Done testing my Compacts($140.00)Unlike most threads on compacts,my gearing on the rear cassette is different. I went with a 13-23. This gave me just a bit larger gear than a 53-14. On my 50-13 at 105 rpm(normally shift at 100rpm)is 31.88.At 90 rpm is 27.3. After a month of testing how much I actually use a 53-13 or lower i figured for my abilities it would be enough. All my training is for 2 IM’s this year. Once above 30 mph I am tucking. Most importantly though by going with the 13-23 I have found that having the 19(as opposed to losing that for the 12 cog)is that on all terrain except hills,I never need to get out of my big chain ring. Once I do or in strong headwinds I can still spin. I live in Montana,we just don’t have hills,but mountain passes. My 30-23 gives me me a smaller gear(not by much) than a 39-25.
To summarize my report. If you are training for IM"s and are in the 6 hr range of ability.This is a great set-up.Yeah,it may not be sexy to only have a 50-13,but for pragmatic gearing to have a 50-13,14,15,16,17,18,19 on the lrg ring for me is fantastic. (Also when you look at the standard gearing for most bikes,there is a rendundancy where you really have 2-4 duplicate gears.) Oh one more surprise,My FSA’s have a ten year warrenty.
Oh,one question(I am not being sarcastic,just curious)If you can push a 53-12 for an extended period of time(afterall Mario wins sprints with that),which is also equal to a 50-11,why in the world would you need a 23 in the back(almost equal to a 39-25)on compacts. I see people posting going with compacts with a 11-23 and I do not understand. I can see a 11-21 or 12-21(which I may use for local races)I need a 23 but I can not push a 11 unless it was in a sprint tri where it would be worth being at LT for a period. Thanks Kenney
If Tyler only needed a 11-or-12 small cog,I sure don’t
Where can I find these. My LBS says none of thier sources have them. Help!
Doug from FSA here.
In the US most of the larger or pro oriented distributors are stocking Energy compact cranksets. (QBP, Sinclair, Ocshner, SBA, SBS and others.
That being said, I suppose all are sold out at the moment.
The distributors should have more of these cranks available around the middle of the month. One other note, one of our distributors, SBA may have some of the new 2005 Gossamer compact cranksets at this moment. These are solid forged versus the Energy cranksets which are hollow forged. Price is under $150.
Please don’t bother contacting any of these distributors yourself. They don’t sell to the public. But your local deal does and can contact them for availability.
Good luck.
I used the FSA compact cranks at St. Croix last weekend. I used a 12-25 in the rear. This set up was great for this race. While people were serpentining and or mashing up “the Beast” I spun the whole thing sitting in the 34 /25. So far my experiment with compact cranks has been a positive. I wish the remainder of my St. Croix race had gone as smoothly as the “the Beast” did, but that is another story.
Scheel’s sporting goods works on my bike, They could find these anywhere till this week. I will try to find out where they found them.
I would imagine these would be similar enough for someone who wanted to try the compact setup without spend a larger amount on an experiment.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=81&subcategory=1034&brand=&sku=11459&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
If you can push a 53-12 for an extended period of time(afterall Mario wins sprints with that),which is also equal to a 50-11,why in the world would you need a 23 in the back(almost equal to a 39-25)on compacts. I see people posting going with compacts with a 11-23 and I do not understand. I can see a 11-21 or 12-21(which I may use for local races)I need a 23 but I can not push a 11 unless it was in a sprint tri where it would be worth being at LT for a period.
I used the 11 on the bottom for a race that was all up or down (World’s Toughest Half). There were no flats, so I didn’t need a 12 or 13 or even a 14. The only time I was even in the big ring was in the 11! I used that gear for soft-pedaling on downhills.
On normal days, I have a 12-25 setup, although the 13-25 would probably be even better for most of my riding. My big-ring flatland riding tends to be in the 50 and 14 and 15.
Thanks Did not think of that. Makes mucho sense.
Got in almost 90 miles on mine yesterday. The first ride after putting them on Thursday evening. I’m pleased with them. I’m running the same cassette I was with the original 53/39, its a 12/27. For the terrain I ride, I wanted the compact for a better climbing gear and I can’t use the 53 for much below 14 anyway. I did almost the whole ride in the big ring, so it made the shifting easier. It was easier to dial in a consistent cadence too. My supplier, www.all3sports.com just got these in last Monday, they might still have some. I’ve got a new wheel on order and will play with another cassette on it. I’ll keep my stock wheel as a climber, as the new wheel is a heavier, aero race wheel. I think the compacts will become more widely used, they certainly are made for spinners and struggling climbers who don’t want a triple. I’ve gotten some greif about them from my training buddies, but, my legs weren’t as trashed yesterday as they normally are.