I think that the running out of gear argument is a bit overblown. A 50x11 is a HUGE gear. Sure it’s not as big as a 53x11, but it’s bigger than the old standard of 53x12 and guys were winning Tour de France field sprints in that gear not too long ago.
I converted this year and am currently running a 36 and 50 tooth Q rings. I’m 45 and mostly race in the masters 35+ group (road, crit and TT). But I always double up when I go to a crit and do the pro race also. I rarely, if ever get into my 11 and then only on downhills. I did Nevada City last weekend (very hilly crit). The 50x11 was plenty and the 36x23 allowed me to sit and spin on the climbs. Also I did a WIND AIDED 23:20 20km outbound leg at the Nor-Cal district TT two weeks ago on my compact. I never got near the 11 tooth cog averaging just a bit under 110 rpms.
If 80 rpm is your cadence limit then it might not work so hot for you, but other than that I don’t see the down side. I even know guys who are doing NRC road races in their compact. No problem.
In fact, I think that the compact is helping my racing. Where I used to grunt over a steep pitch in my 39x23 or 25, now I sit and spin in my 36x23 or 25 and have fresher legs for later when it really matters.
I can get over almost any climb I can think of in a 39x23. The real question is: Should I?
I was contemplating getting a compact, but after watching a friend of mine buy his compact and just sit and spin up the hill at a high rpm. when i must have been about 20rpm slower. i decided it was not a good thing. i think the porblem is that, when you get a triple or a compact you rely to much on it. and you really need to push hard on the hills to build the strength. the funny thing is my friend was spinning up the hill and i went right by him. i have a 11-23 cassette. and i always try to never use the 23 unless i absolutely have to. if i can climb a hill with a taller gear i will. of course this is always in training rides. as far as racing goes, yeah maybe the triple or the compact will end up helping you win the race by saving your legs for the run but most triathlon courses are not that hilly. and i like to climb hills.
Apart from allowing a lower gear to be ridden without needing triple crankset, the compact crankset will allow you to run a more even distribution of gears. Instead of running 12-23 or 12-25 where the jumps in between each cog are larger, you can run an 11-21 or 11-23 where you have smaller jumps in the gears.
“I’d take the 53-39 for the extra gears in the big ring.”
Bob,
I’m not sure I understand this statement. What “extra gears” are you getting?
Assuming 10 sp, there are the same number of gears with any setup of front chainrings.
If you are referring to “bigger” gears in the 53 setup, then the 50 with 11-23 has “bigger” gears in the 50 than does a 53 with 12-27. For example, the 50/11 is 122.7 GI compared to the 53/12 which is 119.2 GI, and so on through the rest of the cassette.
This is what I don’t understand from those who oppose compact setups. If you use a “standard 53/39 crank” with 12-25 or 12-27 cassette, you can only benefit from switching to a compact setup with a 50/34 front and 11-23 cassette. You get a bigger gear on the top end, and gain or hold even on the low end.
The best comparison is between 50/34 with 11-23 and 53/39 with 12-27.
The compact has the advantage on the top end as 50/11 is a bigger gear than 53/12.
It is a wash on the low end, as 34/23 if very similar to 39/27 (39.9 vs. 39.0 GI).
The compact setup has “tighter” gear spacing with the 11-23 cassette.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. If I misunderstood your statement, then I’m sorry if this is not applicable.
I misspoke, I should have said extra ger inches…In other words, you can pusher a higher gear with a 53-39 than a compact.
I run a compact on my road bike (50-34, 12-25) and unless the gradient is above 10% I am usually in the middle of the back ring. If it goes above, then I am firing off the 34-25.
On my tri bike and training bike I am running a 53/39, 12-27 and that gets me up the hills just fine, but allows me to hammer the descents and on the flats.
Ok, I see what you were saying, and given the setup you have on your bikes, I totally agree.
Like you, I ride a with a compact on my road bike (50-36 and 11-23, and will swap out to a 12-25 if I am doing extended steep climbing) and standard on my tri bike (53-40 and 12-25). I know, I just said I have a bigger gear to push on the compact, and that is true with my current setup, but I want to maintain the flexibility to put an 11-23 cassette on the tri bike and have that really “massive” gear to push… …down a hill with the wind at my back.
