new bike - standard or compact?

just crazy enough

I am currently riding a bike with 52/42 up front and a 12-25 8spd cassette. I'm mostly riding on the inner ring but not having any major problems getting up the massive hills of north essex/ south suffolk(!) on 40-50 mile rides. My dilemma is that a lot of new bikes are specced with compact chainsets and along with the extra gears a 10 spd would give me would I actually benefit from the lower gearing or should I go for a bike with a standard chainset?

Anonymous

Get a compact, you'll get a better spread of gears.

I have a standard on my training and TT bikes which is fine but the compact on my best bike is great!

BeaconRuth

Noooo! Don't get a compact unless you can think of a good reason why you'll need it. If you're not planning to do any mega-hilly sportives or to go to the Alps, then why do you need such low gears (if you're already coping fine with a 42/52)?

I wouldn't touch a compact with a bargepole. Just my view.

Ruth

guilliano

If you are OK with your current gearing then a standard 53/39 would be fine, just a wider spread of gears.

nmcgann

just crazy enough wrote:

I am currently riding a bike with 52/42 up front and a 12-25 8spd cassette. I'm mostly riding on the inner ring but not having any major problems getting up the massive hills of north essex/ south suffolk(!) on 40-50 mile rides. My dilemma is that a lot of new bikes are specced with compact chainsets and along with the extra gears a 10 spd would give me would I actually benefit from the lower gearing or should I go for a bike with a standard chainset?

The compact chainset won't do anything for you unless you do regular serious hills. In flat and rolling terrain a 39/53 or 39/50 is better suited and requires less shifts between the rings.

Neil

juggler

i've gone back to 53/39 set up from several years using 50/34... much prefer 53/39... The shifting is better and dislike the big drop from 50 / 34. Find i'm using the 39 much more that the 34, tended to stay in the 50 unless really necessary to change.

If you are running a 42, then dropping to a standard 39 inner ring should give you a few more gears to play with on the hills.... a compact 34, will normally only give you one
lower gear than a 39 for the same cassette. I think a 39-25 is very slightly higher than 34-23.... so you would really only gain the 34-25.

ohlala!

I used to ride 52/42 with 13/26 cassette and couldn't climb fast on hills and accelerate quickly, so I decided to change my chainring to 51/39 and keep the same cassette now I feel very comfortable with my gears and I can beat the acceleration of some guy with a carbon frame who used to beat me on my commute journey. It has also increased my cadence and decreased my perceived fatigue that I used to experience when pushing on high gears.

My point is, we are all different what feels good to you may not feel good to someone else so my suggestion is to custom your gears according to your needs and fitness level, if you like and can maintain pushing high gears than go for standard, but if you want to go fast without building up bulk on your thighs then go for compact. Hope this helps