Meaning Of "Compact" and Buying Advice

LingfieldXC

Hi All - I have recently been looking at getting a road bike. I am a complete newbie to road cycling having done mostly XC - I have a question first.
What does 'Compact' Mean in the context "Bianchi C2C Via Nirone 7 Aluminium Sora 9 speed Compact"

On to the improtant stuff. I was looking at getting a bike at £500 +/-£100
on a bike and the Bianchi Above looks and sounds about right to me but I was wondering if anyone has one and what they think of it. Also if anyone has any other recommendations for bikes in the price range then I would be greatful. I would like a 2008 model. Cheers

redddraggon

Compact in this case means 50/34 or 50/36 chainrings.

clanton

Just to expand slightly on the above - compact refers to the front chain rings - most commonly 50/34 combination as opposed to a 52or 53 combined with a 39 and also as opposed to a triple front chain ring.
Compact configurations give you 20 gear options (not all useable though) with a nice wide range, suitable for most recrational use.

gematkinson

i got the black bianchi c2c (about £530) and i came from a hybrid and i have to say i absolutely love this bike, its comfortable to ride, its great looking and its great fun. i also feel comfortable doing quite long rides and i commute every day on it.

Clem

As a kid I had a 53/42 chainset - it was enough to put you off cycling for life, gawd knows why it's taken this long for the world to go compact!

I used to make do with obscure Stronglight stuff - I had a 44/28 combination I seem to remember. Used to give roadies a good laugh but it meant I could get out of Cornish coastal villages without walking!

caw35slr

redddraggon wrote:

Compact in this case means 50/34 or 50/36 chainrings.

So what rings does a typical (if one exists) triple have?

redddraggon

caw35slr wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

Compact in this case means 50/34 or 50/36 chainrings.

So what rings does a typical (if one exists) triple have?

Roughly (but don't quote me)....

Big ring 53/52/50

Middle ring 42/40/39

Little ring 30

LingfieldXC

thanks for the help, I really like the look of the Bianchi C2C in black. The top tube looks awesome, I break up for easter soon so will try and get to a bike shop to see the bike. I didn't want to walk in to the shop and not know what I was being talked to about.

geoff_ss

My Campag Mirage (in 1995) was 50/40/30. I currently use a MTB 44/32/22 chainset which gives me the low gears I need for the Peak District lanes.

I also used to use a what is now called a 'Compact' chainset for audax riding made up with Stronglight chain rings - 48/32 IIRC. I also used a close ratio 6 speed block with a big bottom sprocket to give me an 'emergency' bottom gear. It worked perfectly in pre-indexed gear days.

Geoff