just in case, but haven’t had issues with dropping the chain. I think it is the perfect set up.
You are either a very strong cyclist (well over 4.0 w/kg) or have very flat terrain.
Not understanding your logic. A 39/26 is a low enough gear for long and reasonably steep climbs (like 7%) even for someone with a mere 3 W/kg. Works out to 65 rpm.
54/39 with an 11/26 has been incredibly versatile for me. I have a SRAM force front which has been bullet proof and a chain catcher just in case, but haven’t had issues with dropping the chain. I think it is the perfect set up.
You are either a very strong cyclist (well over 4.0 w/kg) or have very flat terrain.
Not understanding your logic. A 39/26 is a low enough gear for long and reasonably steep climbs (like 7%) even for someone with a mere 3 W/kg. Works out to 65 rpm.
Preferred cadence is very individual. 39/26 may not be low enough for someone with 5w/kg+ and may be plenty low for someone with 3w/kg.
Are there any downsides I am not thinking of?
36-52 is a big jump. If you have a close ratio cassette (say 11-23) and you avoid the two gears with each ring that have the most extreme chainline, then you have very little overlap. Meaning that you can end up doing a lot of double shifting… which is annoying. If you have wider ratios on the cassette it isn’t a problem though.
only you know how much gear you need. It all depends on the terrain you race on and how fast you are.
Sounds like you understand how to figure it, so do the math and trust yourself.
This is the answer right here, it’s just math and what gear you need to get up the hills at the proper RPM without anything easier beyond that. The downside of a 36 in my experience is the gear is a little light for days you want to noodle at 18 mph.
Countless generations of racers, triathletes and tourists have used a 130 bcd 39 x 53 gear without i;; effect.
if you are having to run a 27 or higher in back to get over the hills with your 39, you could swap down to a 25 x 36 and still get over the hills and hive a tighter ratio.
With the 11 cogs the top speed issue isn’t a very big deal for normal use outside of downhill sprints in road races.
54/39 with an 11/26 has been incredibly versatile for me. I have a SRAM force front which has been bullet proof and a chain catcher just in case, but haven’t had issues with dropping the chain. I think it is the perfect set up.
You are either a very strong cyclist (well over 4.0 w/kg) or have very flat terrain.
39x25 is pretty standard for road cycling, certainly don’t need to be a gifted climber. Unless you are often riding extended distances on grades over 10% this is enough gear. I typically race on a 34x23, although I’ll admit now that you can routinely get 11x25 cassettes (and I’m getting older) I’ve switched over on a couple of my wheelsets. The 25 is nice range if you do hillclimb specific races (which I probably do more than my share of).
The 54 is probably a bit much (I’ve never had too much of problem staying in the pack on downhills in a 50x11), but it is not going to hurt you.
I raced Gila this year on a 52/36 with a 28-11 and it was perfect. could keep a good cadence up and still pedal down.